Logicalis Global CIO Survey reveals only a third of CIOs cite cyber-risk mitigation as a performance measure

While 94% of CIOs acknowledge some form of serious threat over the next 12 months, only 27% list business continuity and resilience as a top-three priority during the next 12 months and barely a third cite risk mitigation as a measure of performance. These findings come from the 2021 Global CIO Survey from Logicalis, a global provider of IT solutions.  

The study which surveyed 1,000 CIOs from around the world, finds that nearly half of respondents (47%) see data breaches as the biggest risk to their organisation (an increase of 6% from last year). Following data breaches, CIOs state malware and ransomware (39%) as other key areas of concern. 

The perceived risk of a data breach is likely to have risen due to the increase in borderless workforces as employees continue to work from home or adopt hybrid working practices. When they occur, data breaches can lead to a range of issues from loss of business-critical data and stalled business growth, and in the most serious cases, the complete shutdown of a business. 

Less than a third of CIOs (30%) cite lack of staff awareness as a security issue, down from 50% last year. This perceived improvement in staff awareness is due in part to an emphasised investment in additional training and technology measures to mitigate security risks. In fact, over 50% of CIOs state their organisations invested in employee security training this year, likely to help prevent data breaches originating from employee activity.  

Other areas of investment include:  

·         Security technology – 66%  

·         Business continuity planning – 40%  

·         Third-party support through expert MSPs– 35% 

However, CIOs still feel their organisations have a long way to go in investing in comprehensive security measures. Despite the rapidly increasing cybersecurity risks, more than half of businesses (55%) have yet to adopt a cyber-attack recovery plan.  

Mark Benson, CTO of Logicalis UKI, said: “The pandemic led to a rapid shift to remote business frameworks and forced many organisations to set up temporary network security solutions in reaction to the larger cyber threat surface. One key element of the hybrid working structure is making sure everything stays secure—a task that is challenging in a decentralised workspace.

“Many measures have been implemented, but more action is needed to secure remote workers and increase business resilience. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Adopting a holistic cybersecurity plan ensures businesses are prepared for cyber-attacks and can quickly recover and resume critically affected systems and technologies. With a comprehensive plan, created with advice from a trusted partner, companies can rest assured, knowing they’re protected.” 

For more information, and to explore additional key findings from the 2021 Logicalis Global CIO Survey, visit here. 

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