The number of cyber
attacks being carried out globally is continuously growing, and has seen
significant acceleration in the last five years. A recent study by PwC
found that the number of cyber security incidents across all industries rose by
38% in 2015 the biggest increase in the 12 years since the global study
was first published. As hacking tools become simpler and easier to use, even
the most amateur hacker is now able to deliver professional-level threats into
targeted organisations.
Although South African companies are increasingly becoming targets for cyber
attacks, many businesses are ill equipped to deal with the threat having
out-dated systems and strategies. Security firm Kaspersky Lab recently found
that 7% of all South African organisations experienced a cyber attack in the
last year, alone. Compounding the problem is a lack of qualified local
professionals in the cyber security business.
Cybersecurity
job growth is growing at three times the pace of other IT jobs, but according
to ISACA over 84% of organisations believe that 50% or less of applicants for
security jibs are qualified. Some businesses are experiencing delays of over 6
months to find qualified security candidates. Compounding this, many of those
who are qualified or trained in this area are leaving the country.
On a
positive note, we have seen that more and more businesses are becoming aware of
the looming threats and are enquiring around ways in which they can protect
themselves, which is a step in the right direction. While we appreciate that
not all businesses have the budget to implement a full security solution, or
even to have a security professional on their payroll, but there are still
steps that even smaller businesses can take to minimise the risk of being
hacked or breached.
It is
important to find a partner or provider who can offer you the best solution,
suited and tailored to your business model, as there is no one size fits all
approach to security. The approach needs to take into account a business
infrastructure, applications and data as these differ from business to
business.
In a
standard day, an employee may use their personal device to check
email, use public applications to browse the internet and upload files
like presentations to a public forum like Dropbox, make phone calls, use
business apps via a public or private cloud and access their files and work
from anywhere. This showcases the different areas in which security is
essential; and the list will continue to grow as technology continues to evolve
and change the business landscape.
Security
needs to become a top priority in all businesses, no matter the size or
industry in which they operate. Consideration needs to be given to how best to
face security challenges, both long and short term, and processes need to be
established for dealing with security related emergencies. The time for
updating outdated systems, or implementing new ones, is now.
Source: http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2016/10/cybersecurity-skills-gap-is-a-danger-to-businesses-2/