Demand is up for cybersecurity solutions and services as businesses try to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey of technology firms, industry association CompTIA found that customer inquiries regarding cybersecurity were up by 36% in April -- second only to inquiries about communications, collaboration and A/V technologies.
The increased demand for cybersecurity and collaboration technologies makes sense in light of the sudden increase in work-from-home (WFH) numbers. The ranks of remote workers shot up as a result of stay-at-home and lockdown directives issued by governments in efforts to manage the spread of COVID-19. Recent (ISC)2 research indicates that 96% of organizations moved some staff to remote work during the first several weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 47% did so for all employees.
The urgency to set up remote working environments for employees caught many businesses unprepared, and has led to serious concerns among cybersecurity professionals about their organizations’ security. An ISACA poll of IT leaders found that 87% believe the outbreak has increased data protection and privacy risks.
And in (ISC)2’s own poll about the effects of the pandemic, 23% of respondents say security incidents have increased, with some reporting that incidents have surged as much as 100%. This is a clear indication that cyber attackers are looking to exploit the new work practices necessitated by the pandemic.
Technology Outlook
Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the CompTIA poll believe businesses may start getting back on track by August, and 46% are generally upbeat about business prospects. While some technology service providers are getting customer requests to restructure contracts or payment terms, interest in technologies such as cybersecurity and collaboration bodes well for technology providers.
Even after lockdown and stay-at-home directives are lifted, companies may opt to keep more employees working at home than pre-pandemic. And they will need to invest in cybersecurity to protect those employees and business data.
"In general, security needs are going to increase because of a growth in the attack surface," (ISC)2 CIO Bruce Beam, CISSP, recently told Dark Reading. "I don't see a company backing off on it. I think security is going to not only maintain but grow as we move through this.”
In the (ISC)2 survey, some cybersecurity professionals expressed concern about their organizations putting business expediency ahead of security concerns, especially considering nearly half of them (47%) had been reassigned to non-security related work. The CompTIA findings, however, are encouraging in that they show businesses are generally attuned to cybersecurity needs.
Cyber protection requirements are no less relevant just because fewer people are working in offices. As we’ve seen, research has shown that threats are up because cybercriminals see the higher WFH numbers as a new opportunity. It is therefore critical that businesses continue to invest in the technology and staff they need to keep threat actors at bay.