Though companies now run as many as 10 simultaneous security solutions, many still suffered unexpected downtime last year because of data loss. — 123rf.com
Though companies are now running more cybersecurity solutions, these investments are proving complicated, inefficient, and costly as the companies suffer just as many issues, said cybersecurity firm Acronis.
In a survey conducted in March 2021, the firm discovered that 80% of companies now run as many as 10 different protection and security tools simultaneously, yet more than half suffered unexpected downtime last year because of data loss, as reported in its Cyber Protection Week Global Report.
“While 2020 saw companies purchase new systems to enable and secure remote workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, those investments are not paying off,” said Acronis CEO and founder Serguei Beloussov, adding that there was a “dangerous disconnect” between investments made and what was needed to keep data safe.
He said the survey – which polled 4,400 IT users and professionals in 22 countries, including those in the Asia Pacific (Apac) region – dispels the myth that simply adding more solutions will solve data protection challenges.
The survey found that investing in more solutions also created greater complexity and less visibility for the IT team, which increases risk.
IT users in the Asia-Pacific region reported higher rates of adoption for almost all online privacy services and processes compared to the global respondents, suggesting those in the region are more willing to invest in privacy and protection.
Counterproductively, the same respondents are among the most reluctant to back up data in the world, with more than 40% of all personal IT users in the region never or rarely backing up their devices.
Among users who do back up their devices, only 15% adhere to the best practice ‘3-2-1’ rule (having three copies of your data, on two different media, with one copy off-site for disaster recovery).
Making matters worse, recoveries in the region take longer than anywhere in the world, Beloussov said.
The survey found that more than one in ten respondents reported that data recovery takes them more than a day to complete. The global average is 5.9%.
Fifteen percent of IT professionals in Asia-Pacific also said they aren’t sure if they’re subject to data privacy regulations, 5% higher than the global report findings, which suggests organisations aren’t familiar with the modern requirements and its penalties.
