BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Why Small And Medium-Sized Companies Face More Cyber Challenges Than Large Ones: Survey

Following

The recent warning from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) about the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for all companies and organizations about the increased threats of cyberattacks, The failure to pay attention to and act on those threats could create crises for business leaders.

The agency said the invasion could impact organizations both within and beyond the region, including malicious cyber activity against the U.S. homeland. This could include “a response to the unprecedented economic costs imposed on Russia by the U.S. and our allies and partners.”

CISA noted that “Evolving intelligence indicates that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks. Every organization—large and small—must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber incidents. “

Corporate Cyber Challenges

But when trying to protect themselves against the growing number of cyberattacks, small and medium-sized companies face more disadvantages than their larger corporate counterparts.

The drawbacks include a lack of staff, skills and resources. More than 90% of polled cyber security staff said they are confronting barriers in keeping their organizations safe from cyber threats and are paying less attention to security alerts this year than last.

That’s according to the results of a new survey of 200 chief information security officers (CISOs) released today by Cynet, a cybersecurity company.

"CISOs with small security teams struggle to purchase and maintain the comprehensive set of security solutions needed to protect their companies from increasingly sophisticated threats," Eyal Gruner, CEO and co-founder of Cynet said in a press release.

"The survey results once again show how these security experts continue to adapt their protection strategies in response to the ongoing wave of criminal and state-sponsored cyberattacks,” he observed.

Key Survey Results

Higher Risk Of Attack

  • 58% of the responding chief information security officers felt their risk of attack was higher compared to enterprises—despite the fact that the larger enterprises have a larger target on their back.

Barriers

  • 94% said they have barriers in maintaining their security posture due to a lack of skilled security personnel (40%), excessive manual analysis (37%), and the increasingly remote workforce (37%), among other factors.

Management Issues

  • 87% have difficulty managing and operating their threat protection products due to overlapping capabilities (44%) and difficulty visualizing the full scope of an attack (42%).

“The big takeaway for us is that it’s clear chief information security officers of small security teams are actively trying to address the issue of complexity in security operations,” Bruno Darmon, chief strategy officer at Cynet said in a email interview,

“This complexity comes as a result of trying to integrate and manage an overwhelming tech stack. CISOs are starting to see that consolidation can create simplicity and efficiency,” he observed.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website or some of my other work here