Press
Research Reveals False
Sense of Security Among Network
IT Managers
While A Majority Believe Their Networks Are More
Secure Than A Year Ago,
Cyber Attacks and Breaches Are Increasing
Washington, DC – November 8, 2004 – Britestream
Networks (formerly Layer N Networks), a catalyst for the creation of a ubiquitous,
secure and private Internet, and Q&A Research today announced the findings
of a research project designed to understand the level and types of security
measures organizations are deploying and whether IT managers believe they are
vulnerable. The national survey was conducted in October 2004 with 300 IT professionals
in companies with annual revenues of more than $30 million that are highly and
somewhat involved with their company’s network security.
A key finding was that while significant numbers (76%) of respondents believe
their network is more secure than a year ago, 81% report that attacks are increasing
and an unexpected 1 in 5 admitted that a hacker had gained unauthorized access
to their company’s network. In addition, the percentage of IT budgets set
aside for network security is not expected to increase next year and in fact,
respondents said their biggest obstacle to making the company’s network
safer is "securing budget for security solutions".
"We were surprised that many IT managers are feeling fairly secure," said Warren
Pino, CEO of Q&A Research. "Because they made investments in network security
last year, two-thirds of respondents feel that their network is more secure than
their competitors. But at the same time, they reported a huge increase in attacks
and a significant number of breaches. Another irony was that even with increased
regulations regarding security compliance and senior management support, budgets
for security have not increased."
Additional research findings included:
- Viruses are the biggest concern among IT professionals (with 88% of
respondents agreeing they are a concern), followed closely by "hacking
and other unauthorized access", "theft of customer information" and "liability
related to information security issues".
- Security is now top-of-mind among CEOs and other senior management in
companies of all sizes. Respondents were asked to share not only their
opinion of their network’s security, but also that of their CEO.
There was no statistical difference between the respondent’s opinion
of the level of network security and their perception of the CEO’s
opinion. Over 70% felt "somewhat" to "very" secure and thought their CEOs
felt the same way. The new data is indicative of the high awareness level
and importance that has been placed on security in the past year.
- Although larger companies feel more secure than smaller companies, they
also have higher levels of concerns about specific topics such as hacking.
- Regulatory-driven companies were more likely than non-regulatory companies
to want to spend more on network security. Sixty-seven percent (67%) would
spend more to secure their network if they had the budget.
- Making a business case for additional network security budget has been
a challenge for IT management. The value of lost data and lost productivity
were the top two metrics used to justify additional spending on network
security.
"Our intent in sharing the results of this research with the industry is
to help businesses understand how vulnerable they are to potential attacks
and how to prepare for the increase in attacks," said Bob Weinschenk, president
and CEO of Britestream. "In this market, although we would expect to see
budgets increasing, we certainly got the impression that companies are looking
for ways to painlessly increase the security of their networks and we are
encouraged that this is top-of-mind with CEOs."
Bob Weinschenk will be presenting "Instream Security Processing" at CSI’s
31st Annual Computer Security Conference on Tuesday, November 9, from 3:10
p.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Presentation Theatre in Exhibit Hall B. Also, visit
Britestream’s booth #1605 to learn more about the BN1010, the industry’s
first completely self-contained security NIC (network interface card) that
manages all facets of SSL processing on a single board.
About Britestream
Britestream Networks provides breakthrough solutions for the rapidly growing
security market. Britestream’s patented Instream Security Processing
architecture offers a unique combination of powerful simplicity, uncompromised
performance, and fortified security. From existing applications such as servers,
load balancers, firewalls, and content switches to fast-growing emerging applications
such as SSL VPNs, XML/Web Services, and secure e-mail gateways, Britestream’s
board and chip solutions remove all barriers and penalties of ubiquitously
deploying security. This is Internet security as it is meant to be. Automatic.
Easy. Everywhere.
For more information, visit: www.britestream.com
Media Contact:
press@britestream.com |
