Forty Percent of Mid-Sized Organisations Have Had Data Breaches in the Past Year, and 75 Percent Now Believe a Serious Data Breach Could Force Them out of Business
McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE), the world’s largest dedicated digital security company, today released research finding that mid-sized organizations have seen increased attacks on their networks and systems since last year, according to the McAfee report The Security Paradox. The study found that more than half of midsize companies surveyed globally have seen more security incidents in the past year, 40 percent have had data breaches and 75 percent believe a serious data breach could put them out of business.
In its third year, the Security Paradox report quantifies the cost of proactive vs. reactive security, examines mid-sized companies’ attitudes towards security and contrasts them with security realities. More than 83 percent said they were concerned or very concerned that their business could be the target of an intentional and malicious security attack, 51 percent had actually been attacked, and 16 percent of those who were attacked took over a week to recover. Data loss was the number one consequence of the attack.
Additional research findings:
Thirty percent of mid-sized organisations had to manage multiple network security incidents, of which 55 percent took up to five hours to investigate and remediate
Fifty-eight percent of worldwide respondents spend less than three hours per week working on, evaluating and researching IT security. Last year it was 65 percent.
Five percent of mid-sized organisations reported that they had suffered a data loss that had cost them more than $25,000 USD. Of these 25 percent were from China, 14 percent from France and 11 percent from India.
Forty-seven percent of all reported intellectual property losses were from EMEA-based mid-sized organisations
Eighty-eight percent of mid-sized organisations said they were concerned or very concerned about non-malicious/inadvertent security incidents
Sixty percent of worldwide mid-sized organisations admitted to knowing less than 75% of the pertinent regulatory and compliance requirements pertinent their organisation
Research for The Security Paradox was conducted by Bloor Research on behalf of McAfee. In excess of 1,100 surveys were completed with respondents responsible for IT purchasing, management or overall ownership for governance, risk and compliance within organizations of 51 to 1,000 employees worldwide. Surveys were conducted in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The results were compared to previous studies conducted in Europe and North America.
“Keeping up with security threats is a significant distraction from running a mid-sized business,” said Alex Thurber, senior vice president of worldwide channel operations for McAfee. “The explosion and sophistication of malware impacts mid-sized organisations who are struggling to grow their businesses against a backdrop of competitive pressures and a slow economic recovery. While the threats have grown, these companies’ resources to fight them have declined, creating a paradox. McAfee continues to focus on helping these IT teams make security a priority without making it a full time job.”
The full methodology and data is available upon request.
Additional resources:
- McAfee Secure in 15 Practice
- McAfee Secure in 15 Calendar
- McAfee® QuickStart Services
About McAfee, Inc.
McAfee, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by unrivalled McAfee Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee secures your digital world. http://www.mcafee.com
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