CompTIA: New Mindset Needed to Take on Cybersecurity Complexities

New thinking on cybersecurity policies, processes, people, and products are necessary for organizations to enhance preparedness, according to a new report from CompTIA, a technology trade association based in suburban Chicago.

“Complexity is the common theme across the cybersecurity landscape,” said Seth Robinson, senior director for technology analysis at CompTIA. “As a result, organizations must approach cybersecurity with a completely different mindset. Practices considered good enough in the recent past are no longer sufficient.”

Three in 10 survey respondents said they are “completely satisfied” with their organization’s approach to cybersecurity, while 27% feel the general state of cybersecurity is “improving dramatically.”

Top of mind for companies are the volume and variety of attacks, cited by 49% and 43% of respondents, respectively. Privacy concerns (40%), greater reliance on data (38%) and quantifying security issues (34%) are other factors companies must account for when developing cybersecurity policies, implementing new practices, and making investments.

Antivirus software (54%) and firewalls (52%) remain the most commonly deployed solutions, with both becoming more robust in the protections they provide. Other products that are getting a closer look are password managers (44%), identity and access management tools (43%) and security information and event management solutions (41%).

While supply chain attacks have grabbed recent headlines ransomware continues to be a powerful threat, with the average cost of remediating a ransomware attack estimated at $1.85 million.

CompTIA’s “2021 State of Cybersecurity” report, which examines current cybersecurity strategies, is based on a Q3 2021 survey of 400 business and technology across the United States.

Channel Impact^®
The report underscores the opportunity for channel partners to offer better protection to their customers at a time when Zero Trust security architectures are gaining momentum.