NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new Spiceworks survey of IT professionals shows that internal end users are considered the greatest security threats heading into 2016, a growing trend that is helping to drive the adoption of solutions from Varonis Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRNS ), the leading provider of software solutions for unstructured, human-generated enterprise data.
The study found that, although 80% of organizations experienced a security incident in 2015, 71% expect to be more secure in 2016 and 84% expect security investments to increase.
Key findings from “Battling the Big Hack,” a survey of almost 200 IT professionals conducted in October, reveal that the three greatest areas of concern regarding threats and breaches in 2016 are all directly related to end users’ lack of awareness and vigilance: 54% are very or extremely concerned about Malware, 53% are very or extremely concerned about Ransomware, and 46% are very or extremely concerned about Phishing.
David Gibson, Varonis Vice President of Strategy and Market Development, said, “The severity and frequency of damaging data breaches keep rising, and the lack of awareness that organizations and their users have about protecting sensitive data is becoming a crisis. Companies now realize that their investments in perimeter security alone aren’t preventing attacks and data leaks. After more than a decade of collecting and analyzing metadata from thousands of organizations on the access to, and use of, valuable and sensitive data, our solutions have made Varonis one of the leaders in a new era of inside-out security.”
Other telling findings from the Spiceworks report include:
- Only 18% experienced no threats or attacks in 2015.
- Among perceived sources of IT security threats, more cite “rogue employees” (36%) than organized crime groups (25%), cyber terrorist groups (12%) or nation/state-sponsored hackers (12%).
- The most common actions being taken to protect against threats are updating hardware/software (76%), enforcing end-user policies (73%), and educating end users (72%).
- The top IT security challenges are limited end-user knowledge regarding risks and security (69%) and end-user resistance (57%).
- 52% believe that “shadow IT” poses a security threat to the organization.
“Is your organization ready to sting like a bee against a growing and evolving field of security threats?” the report asks. “Are you up against the ropes, relying on antivirus software and ‘security through obscurity’ – or are you taking advantage of more advanced technologies? Do employees just want to ignore the issue, or are they actively involved in security?”
Methodology:
The survey was conducted in October 2015 and included 197 respondents from North America and EMEA. Respondents are among the millions of IT professionals in Spiceworks and represent a variety of company sizes including small-to-medium-sized businesses as well as enterprises.
About Spiceworks
Spiceworks is the professional network millions of IT professionals use to connect with one another and thousands of technology brands. The company simplifies how IT professionals discover, buy and manage an estimated $600 billion in technology products and services each year. For more information visit http://www.spiceworks.com .
Additional Resources
- For more information on Varonis' solution portfolio, please visit www.varonis.com
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About Varonis
Varonis is the leading provider of software solutions for unstructured, human-generated enterprise data. Varonis provides an innovative software platform that allows enterprises to map, analyze, manage and migrate their unstructured data. Varonis specializes in human-generated data, a type of unstructured data that includes an enterprise's spreadsheets, word processing documents, presentations, audio files, video files, emails, text messages and any other data created by employees. This data often contains an enterprise's financial information, product plans, strategic initiatives, intellectual property and numerous other forms of vital information. IT and business personnel deploy Varonis software for a variety of use cases, including data governance, data security, archiving, file synchronization, enhanced mobile data accessibility and information collaboration. As of September 30, 2015, Varonis had approximately 4,000 customers, spanning leading firms in the financial services, public, healthcare, industrial, energy & utilities, technology, consumer and retail, education and media & entertainment sectors.
News Media Contact: Sarah Wheble CTP 617-412-4000 x 227 Email: swheble@ctpboston.com
