Originally posted on Data Center POST

Mike SprungerSecurity, like most aspects of IT infrastructure, has historically been a siloed function. Focused on protecting data, applications, network connections, and with the advent of BYOD (bring your own device) policies, network endpoints, it is a practice that, for most companies, evolved in a reactive fashion – new technology acquired and implemented based on a specific need.

It is not uncommon for a medium-to-large company to have 50 or more different security technologies in place. While fiscally inefficient, this approach has been somewhat effective up to this point in dealing with the types of attacks launched against it.

The threat landscape is currently changing more rapidly than ever, forcing businesses to shift to a more forward-thinking security model. The need to effectively address attackers who constantly evolve focus, attack approaches, and targets has never been greater. The need calls for a proactive approach and an overarching security plan.

Cybersecurity today

Cybercriminals, buoyed by jurisdictional issues and anonymity, today have greater expertise and more resources at their disposal than ever before. The internet brings everyone one mouse click closer to these bad actors with some commenting that they seem to be bolder and more aggressive than ever before. As a result, we are seeing an uptick not only in the number of threats, but also in the complexity of attacks and the severity of the damage they inflict.

Fortunately, companies are noticing this change in the security landscape, and are taking steps to address it. A recent study conducted by IDG Research Services and commissioned by IT services and solutions company Datalink, polled more than 100 IT executives at large U.S. companies and found that when asked for their companies’ top five considerations on where to invest IT dollars, respondents most frequently mentioned improvement of IT security. The vast majority of them (75%) also indicated that security is a more important issue than it was two years ago.

To read the full article, view it on the Data Center POST website here.