IT & security teams converge to boost cyber resilience, study finds

A recent study by cybersecurity and data protection solutions provider, Commvault, highlights a trend towards increased synergy among IT and security teams in businesses. This comes as organisations recognise the need for heightened collaboration in order to combat an escalating level of sophisticated cyber breaches.

The researched, performed with The Futurum Group, surveyed over 200 senior IT executives, including a majority consisting of Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Security Officers (CSOs), and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions. The report, titled 'Overcoming Data Protection Fragmentation for Cyber-Resiliency', provides insights into their positioning with regard to cyber resilience.

The results revealed that nearly all (99%) of respondents perceive the relationship between IT operatives (ITOps) and security departments as having become more interconnected over the previous year. Within this group, 64% report shared objectives aimed at the preservation of company security, with 70% noting the implementation of united procedures for regular operations. Nevertheless, progress still needs to be made, with only 48% claiming to have set up collective systems intended to alleviate or recover from a security incident.

"Synergies between ITOps, security teams and the C-suite has never been more crucial as cyber criminals are deploying more sophisticated attacks powered by AI," said Javier Dominguez, Chief Information Security Officer, Commvault. "But, with 19 cyber attacks every second, breaches are inevitable. It's critical that ITOps and security teams jointly think about recovery as part of an end-to-end security practice tied to the NIST framework."

The report also indicates a significant trend towards the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advancing security measures. Over two-thirds (68%) of participants predict that this technology will bolster their security efforts by swiftly and accurately identifying and responding to threats. Several potential benefits of AI to their security practices were cited including, enhanced automation in employee training and security awareness (67%), improved efficiency in regular operational processes associated with data protection (66%), bolstered user authentication and access control (57%), and heightened compliance monitoring and reporting (52%).

However, the study suggests that the ongoing issue of fragmented data protection solutions creates a hurdle for cyber resilience. More than 90% of those surveyed pointed out that the division of data protection tools directly and negatively impacts their organisations' cyber resiliency, whilst 54% stated that fragmentation obstructs their cyber resiliency efforts. Krista Macomber, Research Director, The Futurum Group, suggests that a modern platform capable of reducing fragmentation and enhancing recovery times would be beneficial.

The data collected in this survey provides insights for organisations seeking to enhance their cyber resilience by breaking down traditional silos, synergising IT and security divisions, and harnessing advancing AI technologies.