Information Security Professionals Focus on Firefighting Rather than Strategic Security Priorities, Research Shows

New research on endpoint security conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) on behalf of Digital Guardian, shows that information security professionals overwhelmingly covet a single, comprehensive endpoint security solution. Today, however, endpoint security deployment is tactical and driven more by firefighting than strategy.

“Our data shows that security professionals know that endpoints are at risk, but their current responses still seem tactical and incident-driven,” said Jon Oltsik, senior principal analyst at ESG. “It’s time to take a more holistic view of endpoint security and determine which tools, such as advanced malware detection and granular data security, will and should top the list of any comprehensive solution, whether that’s from a single vendor or a combination of best-of-breed technologies.”

Despite recognition of the problem – that endpoints are still at risk and data breaches are increasingly common – more than one third of respondents aren’t addressing the problem strategically. The data shows that this is because security staff are spending too much time attending to high-priority issues.

More than half of the survey respondents increased budgets for endpoint security, but much of the investment went to antivirus (AV) protections. Nearly one third of respondents describe a complex enterprise landscape where they deploy three or more unique AV products. Compounding this complexity is the fact that more than half of those surveyed shift between AV vendors frequently, impacting end-user performance and draining IT resources.

When asked what type of endpoint security technology approaches would be most attractive more than half of respondents said, “A comprehensive endpoint security solution from a single vendor.” Yet senior security professionals are reluctant to adopt a more comprehensive endpoint data security approach for fear the gains in security may be outweighed by an impact on end-user productivity, a significant and common enterprise concern.

“We strongly believe that protecting data at the endpoint should top the security professionals’ list of 2015 priorities,” said Ken Levine, president and chief executive officer, Digital Guardian. “But, as the research shows, security professionals are reluctant to disrupt the status quo and are especially sensitive to negatively impacting end-user productivity. The industry knows that data protection is hard—but given that data is the target from threats originating both inside and outside the organization, companies must recognize this and make data protection a priority for 2015.”

About Digital Guardian
Digital Guardian offers security’s most technologically advanced endpoint agent. Only Digital Guardian ends data theft by protecting sensitive data from skilled insiders and persistent outside attackers. For over 10 years we’ve enabled data-rich organizations to protect their most valuable assets at the endpoint. Our unique contextual awareness, transformative endpoint visibility, and flexible controls let you minimize the risk of data loss without slowing the pace of business.

About Enterprise Strategy Group

Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) is an integrated IT research, analysis, and strategy firm that is world-renowned for providing actionable insight and intelligence to the global IT community. Recognized for its unique blend of capabilities—including market research, hands-on technical product validation, and expert consulting methodologies such as the ESG Strategy Lifecycle—ESG is relied upon by IT professionals, technology vendors, investors, and the media to clarify the complex.