Unhappy network professionals juggling more with less

97% of US-based CIOs expressed serious concerns about at least one cybersecurity threat, according to Opengear.

Failing to have the correct human oversight over the network can open up opportunities for cybercriminals to find vulnerabilities in underserved setups. It’s perhaps this level of vulnerability that is creating concern among ClOs and network engineers.

The primary cybersecurity concerns highlighted in the research included malware (42%), spam and phishing (34%), social engineering (31%), and insider threats (30%). Remarkably, malware also emerged as a significant threat for 42% of the surveyed network engineers.

While only 23% of US CIOs reported DDoS attacks as a threat, 38% of network engineers reported a higher level of concern for this specific type of attack, most likely due to their close proximity to the network.

Network engineers considering job change amid funding concerns

To add to these concerns, US engineers said that insufficient investments are enhancing the risk of cyberattacks and/or downtime (59%). This suggests that lack of budget spent on software upgrades and network upgrades, for example, leaves organizations more vulnerable to attack and has the potential to affect business continuity, which is a high priority for 97% of CIOs in the US and 88% of CIOs globally.

Continued technology investment is essential to enable engineers to safeguard networks during cyberattacks. The latest research further highlights a concerning trend, indicating that 27% of US network engineers are actively contemplating leaving their current roles due to inadequate funding — an alarming contrast to the global average of 21%.

As funding becomes limited, unhappy network professionals are under pressure to do more with less. 98% of US respondents says that they have been forced to achieve more with fewer resources over the past three months, which is even higher than the UK (88%) and the global figure (87%). It’s clear that engineers need all the support they can get in managing business networks as teams remain vastly under capacity.

“The skills shortage and insufficient investment in networks are two factors that have combined to encourage cybercriminals to breach businesses,” said Gary Marks, President at Opengear.