IT decision makers mark increase in security-related incidents

More than one-third of surveyed European enterprises (36%) have experienced an increase in the frequency of network and data security-related incidents in the last 18 months, say the results if a Vanson Bourne survey that polled 400 senior IT decision makers from the United Kingdom, Germany, France and The Netherlands.

These results highlight the increasing need for network operators to deploy a comprehensive security approach that encompasses server security as well as at-rest and in-flight encryption, given that just nearly one-third (36%) of surveyed enterprises deploy in-flight encryption on the WAN links between sites and data centers.

Key facts:

• Germany is leading the way when it comes to in-flight WAN encryption, with about half (49%) of surveyed companies stating that they use in-flight encryption on WAN data link between sites or data centers. In contrast, in the Netherlands and France about a third of enterprises (36 and 33% respectively) have adopted in-flight encryption, and in the UK only about a quarter (24%).
• The most affected country by the trend of increased security-related incidents is France, where nearly half (49%) of enterprises have noticed an increase in security threats; followed by Germany (40%), the UK (28%) and the Netherlands (25%). The most affected sector is utilities with over half of companies (54%) having mentioned an increase.
• Encryption of corporate devices and data at the application layer are the most popular encryption methods and are deployed by about half of surveyed organizations (53% and 48% respectively). Only one-tenth (11%) of surveyed enterprises do not deploy any encryption method. In contrast, in the public sector a higher proportion (16%) of surveyed organizations have no encryption in place, even though almost one-third (29%) of them have experienced an increase in security threats in the last 18 months.
• The Netherlands and Germany are expected to lead the adoption of in-flight encryption in the near future. From the enterprises that are not currently deploying in-flight encryption, circa one-third plan to adopt the method for the first time (36% and 31% respectively). When broken down by sector, transport (40%), finance (33%) and utility organizations (22%) are expected to lead the adoption of in-flight encryption.

“Today’s technology-intensive environment relies on communications networks to deliver information safely among individuals and organizations. Yet, as technology has become more complex, these survey results show that threats against keeping information safe have also become more frequent, complex and pervasive,” commented Mervyn Kelly, EMEA marketing director at Ciena.

“A comprehensive security approach should find the right balance between three key elements: server security, at-rest encryption and in-flight encryption. The survey results show that enterprises underestimate the value of in-flight encryption, securing information stored in devices whilst running an unsecured network is a bit like locking all the windows in a house, but leaving the front door open.”