IT managers in India struggle to convince senior executives about cloud security investment: Sophos

Despite the rise in ransomware, malware and phishing attacks, information technology managers in India still struggle to convince senior management about the need to invest in cloud security, a new survey by cybersecurity company Sophos has revealed. 

Almost all of the participants in the survey said they were concerned about their current level of cloud security. About a third (33%) of IT managers reported being worried about convincing the senior management about cloud security investment.

The ‘state of cloud security 2020’ study also 37% of participants were concerned about handling multiple public cloud vendors simultaneously.

The report was conducted by Abingdon, United Kingdom-based cybersecurity solutions provider Sophos, in partnership with Berkshire based enterprise technology market research company Vanson Bourne. Some 3,500 IT managers in 26 countries across the globe participated in the survey.

“It is important for them (businesses) to understand that cloud security is a shared responsibility and protection from the latest generation of public cloud cyberattacks requires a new level of visibility and synchronized security,” Sunil Sharma, managing director – sales, Sophos India and SAARC.

The survey also found that 34% of IT managers are concerned about identifying sudden increases in cloud spending, given that such an instance is a common occurrence during cryptojacking attacks.

Cryptojacking refers to the unauthorised use of a computer, mobile phone or IoT (Internet of Things) device by cybercriminals to mine for cryptocurrency.  

Read: Every data breach costs companies nearly $3.6 mn: IBM Security  

Only 55% of Indian organisations see cloud security as a joint responsibility between them and their cloud services providers, while 32% Indian organisations held themselves responsible for maintaining the security of their organisation’s public cloud environments.

Additionally, some 19% of Indian businesses viewed lack of staff expertise as a top concern while 24% agreed that there was a lack of visibility when it came to their cloud infrastructures.

In terms of biggest concerns, 40% of respondents cited responding to security concerns on time was worrisome, 35% were concerned about data leakage, while 34% pointed towards cloud expenditure as a top pain point.  

“The numerous and well-publicized breaches of data storage services have raised cloud security awareness, but cybercriminals work diligently to stay one step ahead,” added Sophos’s Sunil.