67% Indian firms plan to outsource cybersecurity to managed security service providers: IDC

Two third (67%) of Indian enterprises are looking to outsource key areas of their security landscape to managed security service providers (MSSPs) in the next three years, according to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Future of Trust India survey, published Thursday. 

The rising cost of security, the increase in sophisticated cyber-attacks and the inability of many organizations to deal with them are some of the factors driving this new trend, according to security experts. 

Sharath Srinivasamurthy, Associate Vice President at IDC India, said that the biggest challenge faced by Indian enterprises is the difficulty to tackle increasingly sophisticated external cyber threats. 

“Beyond the same, complex regulatory requirements, lack of visibility into applications and data assets, and lack of security culture and awareness amongst employees remain a common challenge,” added Srinivasamurthy. 

The survey, which was conducted in Q1 2023, also found that enterprises are looking to consolidate the number of MSSPs they want to work with going forward. 

The use of multiple security providers can lead to security complexity. TechCircle reported last month that many of the solutions from different vendors do not always talk to each other and may not be able to share information about threats. This can impair their ability to detect threats on time and expose the company to cyberattacks.

The IDC survey also found that enterprises are increasingly looking for MSSPs that can offer a wide range of security services, as well as those that can provide customized solutions to meet their specific needs. 

“While traversing towards investing in digital transformation initiatives and running a viable digital business, enterprises in India must also look at outsourcing key functions such as threat detection, security operations, and risk mitigations to external security services providers as a part of their enterprise strategy and also to improve operational efficiencies and bottom-line,” said Sakshi Grover, Research Manager, Future of Trust for IDC India and Asia/Pacific.

Further, the survey shows that 72.5% of the enterprises use threat intelligence products or services, while 26.5% said that they plan to implement it in the next two years. Similarly, 92% of the enterprises are expecting an increase in the use of secure access service edge (SASE). 

According to IDC, the survey included CIO, CTO, CISO, IT Director, VP of IT, Head of IT or IT security from 200 B2B Indian enterprises.