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The survey of over 450 IT security administrators in the UK showed businesses struggle with a growing set of security priorities and limited employee awareness about corporate policies. Managing complex security environments is the most significant challenge facing their organisations, cited by 35% of respondents. On average, UK firms use security solutions from 5 or more different vendors.

Other security challenges named by respondents were industry or Government compliance mandates (22%); preventing data loss by employees (20%); and enforcing security policies (13%).

According to the survey, over 140 respondents (31%) believe the primary concern with emerging Web 2.0, cloud and mobility technology adoption is compliance. Staffing and IT resources were also a concern (27%), followed by security uncertainty (21%) and IT budgets (20%).

While these technologies have created new methods of communication and collaboration for enterprises, organisations struggle with managing them. This contributes to greater security complexity and the risk of data loss by employees or other insiders. 53% of UK respondents believe their organisations’ employees have little or no awareness about their data protection or corporate policies.

As a result, more education and awareness is needed to help people realise their important role in maintaining the organisation’s security profile. Survey respondents believe the ability to manage policies by user is key to enforcing better security overall, with 52% citing identity awareness as a priority today and in the future.

The research also showed that, when dealing with IT consolidation, organisations struggle with minimising the total cost of ownership (TCO) and maximising performance. To enforce better protection, organizations need to approach security with a holistic view of their environment, to understand where risks can reside.

“To improve security in this day and age, organisations need to get a better understanding of their current environments and prioritise their short and long term initiatives,” said Nick Lowe, Head of Western Europe Sales at Check Point Software Technologies. “Check Point’s approach with its 3D Security vision goes beyond technologies – it also raises awareness on today’s security challenges, while providing better visibility and control to organizations. By educating end-users and enforcing security policies with a holistic view of the organization, companies can minimize the complexities associated with security and compliance.”

“Companies are constantly facing new and costly security risks from both internal and external sources that can jeopardise the business. Our research has shown that one cyber-attack can range anywhere from $237,000 to $52 million,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder, Ponemon Institute. “However, employees can play a big role in being a first line of defence, helping their company enforce stronger security measures and promoting more user awareness within the organisation.”

The survey, Understanding Security Complexity in 21st Century IT Environments was independently conducted by the Ponemon Institute in February 2011, surveying over 450 IT administrators in the UK and over 2,400 worldwide, in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Japan. The survey sample represents organisations of all sizes and across 14 different industries, including financial, industrial, defense, retail, healthcare and education.

Check Point’s Software Blade Architecture and latest software, Release R75 executes on the company’s vision for 3D Security – turning security into a three-dimensional business process by combining policies, people and enforcement for stronger protection aligned with their business needs. With a unique combination of innovative technology and user awareness, organisations today are better positioned for preemptively protecting against the next generation of threats.