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IEEE study shows cybersecurity remains a significant issue for UK CIOs and CTOs
November 2020 by IEEE
New research from IEEE has unveiled the opportunities, challenges and key technology trends for 2021, as reported by Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) in the UK.
As the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, the IEEE’s research also focused on the current cybersecurity concerns among UK respondents.
Unsurprisingly, this remains a significant issue for UK CIOs and CTOs. The top two concerns when it comes to the cybersecurity of their business are security issues related to the mobile workforce including employees bringing their own devices to work (41 percent) and ensuring the Internet of Things (IoT) is secure (35 percent). This is to be expected, since the number of connected devices such as smartphones, tablets, sensors, robots and drones is increasing dramatically. 24 percent of CIO and CTO respondents said they can track and manage 26-50% of devices connected to their business, while a quarter (25 percent) of those surveyed said they could track and manage 51-75% of connected devices.
At the same time, more than half (59 percent) of CIOs and CTOs see their biggest challenge in 2021 as dealing with aspects of COVID-19 recovery in relation to business operations. These challenges include a permanent hybrid remote and office work structure (29 percent), office and facilities reopenings and return (10 percent), and managing permanent remote working (20%). However, 16 percent said the agility to stop and start IT initiatives as this unpredictable environment continues will be their biggest challenge. Another 14 percent cited online security threats, including those related to remote workers, as the biggest challenge they see in 2021.
Generally, many respondents believe their company is better prepared than last year to respond to a potentially catastrophic interruption such as a data breach. What’s more, of those who say they are better prepared, 61 percent strongly agree that COVID-19 accelerated their preparedness. When asked which technologies will have the greatest impact on global COVID-19 recovery, just over one in five (22 percent) of those surveyed said AI and machine learning.
