13 Stats on the State of Enterprise Security (and the Impact of Hybrid Work)

In today’s world, protecting your company from internal and external cyberattacks has never been more challenging. No matter the size of your business, it’s extremely likely you’ll be subject to many unexpected cyber threats.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified these security risks, as malware and ransomware alone increased by 358% and 435% respectively throughout 2020, compared to 2019. This has led many business leaders and IT professionals to carefully evaluate their enterprise cybersecurity priorities and assess the most critical challenges they’re facing.

Learn more: 7 Ransomware Prevention Tactics to Fortify Your Business Defenses

In a post-pandemic era where working from home and hybrid models prevail across a myriad of industries, companies are now left with the daunting task of protecting their data both remotely and on-site.

The proliferation of flexible working has brought with it new challenges, with the average cost of cybersecurity breaches involving remote work $1.07 million higher than equivalent on-site incidents. According to IFP research, over 70% of senior IT professionals claim the security posture of their organization has weakened as the result of embracing remote working, with more than half encountering more sophisticated cyberattacks (61%) and reporting a reduction in endpoint visibility (57%).

What’s more, these cost of security breaches will only increase as remote work and the use of cloud services are here to stay. The increase in cyberattacks as a result of remote working has led many organizations to consider how they can educate their employees about these threats and the dangers they pose.