Security Priorities 2022
Securing the workforce in the remote environment.
- Ransomware activities and the cost of breaches are on the rise.
- Cybersecurity talent is hard to find, and an increasing number of cybersecurity professionals are considering leaving their jobs.
- Moving to the digital world increases the risk of a breach.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- The pandemic has fundamentally changed the technology landscape. Security programs must understand how their threat surface is now different and adapt their controls to meet the challenge.
- The upside to the upheaval in 2021 is new opportunities to modernize your security program.
Impact and Result
- Use the report to ensure your plan in 2022 addresses what’s important in cybersecurity.
- Understand the current situation in the cybersecurity space.
Security Priorities 2022
The pandemic has changed how we work
disruptions to the way we work caused by the pandemic are here to stay.
The pandemic has introduced a lot of changes to our lives over the past two years, and this is also true for various aspects of how we work. In particular, a large workforce moved online overnight, which shifted the work environment rapidly.
People changed how they communicate, how they access company information, and how they connect to the company network. These changes make cybersecurity a more important focus than ever.
Although changes like the shift to remote work occurred in response to the pandemic, they are largely expected to remain, regardless of the progression of the pandemic itself. This report will look into important security trends and the priorities that stemmed from these trends.
30% more professionals expect transformative permanent change compared to one year ago.
47% of professionals expect a lot of permanent change; this remains the same as last year. (Source: Info-Tech Tech Trends 2022 Survey; N=475)
The cost of a security breach is rising steeply
The shift to remote work exposes organizations to more costly cyber incidents than ever before.
$4.24 millionAverage cost of a data breach in 2021 |
The cost of a data breach rose by nearly 10% in the past year, the highest rate in over seven years. |
$1.07 millionMore costly when remote work involved in the breach |
The average cost of breaches where remote work is involved is $1.07 million higher than breaches where remote work is not involved. The ubiquitous remote work that we saw in 2021 and continue to see in 2022 can lead to more costly security events. (Source: IBM, 2021) |
Remote work is here to stay, and the cost of a breach is higher when remote work is involved.
The cost comes not only directly from payments but also indirectly from reputational loss. (Source: IBM, 2021)
Security teams can participate in the solution
The numbers are clear: in 2022, when we face a threat environment like WE’VE never EXPERIENCED before, good security is worth the investment
$1.76 millionSaved when zero trust is deployed facing a breach |
Zero trust controls are realistic and effective controls. Organizations that implement zero trust dramatically reduce the cost of an adverse security event. |
35%More costly if it takes more than 200 days to identify and contain a breach |
With increased BYOD and remote work, detection and response is more challenging than ever before – but it is also highly effective. Organizations that detect and respond to incidents quickly will significantly reduce the impact. (Source: IBM, 2021) |
Breaches are 34% less costly when mature zero trust is implemented.
A fully staffed and well-prepared security team could save the cost through quick responses. (Source: IBM, 2021)
Top security priorities and constraints in 2022
Survey results
As part of its research process for the 2022 Security Priorities Report, Info-Tech Research Group surveyed security and IT leaders (N=97) to ask their top security priorities as well as their main obstacles to security success in 2022:
Top Priorities
Survey respondents were asked to force-rank their security priorities. Among the priorities chosen most frequently as #1 were talent management, addressing ransomware threats, and securing hybrid/remote work. |
Top Obstacles
Talent management is both the #1 priority and the top obstacle facing security leaders in 2022. Unsurprisingly, the ever-changing environment in a world emerging from a pandemic and budget constraints are also top obstacles. |
We know the priorities…
But what are security leaders actually working on?
This report details what we see the world demanding of security leaders in the coming year.
Setting aside the demands – what are security leaders actually working on?
 |
Many organizations are still mastering the foundations of a mature cybersecurity program. This is a good idea! Most breaches are still due to gaps in foundational security, not lack of advanced controls. |
We know the priorities…
But what are security leaders actually working on?
 |
One industry plainly stands out from the rest. Government organizations are proportionally much more active in security than other industries, and for good reason: they are common targets. Manufacturing and professional services are proportionally less interested in security. This is concerning, given the recent targeting of supply chain and personal data holders by ransomware gangs. |
5 Security Priorities for 2022 
People
- Acquiring and Retaining Talent
Create a good working environment for existing and potential employees. Invest time and effort into talent issues to avoid being understaffed. - Securing a Remote Workforce
Create a secure environment for users and help your people build safe habits while working remotely.
Process
- Securing Digital Transformation
Build in security from the start and check in frequently to create agile and secure user experiences.
Technology
- Adopting Zero Trust
Manage access of sensitive information based on the principle of least privilege. - Protecting Against and Responding to Ransomware
Put in your best effort to build defenses but also prepare for a breach and know how to recover.
Main Influencing Factors |
||
| COVID-19 Pandemic
The pandemic has changed the way we interact with technology. Organizations are universally adapting their business and technology processes to fit the post-pandemic paradigm. |
Rampant Cybercrime Activity
By nearly every conceivable metric, cybercrime is way up in the past two years. Cybercriminals smell blood and pose a more salient threat than before. Higher standards of cybersecurity capability are required to respond to this higher level of threat. |
Remote Work and Workforce Reallocation
Talented IT staff across the globe enabled an extraordinarily fast shift to remote and distance work. We must now reckon with the security and human resourcing implications of this huge shift. |
Acquire and Retain Talent
Priority 01
Security talent was in short supply before the pandemic, and it's even worse now.
Executive summary
Background
Cybersecurity talent has been in short supply for years, but this shortage has inflected upward since the pandemic.
The Great Resignation contributed to the existing talent gap. The pandemic has changed how people work as well as how and where they choose work. More and more senior workers are retiring early or opting for remote working opportunities.
The cost to acquire cybersecurity talent is huge, and the challenge doesn’t end there. Retaining top talent can be equally difficult.
Current situation
- A 2021 survey by ESG shows that 76% of security professional agree it’s difficult to recruit talent, and 57% said their organization is affected by this talent shortage.
- (ISC)2 reports there are 2.72 million unfilled job openings and an increasing workforce gap (2021).
2.72 million unfilled cybersecurity openings (Source: (ISC)2, 2021)
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Unlock Sample ResearchContributors
- 97 survey respondents
- Michael Quinn, Chief Executive Officer, Active Cypher
- Rebecca Rivera, Director of Security, IAM, Paymentus Corporation
- Brad Sexton, Chief Information Security Officer, Desert Research Institute
- Qing Liu, Chief Information Officer, Public Utility Commission of Oregon
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