Securing remote work environments driving ANZ security spending

Security spending across Australia and New Zealand has continued to grow, increasing 10-20% over what was budgeted last year, according to a new report from IDC.

Cybersecurity was one area where organisations chose not to cut back in the face of the economic impact of the pandemic, stated the ANZ-focused Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for 2021 and Beyond report.

“IDC research found that 98% of ANZ organisations rated workplace security as an important capability in enabling business and operational continuity through the pandemic,” explained ANZ IT services associate market analyst Emily Lynch.

"The shift to new models of working drives a crucial need to invest in security measures to enable these remote and hybrid working environments. Many businesses intend to invest further in their cybersecurity over the next 1-2 years, with remote access needs and accelerating secure innovation the main drivers of this growth." 

The business leaders surveyed for the report selected security skills as the most important IT skill to rebuild in the first wave of economic recovery from the pandemic.

Investment in skills and people is key to ensuring that organisations can implement the solutions that are needed in the new work environment.

Respondents also stated that their top security priorities were around data and information in increasingly complex environments.

The sudden shift to working remotely has highlighted the need for greater investment in remote access, data security, and endpoint management tools and solutions. 

Securing new devices and residential networks is a major security challenge for ANZ organisations as they are expected to keep sensitive customer and company data secure, which needs to be accessed anytime, anywhere, including from less secure home networks. 

Lynch added, "The increased complexity of IT environments because of the pandemic is a turning point for organisations’ data security strategies. Many organisations lack a long-term security investment road map that is recalibrated after the upheaval of 2020. Resolving poorly configured solutions and rushed deployments will be a near-term focus point as businesses look to re-set strategy for the coming year."