People are a key element in securing systems

With attackers often targeting individuals and their credentials to gain unauthorized access to accounts, people are increasingly at the center of security.

This is one of the conclusions of a new report from identity solutions provider Okta which finds that when deploying security tools a third of businesses start with a tool focused on protecting their people, as opposed to devices, infrastructure, and networks.

The sixth annual Businesses @ Work report explores how organizations and people work in the modern world. It charts the use of apps across a number of different categories.

Tools focused on securing email against phishing attacks make the most-adopted security tools list and are among the fastest growing adoptions. But tools from the other security layers, devices, networks and infrastructure are also showing increased adoption rates.

The results also show that when it comes to protecting accounts, people want fewer, simpler methods of authentication. Companies that use multi-factor authentication (MFA) want to provide as many options as possible, but they need to ensure that MFA is user-friendly or it won't work as intended.

"It's all about convenience," says Todd McKinnon, CEO and co-founder of Okta, writing on the company's blog. "To determine which tools users most frequently integrate into their daily lives, we also looked at personal apps adopted through Okta. We found that digitization has swept nearly every space and whether paying bills, planning trips, or taking classes, consumers now access the digital versions of services businesses offer across many different industries."

The widespread choice of apps now available to businesses makes for a complex landscape and McKinnon concludes that in future we’re likely to see apps offering more choice and customization options to meet businesses' needs.

You can read more and get the full Businesses @ Work 2020 report over on the Okta blog.

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