Remote working boosts move to cloud-based security

New research from security management platform Exabeam reveals that 88 percent of UK security practitioners have accelerated their move to the cloud, driven by the need to support a remote workforce.

Significantly, almost half of respondents (44 percent) are now using cloud-based security products to protect their corporate financial information. This is a sharp increase compared to Exabeam's earlier study where just 12 percent were protecting corporate financial information in this way.

As well as financial information, cloud-based security tools are most commonly being used to protect customer information (50 percent), file sharing (48 percent) and email (38 percent).

Among the concerns of moving security products to the cloud, data privacy and data sovereignty top the list, at 56 percent and 41 percent respectively. Around a third (31 percent) are concerned about unauthorized access.

Despite an increased adoption of cloud-based security tools, 86 percent still consider the move to be risky with 47 percent considering it to be 'high risk.' On a more positive note, 79 percent say they have either good or very good visibility into their cloud applications. With the pandemic driving the shift to a remote workforce, 84 percent of organizations have significantly improved efforts to ensure better visibility into cloud-based applications. Just over a quarter of those questioned (26 percent) believe they have 'very good visibility' into cloud-based applications.

"The momentum towards the adoption of security tools in the cloud has been building for some time. The sudden and -- for many -- unexpected move to remote working in March opened up the throttle for cloud-based security solutions as organizations had to migrate critical business data to the cloud almost overnight," says Samantha Humphries, security strategist at Exabeam. "This survey reflects what we are seeing and hearing from our customers. The appetite and intent to move to the cloud exists, and many are now reaping the benefits. Largely as a result of COVID-19, organizations that had adopted a 'wait and see' approach have had no choice but to climb aboard the cloud bus, regardless of their concerns."

You can find out more on the Exabeam blog.

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