Saudi Arabian firms are likely to outsource cybersecurity by next year, study shows

By Puja Sharma

Among measures to strengthen cybersecurity, overall up to 58% of respondents claimed that their companies plan to invest in different forms of outsourcing cybersecurity in the next 12 to 18 months

Company bosses are boosting their cybersecurity following an alarming increase in cyberattacks, a new study commissioned by Kaspersky has found. The data shows that 71% of companies in Saudi Arabia suffered at least one cyber incident over the last two years. One of the main reasons cited was the shortage of qualified IT security staff (34%). Among measures to strengthen cybersecurity, overall up to 58% of respondents claimed that their companies plan to invest in different forms of outsourcing cybersecurity in the next 12 to 18 months.

Kaspersky conducted a study to learn the opinions of IT security professionals working for SMEs and corporations worldwide regarding the impact people have on cybersecurity in a company. The survey gathered information about various groups of people who influence cybersecurity, looking at both internal staff, and external actors. It also analyzed levels and types of online safety company bosses believed warranted investment.

In Saudi Arabia, more than three quarters (71%) of respondents reported that their company had experienced cybersecurity incidents within the last two years, with 75% of these judged as ‘serious’. Some said the main reasons for cyber incidents occurring in their company were a lack of necessary tools for threat detection (22%) and a shortage of internal IT security staff (34%).

The respondents indicated that a variety of measures would be appropriate to address the gaps in cybersecurity. Specifically, 10% said they would like to see more external specialists brought in. One quarter of organizations (24%) plan to invest in third-party professional services, and as many as 42% of respondents are aiming to outsource their cybersecurity to MSP/MSSP (Managed Service Providers/Managed Security Service Provider). The most likely industries to invest in third-party services in the near future are critical infrastructure, energy and oil & gas companies.

At the same time, many organizations plan to invest in automating their cybersecurity processes. In the next 12 months almost half of businesses globally (53%) have concrete plans to implement software that automatically manages their cybersecurity, while 13% are discussing the subject.

“The automation and outsourcing of cybersecurity tasks are major areas that organizations struggling because of a lack of experts and alert fatigue can focus on. Turning to external experts, — whether it’s outsourcing, to manage the whole cybersecurity system, or adopting expert-level services to assist the IT Security department — is the optimal solution for many. Cybersecurity vendors, Managed Service Providers, Managed Security Service Providers are the companies that have relevant expertise, all the necessary tools, and can manage cybersecurity effectively for customers of any size.