More than 65 percent of IT experts in the GCCbelieve the region is a prime target for cyber criminals, according to research conducted by Gulf Business Machines (GBM). The results reveal that 35 percent of incidents are staff related, whichcan be avoided by increasing employee awareness. Cyber security risks are also potentially increasing with social media becoming more available within companies, announced GBM, the region’s leading IT solutions provider.

The security landscape in the GCChas continually evolved in recent years,largely due to the increase ofcyber crime. The results of the research also highlights that 25 percent of respondents said their organizations have not been conducting regular proactive screenings to ensure that their IT infrastructure and critical data are protected. Respondents are expressing a false sense of security as the survey shows that 60 percent of respondents believe that the number of successful attacks will decrease in the next 12 months.

“Companies are more aware of IT security issues than ever before. Although organizations are showing more interest in pre-emptive measures against possible cyber threats, they are not always taking the appropriate measures,” said Hani Nofal, director of Intelligent Network Solutions (INS) at GBM. “Nearly half of the organizations polled spend up to 10 percent of their IT budget on security.However, we expect this number to increase in the future,” continued Nofal.

Similar GBMresearch conducted last year showed that just over a third of those polled claimed that their organizations’ IT policies completely prohibited access to social networking websites. Today, this number has been cut in half, indicating that more businesses are adopting and embracing social media.

“Companies in the region have been exploring social media as a new way of communicating with the public. Enterprises are,therefore, opening their internal networks and allowing access to social media. This is increasing the potential of cyber risks for organizations and making them more vulnerable to cyber security attacks,” said Nofal.

“This year we really focused on social media,” Nofal elaborated on the study. “Clearly many enterprises rely on social media to promote their brand, to communicate with their suppliers and customers, so there is certainly a need in the workplace. But also there is a drive from the employees because our expectations in the office have changed.”

“We have to understand that the more we open up and allow more devices to be connected, allowing access to the social media world, the more vulnerable we become. We have to think differently now,” Nofal said.

The survey also highlighted the vital need for employee training in the scope of IT security, particularly in the age of social media, as it was reported that 35 percent of incidents are staff-related, which Nofal relates to a simple lack of awareness. “If you look at security as a holistic framework, there are multiple elements that a company should really look at to have a secured environment, and one of those elements which is very key is the staff; any user on the network.”

GBM and the security challenge

Since GBM’s foundation in 1990, the company has been at the forefront of addressing challenges resulting from an ever-changing cybercrime eco-system in the region. This latest research assessmentcoincides with the launch of GBM’s Security Framework, which assists users with mitigating risks. At the core of its IT security offering, the Security Framework enables customers to meet and exceed IT industry best practicesin order to secure their infrastructure.

“The thing about security, unlike any other solution or technology, is that it’s so fragmented. It touches several things; from the infrastructure, to the people, to the process compliance…it covers the entire scope,” Nofal said. “So professionals wanted a single point of contact; someone that they can trust, and who has really the local presence and experience, to sit across the table and say, ‘listen, here’s the journey, here’s what we think you should do and these are key topics and areas that you should focus on.”

The resulting GBM Security Framework, Nofal explained, is a consolidated view of approximately 30 topics that a company needs to buildin order to address the security challenge. From the holistic viewpoint, companies can then prioritize certain areas of weakness or concern based on industry and operation needs, with the help of GBM assessment.

The local security landscape

The survey, the second annual assessment done by GBM, polled nearly 900 IT professional in the GCC region. “GBM has been a part of the GCC fabric for 23 years,” Nofal explained, “and we feel that given our regional knowledge and experience, we can provide local, tangible data and a local point of view. So we realized is that we should really have our own story when it comes to addressing all security challenges. There is demand in the region, and our clients are asking us to talk to them about how they can really have a holistic approach to security challenges.”

Nofal elaborated on plans to continue a regionally-focused IT security survey in the future. “We’re committed to continuing and always being close to the hot topics in the industry,” Nofal said, referencing fast-changing security needs in social media, app technology, and bringing personal devices.