IT managers do not recognize the significance of what the new IT security research has shown. Most corporations have difficulty finishing IT projects in time, and minimizing IT charges ahead of the secure network, despite the issues emphasized during the latest Equifax information breach which revealed data on over 400,000 UK inhabitants.
The study, which was commissioned by international managed services provider Kaseya, involved 900 small and medium-sized businesses (companies with a maximum of 5,000 personnel) and emphasized an underlying issue related to IT safety. Only 21% of participants rated security as the top issue among companies that were regarded as “efficient” in their information technology operations. Surprising statistics show that 40% of respondents admitted that security and compliance were their subsequent most significant technology issue in 2017.
The study also examined the maturity level of IT operations in SMEs, indicating that many companies are still struggling to make the most of their IT skills. 83% of companies always focus on day-to-day management tasks, which are manual and time-consuming, instead of working with complete and coordinated processes.
The race for the cloud also turned out to be a clear trend: A quarter of innovative IT corporations are turning to the private cloud for cloud hosting service, and market leaders like Microsoft in the region were rated as preferred providers.
The debate between outsourcing and local use also proven to be a hot topic last year. Studies have shown that recovery and backup are more likely to be outsourced to SMEs (33%). Network connectivity and server support also attested to be common, registering 29% and 30% of the survey, respectively.
The last aspect of the research carefully analyzed the roles of CIO and IT support. Although the role of the CIO has changed in the last ten years, the high esteem for the position depends on the general IT maturity of a company. 81% of innovative companies believe that the leadership of the IT sector influences the role of C-level executive, compared to only 76% of companies whose IT skills were less efficient.
