EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

2021 is less than a month away, and organizations are carefully recalibrating their cyber security needs. The year 2020 put cyber security teams to the test. The near overnight transition to remote work, combined with sky high attack levels, meant that organizations needed to rethink priorities on the fly. Roughly 80% of organizations witnessed an overall increase in cyber threats across the year.

Among the world’s top corporations, few (if any) had developed contingency plans that accounted for a global pandemic. This ‘black swan’ event derailed business as usual, and forced organizations to deliver secure remote connectivity to massive numbers of people within days. Twenty-two percent of cyber security professionals had fewer than 24 hours to secure remote systems.

Cyber attacks are occurring on an unprecedented scale, and the level of sophistication within attacks is unlike anything that we’ve ever seen in the past. Cyber attacks have moved beyond identity theft and phishing attacks, and now include crypto mining software and vicious ransomware plots. Hackers are upping their game. This past year, companies like Nando’s and Steelcase incurred steep costs after falling victim to cyber attacks.

Ahead of 2021, take the time to reassess your organization’s cyber security needs and the tools on-hand. More than 90% of organizations are using outdated tools. Be sure that you have advanced protection against the most sophisticated of modern threats.

When selecting cyber security vendors, there are 10 key considerations to remain aware of. These range from real-time threat prevention to pursuing a Zero Trust approach. For an in-depth discussion of how you can optimize your cyber security posture and choose the right cyber security vendors, check out this Buyer’s Guide to Cyber Security.