Companies to increase spending on IT security training this year: Study

New Delhi: A significant number of companies could increase their spending on training their IT staff on security training as the global cyber threat landscape evolves at a rapid pace.

According to a study by security solutions firm Symantec and Wakefield, 93 per cent of Indian CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) interviewed plan to increase spending on IT staff security training this year.

On average, new IT employees will undergo 20 hours of security training during their onboarding process, it added. The global study covered 1,100 CISOs across 11 countries.

The study found about 91 per cent of CISOs in India said that ensuring cloud applications meet compliance regulations was one of the most stressful aspects of their job.

While cloud computing presents benefits like lower costs and higher productivity, it is also a potential goldmine for cyber criminals, Symantec Director - Product Management - Asia Pacific & Japan Tarun Kaura told reporters here.

He added that other concerns include compliance with country and region-specific data residency and control regulations (19%) and employee use of unsanctioned cloud applications (18%).

"Failure to ensure appropriate security protection when using cloud services could ultimately result in higher costs and potential loss of business, thus eliminating any of the potential benefits of cloud computing," Kaura said.

To ensure success, organisations require a new model of integrated security which provides stronger protection, greater visibility and better control of critical assets, users, and data, he added.