The latest version of SME IT Traits Report, “What’s New,” is now available. This bi-annual survey of IT groups at small and medium-sized enterprises uncovers the evolving response of IT professionals to the escalating threat of shadow IT and AI adoption, while exploring how organizations manage complex machine and IT environments, as well as the symbiotic relationship between IT and managed service suppliers (MSPs), culminating in a comprehensive examination of IT’s most pressing challenges and preferences.
IT groups struggle to overcome numerous hurdles. As they navigate uncertain economic climates and democratic processes, individuals are left grappling with the unknown consequences of financial decisions and electoral outcomes. Rising safety threats, cutting-edge technologies, and an increasingly diverse range of machines demand attention to ensure optimal performance and mitigate potential risks. IT administrators are a testament to their remarkable resilience and adaptability, as noted by Greg Keller, co-founder and Chief Knowledge Officer. “What’s keeping IT administrators up at night is the uncertainty surrounding shadow IT – a concern shared by 84% of them.” To effectively combat the security risks stemming from shadow IT, IT organizations must implement tools that enable them to detect and remediate rogue applications promptly. This enables IT groups to effectively manage and maintain control over organisational assets, thereby ensuring robust protection.
Despite considerable effort, nearly half of IT departments concede that a dearth of resources and inadequate staffing hinders their ability to effectively counteract cybersecurity threats, despite their best endeavors.
The report uncovers significant insights into IT groups’ experiences with cloud computing and AI, with a striking 84% of respondents indicating that their organizations have outsourced key functions outside the traditional IT domain. Despite the prevalence of shadow IT issues, several factors seem to be hindering IT departments from tackling them effectively.
When asked about the greatest blockers, respondents cited priorities, 36%, customers moving too quickly to keep up, 31%, inability to identify all staff-used functions, 32%, lack of partnership and communication with enterprise partners, 29%, and absence of a SaaS management or asset administration solution to handle shadow IT, 24%.
According to recent statistics, a staggering 45% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fell victim to a cybersecurity attack in the first half of 2024 alone? Cyberattacks typically originate from phishing tactics, accounting for 43% of incidents, followed closely by the exploitation of shadow IT at 37%, while 33% are attributed to stolen or misplaced credentials, and another 30% result from breaches within an organization’s partner network.
Different key findings embrace:
- Small and Medium-sized Enterprises commonly permit their staff to utilize a significant number of devices. According to the latest figures, the dominant landscape of machines comprises 24 percent macOS devices, a 2 percentage point increase from the first quarter of 2024; 18 percent Linux devices, a decline from the 22 percent recorded in Q1 2024; and 63 percent Windows devices, up from 60 percent in the same period.
- Ninety-four percent of IT organizations desire a unified platform that seamlessly integrates identity, access, and security management across multiple top-tier solutions.
- Approximately 45% of IT administrators need between five and ten tools to manage the entire employee life cycle, while almost a quarter (28%) desire 11 or more functionalities.
- Sixty percent of small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) consider cybersecurity their most significant IT challenge, followed at a distance by the rollout of new services and utilities (42%), the cost of solutions necessary for remote work (40.8%), and machine management (39%). Four of the most pressing safety concerns include community assaults, accounting for approximately 40% of incidents; followed closely by software vulnerabilities exploited at a rate of around 31%, with ransomware attacks and shadow IT posing a threat to cybersecurity in roughly equal measure, each affecting nearly 30% of organizations.
- More than half (54%) of IT teams now express heightened concern over their organization’s security stance, a percentage that has remained remarkably steady since Q1 2024, when 56% reported similar anxieties. Seventy-one percent of respondents believe that any reductions to their safety budgets would actually increase organizational risk.
- While the trade advocates for passwordless authentication, nearly all respondents continue to rely on passwords as a fundamental security measure across at least some information technology resources.
- Seventy-six percent of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rely on managed service providers (MSPs) for at least some features, with no change from the 76% that reported this in Q1 2024. By the end of the next year, a significant 67 percent of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) anticipate increasing their managed service provider (MSP) funding.
- A whopping 56 percent of respondents credit MSP partnerships with significantly enhancing workplace safety? Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported that managed service providers (MSPs) significantly enhanced their organizations’ IT management efficiency, while 37% noted that this collaboration resulted in cost savings for their organization.
- Almost half of those who do not utilize managed service providers (MSPs) opt out due to their preference for handling IT matters personally (47%), while 39% cite the perceived high cost of MSPs as the primary reason.
- A significant proportion – 22% – of respondents revealed that their perception of AI’s impact on their profession has diminished significantly over the past half-year, with many now anticipating a less pronounced influence than initially feared. According to a recent survey, 34% of respondents believe that the actual impact of AI has been consistent with their initial expectations, despite its implementation being slower than anticipated? Twenty-one percent remain unmoved in their opinion, while a significant 23% assert that the impact of AI has exceeded their initial expectations.
- Sixty-one percent concur that artificial intelligence has surpassed their organization’s ability to defend against emerging threats. Some 35% of IT administrators confess to feeling apprehensive about the impact of AI on their profession. Down significantly from the 45% who reported the same issue in Q1 of last year.
The comprehensive report, titled “Detours Forward: How IT Navigates an Evolving World,” is available for download at [insert link].
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