7 in 10 companies facing more complexity with IT, security

Have the pandemic and the shift to remote work made your company’s IT operations more complex? If so, you’re far from alone.

In fact, 72% of organizations said they faced increased complexity in their environments in the last two years. And no surprise, 55% also said the switch to remote work was the top driver of this increased complexity. That’s according to a recent report from Axonius, a cybersecurity asset management solution provider.

CFOs know these complexities brought on by remote work can lead to numerous problems – from lack of visibility to security breaches to operational risk – that can have negative financial impacts.

Reducing IT complexity, risk

That said, remote work probably isn’t going anywhere. (The survey confirmed this, with respondents expecting 40% of their workforce to continue working remotely post-pandemic.)

So, moving forward, companies will need to reprioritize their IT efforts to prepare for a new, hybrid operating environment, Axonius says.

For example, two factors adding to this IT complexity that your company should assess and address are:

• The cloud: Cloud adoption was already gaining major traction before COVID-19, but the pandemic certainly sped things up. Almost 90% of organizations said it accelerated their cloud adoption. And the more your company uses cloud devices, the more it needs to look at tools’ security and interconnectivity.
• Device usage: Before COVID-19, about 50% of organizations prohibited employees from using personal devices for work-related activities. Now, only about 30% do. As this becomes more common, your company may need to revisit and revise its Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, ensuring proper management and protection.

All in all, with more cloud-based tools, personal devices, etc., CFOs will want to ensure IT has a complete inventory of all IT assets and configurations. And IT will need to be vigilant as devices are added, removed or changed. With this approach, your company can avoid more complexity and exposure to security and operational risk.