Cybersecurity seen as top digital transformation risk

Network engineers and CIOs agree that cybersecurity issues represent the biggest risk for organisations that fail to put networks at the heart of digital-transformation plans. According to research commissioned by Opengear, 53% of network engineers and 52% of CIOs polled in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Australia rank cybersecurity among the list of their biggest risks.

The concerns are fuelled by an escalating number cyberattacks. In fact, 61% of CIOs report an increase in cybersecurity attacks/breaches from 2020-21 compared to the preceding two years. For digital transformation of networking, 70% of network engineers say security is the most important focus area, and 31% say network security is their biggest networking priority.

CIOs also understand the importance of the issues. More than half (51%) of network engineers say their CIOs have consulted them on investments to deliver digital transformation plans, the highest priority in the survey. What’s more, 41% of CIOs rank cybersecurity among their organisation’s most important investment priorities over the next year, with 35% stating it is among the biggest over the next five years. In both cases, cybersecurity ranks higher than any other factor.

 

“Through the pandemic, we have seen the importance of cybersecurity skyrocket for businesses as employees switch to working remotely and cyber-criminals ramp up their activity,” said Gary Marks, President of Opengear. “Forward-thinking businesses understand these challenges and the importance of investing more in security and ensuring it is woven more closely into the fabric of their networks and digital transformation efforts.”

An examination of how Atlassian’s Rovo and Teamwork Graph introduce AI-driven automation into...
The 2026 State of Digital Quality in Accessibility report by Applause highlights AI's role in...
Apricorn enhances the Aegis Secure Key 3.0, aiming to deliver faster performance, advanced...
Lenovo offers AI deployment solutions designed to support production use, with an emphasis on...
A new Semperi study of 1,100 organisations highlights how AI is being rapidly embedded into...
Youwind and Shoreline Wind's new partnership offers a lifecycle solution for wind energy projects,...
Exploring the widespread yet challenging adoption of AI in ITSM, and the operational hurdles...
OutSystems acknowledges the real-world impact made by industry leaders harnessing Agentic AI at the...