WithSecure research reveals IT decision-makers’ concerns on supply chain disruption

New research from cyber security provider, WithSecure™, exploring the attitudes of UK IT decision makers in the light of recent supply disruptions, has revealed that two thirds of respondents, 67%, believe that supply chain issues will either remain the same (28%) or get worse (39%) within the next year.   

As the shockwaves from supply shortages are felt around the world, more than half of all respondents, 56%, stated that they had been impacted by these disruptions, with 23% of these claiming to have been ‘very affected’.   

Accordingly, with issues around inflation and supply shortages high in the news agenda, 43% believe they are very knowledgeable in their understanding of supply chain issues. However, few are confident of quick fixes to these global issues, and 60% of respondents believe that they will last for two years or more.  

At the same time, with the post-pandemic drive towards digital consumption continuing, on average the respondents buy more than a third, 35%, of their essentials online. Given this reliance on goods bought online, when asked about the other essentials they could not live without, besides food and water, 58% stated that Wi-Fi or internet access is a necessity. Other essentials included medicine (52%) electricity (60%) and gasoline (43%). 

Impact of cybersecurity on the supply chain  

The repercussions of global unrest have dented confidence in cyber security; when asked about the impact that the geo-political events of 2022 have had, more than a third of respondents (34%) believe that these had resulted in a reduction in security of more than 50%.  

There are particular concerns around the UK’s cyber resilience, with 41% of respondents believing that the UK is more vulnerable to attacks than any other country, with 17% of these believing it to be ‘much’ more vulnerable.  

With regards, specifically, to the supply chain, 68% of the respondents believe that the demand for cyber security is now at an all-time high.   

The research also pulls into focus the importance of third-party vendors in shoring up security, with two-thirds of the UK respondents believing that third-party suppliers are important in securing the supply chain.  

In the era of cloud computing, and with more organisations relying on the infrastructure of a third party, the significant majority of the UK respondents, 68%, also expect vendors to have security plans for their cloud services and the data held within them.  

Paul Brucciani, Cyber Security Advisor at WithSecure says:  

“The past two years have seen a perfect storm of factors and geo-political events which have reverberated around the world, contributing to shortages and exposing new risks. Nearly every sector has been impacted and, as we’re all part of a connected ecosystem of suppliers, it’s more important than ever to consider the means through which security can protect these vital supply chains.  

Some organisations will have hundreds or even thousands of suppliers, so they need to understand not only their own risk profile, but also how any weak points in the chain could impact their risk exposure and how these risks can spread. Taking a proactive and preventative approach and working with trusted partners to identify any risk areas is key to improving resiliency.”