IT professionals are confident in their perimeter security, but beyond those initial firewalls confidence about protecting sensitive data dips considerably, according to a recent survey.

The global survey conducted by U.S.-based SafeNet showed that 74 percent of those polled believe their perimeter security is sufficient to guard against security threats. However, 41 percent believe unauthorized users can access their network. And 60 percent were not confident data would be safe if unauthorized users penetrated the perimeter security.

In Europe, the results were similar. That initial confidence in whether perimeter security is sufficient was higher in Germany (87 percent), the U.K. (86 percent), and France (84 percent). But it was markedly lower for Italy (68 percent) and the regional grouping Benelux of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, with just 57 percent feeling their perimeter security measured up.

Overall 22 percent admitted their organization’s firewall has been breached and – perhaps even scarier – another 22 percent said they did not know whether their firewall has been breached. In the United Kingdom, fewer breaches were reported, with just 15 percent reporting a breach of the firewall, but 30 percent of those in the U.K. said they were unsure whether a breach had occurred in their company. Germany had a higher proportion of reported breaches at 34 percent, but also a seemingly higher awareness with just 13 percent there responding that they didn’t know the answer.

One telling finding of the survey was how IT executives said they would feel if they were in fact a customer of their company. Globally, one fourth of those polled said they would not trust their company to store and manage their personal data if they were a customer. That response was markedly higher in Italy, where 44 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t trust their company with personal data if they were its customer. Benelux also was slightly higher than the global average, with 33 percent reporting that lack of confidence.

 

Security breaches rather than flunking compliance audits topped the list of worries among the IT executives, both globally and in Europe.  Overall roughly three-fourths of respondents (78 percent) said they worried more about a breach than a failed audit. Only 7 percent of those in Benelux and 18 percent of Italian IT executives said they worried more about a failed compliance audit.

Globally the IT execs were evenly split on whether their companies invest enough in security. In Europe, German executives were the most confident on their investment level, with 71 percent saying their company spends enough on security. That confidence dipped in Italy and Benelux, with 42 and 33 percent respectively saying they feel their companies are investing enough in security. However, the majority in all regions were confident their companies were investing in the right security technology.

Other global findings of the survey revealed:

34 percent say they are less confident in the security industry’s ability to detect threats and defend against emerging threats;

53 percent said news reports of high-profile data breaches have prompted their organization to change their security strategy;

64 percent feel their organization has the capability to handle emerging security threats.

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