The IT sector is on high alert, with 46% of security chiefs reporting a rise in threats to senior leadership over the last two years – the second highest of any sector surveyed, G4S reported.
As companies in this sector make headlines almost daily, this heightened risk profile has prompted action from their security leaders – who are ahead of all other verticals in adopting protective measures: 58% use rigorous screening procedures (vs 49% global average) and 51% conduct detailed risk assessments for leaders (vs 45% global average).
Securing the physical infrastructure
Disruption of energy supplies is identified as the fastest-rising hazard in the sector, cited by 39% of CSOs (up from 28% last year).
Additionally, more than half of IT security leaders (55%) say that AI-powered video surveillance is the most crucial cutting-edge technology for the next two years – higher than any other sector.
“One step ahead”
Rachelle Loyear, Vice President, Integrated Security Solutions at Allied Universal said: “High-tech IT firms are operating at a larger scale and higher profile than ever before.
“At the same time, the ‘cloud’ that everyone else relies on is actually a series of physical sites they have to keep up and running.
“Recent attacks on data centres in the Middle East have reinforced how much these facilities have become part of critical national infrastructure,” Loyear continued.
“This dual shift is putting immense pressure on security teams.
“These teams are now managing a massive physical footprint alongside the personal safety of their people.
“By putting AI-powered surveillance at the heart of their strategy, these firms are trying to stay one step ahead of those physical threats,” she concluded.
World Security Report
These are some of the findings from the World Security Report, commissioned by Allied Universal and G4S.
2,352 chief security officers (CSOs) in 31 countries at medium and large, global companies with total revenue exceeding $25 trillion took part in the research – including 459 from the IT sector.
