5 Key Things We Learned from CISOs of Smaller Enterprises Survey

New survey reveals lack of staff, skills, and resources
driving smaller teams to outsource security.

As business begins its return to normalcy (however “normal” may
look), CISOs at small and medium-size enterprises (500 – 10,000
employees) were asked to share their cybersecurity
challenges and priorities^[1], and their responses
were compared the results with those of a similar survey from
2021.

Here are the 5 key things we learned from 200
responses:

1 — Remote Work Has Accelerated the
Use of EDR Technologies

In 2021, 52% of CISOs surveyed were relying on endpoint
detection and response (EDR) tools. This year that number has leapt
to 85%. In contrast, last year 45% were using network detection and
response (NDR) tools, while this year just 6% employ NDR. Compared
to 2021, double the number of CISOs and their organizations are
seeing the value of extended detection and response (XDR) tools,
which combine EDR with integrated network signals. This is likely
due to the increase in remote work, which is more difficult to
secure than when employees work within the company’s network
environment.

2 — 90% of CISOs Use an MDR
Solution

There is a massive skills gap in the cybersecurity industry, and
CISOs are under increasing pressure to recruit internally.
Especially in small security teams where additional headcount is
not the answer, CISOs are turning to outsourced services to fill
the void. In 2021, 47% of CISOs surveyed relied on a Managed
Security Services Provider (MSSP), while 53% were using a managed
detection and response (MDR) service. This year, just 21% are using
an MSSP, and 90% are using MDR.

3 — Overlapping Threat Protection
Tools are the #1 Pain Point for Small Teams

The majority (87%) of companies with small security teams
struggle to manage and operate their threat protection products.
Among these companies, 44% struggle with overlapping capabilities,
while 42% struggle to visualize the full picture of an attack when
it occurs. These challenges are intrinsically connected, as teams
find it difficult to get a single, comprehensive view with multiple
tools.

4 — Small Security Teams Are Ignoring
More Alerts

Small security teams are giving less attention to their security
alerts. Last year 14% of CISOs said they look only at critical
alerts, while this year that number jumped to 21%. In addition,
organizations are increasingly letting automation take the wheel.
Last year, 16% said they ignore automatically remediated alerts,
and this year that’s true for 34% of small security teams.

5 — 96% of CISOs Are Planning to
Consolidate Security Platforms

Almost all CISOs surveyed have consolidation of security tools
on their to-do lists, compared to 61% in 2021. Not only does
consolidation reduce the number of alerts – making it easier to
prioritize and view all threats – respondents believe it will stop
them from missing threats (57%), reduce the need for specific
expertise (56%), and make it easier to correlate findings and
visualize the risk landscape (46%). XDR technologies have emerged
as the preferred method of consolidation, with 63% of CISOs calling
it their top choice.

Download 2022 CISO Survey of Small
Cyber Security Teams to see all the results.^[2]