Devo Technology, the cloud-native security analytics company, today unveiled the results of a new study examining the ramifications of cybersecurity burnout, finding the vast majority of IT security professionals admit stress has led them and peers to make errors that have caused data breaches.
Recent estimates put the shortage of cybersecurity professionals at 3.5 million. The survey, conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Devo, demonstrates that in addition to the mental and physical toll stress takes on these under-resourced teams, their struggles also directly affect their organization’s security posture. Burnout isn’t just a people problem; it is a business problem that negatively impacts a company’s ability to safeguard its data, reputation, and bottom line.
Cybersecurity burnout is compounding cyber risk
Respondents to the survey reported several concerning trends that, if left unaddressed by CISOs and company leadership, could result in costly turnover, financial damages from regulatory fines, and lost consumer trust. More specifically, the survey found that:
-
83% of IT security professionals admit they or someone in their department has made errors due to burnout that have led to a security breach.
-
85% say they anticipate they will leave their role due to burnout; 24% say they’ll leave cybersecurity entirely.
-
77% say stress levels at work directly affect their ability to keep customer data safe.
“These findings are a harsh wake-up call for enterprise leaders but also provide an opportunity for change,” said Marc van Zadelhoff, CEO, Devo. “Caring for security teams isn’t just a ‘nice thing’ to do. It’s the right thing to do for both the individuals working the frontlines and the broader business.”
Security professionals feel unsupported by leadership
The survey also uncovered a deep disconnect between security leadership and their teams. Even though over half of the respondents reported that alert fatigue has caused…
Read the full article here
