Rise in cyberattacks during COVID-19 boosted security skills in 85% of IT teams in KSA: Survey

Rise in cyberattacks during COVID-19 boosted security skills in 85% of IT teams in KSA: Survey

RIYADH “” Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, recently announced the findings of its global survey, "The IT Security Team: 2021 and Beyond,“ which shows how increased security challenges during the pandemic offered IT teams a unique opportunity to build their cybersecurity expertise. The vast majority of IT teams in Saudi Arabia that faced a rise in cyberattacks (85%) and a heavier security workload (91%) over the course of 2020 strengthened their security skills and knowledge. Despite the challenges created by the pandemic, 52% of the IT teams surveyed globally, said team morale increased during 2020. The increase in cyberattacks during the pandemic impacted IT security skills across all industry sectors covered in the survey, including, at a global level, education (83%), retail (85%) and healthcare (80%). The survey polled 5,400 IT decision makers in mid-sized organizations in 30 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. "Around the world, 2020 was an unprecedented year for IT teams,“ said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist, Sophos. "IT professionals played a vital role in helping organizations to keep going despite the restrictions and limitations necessitated by COVID-19. "Among other things, they enabled education institutions to