Why the human factor matters in cybersecurity – and how to deal with it

Why the human factor matters in cybersecurity – and how to deal with it

Corporate IT infrastructure has become incredibly complex. The intricacy brought about by digitalisation in recent years has now been exacerbated by the pandemic and its impact on society - think of the enormous spike in online services, remote workers, virtual collaboration and connected devices, with all the challenges they create.

This is naturally reflected in the cybersecurity threatscape. Even pre-Covid, businesses were battling fiercer attacks on their environments, and the current circumstances certainly haven't made things easier.

Risks, however, don't simply revolve around devices and security solutions. There's another important element to keeping hackers out, and that is ensuring employees are familiar with potential security threats and on board with recommended processes to help thwart them.

Improving security isn't something that companies can compromise on. Not only do cyberattacks disrupt productivity, tarnish brand reputation and damage customer trust, they also have more tangible consequences. The average cost of data breaches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia has risen by 9.4 per cent in the last year and the average cost of a breach in the region is $6.53m - higher than the global average.

At a time when resources are precious and companies are working hard to navigate the financial