Multi-Vendor Security Rising

BOCA RATON, Fla. and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- In the third annual VanDyke Software-commissioned survey of network/system administrators executed by independent firm Amplitude Research, survey takers are asked what “keeps them up at night”: 31% said they had no concerns and “sleep like a baby” -- a 12% drop in comfort level compared to the previous year’s 43%. The 2006 finding marks a steep increase from the angst level reported the previous year, and a 3% ascent from the 2004 level.

Top Concerns: Users, Lack of Recovery Plan, Network Security Breach, Virus Worms

The top concerns of the network and system administrators were their “Users” (38%); their “Recovery Plan” or lack thereof (38%); a security breach to their network (35%); and “worrying about the next virus/worm” (24%).

Among those respondents who identified their users as a concern that keeps them up at night, nearly 31% cited “insufficient training time or budget” as a significant contributor. This year’s level marked almost a 10% jump in concern from the 2004 level, and nearly a 3% increase from last year. While a majority of the survey respondents (52.14%) in 2005 said their organization had “budgeted sufficiently to support information security needs”, this year the number was 48.62% -- about the same level reported in 2004 (48.05%).

“Last year I observed that many network and system administrators had neither the mandate from top management nor sufficient budgets to train employees in proper security awareness and practices. Unfortunately this year’s findings demonstrate that this trend continues, with less than half expressing they have the needed resources to tackle enterprise IT challenges,” said Jeff P. Van Dyke, president and founder of VanDyke Software. “Based on this year’s results, it’s no surprise that more network and system administrators are losing sleep over security issues.”

In the three years that VanDyke Software has commissioned Amplitude Research to conduct this survey, the 31% who this year said they “have no concerns and sleep like a baby” represents the lowest percentage yet.

VanDyke Software Inc.