According to new research from Gartner, overall spending on security increased 10.5% in 2019, and global IT spending is expected to increase by 3.7% in 2020. With cyber threats increasing in sophistication and new compliance regulations being implemented worldwide, it makes sense for organizations to focus their time and effort investing in security.

While spending money on security solutions is important to help combat the current threat landscape, it has to be done in a thoughtful way. Organizations need to ensure they are protecting their most critical assets by investing in the right solutions for their needs. Here are 6 areas where you should prioritize your security budget to ensure you’re properly protecting your business

	2019 Spending	2019 Growth (%)	2020 Spending	2020 Growth (%)	2021 Spending	2021 Growth (%)
Data Center Systems	205	-2.5	210	2.6	212	1.0
Enterprise Software	457	8.8	507	10.9	560	10.5
Devices	675	-5.3	683	1.2	685	0.4
IT Services	1,031	3.7	1,088	5.5	1,147	5.5
Communications Services	1,364	-1.1	1,384	1.5	1,413	2.1
Overall IT	3,732	0.4	3,872	3.7	4,018	3.8

Source: Gartner (October 2019)

1. Employees

An often-overlooked aspect of cybersecurity is the role employees play in keeping an organization secure. Nearly a quarter of data breaches were caused by human error in 2018-2019 according to Ponemon Institute. Threats like social engineering and phishing can only be prevented by increasing awareness. Investing in employees is key because they are an organization’s first line of defence.

To help increase awareness, it’s important to train and test employees. At Jolera, we created the Secure IT – User Defence solution to empower employees. It includes online security training, simulated phishing testing and dark web credential monitoring.

2. Email

Email is the most common attack vector with 94% of malware being delivered via email according to the 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report. While most email comes with basic security protection like anti-spam filters, it’s not enough to prevent threats from entering your inbox. Threat actors can easily circumvent these filters which can lead to threats like spear phishing and ransomware to enter your inbox.

Organizations need to protect their inboxes with an advanced email security solution like Secure IT – Mail. Our email solution protects inboxes with powerful tools that scan for malware and malicious links. The solution also includes backup, archiving and email marketing features to enhance your email protection.

3. Endpoint Security

Employees use endpoints to connect to your network. With the rise of the mobile workforce there are usually hundreds, if not thousands, of endpoints connected at any given time. Each endpoint can act as an entry point for hackers. A 2018 SANS endpoint survey found that 42% of respondents reported that their endpoints had been breached. A breached endpoint can allow a threat actor to move laterally throughout your organization and put your data at risk.

Endpoint protection has evolved to keep up with the modern threat landscape. Endpoint security contains features like anti-malware protection and machine learning to detect zero-day threats. All endpoints that connect to your infrastructure should be protected with an endpoint security solution like Secure IT – Endpoint. 

4. Threat Detection and Analysis

Being able to monitor your IT infrastructure and detect threats is crucial in having proactive security. With a SIEM system, organizations can prevent breaches by detecting suspicious behaviour and sending alerts for remediation. The SIEM analyzes log data from all devices in an infrastructure and correlates the data to determine potential threats.

Research from Ponemon Institute found that 40 percent of companies say they do not qualify and track the company IT security posture at all. By not measuring security posture, organizations are unable to ensure their security investments are working as intended. SIEM provides organizations with insights into their infrastructure which they can use for compliance reporting and to make better decisions on budgeting.

5. Next Generation Firewall

Firewalls are essential in protecting your network and upgrading to a next generation firewall (NGFW) provides greater capabilities for advanced security. Such features include application awareness and control, intrusion prevention, and threat intelligence.

Employees using the internet have the potential to engage with malicious websites unknowingly. With a NGFW, organizations can receive greater visibility into their network and control/block web applications to help prevent breaches. Our Secure IT – Firewall solution also includes security services such as 24/7/365 monitoring and remediation to ensure that your network stays protected.

6. WiFi

Most people know to secure WiFi with a password, but corporate networks require more protection than just a password. A corporate network is often full of wireless access points which can be vulnerable to hackers. Attacks like packet sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks also put WiFi networks at risk of being infiltrated or experience performance degradation.

WiFi is the most common way users connect to your network and they expect to be protected. Organizations can secure their wireless access points with a WiFi security solution like Secure IT – WiFi. All access points under our WiFi solution are SIEM integrated to provide advanced security and are monitored 24/7/365.