- OTRS survey: 44 percent of U.S. security professionals believe their organization is optimally prepared for security incidents
- Incident response at its limit: Rising number of security incidents meets poor communication with the public and moderate levels of automation
Cupertino, CA, 05 December 2023 – It’s an explosive mix: While the number of security incidents continues to rise, many of the country’s security departments lack the manpower and automation to keep up. Nearly three-fourths of U.S. respondents to the “OTRS Spotlight: Corporate Security 2023” survey report a sharp (27 percent) or slight (43 percent) increase in incidents over the past twelve months. At the same time, there has been little movement in the push to be optimally prepared for security incidents (2022: 49 percent; 2023: 44 percent). In addition, 21 percent less than the year before see tasks and responsibilities for security incidents as clear and defined in their company (2022: 96 percent; 2023: 75 percent). For the survey, software company OTRS Group collaborated with market research firm Pollfish to interview 500 IT and cybersecurity professionals, including 100 in the United States.
Rising number of security incidents requires rapid incident response
For 30 percent, timely and appropriate communication with the public represent the greatest challenge in incident response. This is compounded by rapidly evolving threats: Another 19 percent cite this as their biggest challenge. Almost as many (17 percent) struggle with communication gaps between tools; 16 percent with lack of skilled personnel; and 13 percent with coordinating response teams.
In light of the increasing number of security incidents, 30 percent see clear communication as the most important component of an effective incident response plan, while quick identification is the most crucial element for 25 percent of the U.S. respondents. For 18 percent each, root cause analysis and remediation strategy are the most vital parts.
1 in 4 make little or no use of automation in incident response
Automation can help security teams respond more quickly to incidents and reduce the burden on their staff. Compared internationally, however, the incident response processes of U.S. security teams show the lowest level of automation. 11 percent rely entirely on human intervention to respond to incidents. The average for all markets surveyed is nine percent. Another 14 percent use only basic automation for alerts, but rely heavily on human decision-making.
Just over three quarters have advanced further: 62 percent regularly use automation for routine tasks while maintaining human control over critical decisions. 21 percent automate as much as possible and keep human intervention to a minimum.
Speed is of the essence in incident response
The fact that speed is essential in incident response is also reflected in the metrics that security teams believe best reflect how effective their organization’s overall cybersecurity efforts are. When asked which metrics do you believe best reflect the overall effectiveness of your organization’s cybersecurity efforts, the standout was employee compliance with security policies at 14% percent. Other notable metrics used in the United States include the number of security incidents (14%) as well as Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Percent Reduction in Security Incidents at 13% each.
Jens Bothe, Vice President Information Security at OTRS Group, appeals: “When it comes to defending against and responding to security incidents, every second counts to prevent major damage. Security teams must have all the necessary resources to adequately prepare for a critical incident. However, many companies do not realize this need until such an incident has already occurred. They urgently need to fill the gaps in personnel and invest in tools that enable their security departments to optimize and, where possible and appropriate, automate their incident response processes.”
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About the Survey “OTRS Spotlight: Corporate Security 2023”
The data used is based on an online survey conducted by Pollfish Inc. on behalf of OTRS AG, in which 500 IT und cyber security professionals in the U.S., Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore and Malaysia participated between September 5, 2023, and September 8, 2023.
For more results from the first part of the survey, see the infographic available for download here.
The results of the first part of the survey are available here.
About OTRS Group
OTRS Group is the manufacturer and the world’s largest provider of the enterprise service management suite OTRS. It offers companies industry-independent solutions for structured communication in customer service, IT service management and security management. In addition to the core product OTRS, the security solutions STORM and CONTROL ensure efficient cybersecurity incident management and transparent documentation in accordance with standards such as ISO 27001.
Among its customers are Lufthansa, Porsche, BSI (Federal Office for Security in Information Technology), Helios Kliniken, Haribo, Ameropa und TUI Cruises. The company consists of OTRS AG and its five subsidiaries OTRS Inc. (USA), OTRS S.A. de C.V. (Mexico), OTRS Asia Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), OTRS do Brasil Soluções Ltda. (Brazil) and OTRS Magyarország Kft. (Hungary). OTRS AG is listed on the basic board of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
For more information, see www.otrs.com.