It seems that we might be getting to the tipping point in the corporate world where most organizations and businesses recognize they’re exposed to an increasing amount of cybersecurity risk. And with bad guys devoting a large portion of their strategy to targeting employees, the need for effectively training employees is intensifying. But before you begin to evaluate or build a program you need to first define and cement what it is you are looking to accomplish with your program.

This August we commissioned a survey of over 1,400 senior IT decision-makers and business executives in the US, UK, and Canada. Our initial publication of the findings dug deep into their thoughts and attitudes on many issues, including nation-state attacks and hybrid work. In addition, however, our survey featured several questions on cyber insurance. So in this article, we’ll provide the cyber insurance insights shared by the survey respondents.

COVID-19 provided the public and private sectors with a crash course in remote work. Regardless of their approach to remote or distributed work before the pandemic, organizations, including governments and schools, had to stand up a fully remote workforce in a matter of days. Those tasked with making the switch found themselves forced to face and tackle new and unfamiliar obstacles. They also learned what it takes to shift work processes to a hybrid or fully remote environment.

For many cybersecurity professionals, October’s annual "cybersecurity awareness month" is met with scorn and ire, or mocked on social media for likes and hearts. Meanwhile they forget that, outside the small percentage of humanity that exist in our cybersecurity bubble, there are an enormous number of people that can and do benefit from the additional outreach, engagement, and focus that Cybersecurity Awareness Month brings.

September confirmed some things we already knew about the current state of cybercrime: While undersecured corporate targets remain tempting targets for hackers, the situation is increasingly worse for data-rich organizations such as governments, schools, and healthcare facilities. All of those sectors had cause for concern as the month drew to a close.

The healthcare industry is a veritable honeypot for cybercrime, replete with vast amounts of sensitive digital information that expands in number and scope daily, including personal medical data and payment card details. This data is increasingly attractive to hackers, particularly those using ransomware to lock out organizations and hold onto sensitive information until the organization pays up.

Arctic Wolf’s acquisition of Habitu8 is a bold step forward in advancing security awareness training programs as attacks like phishing and credential theft continue to thrive. With 85% of attacks against organizations starting with human error, it’s perhaps not surprising that we continue to see low-quality, antiquated, and severely dated content recycled through organizations.

Most organizations understand the critical role that cybersecurity solutions play in protecting their environment. However, the abundance of available tools that claim to serve that need are leaving them unsure they're actually protected against today's sophisticated threats.

After a year of high-profile cyberattacks and uncertainty caused by the extended pandemic, Arctic Wolf wanted to understand the impact this period has had on cybersecurity strategy and business overall. In August of this year, we commissioned a survey of over 1,400 senior I.T. decision-makers and business executives in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, and today we are publishing the results.