Data protection has emerged as the foremost IT security challenge for Pakistani businesses, according to the latest Kaspersky IT Security Economics report.
The annual report, which tracks trends in IT security budgets, breaches, and decision-making challenges, surveyed IT professionals across 27 countries, including Pakistan.
The report revealed that 61 percent of Pakistani businesses prioritize data protection as their main concern, significantly higher than the global average of 33 percent. Key issues include employee-related risks such as physical device loss and data leaks from corporate systems caused by both internal and external factors.
Globally, ineffective IT security was linked to downtime and productivity loss, cited by 38 percent of businesses. However, only 20 percent of Pakistani firms reported this issue, attributing it to prolonged detection and remediation times for cyber threats.
Additionally, 19 percent of Pakistani companies highlighted business process outsourcing as a notable challenge.
Securing complex technology environments and ensuring smooth data connectivity were concerns for 33 percent of global respondents but only 9 percent in Pakistan. These issues often arise from vulnerabilities in connected non-computing devices and ineffective cybersecurity solutions.
Alexey Vovk, information security director at Kaspersky, emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to IT security. “Attackers no longer rely solely on zero-day exploits. A simple click on a malicious link or a vulnerability in a contractor’s infrastructure can have devastating consequences,” he said, urging organizations to adopt holistic and systematic security measures.
To address these challenges, Kaspersky recommends integrated security solutions with real-time protection, advanced threat detection, and incident response capabilities. The report also advises companies to enhance visibility into emerging threats and consider managed security services if lacking qualified information security professionals.
