1. REPORT
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Wireless Security Trends: State of the Market
Enterprise-wide security is an integral part of any IT strategy and
implementation. Growing threats to data center and network infrastructures,
communications and applications require end-to-end security for maximum
protection. This survey report provides an overview of the key security
challenges faced by enterprise IT decision-makers in an ever-changing,
globally networked ecosystem.
Key Findings
Wireless LAN Vulnerability Remains Top of Mind
The threat landscape is evolving. With the dynamics of an unrelenting increase in
number and type of networked devices, IT decision-makers believe their WLANs are
exposed. Despite implementation of a broad range of security measures, wireless LAN
infrastructure and access are considered to be at the greatest risk to security breaches.
Enterprise IoT Applications Are Mission Critical
From the factory floor to the hospital recovery room, networked Internet of Things
(IoT) devices range from industrial robotics to advanced medical sensors. They are
being deployed in huge numbers for a wide range of innovative and game-changing
applications. These new types of wireless devices can generate massive amounts
of critical data and network traffic on a daily basis. This creates a new set of security
challenges for IT managers.
Adoption of Cloud-Managed Wi-Fi Continues to Grow
Especially in distributed enterprises, the migration from on-premise to cloud-managed
WLANs is gaining momentum. Cloud Wi-Fi provides simplified deployment, management,
visibility and control. It also brings the need for a different approach to WLAN security:
requiring access points to run a broad set of protection measures in real time.
Wireless Security Survey 2016 The Need for Integrated
Security
Enterprise organizations want a
secure architecture that provides
flexible end-to-end protection
across their entire IT environment.
With high-profile attacks on major
organizations, cybersecurity and the
protection of critical company and
customer data are top concerns.
Most survey respondents—79%—
expect an integrated architecture
to address the challenges of
cybersecurity while also enabling
secure network access.
Not surprisingly, the large majority
of enterprises surveyed have
implemented some form of firewall,
authentication and antivirus. In
a significant change from last
year, there is notable growth in
the implementation of intrusion
protection and application
awareness/control worldwide.
While enterprises do believe they
need an end-to-end security
infrastructure, they may find that
deploying an integrated solution is
difficult to configure, deploy and
manage. Many security holes are
the result of incorrect setup; often
a result of products with different
management and control systems.
2. SURVEY REPORT: WIRELESS SECURITY SURVEY 2016
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This global survey looks at the state of the market for WLAN
security among enterprises across a broad range of industries.
All respondents were sourced from the independent market
research company Lightspeed GMI online paneli
and were
customers of all the major WLAN equipment vendors.
Respondent Profiles
The findings of this report come from an independent survey
of 1,300 IT decision-makers (ITDMs) in 11 countries. It is the
second of our annual security surveys representing the input of
enterprise organizations. The report comprises a broad spectrum
of industries including manufacturing, telecommunications,
financial services, education, public sector and more.
FIGURE 1: STRUCTURE OF THE SAMPLE
Ongoing Worries Over Wireless Security
Enterprise IT decision-makers continue to have concerns
with their wireless LAN security. There is little change from last
year’s survey, with 45% of the 2016 study respondents stating
the loss of company and customer data to be the top risk.
Industrial espionage remains second on the list with 24% of
ITDMs stating this is their top risk. These enterprises may already
be experiencing breaches and they are taking more action to
remedy security gaps across their IT infrastructure.
People have come to expect pervasive Wi-Fi access for
personal and professional devices, making BYOD seem like a
well-accepted business practice. However, there is a significant
regional difference in regards to BYOD support and its related
IT access control. Worldwide, only 56% of ITDMs indicated
that BYOD is allowed in their organizations. However, in North
America 67% allow BYOD access, and 72% of respondents
expect IT to have complete control of all employee devices.
FIGURE 2: BIGGEST RISK
FIGURE 3: LEVEL OF SECURITY VULNERABILITY
Compare this to EMEA, where only
46% allow BYOD and 63% expect
IT to have complete control.
This reflects a significant lack of
confidence in IT’s ability to securely
control access, especially among
European and Asian respondents,
where only 41% believe they have
very secure access in place.
3. SURVEY REPORT: WIRELESS SECURITY SURVEY 2016
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Enterprises Are Increasing Wireless
Security Measures
In face of these risks, enterprise organizations are increasing
their deployment of security solutions across the enterprise. They
consider their WLANs to be most vulnerable and are investing
in broader security architectures. Compared to last year, the
2016 study shows a more balanced mix of security methods.
Interestingly, the implementation of intrusion protection systems
grew 45% year over year, while application awareness and
control deployments grew a whopping 60%.
Function 2015 2016 % Growth
Firewall 71% 84% 18%
Authentication 63% 77% 21%
Antivirus 61% 72% 17%
IPS 41% 60% 45%
App Awareness/Control 37% 59% 60%
FIGURE 4: IMPLEMENTATION OF SECURITY FEATURES
This trend toward a broader range of security coverage is a
positive change. However, it may also lead to implementation
challenges such as complex integration, management and
control of multi-vendor solutions. This greatly compromises
IT’s ability to tackle threats since it lacks a cohesive integration
of security products. As a result, enterprises cannot effectively
close the gaps between these “islands” of security solutions.
In fact, ITDMs indicate a huge desire for an enterprise-wide
security architecture that combines cybersecurity with
access while enabling segmentation across wired and
wireless networks. It is counterproductive to deploy a
fragmented wireless security solution that cannot share
information with the rest of the network or monitor just one
segment of the infrastructure. In addition, dealing with multiple
management interfaces is time-consuming and makes for
problematic troubleshooting.
FIGURE 5: SECURE ACCESS ARCHITECTURE : FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY
The Internet of Things Is Here in a Big Way
The IoT has become mission critical in enterprise organizations
for most every vertical market. Globally, more than half
of ITDMs indicated they have deployed business-critical
IoT applications. More striking is in North America, where
76% of the respondents said they are using IoT equipment
for innovative applications. Smart sensors are becoming
ubiquitous. In healthcare, they may save lives. In manufacturing,
they can improve quality and lower cost. In process control, IoT
equipment and applications increase safety and enable
real-time monitoring. We find many IoT applications in “smart”
cities and transportation systems of all types.
IoT devices present big security challenges. Typically appliances
and sensors are used for data collection and transfer. Most of
these devices are unsecured and unable to support common
client-based security solutions. As a result, almost one-half
of IT decision-makers are worried about the challenges of
securing IoT devices. In North America, where we see the most
enterprise IoT deployments, 56% of the respondents are “very”
and 39% are “somewhat” concerned. Not surprisingly, 80%
of ITDMs are now including IoT as a major component of their
overall security strategy.
FIGURE 6: LEVEL OF CONCERN OVER INTERNET OF THINGS SECURITY
