Increased Demand for Managed Service Partners Persists in the Asia Pacific Region
In the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity, organizations across Asia Pacific and Japan are facing a significant challenge: AI-augmented cyberattacks. However, in Australia, these attacks rank third behind credential theft and phishing/social engineering, according to a recent survey. The report also reveals that only one-in-ten (10%) Australian organizations believe they have a comprehensive AI and automation strategy, indicating a potential gap in preparedness for the evolving threat landscape. As organizations move towards more flexible and tailored commercial constructs, multi-vendor environments are expected to increase in the next 12 months. This shift could offer a diverse range of solutions but may also present complexities in managing multiple vendors. The skills gap in dealing with AI threats is evident, with less than three-in-ten (28%) Australian organizations surveyed believing they have the necessary skills. To address this, 45% of organizations across the Asia Pacific region are looking to outsource to partners to support them. Budgets are on the rise in response to these challenges. Half (50%) of organizations are increasing their budget for incident response and recovery, while 56% are increasing their budget for application and security. The focus on threat detection and response is evident, with 61% of organizations increasing their budget in this area. Identity access management (53%) and infrastructure and network security (62%) are also seeing increased investment. Interestingly, the demand for managed service partners remains strong in the Asia Pacific and Japan regions, with 50% of organizations in the region intending to invest more into third-party managed security services in the next 12 months. However, trust in breached partners appears to be waning, with more than two-thirds (68%) of Australian organizations surveyed unlikely to engage a partner that had been breached or suffered a security incident themselves. For those who do choose to work with breached partners, 60% will include extra performance clauses and specific service level agreements. The report also highlights the importance of strengthening cybersecurity posture around financial operations, improving risk management capabilities, and ensuring cybersecurity is robust enough to support digital transformation programs as top priorities for businesses. To combat these challenges, Sophos, in collaboration with Tech Research Asia, has released a Cybersecurity Playbook for Partners in Asia Pacific and Japan. Furthermore, 83% of Australian organizations expect to have their cybersecurity budget increase in the next 12 months, reflecting the growing importance of cybersecurity in the region. As organizations navigate these trends, the use of multiple vendors (33% use three or more) and outsourcing to partners (45%) to support AI and automation strategies, skill development, and budget increases in various areas become clear strategies for strengthening cybersecurity postures.
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