Australia Demand for Cybersecurity on The Rise, Fueled by Digital Transformation

By AIT News Desk On Aug 11, 2021

ISG Provider Lens report finds Australian companies looking for comprehensive, but simple cybersecurity solutions

Digital transformation initiatives that leverage cloud technologies and enable remote working are on the rise in Australia, and so is demand for cybersecurity solutions, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group, a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

“Senior leaders are increasingly focused on the decision making around cybersecurity products and services and want to understand their organizations’ cyber risks.”

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens Cybersecurity Solutions & Services Report for Australia sees organizations here demanding both simplicity and flexibility from cybersecurity providers. Providers should look to develop more comprehensive cybersecurity portfolios, the report recommends.

Senior executives are paying much closer attention to cybersecurity, said Scott Bertsch, partner and regional leader, ISG Asia Pacific. “The growing importance of cybersecurity is changing the way Australian enterprises are procuring related services,” he said. “Senior leaders are increasingly focused on the decision making around cybersecurity products and services and want to understand their organizations’ cyber risks.”

The report sees the cybersecurity industry in Australia growing significantly in the coming years.

As enterprises move more data to the cloud and enable remote working, they want to improve their cybersecurity services. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a greater strain on cybersecurity systems as many employees continue to w*************.

In addition, the use of artificial intelligence with cybersecurity tools will grow, the report says, driven by the adoption of the IoT, an increase in threats, concerns about data privacy and stringent new regulations. Next-generation identity and access management, messaging and network security will be key cybersecurity investment areas for Australian companies through 2022.

Demand for cloud-based detection and response solutions is also expected to increase in the coming years, the report predicts. Threat intelligence and strategic security services can also help organizations become more resilient.

Identity and access management platforms have also become one of the most important technology investments for Australian organizations due to the move toward cloud and hybrid IT, the report adds. As enterprises move their IT infrastructure to the cloud, many cybersecurity providers are also moving identity and access management tools from on-premises to the cloud.

Advanced data loss prevention tools have also become a mature and important market in Australia, since the adoption of the Australian Privacy Act of 2018. Stricter privacy regulations have prompted enterprises in the country to adopt the technology.

Finally, many enterprises in Australia are adopting advanced endpoint threat protection, detection and response solutions to protect employees who continue to w*************, the report says. Demand is also triggered by legacy technology still being used and by an explosion of internet-facing endpoints and services that create technical complexity, leading to configuration errors.

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens Cybersecurity – Solutions & Services Report for Australia evaluates the capabilities of 78 providers across six quadrants: Identity and Access Management; Data Leakage/Loss Prevention and Data Security; Advanced Endpoint Threat Protection, Detection and Response; Technical Security Services; Strategic Security Services; and Managed Security Services.

The report names IBM as Leader in five quadrants and Accenture, CyberCX, Deloitte, DXC Technology, Fujitsu, Microsoft and NTT as Leaders in three. Broadcom, CGI, Telstra, Tesserent and Wipro are named as Leaders in two quadrants, while Bitdefender, Capgemini, CrowdStrike, Cyberark, EY, Forcepoint, Kasada, Kaspersky, KPMG, McAfee, Okta, Ping Identity, PwC, RSA, SailPoint, Unisys, Verizon and VMware Carbon Black are all named Leaders in one quadrant.

In addition, Capgemini, Fortinet, Kasada, Tesserent, Wipro and Zscaler were named Rising Stars—companies with “promising portfolios” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in one quadrant each.