With an increased wave of recent security threats in addition to the ongoing need to ensure data is safe, Canadian organizations are keeping a close eye on their security practices and technologies, according to a new survey from CDW (News - Alert) Canada, a provider of technology solutions for Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors.
In the recent release of the survey’s results, the company said that, while security is always top of mind for businesses, when asked about specific areas of top priority for security, the majority of Canadian organizations cited intrusion prevention and ransomware protection as key areas of concern.
Another area of focus for Canadian organizations is the cloud, according to the report, with about 50 percent of businesses indicating that cloud strategy for 2017 includes hybrid solutions, moving workloads over time. Only about 16 percent reported planning to be a “cloud-first organization going forward. In the data centre, almost 30 percent said that redundancy is a key goal, followed by expansion and scalability and cost reduction.
"With all of the changes with cloud and security, it can be very difficult for organizations to stay on top of what is new, what is important and how it impacts them," said Daniel Reio, Director, Product and Partner Management, CDW Canada. "As the Canadian market continues to focus on a hybrid world and as technology continues to expand exposing threats, our team of technology experts is helping customers navigate their ever-changing environment."
Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors also cited analytics and big data, as well as the Internet of Things (IoT), as the top combined emerging technologies that will have the most impact on their business in the next 12 to 18 months, with 28 and 27 per cent respectively.
Other findings from the survey include:
• Canadian organizations' unified communications strategies include integration of new features or products into current tools/applications, and upgrading or updating current tools and applications.
• Just over a quarter of respondents said they would continue to use current tools and application, and only 10 percent said they would replace current legacy tools and applications with new technologies.
• When considering partner services, 30 percent of Canadian organizations look most for support during deployments and upgrades. This was followed by migrations and replacements, managed services, and architecture and design.