IDC OPINION
What keeps IT Decision Makers (ITDMs) up at night? Security. That's because smart ITDMs know that no matter how well-run a business is or how popular its product or service might be, the whole business can be in jeopardy overnight if security fails.
And, unfortunately, the world isn't getting any safer. Corporate espionage, rogue states, organized crime, and even everyday thieves have all leveled up when it comes to technology. To stay ahead of the bad actors, IT must remain vigilant and ever willing to embrace new vendors and technologies to keep their employees, customers, and data safe.
The list of security challenges IT faces is long, involving everything from endpoints (computers) to datacenters, the networks that connect everything, and the software that runs it all. In this paper, we'll focus on the importance of securing the endpoint. That's because, in the end, security across all those other domains means little if the endpoint isn't secure.
One of the key challenges with securing the endpoint is that, traditionally, a secure endpoint often means a trade-off for the end-user experience with locked-down devices that are difficult to use. And when that happens, the other primary weak point in any security scheme — the user — often finds ways to circumvent that security in the spirit of getting work done. When security becomes a friction point for users, it's no longer serving its purpose.
Technological advances have made it increasingly possible to retain a high-quality user experience while maintaining security. Advances in malware detection, data protection, authentication, and the melding of silicon and software mean that today's endpoints don't need to trade productivity for enhanced security.
