HID Global, a provider of secure identity solutions, has found that the increasingly mobile workforce in the Middle East is driving organisations to focus on watertight security strategies in order to protect and secure their digital assets when accessing applications and data in the cloud. A regional survey conducted by HID Global revealed that 47% of organisations believe that securing access to cloud based data and application is as important as securing physical premises. With 41% stating that secure access to cloud based data and applications was their number one priority.
Of the respondents that participated in the survey, 72% said that they relied on private cloud solutions and 48% used it for collaboration solutions including databases, CRMs, and email. 33% also said they stored mission-critical applications and data. Respondents to the survey included CIOs, CISOs, IT Managers and decision makers from the public sector, retail, manufacturing, government, oil and gas, transport, banking and finance and real estate from across the GCC.
“Cloud adoption is beginning to take prominence and by placing data and applications in the cloud, organisations gain a lot of flexibility in terms of accessibility. This is the upside but in doing this, companies also expose themselves to risk and have to take steps to protect their assets,” said Miguel Braojos, Vice President Global Sales, IAM Solutions at HID Global. “A robust security strategy and solutions with multi-factor authentication will suffice because the loss or damage of digital assets can have significant ramifications for an organisation. We are glad to find that organisations are assessing and evaluating their security strategies and reviewing implementing multi-factor authentication.”
28% of organisations said that they do not rely on cloud solutions at all. The most frequent reason cited for 39% of respondents was that their organisation generated sensitive data, while 30% found it too risky. Other limiting factors for adopting cloud solutions in an organisation were found to be high cost for 11% of respondents and a lack of acceptance within existing company policy for 15% of respondents.
“The adoption of cloud is driving mobility among organisations. As the leader in secure identity solutions, HID Global has the unique capabilities to help businesses secure their assets and access to cloud based services, so they can reap the benefits and avoid pitfalls,” explained Braojos. “Interestingly, the findings also revealed that user experience and security are of equal importance to 49% of organisations. HID Global’s solutions address these end user requirements and we see tremendous opportunity to help companies enhance user experience and drive new levels of convenience and security.”
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