Booz Allen’s Angela Messer: Connectivity, New Threats Come With Internet of Things

Booz Allen Hamilton, ISC, Cyber 360 Solutions and NRI Secure Technologies have jointly unveiled the findings of a study that examined concerns about technology sprawl among security professionals as the threat landscape expands.

Frost & Sullivan conducted the seventh global information security workforce study between October and December 2014 to gauge the views of nearly 14,000 information security professionals through a Web-based poll, Booz Allen said Thursday.

Angela Messer, executive vice president for Booz Allen’s predictive intelligence business within the strategic innovation group, said that “although the Internet of Things brings great opportunity and connectivity, it will also bring new threats.”

Respondents to the survey cited phishing attacks as the top threat to their organization and noted an increase in remediation time after an attack.

The survey also finds continued shortage in information security workforce due to lack of business support for additional personnel.

“We’re seeing greater adoption of advanced analytics and tools that can help security professionals convert intelligence into improving their cyber operations, but today’s workforce is already stretched thin, with many reporting remediation and reacting to alerts as their primary focus,” said Messer.

She recommended that senior leaders “invest in a cyber talent management strategy” to address demands for cybersecurity professionals as organizations turn their attention to protecting entire cyber ecosystems.