Canadian Organizations Suffer Detrimental Business Losses Due to a Lack of Penetration Testing
New research from CDW Canada reveals financial, productivity and data losses resulting from a failure to conduct regular threat assessments

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the threat landscape continues to evolve, new research from CDW Canada, a leading provider of technology solutions and services for Canadian organizations, reveals that regular penetration testing can help organizations defend against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. The report, Rooting Out Risks conducted in partnership with Angus Reid, was released today to coincide with CDW’s inaugural Penetration Testing Awareness Day. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of regular penetration testing, which involves a simulated attack against an organization’s network, data and personnel.

The research found that while nearly all (95 percent) Canadian organizations said they take security and protection against threats seriously, only 60 percent of organizations are conducting penetration testing. Even more concerning, nearly one-fifth (18 percent) of Canadian organizations said they are not conducting penetration testing at all, and less than half (40 percent) are making investments in penetration testing. When asked about barriers related to penetration testing, more than half (57 percent) of organizations indicated that penetration testing is not a company priority.

Respondents also cited lack of employee expertise/talent (34 percent) and a lack of budget (33 percent) as key barriers to penetration testing, indicating that while organizations need a thorough understanding of threats to stay safe, many lack the time, talent or resources for regular assessments.

“Cyberattacks are increasing in both sophistication and frequency, and regular penetration testing allows organizations to exploit weaknesses and vulnerabilities ahead of bad actors,” said Theo Van Wyk, Head of Solutions Development and Cybersecurity, CDW Canada. “Given the very serious operational and reputational consequences that can result from a cyberattack, it’s imperative that Canadian organizations remain vigilant and leverage this type of testing as a first line of defence.”

In addition, the research found that over one-quarter (26 percent) of Canadian organizations experienced a security breach in the past two years which resulted in detrimental business losses, including loss of productivity (58 percent), loss of data (37 percent) and financial loss (25 percent). With the increased threat of security breaches, the importance of engaging a trusted third-party IT partner to perform penetration testing remains paramount so that security gaps can be detected and bridged before they are exploited.

With decades of industry-leading experience, CDW specializes in reducing security risks by helping organizations prepare for – and defend against – their biggest security threats. As a trusted security partner, CDW develops customized solutions for organization’s unique risks and conducts penetration tests to identify and catalogue vulnerabilities in existing defence systems.

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