Cloud, mobile and social media put strain on security professionals

New technology means security skills are being spread too thinly and more training is needed

The growing adoption of cloud computing, social media and mobile devices is putting security professionals under intense pressure.

This is according to a study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan.

Based on the responses of 2,400 security professionals working in Europe, the study warns that skilled workers are being stretched too thinly across organisations.

A significant number of respondents also reported that cloud, social and mobile technologies are being deployed without security in mind.

"In the modern organisation, end-users are dictating IT priorities by bringing technology to the enterprise rather than the other way around," said Robert Ayoub, global program director, network security for Frost & Sullivan.

"Pressure to secure too much and the resulting skills gap are creating risk for organisations worldwide. We can reduce the risks, however, if we invest now in attracting high-quality entrants to the field and make concurrent investments in professional development for emerging skills."

Some 55 per cent of respondents reported having private clouds in place, while 75 per cent said they lacked skills to properly secure cloud environments.

Similarly, the survey indicates that security professionals are not ready for the explosion in social media threats.

Some 31 per cent of respondents had no social media security policies at all.

Part of the disconnect between users' enthusiasm for social media tools and the often inadequate security placed on them might be explained by the attitude of professionals toward social media in their own careers, the report says, with 20 per cent of information security professionals saying that social media tools were not important to them.