Fortinet recently showed off the results of a new Asia-Pacific SASE survey that IDC did for them. The report is based on a recent study that IDC did in nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It looks at how cybersecurity leaders feel about hybrid work, how it has affected their organizations in the last year, and how they deal with the security problems that arise when mixed work is used.
The Rise of the ‘Branch-Office-of-One’
According to the survey, 88% of respondents in The Philippines have a hybrid or fully remote working model, and more than two-thirds (58%) have at least 50% of their employees working in hybrid mode. Because of this shift toward remote work, employees are now “branch offices of one” and work from their homes or other places outside the traditional office. So, 48% of respondents in the Philippines think that the number of managed devices will grow by more than 100% in the next two years, and some even think that it will grow by 400%. Also, 76% of people in the Philippines think the number of unmanaged devices will grow by more than 50%. This will likely make security breaches more complicated and risky, putting more pressure on IT security teams that are already busy.
Unmanaged Devices Pose a Risk
As cloud computing and working from home become more common, more users, devices, and data are outside enterprise networks. Currently, 30% of the devices connecting to networks in the Philippines are not managed, making security breaches more likely. 76% of the people surveyed in The Philippines think this number will increase by 50% by 2025.
The Need to Secure Cloud
As hybrid jobs grow, employees need more ways to connect to external systems and cloud apps to stay productive. Respondents to the survey said that their employees in The Philippines need more than 30 connections to third-party cloud applications. This makes security breaches more likely. In The Philippines, all respondents think that this number will double in the next two years, and more than 70% think that it will triple, making the risk even greater. Traditional security measures are insufficient to keep a network secure while allowing employees to connect to third-party and cloud-based services.
Increased Security Incidents
Hybrid work and the rise of managed and unmanaged connections have led to a big increase in security incidents. In The Philippines, 62% of the organizations surveyed reported more than triple the number of security breaches. According to the survey, at least twice as many security incidents have happened to 94% of the people who answered it in the Philippines. Phishing, denial of service, data/identity theft, ransomware, and data loss are the top security problems. But only 49% of organizations in Asia have full-time security staff, making them more likely to have security problems or breaches.
SASE: a Game-Changer for Hybrid Work
To deal with the problems that come with hybrid work, many companies in the Philippines plan to invest in a Single-Vendor SASE solution to improve their security and give their remote employees a consistent user experience. Many organizations are looking into SASE because they need a complete solution that offers users the same level of security on and off the network, makes it easier to manage security policies, and improves the user experience for employees who work from home.
The Preference for a Single Vendor
Organizations that use SASE to manage networking and security services are looking for a converged platform to make their operations run more smoothly. According to the survey, 82% of respondents in The Philippines are consolidating or consolidating their IT security vendors. Also, 76% of respondents in The Philippines prefer to work with a single vendor for networking and security. More than half of the people who answered the survey (54%) prefer a single vendor for cloud-delivered security services and SDWAN. They cite benefits like fewer security holes, better network performance, easy deployment, and fewer problems with integration and scalability.
Alan Reyes, Country Manager, Fortinet Philippines, said, “As Philippines continues to embrace the digital future and become a leader in the digital economy, it is essential that we acknowledge the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks and data breaches. The shortage of skilled talent in the cybersecurity industry only makes this issue more challenging. At Fortinet, we are committed to bridging the skills gap and providing the necessary cybersecurity knowledge and awareness to all employees in an organization. With our Single-Vendor SASE solution, we aim to simplify security policy management and enhance the user experience for remote employees, helping The Philippines n businesses address the security challenges of the changing workforce.”
Daniel Kwong, Field CISO for SEA, and HK, said, “As the world shifts to hybrid work, organizations face the challenge of securing a ‘branch-office-of-one’ environment where employees and devices operate outside of traditional office boundaries. The Survey underscores the urgency for organizations to adopt a comprehensive security strategy that addresses the complexity and risk posed by the growth of remote work. Single-Vendor SASE, with its converged networking and security capabilities, is proving to be a game-changer for many organizations seeking a simplified and consistent security posture for users both on and off the network.”
