In a complex IT landscape coupled with economic uncertainty, cybersecurity becomes critical for businesses to prevent cybercrimes. But several businesses in the UAE and Saudi Arabia still overlook cybersecurity, reveals a global survey.   

The global survey by Delinea of IT Security Decision Makers (ITSDMs) found that 63% of UAE and Saudi Arabia respondents don’t think their company’s leadership has a sound understanding of cybersecurity’s role as a business enabler. In comparison, 34% believe it is considered important only in terms of compliance and regulatory demands, not as a business priority. Over half of the respondents – 55%- believe a “strong alignment” exists between business and cybersecurity objectives.

The survey further revealed that 89% of respondents in the two countries affirmed their business suffered at least one negative impact in the past year due to a lack of cybersecurity and business alignment, while around 28% of the respondents reported that the disconnect resulted in an increased number of successful cyber-attacks at their company.

“While security teams appear to be more ingrained into the organizational processes, it is clear that the majority of regional enterprises still fail to consider cybersecurity as a competitive advantage,” said Mohammad Ismail, Regional Director – Middle East, Delinea. 

The research showed that only half of the organizations document policies and procedures to facilitate alignment, while 39% reported that alignment is ad hoc and only ‘happens when needed.’

In a climate where cybersecurity can make or break businesses, only 40% of decision-makers say they’re ready to take on the cybersecurity fight, while the rest are running to keep up, treading water, or in the doldrums. 

The impact of misaligned goals on organizations’ cybersecurity posture in the UAE and Saudi Arabia was wide-ranging, as it contributed to delays in investments, delays in strategic decision-making, and unnecessary increases in spending.

The results indicate that the cybersecurity industry has a long way to go to become effective business enablers. The data reveals a lack of alignment among and within teams, which has the potential to impact both security posture and achievement of business goals negatively, noted the report.