Security Concerns are Preventing Cloud and SaaS Adoption, According to Latest Ping Identity Survey

Three-Quarters of IT and Security Professionals Say at Least a
Portion of Their IT Infrastructure is Hybrid; Only One-Fifth Say
Majority is Hosted in the Public Cloud

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ping
Identity, the leader in Identity Defined Security, today released
results of the Ping
Identity 2018 Survey: The State of Enterprise IT Infrastructure &
Security, describing the recent nature of enterprise IT
infrastructures and what companies are doing in response to the current
data breach climate. MarketCube was commissioned by Ping to survey more
than 300 large enterprise IT and security professionals across the
United States to determine the most effective security strategies to
guard sensitive information, and the price they pay when hackers strike.

The survey reveals that today’s enterprise IT infrastructures are not
largely hosted in the public cloud, nor are they SaaS-based, with
security being the single largest barrier when it comes to cloud and
SaaS adoption. With the recent rise in breaches and privacy incidents,
enterprises are prioritizing the protection of their customers’
personally identifiable information.

Key findings include:

• Most Infrastructure is Hybrid: Less than one quarter (21%) of
  IT and security professionals say that more than one half of their IT
  infrastructure is hosted in the public cloud, and 15% say more than
  one half is comprised of SaaS applications. Seventy-five percent say
  that at least some percentage of their IT infrastructure is
  hybrid—meaning a mix of cloud, on-premises and SaaS.
• Security Concerns Holding Back Adoption of Cloud & SaaS: Security
  was cited as the number one barrier to cloud and SaaS adoption.
  Forty-three percent of respondents said it’s the biggest obstacle to
  cloud adoption, and 37% claimed it’s the biggest barrier to SaaS
  adoption.
• Enterprises are Spending More to Protect Customer Identity:
  More than one quarter (27%) of respondents’ organizations have
  experienced a breach of customer identity data stored in a public
  cloud, on-premises or in a SaaS application provider’s cloud. Nearly
  three-quarters of respondents (71%) say their organizations are
  spending more on protecting customer identity data in May 2018 as
  compared with May 2017; just one percent say that spend has decreased.

“With security as the biggest barrier to cloud and SaaS adoption, it’s
no wonder we’re seeing enterprises prioritize their security
investment—especially following a year that was defined by data
breaches,” said Richard Bird, chief customer information officer, Ping
Identity. “Safeguarding customer, proprietary and partner data is more
important than ever for enterprises seeking to build trust and
transition to a more hybrid IT infrastructure. It’s imperative that IT
professionals understand the value and effectiveness of the right
security controls for their organizations before taking a blanket
approach to protecting their data.”

What’s in Use vs. What’s Working

• Multi-factor Authentication: Ninety percent of respondents say
  multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an effective security control to
  protect identity data in public clouds, yet only 60% say their
  organizations actually utilize it.
• Single Sign-On and Biometric Authentication: IT and security
  professionals also see identity federation (single sign-on) and
  biometric authentication as two of the top five most effective
  security controls, but these technologies have relatively low adoption
  rates among their organizations. For instance, 80% of respondents say
  that identity federation, role- or attribute-based policies, and
  biometric authentication are largely effective to protect access to
  identity data in public clouds. Despite this, adoption rates are low:
  only 34%, 38% and 22%, respectively.

While enterprise investment in security has increased in the past year
and IT professionals understand what technologies are most effective at
protecting data, they are not always implementing more effective
security controls.

Bird added, “This is perhaps because identity federation can be complex
to implement if the chosen solution is not architected for hybrid IT
environments, whereas deploying multi-factor authentication is often a
simpler solution. Biometric authentication is still an emerging
technology and therefore may not be as commonplace as more established
security controls.”

For more information on the Ping Identity 2018 Survey: The State of
Enterprise IT Infrastructure & Security, click here.

Survey Methodology

MarketCube was commissioned by Ping Identity to survey 301 United
States-based professionals who work in the IT or security departments at
companies with 5,000 or more employees. The survey was conducted online
between May 17 and May 24, 2018. The margin of error is plus or minus
5.6 percentage points.

About Ping Identity

Ping Identity envisions a digital world powered by intelligent identity.
We help enterprises achieve Zero Trust identity-defined security and
more personalized, streamlined user experiences. The Ping Intelligent
Identity Platform provides customers, employees and partners with access
to cloud, mobile, SaaS and on-premises applications and APIs, while also
managing identity and profile data at scale. Over half of the Fortune
100 choose us for our identity expertise, open standards leadership, and
partnership with companies including Microsoft, Amazon and Google. We
provide flexible options to extend hybrid IT environments and accelerate
digital business initiatives with multi-factor authentication, single
sign-on, access management, intelligent API security, directory and data
governance capabilities. Visit www.pingidentity.com.

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Contacts

Candace Flynn
Ping Identity
candaceflynn@pingidentity.com
303.476.0019