BULLETIN Ransomware risks Cyber security software vendor Osirium Technologies has shared findings from the latest Osirium Ransomware Index which suggests that ransomware attack risks impact organisations differently; particularly when businesses depend on outsourced IT. Of the 1001 UK IT managers surveyed for the research, 77% expressed a growing concern that despite their company having a good protection system in place, they could still be at risk of an attack by proxy – via their supply chain. Approximately 55% were also of the opinion that whilst some attacks are avoidable, others aren’t - which underlines the opportunities for vendors and channel partners to assist customers in identifying and understanding where the very real ransomware threats lie and supporting them in protecting their businesses accordingly. Across the respondents surveyed, 39% estimated it would take a week for their business to recover from a cyberattack – with 47% admitting it could take a month or more. In addition, medium and large sized businesses were most concerned about their supply chain putting them at risk (82%) yet, despite this, only 44% have a strict requirement in place when it comes to the supply chain relationships. 39% said they had a loose agreement whilst 8% don’t have, or haven’t even considered, one. However, 66% of businesses say they ask for regular updates from their supply chain about their measures and protection/recovery plan to tackle ransomware attacks. Over three-quarters (77%) of all respondents were concerned about the risk from their supply chain (suppliers, clients, and partners) and that figure rises to 82% when the IT depends on outsourced IT services. www.osirium.com IT budgets set to boom More than four out of five IT directors expect a budget increase from their employer as companies play catch-up with projects put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research by DSA Connect, shows. Around 84% of IT directors in the UK expect their employers to boost budgets in the year ahead with one in six (16%) expecting a substantial increase as employees gradually return to offices and businesses welcome back more staff. www.dsa-connect.co.uk IT leads set to prioritise sustainability Sustainability will be a core priority for IT leads over the next two years, according to research from Brother UK. 83% of respondents said that operating more sustainably is a key part of their plans. Just over half (51%) currently recycle waste, only 43% use refurbish or recycle hardware, and less a third (32%) choose tech and IT solutions that are energy-efficient. A quarter of IT leads said they felt guilty they couldn’t prioritise more resource on making their operations more environmentally-friendly. Almost two thirds (64%) of the respondents felt that they are not accountable to support the businesses they work for in operating more sustainably. Yet, the majority (92%), of the IT professionals surveyed said their businesses are working towards ESG targets, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. A large proportion of the respondents also said that delivering new cost efficiencies (87%), enhancing security (87%) and building resilience (84%) were key priorities alongside boosting sustainability. www.brother.co.uk Manchester is the UK’s tech start-up capital Software development experts KLOC analysed data from Crunchbase for tech businesses created outside the capital since January 2020. The study measured the number of start-ups per area, the total funding they have received, the average software engineer salary and how the area’s top university ranks for its computer science courses, with a score out of 10 for each of the four factors. Manchester achieved the highest overall score of 27.38, thanks to the joint number of tech start-ups in the country in total, with ten. It received a score of eight for its average annual salary for software engineers, standing at £38,066. The University of Manchester has the third best rated computer science course of the universities included on the list, giving the city a further 8.8 points. Cambridge came in second for tech start-up hotbeds outside London, scoring a total of 25.72 points. The city grabbed three points for the number of start-ups in the area and received 3.61 points for being the second highest funded area – the three Cambridge companies in the analysis received £25,774,119 in total funding. Its average annual salary of £43,325 for software engineers in the area scored it 9.6 – the second highest. The University of Cambridge came in second place for Computer Science rankings with a score of 9.44. Edinburgh placed third scoring 24.28 in total. The city scored 10 points with ten companies created since January 2020 and has attracted a total of £404,125 for funding. Average annual salary for a software engineer stands at £38,962. The fourth area was Guildford with a score of 24.28. The city has the highest recorded funding for start-ups since January 2020 of £71,340,027 and an average annual salary of £40,116. Oxford took the fifth position scoring 23.37. https://kloc.co.uk 01732 759725 4 Shortlists PAGE 24
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUxNDM=