SolarWinds Survey Finds Complex Security Tools are a Major Obstacle to Securing IT

February 13, 2013 No Comments

AUSTIN, TX – February 13, 2013 – SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today released the results of a survey on IT security and compliance that emphasize the growing need for powerful and easy-to-use security products focused on the key security concerns plaguing the majority of IT professionals.

According to the survey* of over 160 IT professionals, 86 percent of IT pros that specialize in areas other than security said they are responsible for securing IT. Forty-nine percent of respondents spend 40 percent or more of their time on IT security and compliance, while only seven percent of IT pros consider security their full-time job.

The top IT security responsibilities, concerns and priorities revealed that securing today’s IT infrastructure will take a concerted and coordinated effort across all IT functions.

– The top five security and compliance responsibilities are managing networks; security infrastructure – firewalls, IDS/IPS, endpoint; servers; data exchange – email, file transfer, websites; and (a tie) desktops and mobile devices
– The top three IT security and compliance concerns are data loss, external threats, and cloud security and privacy
– The No. 1 security priority is preventing data loss

Most significantly, nearly all respondents cited complexity of security tools as the No. 1 reason they felt their organization is not able to respond effectively to security challenges.

“SolarWinds research shows that what works for security among large enterprises does not translate to the entire market,” said Jim Hurley, President of Wellington Research. “Usability and effectiveness are critical factors no matter what size an organization.”

“Securing IT is not just the role of a security expert anymore,” said Brandon Whichard, senior director product marketing, SolarWinds. “For IT pros that don’t spend their day thinking about security yet need the tools to tackle these challenges, SolarWinds’ suite of easy-to-use IT management products has a broad set of features and functionality built-in, making security and compliance management accessible to all.”

Security and Compliance Management for Every IT Pro, Organization

SolarWinds’ IT management suite of solutions offers IT pros a number of powerful and easy-to-use products with security and compliance functionality built-in and that address security and compliance specifically. From Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) to configuration and compliance to patch management and more, IT pros can deploy and layer SolarWinds’ IT management products to achieve end-to-end security and compliance visibility, including:

– SolarWinds Log & Event Manager – SIEM; endpoint data loss prevention
– SolarWinds Firewall Security Manager – Firewall security management
– SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager – Network Change and Configuration Management (NCCM)
– SolarWinds Patch Manager – Endpoint vulnerability management
– SolarWinds User Device Tracker – User and device tracking
SolarWinds Serv-U Managed File Transfer Server – Internet data security

Additional Resources

Whitepaper: IT Security Management Checklist: 9 Key Recommendations to Keep Your Network Safe

Whiteboard blog: Results of the 2013 Security and Compliance Survey

*The SolarWinds survey was conducted on January 24 through February 7, 2013 via an online survey service, resulting in over 160 survey responses. SolarWinds awarded the first one hundred (100) entrants one (1) $15.00 Amazon^® gift card with an approximate retail value of $15.00. Public-sector specific results available upon request.

About SolarWinds

SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) provides powerful and affordable IT management software to customers worldwide from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses. In all of our market areas, our approach is consistent. We focus exclusively on IT Pros and strive to eliminate the complexity that they have been forced to accept from traditional enterprise software vendors. SolarWinds delivers on this commitment with unexpected simplicity through products that are easy to find, buy, use and maintain while providing the power to address any IT management problem on any scale. Our solutions are rooted in our deep connection to our user base, which interacts in our online community, thwack, to solve problems, share technology and best practices, and directly participate in our product development process. Learn more today at http://www.solarwinds.com.