When security is too complicated

Employees bypass IT security
When security is too complicated

Man is lazy. As soon as something becomes too exhausting, the person adapts, to put it bluntly. According to a study by Cisco, one in two employees bypasses their own company’s security solutions because they are too difficult.

Why is the inner bastard often so big and the regular visit to the gym so difficult? Man is trying to save energy. To put it bluntly: he is lazy. As soon as an activity is perceived as too strenuous, the body tries to adapt. This is not only the case with sports, but also with everyday tasks, complex paths are often avoided or simplified. Everything should be as simple as possible. Many employees also follow this credo in IT security, as a study by Cisco among more than 1,000 employees in Germany shows.

Furthermore, 54 percent of all employees in Germany find that the use of IT security systems is too complicated and time-consuming. According to this, more than half (55%) circumvent the security measures at least once a week in order to complete tasks more quickly. 17% do this every day.

IT security as a time-waster

The study also shows that IT security is a time-waster for many employees. 42 Percent of respondents need at least 10 minutes every day to meet the requirements of data security, 9 percent even more than half an hour. According to the study, on average, every employee in Germany spends around 13.5 minutes a day on cybersecurity measures.

For 47 percent, multifactor authentication is used to access company resources. 61 Percent use a VPN line.

The gap between security and data protection

Another important point besides complexity and time is trust. According to the study, 38 percent distrust their company when it comes to data protection and security. According to this, 71 percent feel comfortable using passwords. At the same time, 23 percent of respondents note them. 61 percent still feel comfortable with fingerprint authentication, while only 46 percent feel comfortable with face scanning. Here, trust in technical security is superimposed with possible concerns about data protection.

(ID:48357863)