Low IT security spend increases cyber risk

Data revealed through a Citrix Freedom of Information (FoI) requests found that 86 per cent of local authorities spent nothing on IT security training this year.

The statistics, provided by 109 councils, showed that local councils spend eight times more on health and safety training (£1.2 million) than on IT security and data protection courses combined (£104,711).

The research also revealed that over a third of council-issued devices could be vulnerable to cyber attackers through low training spend and having no protective enterprise-grade software installed.

An average of 714 smart devices were issued to staff in each local council over the last two fiscal years (equalling more than 56,000 overall). However, according to the findings, nearly 40 per cent are not protected by enterprise mobility management software.

Jon Cook, director of sales for the UK and Ireland at Citrix, said: “A broad scope of training is vital in today’s work environment. We commend local authorities for arming their employees with these additional skills, as well as seeking to improve their work/life balance through issuing smart devices and committing to a well-rounded programme of training courses.

“However, cyber threats continue to be more prolific and advanced today than ever before. And with the responsibility for managing citizen data, coupled with the risk of penalties of up to £500,000 for data breaches, it is crucial that employees know how to keep information secure from external threats. With the stakes so high, councils must ensure that staff understand the importance of data protection in the growing threat landscape.”