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For many professional services firms, hybrid working is very much the new norm.

The increased adoption of hybrid work models has magnified the cybersecurity risks for organisations, as employees working remotely often connect to corporate networks and cloud services through various personal devices and unsecured home networks. This shift has not only expanded the potential attack surface for cybercriminals but also coincided with a rise in more advanced and covert methods of attack, exploiting the numerous entry points to gain access to corporate data.

We believe addressing cybersecurity concerns requires a multifaceted strategy that extends beyond the deployment of advanced technologies. While robust cyber frameworks are essential, the true strength lies in empowering employees with the necessary knowledge and fostering a culture of vigilance. This holistic approach integrates the collective awareness of the workforce to proactively identify and respond to evolving cybersecurity threats, fortifying the organisation’s defences against potential attacks. It’s about creating a symbiotic relationship between technology and human insight to build a resilient and responsive security posture.

Although figures vary, some research has revealed that up to 95% of cyber-attacks are down to human error, which clearly points to the need to implement new employee policies and processes, better governance and training to become more resilient and reduce the risk of a major data breach or hack.

When we talk about investment in people in the context of cybersecurity, we also need to remember that increased education applies to all areas of a business and across all job roles, regardless of seniority.

It would also be complacent to think that workforces alone hold the key to tackling the variety of increased cybersecurity risks. Having the right technology infrastructure shouldn’t be overlooked, with our recent survey revealing that 83% of professional services firms are looking to invest more in technology budgets over the next 12 months.

The survey also revealed that nearly half (46%) of firms don’t feel they are equipped to handle the risk of a potential cybersecurity attack, with many feeling the need to harness more technology expertise and strategic thinking to help combat risks.

All off our findings and insights have been included in our new whitepaper – ‘Leveraging Technology as a Strategic Force in Professional Services Firms’. It examines the cybersecurity and broader technology priorities of 500 IT decision-makers and can be downloaded here.

We certainly hope it provides food for thought to any organisation currently looking at tackling the latest technology challenges it faces, including how to navigate a way through the continually evolving cyber threat.

If anything, it reinforces our view that organisations must not underestimate the immense power of people and need to instigate cultural change, to drive real technology transformation.