Rising cybersecurity concerns driving government IT modernization: IBM study

In terms of security readiness, the study found that between 64% and 82% of respondents believe their current or former agency is very prepared or somewhat prepared for a wide range of current and future threats - from ransomware to post-quantum attacks.

Cybersecurity now outweighs reducing costs by almost double as the reason for U.S. government IT decision-makers to modernize IT infrastructures, according to a new study "Government Index for IT Modernization" commissioned by IBM.

IBM's new market research is based on more than 500 responses collected among current or former government ITDMs in the United States, across local, state and Federal government entities. It provides insights into the critical role of security and privacy in cloud adoption and modernization decision-making.

According to the study, nearly 70% of the surveyed IT government decision-makers view security risks as the top barrier when migrating to modern cloud platforms. In addition to being the top barrier, security was also cited as the main driver for modernization. ITDMs for all levels of government anticipate agencies will spend the most on cybersecurity in planning for FY22.

In terms of security readiness, the study found that between 64% and 82% of respondents believe their current or former agency is very prepared or somewhat prepared for a wide range of current and future threats - from ransomware to post-quantum attacks.

About 50% of the study respondents reported that their agency is leveraging a mix of security tools for on-premise and cloud threats, creating a gap in visibility. At the same time, security is the top concern holding 46% of responding government ITDMs back from working with third-party vendors.

Recommendations

To manage transformation and risks in a hybrid and multi-cloud environment, IBM offers the following recommendations:

• Government entities should consider open and secure hybrid cloud architectures to embrace innovation in the cloud.
• The approach to modernization should incorporate a secure architecture, including sophisticated capabilities that will not compromise or monetize customer and citizen data at any cost.
• New approaches for cybersecurity should be adopted to help protect data across hybrid cloud environments

"A public and private sector partnership that adopts an open and secured hybrid cloud architecture with sophisticated security capabilities can help agencies ensure that data truly remains theirs, even in a multi-cloud environment," said Howard Boville, Head of IBM Cloud Platform.