Security Pros Reassigned to IT Tasks in Coronavirus Pandemic

Nearly half (47%) of security practitioners surveyed say they've been temporarily removed from cybersecurity responsibilities to assist with IT-related tasks as businesses shift to remote work.

(ISC)² polled 256 security pros to learn how the coronavirus pandemic has changed their work. Its "COVID-19 Cybersecurity Pulse Survey" found 81% of respondents, all of whom are tasked with protecting their businesses' assets, saying their job functions have changed during the outbreak. Most (96%) say their organizations have closed physical work environments in favor of work-from-home policies. Nearly half (47%) say all employees are now remote, and 49% say at least some are. Ninety percent of respondents say they themselves are now working remotely full time.

The shift to home offices has employers reallocating talent, with 47% of respondents who say they have been taken off some or all of their security duties to help with IT-related tasks, such as prepping a mobile workforce. Fifteen percent say their cybersecurity teams don't have the resources they need to support remote employees, while 34% say they do, but "only for the time being."

A lack of resources could prove dangerous, as 23% of respondents say their organizations have seen an increase in security incidents since transitioning to remote work. Some are tracking as many as double the incidents, researchers found. More than 40% say they use best practices to secure the remote workforce, while another 50% agreed but say they could be doing more.

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