IT professionals 'in the dark' about SaaS security benefits, despite pressure to deliver cost savings to business

IT professionals are unaware of the cost savings that software as a service (SaaS) security solutions can offer, reveals a survey of 92 security professionals, conducted by Websense, at this year's IDC Security Summit.

While 86% of respondents felt pressure to deliver cost savings to their business, only 34% understood that implementing SaaS security could represent bottom line savings. Furthermore, even those that acknowledged the cost benefits SaaS delivers, grossly underestimated the actual potential savings, which is nearly 80%* over on-premise solutions.

Websense surveyed respondents at the UK IDC Security Summit to learn about perceptions regarding SaaS security, including cost-savings, level of security, ease of deployment and acceptance at the executive level.

A surprising number of respondents were unaware of the true cost savings benefits or misinformed about the high level of security that SaaS services provide. Yet, despite these misunderstandings, the survey also revealed that many in the IT community are moving to embrace SaaS security, with the majority of respondents - nearly 60% - planning to consider using SaaS security solutions in the future.

Respondents also reported that they believe the greatest support for SaaS security comes from the CIO/CSO level (28%). One in five also believed support would come from the executive board.

More than 90% of those surveyed cite at least one reason companies sometimes resist looking at SaaS security solutions, including:

* 83% fear losing direct control
* 63% believe companies resist stepping out of the comfort zone of their on-site solutions

* Over a quarter (26%) cite perceived disruption to established security services
* 11% believe resistance could be due to the related changes to internal IT job functions

Key findings from the research include:

* 23% of respondents believe that SaaS delivers a greater level of protection than an on-premise solution
* Almost a quarter (23%) believe that SaaS security solutions offer companies lower level protection than on-premises solutions
* 29% believe SaaS security offers the same level of protection as on-premise solutions
* 57% of respondents feel SaaS is a viable option for consideration, while 34% are not sure

If a company was to propose using a SaaS security solution, the greatest level of support was deemed to come from:

* 28% CIO/CSO
* 26% IT department
* 20% the executive board
* 14% sales & marketing
* 9% finance
* 3% CEO

“The research shows that many people still don't understand the true cost savings and level of security provided by today's SaaS security solutions. Yet, everyday, more IT professionals are learning the true benefits of SaaS solutions, and the majority of professionals are willing to consider using SaaS security in the future,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Messaging Security Manager at Websense.

“In a climate where keeping costs low is at the forefront of everyone's mind, SaaS security provides IT directors with the ability to concentrate on other projects that provide value to the organisation. Managing the complexities of an integrated Web and e-mail security infrastructure can be labour-intensive, so in an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape, this freedom can be a real bonus. The reality from customers that embrace SaaS security shows that they are quite pleased with the cost savings and high level of security that they receive.”

Wilkinson concludes: “Five years ago, over 90% of malware was sent via attachments on e-mail. Today, over 90% is conveyed via a URL in the body of the e-mail itself. Real-time integration of Web and e-mail security is more important now than ever before, and investing in SaaS security solutions is one way for businesses large and small to benefit from an easy, lower-cost approach that doesn't require hardware or software.”