The Times Australia
News From Asia

.
Beatbot

.

Okta Study Reveals Growing Number of APAC Organisations Embracing Zero Trust and Nearly All Recognise the Importance of Identity to Next-Generation Security

Zero Trust Security helps organisations thrive in the era of hybrid work and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 5 October 2022 - Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ: OKTA), one of the leading independent identity providers, today revealed that a growing number of Asia-Pacific (APAC) organisations are embracing Zero Trust Security initiatives to overcome the challenges of today's dynamic cyber threat landscape.

The State of Zero Trust Security in Asia Pacific 2022 report, commissioned by Okta and conducted by Pulse Q&A, found that the percentage of APAC organisations that had implemented a Zero Trust Security initiative had grown by 18 points from the 2021 figure to reach 50%. While the rate of Zero Trust adoption among APAC organisations (18% YoY growth) was lower than the global figure (31% YoY growth), almost all (96%) respondents in APAC have a defined Zero Trust security initiative in play or in plan for 2022.

The report also found that APAC organisations were slower to recognise the importance of leaving passwords behind in the quest for stronger security and identity and access management (IAM) to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Of all organisations worldwide, those in APAC had the lowest adoption of passwordless access, with only 0.5% having implemented and only 10% planning to implement in the next 18 months.

There is a growing consensus among global organisational thinking that an identity-first approach to Zero Trust is not only paramount, but essential. This allows organisations to fully leverage identity and access management (IAM), by integrating it with other critical security solutions, into a powerful central control point for intelligently governing access among users, devices, data, and networks. The research found that 80% of global organisations consider identity as important to their overall Zero Trust security strategy, and an additional 19% say identity is business critical. APAC respondents rated the importance of identity to their overall Zero Trust security strategy at 83% while an additional 15% say identity is business critical.

While securing data, networks and devices continue to rank as the top priorities among surveyed organisations, a growing proportion recognises the importance of people to an identity-centric security model. The report found organisations in the APAC region place a greater emphasis on automating the provisioning and deprovisioning of employees and working on privileged access for cloud infrastructure over the coming 18 months. The responses forecast an increase from 22% to 76% adoption and from 43.5% to 88% adoption, respectively.

Nearly all APAC organisations acknowledge identity is key to Zero Trust Security

"By adopting Zero Trust Security, organisations can position themselves to overcome the challenges presented by hybrid work–including mobile and remote working–by adopting an identity-centric approach to network and resource access rather than relying on outdated security models based on the traditional network perimeter," says Ben Goodman, SVP and General Manager for Asia Pacific, Okta. "Our research showed that while APAC organisations lagged behind their global counterparts in implementing Zero Trust Security, 98% of respondents recognised that identity was important or business-critical to that approach."

Despite the concept of Zero Trust Security being discussed as early as 2009, many APAC organisations and leaders lack understanding about its benefits. This elevates risk in an environment of increasingly sophisticated security threats. However, most APAC organisations are acutely aware of the need to stop malicious actors from compromising their people, systems, and data to the extent that 75% of those surveyed prioritised security over the useability of business-critical applications and resources, unlike most of their global counterparts.

Of those APAC organisations that have yet to implement a Zero Trust Security initiative, 38% said they planned to do so over the next six to 12 months.

Unfortunately, as with many ICT projects, the global talent crunch presents a sizable challenge; 31% of APAC organisations cited talent and skills shortages as a challenge, followed by a lack of stakeholder buy-in and lack of awareness of Zero Trust Security solutions, both cited by 18% of respondents.

Investment commitments in Zero Trust Security Upheld

The report found that APAC organisations typically followed through on their 2021 commitments to invest in Zero Trust Security. Last year, 76% of organisations in the region pledged to increase their Zero Trust Security budgets moderately or significantly, and 82% of APAC organisations in this year's survey reported a moderate or significant increase.

Zero Trust Security is a security framework based on the assumption that every user, device, and IP address accessing a resource is a threat until proven otherwise and requires organisations to implement rigorous security controls to verify anything that attempts to connect to the corporate network. The rapid take-up of mobile, cloud, and hybrid working has put pressure on organisations to replace increasingly redundant 'castle and moat' security models with more agile, holistic approaches centered on identity.

In the context of Zero Trust Security, identity is an actor–whether human or process–that wants access to data for purposes that include retrieval, deletion, and modification. With an identity-centric approach, organisations can give the right people the right level of access to the right resources in the right context, with access assessed continuously.

To complete the State of Zero Trust Security in Asia Pacific 2022 report–which assesses the maturity of identity and access management in APAC organisations and where they reside on the journey towards a full Zero Trust security posture–Pulse Q&A surveyed 200 security leaders across the region. The survey questionnaire covered the Zero Trust initiatives organisations had in place and how they planned to prioritise these over the near and long term.

Okta's State of Zero Trust Security in Asia Pacific 2022 report can be downloaded here.

Hashtag: #Okta

About Okta

Okta is one of the leading independent identity providers. The Okta Identity Cloud enables organisations to securely connect the right people to the right technologies at the right time. With more than 7,000 pre-built integrations to applications and infrastructure providers, Okta provides simple and secure access to people and organisations everywhere, giving them the confidence to reach their full potential. More than 16,400 organisations, including JetBlue, Nordstrom, Siemens, Slack, Takeda, Teach for America, and Twilio, trust Okta to help protect the identities of their workforces and customers.

The Times Features

How can brands recognise the very important role that visual content plays in the real world?

For nearly three decades, Getty Images and iStock have developed unparalleled expertise in understanding the impact of visual content on our world. During this time, one truth ...

Long COVID appears to be driven by ‘long infection’. Here’s what the science says

Around 5–10%[1] of people with COVID infections go on to experience long COVID, with symptoms lasting three months or more. Researchers have proposed several biological mechan...

Evaluating Costs and Benefits of DIY Plumbing vs. Professional Services in Newcastle

Plumbing is an essential service for homes and businesses in Newcastle, ensuring the smooth flow of water and sanitation facilities. As residents and businesses strive to maintai...

Tasting Australia welcomes Journey Beyond as new presenting partner

One of the country’s longest running food and beverage festivals, Tasting Australia has announced Journey Beyond as the festival’s new presenting partner for 2025 and beyond. Th...

There are 2 main ways to stretch – the one you should choose depends on what you want your body to do

Picture this: you’ve just woken up and rolled out of bed. Your feet hit the floor, and your legs buckle. They are in absolute agony – that run yesterday has really come back to...

Chef Tom Walton shares three top tips to create budget-friendly meals without compromising on flavour

Feeding the family on a budget doesn’t need to mean sacrificing flavour. Chef Tom Walton shares his top three tips for creating delicious and cost-effective meals. Here’s how y...

Times Magazine

Newbies Basic Guides for Watercolour Paintings

Watercolour painting is a lovely and enjoyable activity that allows you to express yourself creatively. It is a beautiful and fun way to create art. If you're looking for a new hobby or want to improve your artistic abilities, watercolour painting ...

The official ANZ launch of EPOS

Sydney - Following a panel discussion with Australian businessman Mark Bouris and panellists Alyce Tran, Scott Bidmead and Jahan Sheikh from Microsoft EPOS was launched. Attendees experienced their very own EPOS ADAPT headset, and heard all ab...

All You Need to Know About the Latest in Electric Massage Chair Technology

Types of Electric Massage Chairs Electric massage chairs are becoming increasingly popular as people seek to reduce stress and relax after a long day. With so many types available, it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you. In thi...

CSIRO and Space Machines partner to test Australian flexible solar cells in space

Space Machines and CSIRO partner to test Australian flexible solar cells in space  SYDNEY, Australia - Thursday 5th August 2021 - Australian in-space transportation provider Space Machines Company (SMC) and CSIRO, Australia's national scie...

Top Tips to Choose the Right Screen Repair for iPhone Service

Screen repair for iPhone is an essential service for anyone who owns an Apple device. Cracked screens, broken LCDs, and other display issues can all be addressed with the help of a qualified technician. Apple's official warranty only covers some ty...

Consumer Warning: Read Your Warranty

When buying a new hot water system, you enter the tricky world of warranties – the fine print, the pitfalls, the foggy areas and the rarer warranties that actually make sense. How do you navigate it? Too many people get attracted to the word ‘wa...