The document discusses the results of a study on how businesses have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that while few businesses had pandemic plans, most have had to acquire new security solutions to address risks associated with employees working from home. The majority of organizations expect social distancing measures to last into mid-May and anticipate that the pandemic will alter their approach to risk for at least the next five years.

1. IMPACT OF COVID-19
As businesses evaluated the myriad risks in front of them a year ago, it’s hard to believe that they would have
rated a global pandemic as a top priority for investment when there are so many competing interests fighting
for dollars at any given time. It’s like trying to decide whether or not to spend money to prepare for a 100-year
flood, when there hasn’t been one in your lifetime. What’s the likelihood it will happen? The operational impacts
from the COVID-19 Pandemic will reach deep into the way all businesses operate for years to come, making corporate
resiliency an even more profound imperative.
CSO conducted a study to understand how businesses have been impacted, how prepared they were for
the monumental shift to work from home, and how this will impact their efforts in the future.
HOW LONG WILL THIS GO ON?
...?
GOOD NEWS MORE ATTENTION NEEDED
feel that their existing security infrastructure
can adequately address the current working
from home demands
feel that their security infrastructure was
fully prepared to handle the range of risks
associated with the new business operating
environment
say that their pandemic/resiliency plans had
them prepared for the current situation
of businesses have had to acquire new
security solutions/services in order to
address the new work dynamic
express greater concern about attacks
targeting WFH employees since the
institution of social and work restrictions
sent mass employees to WFH
have seen an increase in the volume,
severity and/or scope of cyber-attacks
since March 12th
say that the impact of this pandemic will
alter the way their businesses evaluate
risk for at least the next five years
81%
67%
54%
22%
61%
26%
73%
88%
70%
70%
12%
49%
37%
74%
88%
62%
54%
27%
73%
19%
69%
67%
57%
48%
14%
57%
19%
62%
+
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FINANCIAL
SERVICES
HEALTHCARE HIGH TECH
METHODOLOGY: This survey was conducted March 19-23, 2020. 150 security and technology leaders — 87% were senior security executives.
Average company size was 23,825 and top represented industries were: Financial Services 27%, Healthcare 17%, and High Tech 14%.
IDG Communications, Inc. FROM IDG
THE RAPID
TRANSITION
TO WORK
FROM HOME
THAT NUMBER HASJUMPED TO
78%
SINCE THE INSTITUTION OF SOCIAL
AND WORK RESTRICTIONS
16%
ONLY 16% OF EMPLOYEES WORKED FROM
HOME AT LEAST 60% OF THE TIME
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
SHIFT TO WORK FROM HOME
IMPACT ON BUSINESS
SOCIALANDWORKRESTRICTIONS
TIME
Respondents expect social and work restrictions to remain in
place for a total of 7.7 weeks, which would put us into the middle of May.
Respondents at large companies (with more than 10,000 employees) think this will
go on longer, with an average of 8.2 weeks. Healthcare respondents are even more
pessimistic about a quick end, saying that they think it will be 9.1 weeks (compared
with 7.4 for Financial Services, and 8.3 for High Tech)
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Source: CSO Pandemic Impact Survey, March 2020
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