A majority of the more than 1,000 IT and security practitioners surveyed in North America and the U.K. indicated threat intelligence is "essential to a strong security posture." However, many struggle with an overwhelming amount of threat data and lack of staff expertise, which diminish the effectiveness of their threat intelligence programs.
Threat sharing remains a key priority for organizations, according to 84 percent of cybersecurity professionals surveyed by the Ponemon Institute. But 60 percent only receive community intelligence and do not contribute. The survey showed that 80 percent of North American organizations are currently using threat intelligence as a part of their cybersecurity program, up from 65 percent in 2016.
Most (83 percent) of North American respondents indicate a threat intelligence platform (TIP) is necessary to maximize the value of intelligence data.
"It's abundantly clear that organizations now understand the benefits provided by threat intelligence, but the overwhelming volume of threat data continues to pose a hurdle to truly effective adoption," said Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "Threat intelligence programs are often challenging to implement, but when done right, they are a critical element in an organization's security program. The significant growth in adoption over the past year is encouraging as it indicates widespread recognition of the value threat intelligence provides."
