Ivanti Research Finds 86% of IT Professionals Agree Poor Digital Experiences Lead to Unsafe Workarounds in the Workplace

Just 13% of security professionals say user experience is a mission-critical priority when adopting cybersecurity tech interventions

Ivanti, the tech company that breaks down barriers between IT and security so that Everywhere Work can thrive, released its latest report on Securing the Digital Employee Experience, which details how companies can strike the right balance between securing the company and ensuring a positive digital employee experience (DEX).

When employees encounter tech friction or feel frustrated with the tools they are asked to use, they will find a workaround. In fact, one in two office workers admit to using personal devices to log into work networks, with 32% of them revealing their employers are unaware of this practice. Yet, just 13% of security professionals say user experience (UX) for end users is a mission-critical priority when adopting cybersecurity tech interventions. By focusing on UX in security measures, organizations can minimize the likelihood of employees bypassing established protocols and resorting to unsafe workarounds.

“Although harmless in the moment, employees typically opt for convenience and put security on the back burner,” said Mike Riemer, Field CISO, Ivanti. “Companies should take steps to understand their employees’ workplace behaviors and adopt security measures that reduce the temptation for employees to sidestep protocols and use unsafe workarounds. Strong security shouldn’t come at the cost of user experience, as it is integral to maintaining both security and productivity.”

Key findings from the report include the following:

• With the rise of Gen AI, poor security hygiene will increase: When employees have unfettered access to Gen AI tools and other advanced technologies, it can introduce challenges with data privacy, compliance, cyber risks, and copyrighted materials. Ivanti’s research shows that 81% of office workers report they have not been trained on Gen AI and 15% are using unsanctioned tools.
• Companies aren’t providing secure tools for in-office, remote and hybrid work: Whether half of your employees work remotely or just a small fraction do, there is still a profound need to ensure that the company supports all the ways employees work. Only 62% use a VPN or a zero-trust access solution to restrict network access and protect sensitive information, and only 57% use multi-factor authentication.
• Security leaders are often excluded from DEX investment decisions: DEX-informed security minimizes the need for employees to change their typical behaviors at work. Yet, only 38% of companies consult the CISO for input on DEX strategy, investments, and planning, despite the significant contributions DEX tools can make to security.

Ivanti surveyed over 20,000 IT professionals, executive leaders, office workers and security professionals around the world to understand what organizations are doing to enable positive digital employee experience (DEX) and any barriers organizations face to deliver frictionless experiences.

To learn more about the results and research-based steps to improve digital experience and enforce security hygiene, please visit here.

About Ivanti

Ivanti breaks down barriers between IT and security so that Everywhere Work can thrive. Ivanti has created the first purpose-built technology platform for CIOs and CISOs – giving IT and security teams comprehensive software solutions that scale with their organizations’ needs to enable, secure and elevate employees' experiences. The Ivanti platform is powered by Ivanti Neurons – a cloud-scale, intelligent hyper automation layer that enables proactive healing, user-friendly security across the organization, and provides an employee experience that delights users. Over 40,000 customers, including 85 of the Fortune 100, have chosen Ivanti to meet challenges head-on with its end-to-end solutions. At Ivanti, we strive to create an environment where all perspectives are heard, respected and valued and are committed to a more sustainable future for our customers, partners, employees and the planet. For more information, visit www.ivanti.com and follow @GoIvanti.

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