SASE survey reveals security incidents doubled in Thailand amid remote work shift

A recent SASE survey reveals that Thailand has seen at least double the number of security incidents in 2021 compared to the previous year, primarily due to the rise in hybrid working environments. The study, commissioned by Fortinet, highlights the challenges faced by businesses in securing the ‘branch-office-of-one’ setup amid the shift to remote work.

Rashish Pandey, vice president of marketing and communications for Asia, Australia, and New Zealand at Fortinet, discussed findings from the IDC Asia-Pacific SASE survey, which explored the growing threat landscape in light of the increase in managed and unmanaged connections. The research found that 34% of Thai organisations reported more than triple the number of security breaches compared to last year.

The concept of secure access service edge (SASE) combines network and security functions into a single cloud service, aiming to enhance security and provide a consistent user experience for remote employees. The SASE survey included input from 450 cybersecurity leaders across nine locations in Asia and found the most common security incidents to be phishing, denial of service, identity theft, ransomware, and data loss, reported Bangkok Post.

As per the SASE survey study, 96% of Thai respondents currently have a hybrid or fully remote working model, while approximately 44% have at least half of their workforce in a hybrid setup. This transition to remote work has transformed employees into individual “branch offices,” operating from locations beyond the traditional office.

Based on the SASE survey result, about 80% of respondents in Thailand expect the number of managed devices to increase by 100% in the next two years, with some anticipating growth of 400%. Additionally, 64% of those surveyed foresee an increase of over 50% in unmanaged devices, further complicating security concerns and placing a heavier burden on IT security teams.

Cloud computing and remote work have led to a rise in the number of users, devices, and data residing outside enterprise networks. Currently, 30% of devices connected to Thai networks are unmanaged, increasing the risk of security breaches.

Yielding further cause for concern, the SASE survey demonstrated that Thai employees typically require more than 40 connections to third-party cloud applications, creating additional opportunities for potential security breaches.