JumpCloud today announced the findings from its Q1 2024 small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) IT Trends Report, “State of IT 2024: The Rise of AI, Economic Uncertainty, and Evolving Security Threats”. The report provides updated survey results and new findings to the company’s biannual SME IT Trends Report, which was first released in June 2021.
The latest edition of the report delves into the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on identity management, security challenges, economic uncertainties, and the growing reliance on managed service providers (MSPs) in IT operations. JumpCloud commissioned this biannual survey of SME IT admins to gain unique insights into the day-to-day experiences of IT professionals who power and secure operations without enterprise-level budgets and staff.
The most recent survey results, polled from admins in the US, UK, and India, indicates how quickly AI has impacted identity management and highlights that IT professionals have both big hopes and big fears in their response to it. With a strong majority of respondents both planning or actively implementing within the next year and advocating for AI investment, IT leaders clearly see potential benefits from deploying AI in their workplaces. But IT admins report notable concerns around their organisations’ current ability to secure against related threats—and personal concerns about AI’s impact on their career.
“While AI is the buzzword that grabs headlines, it’s security that remains a paramount concern for IT teams given the increasing sophistication of external threats and rising regulatory pressures,” said Rajat Bhargava, CEO, JumpCloud. “And it’s only getting worse. We found that 56% of admins agree that they’re more concerned about their organisation’s security posture now than they were six months ago. To reduce this complexity and anxiety, organisations should look toward solutions that offer a unified, open identity and IT management approach. This can enhance security, mitigate operational disruptions, and alleviate admin burnout.”
Key findings include:
AI adoption: Optimism and concerns
A vast majority of admins see AI as a net positive for their organisation and think their organisation is approaching AI at the right pace—though this optimism is tempered by significant concerns about AI’s potential impact on security and individual careers.
Topline AI findings include:
Uncertainty for IT
The start of 2024 finds SMEs continuing to wrestle with economic uncertainties and IT teams unsure about what that means for their organisations and their operations.
Topline IT management findings include:
Security challenges persist as admins adjust their response
IT teams continue to report that security concerns continue to dominate among the various challenges and responsibilities they manage. With the rise of AI and the evolving sophistication of cybersecurity threats, IT admins are adapting their responses and deploying additional layers of protection.
Topline security findings include:
MSPs play major role in IT operations
MSPs are increasingly crucial to SME IT operations as increasing numbers of SMEs are turning to them for IT management.
Topline MSP findings include:
Survey Methodology:
JumpCloud surveyed 1,213 SME IT decision-makers in the UK, US, and India, including managers, directors, vice presidents, and executives. Each survey respondent represented an organisation with 2,500 or fewer employees across a variety of industries. The online survey was conducted by Propeller Insights, from November 14, 2023 to November 27, 2023.
The findings from the JumpCloud Q1 2024 SME IT Trends Report can be found in “State of IT 2024: The Rise of AI, Economic Uncertainty, and Evolving Security Threats,” here.
(Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by JumpCloud)
Source: artificialintelligence-news
