Reader Poll: Physical Security Underutilized by Customers

When it comes to protecting enterprise data, there is no shortage of different methods to secure sensitive assets from malicious attacks. But unlike more popular options such as next-generation firewalls and malware protection, many businesses fail to protect the most critical data of all: their physical assets.

The VAR Guy polled readers to see which security-focused services were the most underutilized by customers, and respondents overwhelmingly said end users fail to take advantage of physical security and surveillance solutions in the workplace.

According to the poll, 63 percent of respondents said their customers are not interested in physical security and surveillance solutions to protect corporate data, which signifies either a general lack of understanding of the importance of physical security or an underestimation of how it can help businesses save money and protect assets.

App containerization and mobile security solutions were voted the second-most underutilized solution, with 25 percent of the total vote. Only 13 percent of respondents said malware and virus protection solutions were underutilized by their customers, proving that companies are investing more in protecting their virtual assets, especially in light of the infamous Target and Home Depot breaches.

Surprisingly, no respondents said their next-generation firewalls or VPN services were underutilized by customers, signaling that businesses fully understand the importance of walling off and protecting their virtual assets against intrusion from inside threats or malicious programs.

While it seems enterprises understand how important it is to protect their cloud-based and virtual information from theft or tampering, there seems to be a knowledge gap in terms of how businesses view physical security and surveillance for their solutions, despite the fact that there are numerous physical security offerings available through the channel. Even though surveillance solutions such as cloud-based security cameras traditionally are thought of as a means of protection against theft in retail environments, physical security also can be useful as a means of preventing internal tampering and to monitor important physical hardware, such as data centers and on-premise storage drives.

Additionally, the market for physical security solutions is ripe for growth, especially for channel partners who understand the nuances involved with implementing effective security measures for their customers. Physical security may also be an avenue to help channel partners leave the oversaturated virtual security and enterprise mobility management markets and position themselves in a new niche.