More than 40% of Australian organisations report having been subject to a network security attack in the last 12 months
Melbourne, Australia — April 15, 2024 — Cradlepoint, part of Ericsson, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network and security solutions, today announced findings from its 2024 State of Connectivity survey. The survey reveals that 57% of Australian businesses experienced 1-2 hours of downtime per week, while over one-quarter experienced 3-4 hours of downtime per week, due to fixed line/fibre network failure in the last 12 months. The business cost of connectivity failure is high, with operational inefficiencies and higher operational costs reported by over 40% of organisations as the top areas of impact of network downtime.
In addition, the survey, conducted by Censuswide, revealed that more than 40% of Australia’s businesses experienced a network security attack in the last 12 months. Of those that were the target of a network security attack, over one-quarter suffered a major security breach which resulted in loss of data and over 20% resulted in significant company fines. Network security was selected as a network connectivity priority by 52% of Australian businesses surveyed, followed by network resilience (41%), bandwidth and speed (39%), and network segmentation capabilities (30%).
Despite these challenges and costs to business, just over one-third of organisations in Australia are using cellular connectivity for failover at fixed sites for critical operational functions. More than 30% of Australian organisations reported that a perceived shortage in skills required and perceived costs of roll-out were barriers to investing in 5G connectivity solutions. Other concerns deterring organisations from investing in 5G revealed in the survey included concerns over the ability to secure connectivity across the enterprise and perceived complexity of change, which were reported by nearly one-third of organisations.
“The findings from this survey highlight that network security should be on every organisation’s agenda in Australia,” said Nathan McGregor, Senior Vice President APAC, Cradlepoint. “With so much of business operations dependent on reliable connectivity, organisations should also be analysing longer-term return on investment and looking into network security solutions such as SASE, when it comes to cellular and 5G connectivity.”
“Organisations that measure cost to business not just on initial investment but also on uptime, response time, customer satisfaction, reach and diverse solution offerings will quickly realise how 5G business value impacts their bottom line,” he added.
In 2022, Australia legislated its greenhouse gas emissions targets, with a plan to reduce 2005 emission levels by 43% by 2030. Australian businesses have a huge role to play in the success of the nation reaching this target. This survey found that more than two-thirds of Australian organisations agree that sustainability plays a key role in their organisation’s short-term and long-term goals. More than two-thirds of businesses also agree that improving sustainability efforts could help improve revenue and the same portion believe that smarter facilities – incorporating IoT and connected devices – are needed to operate more efficiently and sustainably.
‘The State of Connectivity in Australia 2024’ report is based on the findings of Censuswide research of over 500 respondents across Australia. Respondents were business owners, C-level executives or senior managers at businesses with over 250 employees; all were technology decision-makers.
Vertical sectors polled in this report included: Building, Arts & Culture, Education, Finance, Healthcare, HR, IT & Telecoms, Legal, Manufacturing & Utilities, Retail, Catering & Leisure, Travel and Transport, Government, First Responders, Public Transportation, Automotive, Building Management, Supply Chain & Logistics, Maritime, and Agriculture.
The full Cradlepoint 2024 Connectivity Report Australia can be found here.
Cradlepoint enables the freedom to connect people, places, and things that drive more experiences, more ways to work, and better business results — anywhere. The company is a pioneer in Wireless WAN, offering advanced 4G and 5G routers and adapters — controlled through Cradlepoint NetCloudTM. Enterprise businesses and public sector agencies rely on Cradlepoint and its Cellular Intelligence to build a reliable, secure network wherever they need it, connecting fixed and temporary sites, vehicles, IoT devices, and remote employees. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Cradlepoint is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and part of their Business Area Enterprise Wireless Solutions. It has international offices in Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, India, and Latin America. www.cradlepoint.com.
