Even though most enterprises invest a substantial amount of time and resources into cybersecurity, preventing cyberattacks remains a challenge. As the digital landscape increases in complexity, it becomes more difficult to keep everything secure. Couple that with malicious actors who become increasingly sophisticated and the challenges abound. Here are some of the most common cybersecurity challenges enterprises face today: Overall increase in cyberattacks Over the past several years, organizations have seen increases in cyberattacks. According to the 2022 Cyber Security Insights Report by S-RM3, 75% of organizations experienced a serious attack in the last three years, which is a 60% increase from the previous year. These attacks were not only on the rise but also expensive, costing businesses an average of $3.4M. Rise of cloud services and complexity in computing and networking Enterprises no longer store all of their data locally. Instead, they use cloud computing for an increasingly remote workforce. Although this offers substantial improvements in data storage, workflow, and a number of other areas, it introduces complexity into networks and systems that introduce more vulnerability and risk. Dependence on digital properties More than ever before, organizations are dependent on digital properties for completing tasks, storing sensitive information, and managing users and customers. According to a report from McKinsey4, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed companies to rapidly increase their adoption of digital technology. In July 2020, 58% of customer interactions were digital, up from 36% in 2019 and a mere 20% in 2018. Although this offers a positive experience for employees, customers, and users, relying on digital technology introduces a variety of cybersecurity challenges. Ever-evolving strategies from cyber criminals As technology advances, so do the strategies of cyber criminals. Many are now creating information-stealing malware specifically built for cloud technologies. With so many enterprises depending on cloud services, the risks loom large. Cyber criminals continually evolve to bypass security measures, so broad protective measures as well as a granular view into systems are important. The human factor Individuals are often the first line of defense against cyber attacks. It includes the end-users, system administrators, security analysts, and other employees or contractors who are responsible for implementing and maintaining cybersecurity measures. Organizations should foster a culture of security awareness, training employees on how to identify and avoid cyber threats, and take steps to protect the organization's assets and data.