Cybersecurity and Cloud in the Spotlight for Canadian Organizations, according to CDW Canada Survey

Data management and security top of mind, with the majority of businesses opting for hybrid cloud solutions

ETOBICOKE, ON, Sept. 6, 2017 /CNW/ - With an increased wave of recent security threats in addition to the ongoing need to ensure data is safe, Canadian organizations are keeping a close eye on their security practices and technologies, according to a new survey from CDW Canada, a leading provider of technology solutions for Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors.

While security is always top of mind for businesses, when asked about specific areas of top priority for security, the majority of Canadian organizations cited intrusion prevention (39 per cent) and ransomware protection (35 per cent).

Cloud continues to grow
Another area of focus for Canadian organizations is the cloud, with 50 per cent of businesses indicating their cloud strategy for 2017 includes hybrid solutions, moving workloads over time; while 16 per cent were planning to be "cloud-first" going forward. In the data centre, redundancy is a key goal (29 per cnt), followed by expansion and scalability (27 per cent) and cost reduction (26 per cent).

"With all of the changes with cloud and security, it can be very difficult for organizations to stay on top of what is new, what is important and how it impacts them," said Daniel Reio, Director of Product and Partner Management for CDW Canada. "As the Canadian market continues to focus on a hybrid world and as technology continues to expand exposing threats, our team of technology experts is helping customers navigate their ever-changing environment."

Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors also cited analytics and big data, as well as the Internet of Things (IoT), as the top combined emerging technologies that will have the most impact on their business in the next 12 to 18 months, with 28 and 27 per cent respectively.

Other findings from the survey include:

• Canadian organizations' unified communications strategies include integration of new features or products into current tools/applications (32 per cent), and upgrading or updating current tools and applications (31 per cent).
• Just over a quarter of respondents said they would continue to use current tools and applications (26 per cent) while only 10 per cent said they would replace current legacy tools and applications with new technologies.
• When considering partner services, Canadian organizations look most for support during deployments and upgrades (31 per cent). This was followed by migrations and replacements (21 per cent), managed services (19 per cent), and architecture and design (15 per cent).

For more information about CDW Canada and its services, please visit: www.cdw.ca.

About CDW Canada
CDW Canada is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government, education and healthcare. Ranked the No. 1 solution provider in Canada on the Computer Dealer News Top 100 Solution Providers list, CDW Canada helps customers achieve their goals by delivering integrated technology solutions and services that help customers navigate an increasingly complex IT market and maximize the return on their technology investment. Areas of focus include software, networking, unified communications, data centre and mobility solutions. CDW Canada is listed on the Financial Post 500 list and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vernon Hills, Illinois-based CDW Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. For more information, visit www.cdw.ca.

SOURCE CDW Canada Inc.

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