Network And Systems Administrators Getting Less Sleep Than Ever

A little insomnia has always been part of the job for IT, but a new study shows that fewer network and systems administrators than ever are able to relax and get a good night's sleep: More than 40 percent say security breaches keep them up at night.

That's in contrast to the past seven years, when between 27 and 39 percent said security breach worries interrupted their sleep, according to the latest "What Keeps Network Administrators Up At Night" survey conducted by Amplitude Research and commissioned by VanDyke Software. Concerns about end users are another sleep-killer, with 40 percent blaming that for their lack of rest, compared with 28 to 38 percent in years past.

One of the underlying stressors for admins is the explosion in smartphones and social media use among their users. More than 40 percent were "moderately" to "extremely" concerned about the risk of employees using social media, and more than 40 percent ranked securing employee smartphones as "very important" or "extremely important" in comparison with other threats. Around half felt good about their smartphone security, down from 57 percent in 2010.

Interestingly, some 58 percent say they have sufficient budget for security, and 63 percent say they have enough security staff. Security budgets appear to be edging upward, too: Only 15 percent say their budget dropped, down from 20 percent last year. And 34 percent say their budget increased, up from 30 percent last year.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded here.

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