Less than a quarter (24 per cent) of businesses prioritise cyber security when it comes to technology investment, according to new data.

A survey of more than 500 UK business leaders for security firm Advanced revealed that just over a third (34 per cent) of business leaders think regulatory change, including the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May last year, has driven the purchase of new technology in their organisation.

According to the report, only 53 per cent of UK businesses currently have a cyber security strategy in place.

Justin Young, director of security and compliance at Advanced, said: “The GDPR should have been a wake-up call for organisations to better protect their customers’ personal data.

“Information security is important, not only because it can improve customer confidence, support good data governance and demonstrate compliance with the GDPR, but also because it is actually a key driver to achieving successful digital transformation."

One factor that is frequently at the root of cyber security breaches is a lack of staff skills and training to identify risks.

“Ultimately, every cyber security strategy must start with educating people that a company’s data is sensitive – and this education must not stop," said Young. "This means IT and security leaders continually need to ensure a culture of responsibility is adopted at all levels.”

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