CDW Canada Reports 79% Rise in Enterprise Cyberattacks, Cloud Downtime at 20 Days
CDW Canada’s study shows enterprise cyber incidents jumped 79% year-over-year to an average of 342 incidents per organization, with 52% reporting breaches and average cloud downtime rising from 16 to 20 days. Security spending hit a five-year high at 20% of IT budgets, yet misconfigurations and identity gaps persist.
1. Surge in Enterprise Cyber Incidents
CDW Canada’s annual study finds enterprise cyber incidents rose from an average of 191 to 342 year-over-year, with 52% of organizations suffering breaches. The shift toward deeper infiltration-based attacks reflects a more calculated and financially motivated threat landscape targeting large environments.
2. Cloud Security Strains
Enterprise cloud infection rates hit all-time highs, driving average downtime per cloud incident from 16 to 20 days. Misconfigurations and identity management shortcomings in complex hybrid infrastructures have emerged as primary causes of prolonged outages and broader operational disruptions.
3. Increased Security Investments
Canadian organizations boosted cybersecurity allocations to a five-year peak, dedicating 20% of IT budgets to security with 57% reporting adequate funding. Despite this, gaps in personnel practices and supplier risk management persist, leaving critical vulnerabilities unaddressed.
4. AI Enables and Protects
Advancements in AI are powering both attackers and defenders: 51% of organizations prioritize AI model monitoring and auditing tools, while 45% focus on identity and access security for AI workloads. Firms are also demanding proven accuracy and transparency before deployment to manage emerging risks.