Organizations are looking for solutions that integrate neatly with existing technologies

DALLAS, June 28, 2023 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced new research* revealing that most enterprises invest 5-10% of their IT budgets specifically on private 5G network security, despite an assumption that the technology is secure by default.

To read a full copy of the Omdia report, please visit: https://resources.trendmicro.com/IoT_Beyond-Secure-Omdia-Report.html

Greg Young, vice president of cybersecurity at Trend Micro: "When it comes to private 5G network technology, there's no such thing as 'secure by default,' so it's reassuring that enterprises are looking to add their own protections. What will be crucial going forward is educating this new user base about where the most critical security gaps are and what a shared responsibility model will look like in these environments."

The research reveals that 72% of global enterprises believe the 3GPP approach¹ to private 5G security is sufficient. These network architectures were built with security in mind, and because they are private, are inherently more secure than public 5G. However, that doesn't mean they are impenetrable to determined attackers.

Respondents to the research seem to agree. It's estimated that most are spending $1-5 million of their IT budget on private 5G security, expecting to increase this in the future.

When comparing security requirements for enterprise private 5G networks, business leaders' expectations primarily focus on the following:

• Security visibility (75%)
• Risk and control management (65%)
• Improved and streamlined alerting system (49%)

Organizations' top security requirements for mitigation measures are:

• Authentication (75%)
• Access controls (65%)
• Protection from fake base stations (58%)

These distinct priorities indicate that business leaders focus on integrating and enhancing the visibility of security measures throughout their organization, while those leading the implementation of 5G place greater emphasis on elevating security standards within the 5G network, aligning with the principles of Secure by Default.

The report goes on to address the importance of the shared responsibility model. Not all components must be secured by service providers, with organizations also responsible for mitigating risk in certain parts of the environment.

Market education and bridging the gap in perceptions will be key going forward, especially given the current lack of awareness about security vendor solutions, the report notes.

*Omdia interviewed 150 enterprises with 5,000+ employees: 58% of which had deployed 5G private networks and 42% of which planned to do so within a year. Among the sectors represented were energy, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and semiconductors. Omdia also surveyed 150 service providers that offer enterprise private 5G network security services. The research was commissioned by Trend Micro and its subsidiary CTOne.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com.  

¹ The 3GPP approach in private 5G networks refers to the use of 3GPP standards and technical specifications for implementing and deploying private cellular networks.