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March Survey: Cybersecurity - IBM Z
TechPulse is TechChannel’s sponsored monthly micro-survey program designed to capture real-time
sentiments and trends from IBM Z professionals.
1.
What emerging/escalating threat are you most concerned about?
AI-assisted attacks via automated phishing, deepfake social engineering, evasive malware or AI agents
Exploitation of AI systems (e.g., through prompt injections, jailbreaking or compromise of AI agents)
Future attacks powered by quantum computing through the “harvest now, decrypt later” strategy
Advanced supply chain attacks compromising upstream providers
Fake IT worker schemes with cybercriminals posing as IT professionals
Other (please specify)
2.
How concerned are you about the anticipated capabilities of quantum computing to break encryption?
Unconcerned for now: Quantum computing still feels speculative.
Minimally concerned: We recognize the risk but coordinated industry action and standards will minimize exposure.
Moderately concerned: We’re planning for post‑quantum encryption but see it as a longer‑term issue.
Highly concerned: We're actively pursuing mitigation strategies or have them in place.
3.
What role does security have in your hardware upgrade decisions?
Minimal influence: Security enhancements are beneficial but not a deciding factor.
Secondary factor: Security is important, but our upgrades are primarily driven by other needs.
Balanced consideration: Security improvements are one of several factors influencing our upgrade plans.
Primary driver: We are upgrading to z16 or z17 specifically to capitalize on enhanced platform security.
Compliance-driven: Upgrade timelines are influenced by regulatory or compliance requirements.
4.
What is the status of multifactor authentication (MFA) implementation in your enterprise?
We have no plans to implement MFA at this time.
MFA is under consideration, but no implementation has started yet.
We are in the process of rolling out MFA.
MFA is implemented for most critical systems and high-risk users, but not universally.
We have fully implemented MFA across all systems and users.
5.
What barriers do you face in implementing your desired security controls? (select all that apply)
Budget constraints or insufficient funding
Lack of skilled personnel or staffing shortages
Technical complexity or system incompatibility
Organizational resistance or lack of executive buy-in
Integration challenges with existing infrastructure
Varying compliance standards that slow rollouts across global teams
Time/resource limitations for testing and deployment
Vendor or third-party dependencies (e.g., supply chain delays for patches, integrations or APIs)
Other (please specify)
6.
Would you like to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card for completing this survey? (If "yes," please provide name and email below.)
Yes
No
7.
Please provide your name and email address
