The 2021 Security Outcomes report and better research methods

February 07, 2021 by Tony MartinVegue in Statistics, Vendors

Something extraordinary happened recently in the Information Security research report area. Why I think it’s so extraordinary might have passed you by, unless you geek out on statistical methods in opinion polling as I do. The report is Cisco’s 2021 Security Outcomes report, produced in collaboration with the Cyentia Institute which is the only report in recent memory that uses sound, statistical methods in conducting survey-based opinion research. What is that and why is it so important? Glad you asked!

How to Lie with Statistics, Information Security Edition

July 09, 2018 by Tony MartinVegue in Statistics

Have you ever finished reading a vendor whitepaper or a research institution’s annual security report and felt your Spidey sense begin to tingle with doubt or disbelief after reading some of the conclusions or research methodology? What you are probably sensing is a manipulation of statistics, an age-old hoodwink that has been occurring as long as numbers have been used to convey information.

The Problem with Security Vendor Reports

February 25, 2017 by Tony MartinVegue in Statistics

The information security vendor space is flooded with research: annual reports, white papers, marketing publications — the list goes on and on. This research is subsequently handed to marketing folks (and engineers who are really marketers) where they fan out to security conferences across the world, standing in booths quoting statistics and attending pay-to-play speaking slots, convincing executives to buy their security products.