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From Stress to Success: Reducing Burnout in IT Security Teams

January 21, 2025

IT professionals are at the frontlines of an ever-escalating battle against cyberthreats – and that battle grows more challenging every day. The relentless escalation of threats combined with the speedy evolution of technology, tight budgets, a proliferation of constantly alerting solutions and the cybersecurity talent shortage have come together to form a perfect storm of stress, and IT teams are caught in the middle of it. A stressed IT security team hovering on the edge of burnout is an underperforming IT security team, opening businesses up to elevated cyber-risk levels. However, there are moves that IT leaders and companies can make to mitigate team stress before it morphs into a disaster.


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Experts estimate that over three-quarters of cybersecurity professionals (84%) are experiencing stress, fatigue and burnout on a regular basis. Workers cited a variety of contributing factors, including the rapid pace of technological change, mounting threat volumes and being forced to perform outside their skillset, as major drivers for their stress overload. Unchecked IT team stress can lead to a cascade of negative effects that can have a major impact on a company’s security, including a proliferation of mistakes, lost productivity or a decline in overall team performance — and that’s a fast path to creating vulnerabilities that cybercriminals will be quick to exploit.

The stress that IT teams are experiencing is also having a major impact on their mental and physical health. An estimated three-quarters of cybersecurity professionals globally have taken time off due to work-related mental well-being problems, averaging 3.4 sick days per year. Stress is also driving cybersecurity team leaders toward dangerously unhealthy behaviors. According to Forbes, 45% of security leaders have used drugs or alcohol to relieve work pressure in the past year and 69% have “withdrawn from social activities.”


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Here are four key strategies that will relieve the burden on your IT team and help them be more efficient while keeping your organization secure.

1.      Fast-track your to-do list with automation

Stop spending precious time on mundane tasks. Automation can take care of routine tasks, like managing software updates, monitoring security alerts and backing up systems. Leveraging automation to free up your team enables them to concentrate on more important and complex challenges. It’s time to identify the areas where automation can lighten the load.

Here’s how to get started:

  • Evaluate workflows: Pinpoint repetitive tasks, like patching, alerts and backup, that automation can permanently remove from your plate.
  • Choose smart tools: Select solutions that integrate seamlessly and offer customizable automation.
  • Start small: Test automation in phases to refine processes and gain team support.
  • Optimize regularly: Review and adjust workflows to maintain efficiency as needs change.

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2.      Make continuous learning a company-wide habit

As every IT professional knows, many IT challenges arise from simple user mistakes. Fostering a strong security culture that promotes continuous learning and awareness about security best practices is critical for reducing user errors

These building blocks can help you establish your security culture:

  • Never stop training: Help reduce these issues by ensuring all employees, including the executive team, receive regular training on security best practices.
  • Encourage open communication: Ensure that employees don’t fear punishment or job loss for reporting security issues.
  • Keep employees vigilant: Regularly run phishing simulations to keep employees on their toes. 
  • Use real-life examples: Highlight recent cyber incidents in news reports (not employee mistakes) through email to reinforce the importance of training and make it memorable.

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3.      Think outside the office (or even your company)

Not every task needs to be done in-house. Partnering with a managed detection and response (MDR) provider for cybersecurity is another way to lighten the load on your internal IT team, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives. It’s a smart way to expand your resources and expertise without adding to your headcount.

Jumpstart your journey with these actionable steps:

  • Assess security needs: Identify the areas where you would benefit the most from external expertise.
  • Research providers: Choose an MDR provider with strong reviews and 24/7 services.
  • Clarify responsibilities: Define tasks for the MDR provider and your team.
  • Ensure integration: Select a provider compatible with your IT systems.

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4.      Choose solutions that play well together

No one has time to fiddle with a patchwork of fussy solutions. Choose an integrated platform with components that mesh seamlessly to make your job easier and reduce stress on your team. It’s the fastest way to reduce alert overload, maximize efficiency and manage your infrastructure smoothly.

Your first steps to success start here:

  • Assess your current tools: Review the solutions in place and identify pain points in managing multiple platforms.
  • Identify integration capabilities: Look for a platform that integrates well with your current systems and tools.
  • Test compatibility: Run a trial or pilot to ensure smooth interaction between systems before full implementation.
  • Centralize alerts: Choose a platform that consolidates alerts to reduce overload and streamline monitoring.
  • Optimize workflows: Use the integrated platform to automate repetitive tasks and simplify complex processes.
  • Train your team: Ensure your team is trained on the new platform for smoother adoption and improved efficiency.

As cybersecurity needs continue to grow and budgets continue to tighten, IT teams are feeling the pressure — and tight budgets and staffing challenges only ratchet up the stress. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By adopting smarter strategies, leveraging automation and fostering a supportive workplace culture, IT and security leaders can minimize the burden on their teams while maintaining a strong defense.


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Our robust, affordable security solutions equip IT professionals with cutting-edge tools that help them efficiently and effectively mitigate risks and protect sensitive data. With smart automations that streamline tasks, IT teams can offload many routine tasks, enabling them to stay ahead of emerging threats with less stress while focusing on what matters most — protecting your organization.

BullPhish ID: This effective, automated security awareness training and phishing simulation solution provides critical training that improves compliance, prevents employee mistakes and reduces a company’s risk of being hit by a cyberattack.  

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