Adidas, Under Armour, Sears Holdings Corp. and Macy’s are just a few of the industry giants to have reported data security breaches in the last year. It is becoming clearer that firms need to take further steps to ensure that their data is secured and their clients’ information protected.

However, a survey by research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. reveals that only 65% of organizations have a cybersecurity expert, though 95% of CIOs have stated they anticipate threats to increase during the next three years.

According to a spokesman for Gartner, the report “reveals that skills challenges continue to plague organizations that undergo digitalization, with digital security staffing shortages considered a top inhibitor to innovation.”

Gartner research director Rob McMillan further commented that the hardest part is to anticipate cybercriminals, as they can be very inventive. “In a twisted way, many cybercriminals are digital pioneers, finding ways to leverage big data and web-scale techniques to stage attacks and steal data,” said McMillan. “CIOs can’t protect their organizations from everything, so they need to create a sustainable set of controls that balances their need to protect their business with their need to run it.”

This is why, according to McMillan, firms need to take precautions: “Taking a risk-based approach is imperative to set a target level of cybersecurity readiness,” said McMillan. “Security investments must be prioritized by business outcomes to ensure the right amount is spent on the right things.”

Data for the survey was compiled from 3 160 CIO participants in 98 countries across “major industries.”