Nearly half (48.4%) of UK  companies have experienced data breaches caused by unmanaged or unseen devices in the past year alone, a new study from Scalefusion revealed.

The research, titled Bridging the Visibility Gap, surveyed IT leaders across the UK and uncovered critical blind spots in enterprise device management that are leaving organisations exposed to cyber threats.

More than two-thirds (67%) of IT leaders lack complete visibility into all work devices across their organisation, the research found.

Nearly a quarter (23.5%) detect unauthorised devices accessing corporate data at least monthly, with over a third of breach victims experiencing attacks monthly.

Only 35% of IT leaders feel very confident in their team’s ability to quickly contain and remediate security incidents.

The study reveals that the shift to hybrid and remote working has created unprecedented challenges for IT security teams. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of organisations discovered previously unknown devices or applications being used for work purposes in the last year, highlighting the extent of shadow IT operations.

Of particular concern is the frequency of security incidents among affected companies. Among the 48% who experienced breaches from unmanaged devices, over a third (35%) reported facing attacks on at least a monthly basis, indicating that these are not isolated incidents but ongoing, systematic vulnerabilities.

The research also exposed how organisations’ attempts to address security challenges may actually be making matters worse. 59% of companies are using four or more different endpoint security tools, creating a complex web of systems that’s proving counterproductive.

This tool proliferation is causing significant operational challenges, with over half (53%) citing increased administrative overhead, while more than a third reported lack of interoperability between systems (35%), higher costs (41%), and critical data visibility gaps (37%). Remarkably, only 7% of organisations claimed to face no problems from their multi-tool approach.

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“These findings confirm what we’ve been hearing from businesses across the UK and Ireland – there’s a critical gap between the security challenges organisations face and their ability to address them effectively,” Sally King, channel sales manager UK&I at Scalefusion, commented.

“What businesses need is visibility and simplification – a unified approach that brings all endpoints under one management umbrella rather than juggling multiple disconnected systems.”

Despite these challenges, the research identified some positive trends. Unified Endpoint Management platforms are already the most common method for employee onboarding (43%), and there’s a strong appetite for zero-touch deployment solutions, with 68% of IT leaders attracted by the prospect of cutting hands-on time per device.

The study suggests that organisations recognising these challenges and moving toward unified solutions are better positioned to address the evolving threat landscape while reducing operational complexity.