Remote work did not just change where people worked, it reshaped how quickly organizations could patch systems and how many endpoints they now have to protect. Even the market side tells the same story, with the global cybersecurity industry reaching $37.9 billion in 2020 and the SASE market growing to $64.0 billion by 2021, alongside a projected $500 billion in worldwide public cloud end user spending for 2023. The surprising part is the spread of impact, from a 12% jump in software update completion time during early remote transitions to 1.5 billion students locked out of classrooms worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- 2020: average weekly time to complete software updates increased by 12% during remote-work transitions—measured as time change
- $8.64 million average cost of a data breach in 2020 for organizations in regions outside North America—measured as currency amount
- 2020: remote work increased IT support costs by 22% in surveyed organizations—measured as percentage change in cost
- 2.7x increase in remote access software usage among businesses during early lockdown months—measured as multiplicative usage change (telemetry)
- 67% of security teams said remote workers increased the number of endpoints they must secure—measured as survey respondent share
- $74.2 billion global public cloud services market revenue in 2020—measured as market revenue amount
- $500 billion projected public cloud end-user spending in 2023 worldwide—measured as projected spending amount
- 2021 worldwide unified endpoint management market size of $3.5 billion—measured as market size
- 26% increase in global e-commerce share of total retail in 2020 due to pandemic lockdown conditions—measured as percentage-point change
- 2020: 84% of U.S. businesses used video conferencing for remote work—measured as survey share
- 2021: 80% of organizations reported adopting digital work tools during COVID-19—measured as survey share
- 2020: 1.5 billion students affected by school closures worldwide due to COVID-19 lockdowns—measured as number of learners affected
- 2020: 42% of consumers reported changing their purchasing behavior due to COVID-19 restrictions—measured as survey share
- 2020: 1.2 billion people lived under lockdown by April 2020 in documented measures—measured as number of people
Lockdowns accelerated remote work and security demands, raising update times, endpoints, and cloud spending.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
2020: average weekly time to complete software updates increased by 12% during remote-work transitions—measured as time change
02
$8.64 million average cost of a data breach in 2020 for organizations in regions outside North America—measured as currency amount
03
2020: remote work increased IT support costs by 22% in surveyed organizations—measured as percentage change in cost
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, the shift to remote work drove higher expenses in 2020, with IT support costs rising 22% and software update completion time increasing by 12%, while data breaches outside North America averaged $8.64 million.
02 · Category
Cybersecurity Impact2 stats
01
2.7x increase in remote access software usage among businesses during early lockdown months—measured as multiplicative usage change (telemetry)
02
67% of security teams said remote workers increased the number of endpoints they must secure—measured as survey respondent share
Interpretation
Cybersecurity Impact Interpretation
During lockdown, cybersecurity impact was clear as remote access software usage surged 2.7x early on and 67% of security teams reported remote work increased the number of endpoints they had to secure.
03 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$74.2 billion global public cloud services market revenue in 2020—measured as market revenue amount
02
$500 billion projected public cloud end-user spending in 2023 worldwide—measured as projected spending amount
03
2021 worldwide unified endpoint management market size of $3.5 billion—measured as market size
04
$11.1 billion global identity and access management market in 2020—measured as market revenue amount
05
$37.9 billion global cybersecurity market size in 2020—measured as market revenue amount
06
$64.0 billion global SASE market size in 2021—measured as market revenue amount
07
$6.3 billion global telehealth market size in 2020—measured as market size
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The Market Size data shows a rapid, multi-category expansion during the lockdown period, with global public cloud revenue reaching $74.2 billion in 2020 and projected to climb to $500 billion in 2023 while cybersecurity also grew to $37.9 billion in 2020.
More related reading
04 · Category
User Adoption6 stats
01
26% increase in global e-commerce share of total retail in 2020 due to pandemic lockdown conditions—measured as percentage-point change
02
2020: 84% of U.S. businesses used video conferencing for remote work—measured as survey share
03
2021: 80% of organizations reported adopting digital work tools during COVID-19—measured as survey share
04
2020: 56% of IT leaders reported a rise in SaaS application adoption due to lockdown—measured as survey share
05
2020: 41% of organizations reported increased use of passwordless authentication during lockdown planning—measured as survey share
06
2020: 72% of companies with remote employees reported a rise in the number of endpoints they manage—measured as survey share
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Lockdown drove rapid user adoption across industries, with video conferencing reaching 84% of U.S. businesses in 2020 and 56% of IT leaders reporting increased SaaS application adoption, showing how quickly remote and digital tools became mainstream.
05 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
2020: 1.5 billion students affected by school closures worldwide due to COVID-19 lockdowns—measured as number of learners affected
02
2020: 42% of consumers reported changing their purchasing behavior due to COVID-19 restrictions—measured as survey share
03
2020: 1.2 billion people lived under lockdown by April 2020 in documented measures—measured as number of people
04
2020: 60% of enterprises accelerated their digital transformation plans due to COVID-19—measured as survey share
05
2021: 62% of organizations reported remote work will be a permanent component after COVID-19—measured as survey share
06
2020: 20% increase in internet traffic during early COVID-19 lockdown periods—measured as percentage change
07
2020: 70% of IT organizations prioritized endpoint management due to remote work expansion—measured as survey share
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show that COVID-19 lockdowns rapidly accelerated digital adoption, with 60% of enterprises accelerating digital transformation in 2020 and 62% of organizations expecting remote work to become permanent.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Lockdown Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lockdown-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Lockdown Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lockdown-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Lockdown Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lockdown-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)