Remote work immediately increased IT costs and security risk. IT support costs rose by 22% and software updates took 12% longer. The global cybersecurity market simultaneously grew to $37.9 billion as organizations adapted.
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[1]
02
$8.64 million average cost of a data breach in 2020 for organizations in regions outside North America—measured as currency amount[2]
03
2020: remote work increased IT support costs by 22% in surveyed organizations—measured as percentage change in cost[3]
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From the cost analysis perspective, the shift to lockdown drove up IT and security spending significantly in 2020, with remote work increasing IT support costs by 22% and the average cost of a data breach reaching $8.64 million outside North America, alongside longer software update times that rose by 12%.
02 · Category
Cybersecurity Impact2 stats
Interpretation
Cybersecurity Impact Interpretation
During lockdown, cybersecurity needs surged as remote access software usage rose 2.7x early on and 67% of security teams reported remote workers increased the number of endpoints they had to secure, underscoring a major cybersecurity impact from rapid workforce changes.
03 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$74.2 billion global public cloud services market revenue in 2020—measured as market revenue amount[3]
02
$500 billion projected public cloud end-user spending in 2023 worldwide—measured as projected spending amount[3]
03
2021 worldwide unified endpoint management market size of $3.5 billion—measured as market size[3]
04
$11.1 billion global identity and access management market in 2020—measured as market revenue amount[3]
05
$37.9 billion global cybersecurity market size in 2020—measured as market revenue amount[3]
06
$64.0 billion global SASE market size in 2021—measured as market revenue amount[3]
07
$6.3 billion global telehealth market size in 2020—measured as market size[6]
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a Market Size perspective, cloud and security spending is scaling fast, with global public cloud revenue rising from $74.2 billion in 2020 to a projected $500 billion in end user spending by 2023 while cybersecurity alone reached $37.9 billion in 2020 and SASE grew to $64.0 billion in 2021.
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[7]
02
2020: 84% of U.S. businesses used video conferencing for remote work—measured as survey share[8]
03
2021: 80% of organizations reported adopting digital work tools during COVID-19—measured as survey share[9]
04
2020: 56% of IT leaders reported a rise in SaaS application adoption due to lockdown—measured as survey share[10]
05
2020: 41% of organizations reported increased use of passwordless authentication during lockdown planning—measured as survey share[11]
06
2020: 72% of companies with remote employees reported a rise in the number of endpoints they manage—measured as survey share[12]
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
During the lockdown period, user adoption of digital tools surged across sectors, with 26% growth in e-commerce share in 2020 and major majorities adopting or expanding remote capabilities such as 84% of U.S. businesses using video conferencing and 72% of remote-employee companies managing more endpoints.
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[13]
02
2020: 42% of consumers reported changing their purchasing behavior due to COVID-19 restrictions—measured as survey share[14]
03
2020: 1.2 billion people lived under lockdown by April 2020 in documented measures—measured as number of people[15]
04
2020: 60% of enterprises accelerated their digital transformation plans due to COVID-19—measured as survey share[16]
05
2021: 62% of organizations reported remote work will be a permanent component after COVID-19—measured as survey share[3]
06
2020: 20% increase in internet traffic during early COVID-19 lockdown periods—measured as percentage change[17]
07
2020: 70% of IT organizations prioritized endpoint management due to remote work expansion—measured as survey share[3]
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In 2020 and 2021, the lockdown era reshaped industries at scale as 60% of enterprises accelerated digital transformation, 62% of organizations expected remote work to become permanent, and internet traffic rose by about 20%, showing a lasting shift in how businesses operate.
report visual · Breakdown
Lockdown accelerated remote work and security demands
Remote work adoption surged while security teams reported expanding endpoint and access-management responsibilities.
80%
2021: 80% of organizations reported adopting digital work tools during COVID-19—measured as survey share
20%
2020: 20% increase in internet traffic during early COVID-19 lockdown periods—measured as percentage change
source-verifiedidc.com · itu.int2021
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
17 sources cited across this report