Security spending takes larger slice of the IT budget
Protecting systems takes bigger slice of shrinking budgets according to reports from Forrester Research. The reports show that spending on security is increasing in proportion to IT budgets – that is, the spending is remaining constant, whilst IT budgets are reducing. It is predicted that this trend will continue as security becomes an increasingly important issue.
“Even during challenging economic conditions, IT security remains an integral part of business operations as firms look to maintain their current environment as well as plan for the implementation of new initiatives,” explains Jonathan Penn, Forrester Business Data Services Analyst.
The two studies found that businesses have similar security concerns irrespective of the size of their organisation and that these businesses felt there was a growing need for improved data security. It was felt that the need for specialised skill sets and more attention to the budget have led to a growth in managed security services.
However, the day to day practicalities of handing data security were dealt with differently at larger organisations where IT staff regularly report directly to chief executives or company presidents on security matters. In SMEs, IT workers cite a lack of dependable security systems and difficulties in convincing executives to invest in more sophisticated security systems.
Derrick Cameron of Eximium, who advise businesses on a range of IT issues including data security, is not surprised by the reports conclusions. “In the UK, there have been several worrying security breaches which have heightened everyone’s awareness of the issue. One of the more positive side effects of these embarrassing lapses is the fact that they have made businesses more security conscious. These organisations now need to ensure that they have the right software in place and that they are using it correctly to safeguard against mishaps.”
This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm and is filed under Business Advice, Data Security, IT Advice, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
