STOCKHOLM, November 26, 2002 - Despite tightening pursestrings, the proportion of IT spending dedicated to security solutions is set to grow, according to IDC's European Corporate Infrastructure Survey 2002. Operating in an environment of increased connectivity and sophisticated threats, survey results indicate that security has become the No. 1 challenge for CIOs in Europe.
"Security is evolving from not only being a necessary expense to protect organizations against threats but is transforming into a true business enabler in times of increasing collaborative commerce and supply chain integration," said Thomas Raschke, Program Manager for IDC's security products and strategies service.
However, security investment today is still mainly driven by fear of security breaches. With this realization and growing regulatory requirements, many European firms are now turning to security audits to identify "gaps" in an overall platform. Encouragingly, increased spending seems to be validated by many as security ROI is claimed to be significantly higher than anticipated by 23% of companies interviewed.
The top three security technologies that are currently deployed in European corporations are:
· Antivirus
· Firewall software
· Hardware-based firewall appliances
PKI and SSO (increasingly referred to as identity management) are the "hot" security technologies in Europe, with 17% and 14% of European companies planning to implement them in the course of the next 12 to 36 months.
Building Secure Environments - European Corporate Infrastructure Survey 2002 (IDC #IS03J) is a cornerstone study within IDC's security research in Europe. The study draws on the results of a comprehensive corporate survey carried out by IDC's European Research group in 2Q02. The survey interviewed IT decision-makers in Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and the Nordics, and breaks down all results by country, industry, and company size - providing the most comprehensive analysis on corporate perceptions of security in Europe to date. The study is available to purchase from your local IDC office.
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For more information, contact:
Carla Arend
+45 3916 2259
carend@idc.com
Thomas Raschke
+45 3916 2221
traschke@idc.com