Security Spending

By Stephanie Jordan
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Preliminary results from a survey of 1,500 U.S.-based information security professionals conducted by (ISC)2 indicates that security budgets and personnel cuts are expected to level off for the remainder of 2009. The Web-based survey was sent to members of (ISC)2 and is still open to its members through May 15, when the organization says the final results will be disclosed.

Preliminary Findings

Mirroring the security budget responses, more than 70 percent of (ISC)2 survey respondents believe the economic downturn has had a somewhat or significant impact on their purchases of security equipment and technology; however, 53 percent said spending would not decrease for the remainder of 2009. On the personnel side, roughly half of survey respondents said their information security departments had experienced at least one lay-off in the past few months. Fifty-five percent said no additional personnel cuts would be forthcoming the remainder of the year.

Of the nearly third of respondents who identified themselves as having hiring responsibilities, 44 percent said they were looking to hire additional information security staff this year. The areas of expertise most sought after by those seeking candidates were information risk management, operations security, certification and accreditation, security management practices, and security architecture and models.

Security Remains At Forefront

Regardless of cutbacks and the economy, messaging security remains a top priority. Next week, be sure to join Messaging News as we hold a Webinar to discuss current security trends from the perspective of Lee Benjamin, master Messaging Architect, and David Schairer, CTO of XO Concentric. Registration for Messaging Security Threats for 2009 Webinar is free.

Published April 29, 2009