22 April 2008

Govt-sponsored PwC report shows firms taking security seriously

Steve Gold , reporting from Infosecurity Europe 2008

The annual survey carried out for the opening of the Infosecurity Europe show in London today shows that, even in the face of rising IT security threats, UK companies of all sizes appear to be taking their security more seriously, as well as allocating extra funds to tackle the issue.

The survey, which was carried our on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform by a consortium led by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that 81 per cent of company boards are giving a high, or very high, priority to IT security.

In addition, 55 per cent of UK firms now have a documented security policy, as against 27 per cent in 2002. 40 per cent of firms, meanwhile, now provide ongoing security awareness training to staff, up from 20 per cent four years ago.

The good news is that only 45 per cent of small firms reported a security breach last year, down from 62 per cent in 2002, and the total cost of security issues to UK PLC has fallen by around a third over the last two years.

Commenting on the survey results, Paul Williams, chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group for ISACA, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, said that they show that the UK is making good progress in improving its IT security strategies.

Williams said that the results of the survey are encouraging, with the numbers of companies having implemented BS 7799/ISO 27001 - the British/International Standard for information security management - having risen from five per cent in 2002 to 11 per cent this year.

Despite the positive aspects of the security survey, Williams warned that there is no room for complacency when it comes to protecting a company's IT resources, no matter how small the company is.

The fact that 13 per cent of companies have detected unauthorised outsiders within their network, says Williams, indicates the need for constant vigilance.

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