42% of firms 'rank security as top priority'

2010-02-24

Over two-fifths (42 per cent) of organisations rank security as their top issue, according to Symantec's global 2010 State of Enterprise Security study.

According to the organisation, this is unsurprising in the light of figures showing three-quarters (75 per cent) of organisations experienced cyber attacks in the last 12 months.

In addition, nearly a third (29 per cent) of businesses reported that attacks have increased in the last 12 months, while every company surveyed had experienced some form of cyber loss in 2009.

Attacks appear to be fairly costly for companies as well, with an average of $2 million worth (£1.3 million) of damage caused by them a year, the study indicated.

"Protecting information today is more challenging than ever. By putting in place a security blueprint that protects their infrastructure and information, enforces IT policies, and manages systems more efficiently, businesses can increase their competitive edge in today's information-driven world," commented Francis deSouza, senior vice president of enterprise security at Symantec.

Symantec offered a number of recommendations for companies looking to deal with cyber security issues. It advised firms to secure endpoints, messaging and online environments.

Organisations should also ensure that they can back up and recover data, Symantec advised, adding that firms need the visibility and security intelligence to respond to threats quickly. IT policies should also be enforced and compliance processes automated, the firm added.

Mr deSouza pointed to the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank as an example of an organisation that has implementedan effective security strategy.

He explained: "The company has a complete solution set of products and services that provide 24-hour protection, threat monitoring and response, all for a fixed annual cost."

Last month, McAfee Labs raised the global threat condition to critical, which came after the Microsoft Internet Explorer flaw which was exploited by hackers in an attack on more than 34 company's e-infrastructure in January.

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