Cisco sees security spend surge 20 percent

By siliconindia   |   Friday, 21 September 2007, 19:30 IST
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Mumbai: Due to the increase in usage of wireless and mobile connectivity among employees, security spending is expected to increase by 20 percent across the globe including India, according to a survey by Cisco, network solutions provider. In India, almost 36 percent of the respondents predict the increase in security spending to be between 10 and 20 percent. The survey highlighted the growing trend of mobile employees and the heightened risks for businesses as they connect to corporate networks and carry sensitive information outside office walls. While the previous survey involved more than 700 mobile employees in seven countries, where wireless and mobility technologies are widely adopted, the additional findings reveal spending plans and business drivers for over 700 IT decision makers, who work in those same nations: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, India, South Korea and Singapore. "These figures are significant because a 20 percent increase in spending on security alone could represent hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for mid-size and large enterprises," says Jeff Platon, Vice-President of security solutions for Cisco. Over the past year, virus containment was the single-largest issue that Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in India found among wireless devices. Three out of every 10 respondents in both India and China feel that security incidents will increase in the next year. In India, 41 percent of respondents are focusing on wireless security, while 42 percent are focusing on both wired and wireless security. According to 63 percent of IT respondents, more employees are being enabled to work anywhere, anytime with laptops, smart phones, or both. Germany (74 percent) leads the pack, followed by China and India (69 percent), South Korea (66 percent) and the United States (58 percent). Education and awareness among users will be a solution to the success of any security policy. Many mobile users in the survey say they aren't always aware of security concerns, and their actions provide proof. Many say they don't encrypt data on their wireless devices or set passwords to prevent physical access to their information. However, more than half agree that regulatory compliance initiatives are driving attention to wireless security. India, Singapore and China are the biggest drivers of wireless security.