Regulatory Compliance, Complexity, and Attacker Agility Main Drivers of IT Security Investment

With increased focus and media attention on the protection of corporate data and systems, IT security is moving higher and higher up the corporate agenda. A recent IDC survey showed that 56% of organizations expected their IT budget to increase over the next 12 months, with 83% expecting their security spend to increase. Organizations surveyed had an average annual IT expenditure of 15.4 million. The same survey showed that currently security spend accounts for 6% of IT budgets and this is set to grow to 11% within the next 12 months.

The Western European security software market grew by 19.1% in 2006, compared to 2005, and will continue to grow from 2007 to 2011 with a CAGR of 11.4%. Growth is still important in this area because the need for security grows with the need for IT. Regulatory compliance, IT weakness, complexity, and attacker agility are the main drivers of investment, said Eric Domage, IDC's Western European Security Software research manager.

With this in mind, IDC is pleased to announce that the annual IT Security Conference will be taking place in London on September 25, 2007. IT security touches every part of the organization, and with so many solutions coming to market there is great need for IT professionals to be kept informed of the latest security advancements.

IDC's annual IT Security Conference will provide insight into defining the risks at play and will offer practical advice on developing a holistic, effective security program that will become a core part of the organizational culture and business routine. Featuring insight from leading IDC analysts, enterprise security practitioners, and experts, the agenda addresses the chief security concerns for 2007 and beyond, including:

Identity Management - The Cornerstone of a Total Integrated Security Architecture
Using Security as a Service to Benefit IT Strategy
Implementing Dashboard Technology to Proactively Manage Service Levels
Developing a Secure Mobility Strategy
Protecting the Organization from Malicious Attack
Automating Information Management to Enable Compliance and Governance
Tackling Insider Threat Management to Facilitate Comprehensive Endpoint Security

Please visit http://www.idc.com/uk/security07 to view the full conference program.

Every year, IDC's IT Security Conference attracts between 130 and 150 senior IT decision makers from major enterprises in the U.K. Confirmed sponsors for this year's event already include Siemens, Sophos, Novell, Kaspersky Lab, Attachmate, Postini, Presence Networks, Secure Computing, Qualys, Vistorm, SkyRecon Systems, NetIQ, and a case study sponsored by E.ON.