Report: SMBs To Spend More On Security

According to a new survey from Forrester Research, businesses of all sizes plan to spend more on security -- especially network security -- in 2010.For its twin reports "The State Of Enterprise IT Security And Emerging Trends: 2009 To 2010" and "The State Of SMB IT Security And Emerging Trends: 2009 to 2010," Forrester surveyed nearly 2,200 executives and technology decision-makers in both large enterprises and in small and midsize businesses about their security plans.

More than 80 percent of those surveyed said that managing threats and vulnerabilities was a high priority for 2010. Data security continues to occupy the top IT budget spot, but network security is the fastest-growing element. Thirty-six percent of SMBs said they expected to increase spending on network security in the coming year.

The security trend causing the most concern, though, is the increasing use of consumer technology, in particular smartphones and Web 2.0 applications, in the workplace. "In general, this follows the broader trend of IT losing centralized control of technology adoption, deployment, and use," said Forrester analyst and vice president Jonathan Penn. "Its not just consumer technology like iPods and the use of Facebook or Twitter; it also shows up in the uncontrolled proliferation of SharePoint sites by business groups or in the use of cloud computing services by application developers."

According to Penn, businesses are increasingly interested in managed security services. The adoption of such services is being driven more by a desire for improved protection than by the cost savings they can offer.

The two reports are available for $1,749 each, with a money-back guarantee.

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