Study: Compliance Dominates New Game of Risk

What's the most vital element of corporate risk management? Symantec survey says IT availability management and compliance projects are now just as important, if not more important, than traditional IT security efforts.

By Matt Hines

Thu, January 31, 2008InfoWorld Symantec's primary strategy in the enterprise may currently revolve around the notion of IT risk management, but the company's latest research finds that efforts to refine corporate process unrelated to security technology have become just as popular with customers moving to limit their exposure.

According to Symantec's annual survey of 405 businesses, the notion that technologies used to improve IT security serve as the most vital element of corporate risk management currently ranks below other priorities among customers. Respondents to the study rated IT availability management and work on specific regulatory compliance projects as comparable, and in some cases more important, to their ongoing risk mitigation efforts.

In addition, fewer businesses are utilizing a strategy that approaches IT risk as a standalone skill set or initiative, according to the Symantec report.

One year ago, customers participating in the study indicated that the adoption of security technologies represented the central tenet of their risk management plans. In the 2008 report, 78 percent replied that availability maintenance concerns are now as vital to their exposure mitigation efforts as the installation of security tools.

Some 70 percent of respondents replied that security projects are still a critical part of their approach. However, 53 percent of the IT-related incidents experienced by surveyed companies were tied to other issues besides problems with systems defense.

"IT risk doesn't necessarily equate to security risk. That's a big shift and the key takeaway is that organizations are getting more mature around the portfolio of risks they have to manage," said Samir Kapuria, managing director of Advisory Services at Symantec. "In the past, people looked at one area as discreet, but now they're addressing the four pillars of compliance, security, risk, and performance availability as part of a balanced strategy."

Increasing interdependence on IT systems shared between business partners has elevated availability and performance concerns above security issues -- and businesses are more worried about causing a bottleneck in their global supply chain then they are looking to thwart attacks, the expert contends.

"IT systems availability can have a downstream impact which has had this downward effect," Kapuria said.

Spending on compliance-oriented projects also stands as a major piece of most companies' plans, with 68 percent of those people responding stating that their employers rate those efforts as crucial to their risk management strategies.

Respondents indicated that high-level risk management projects have become less central to their IT planning, with companies favoring targeted initiatives that address individual problems or regulations.

Loading...
Security MarketSpace
White Papers
Cost Effective Data Loss Prevention
Learn how Data Loss Prevention technologies can in fact be deployed in a cost effective manner. Learn more »
Data Loss Prevention and Enterprise Rights Management
Enterprise Management Associates highlights the complementary values of Data Loss Prevention and Enterprise Rights Management as a strategic approach to information risk control. Learn more »
Eliminate the Impact of Distance
Learn how to be prepared to adapt your environment in a way that supports distributed employees, anytime anywhere collaboration and the need for business continuity during a disaster. Learn more »
Webcasts
Maximizing the Business Value of the PC Infrastructure
Reduced IT budgets have CIOs hunting for ways to maximize their PC infrastructure, while saving money and IT staff time. Diane Bryant, CIO of Intel Corp., talks with CIO magazine's Gary Beach about how her organization is addressing these challenges. Learn more »
Accelerate Your Virtual Environment
Rapid Replication for Virtual Servers Learn more »
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

Data Loss Prevention: A Better Way to Approach Security

Stop Application Fraud at the Source with Device Reputation

Ready to Act: 3 Recommendations for Agile Processes

Automating the Generation and Secure Distribution of Excel Reports

Seven Ways ITIL Can Help You in an Economic Downturn

Maximizing the Business Value of the PC Infrastructure

Learn how to managing client systems in the enterprise.

Cloud Computing: Read about VMware's compelling vision & set of products

Enterprise PBX Buyer's Guide

Secondary Market Primer: Your Network at Half Price

Top-line Performance that's Bottom-line Efficient

Accenture: Outsourcing for uncertain times. Click to learn more.

Learn about the VMware vSphere (TM) & Intel (R) Xeon (R) Processor 5500 Series

Learn how a virtualized enterprise can help your company reduce costs

Why Isn't Server Virtualization Saving Us More?

8 Key Ingredients to Building an Internal Cloud

Data Center Optimization: Three Key Strategies

A CIO Executive Guide: Cloud Computing Looms Big on the Horizon

Oracle WebLogic Server Technical Demo

Data Grids and Service-Oriented Architecture

Achieving the Impossible: Unlimited Application Scalability

A Middleware Foundation for Application Grid

Tips for successful virtualization management.

Smart Decisions: The Role of Key Performance Indicators

Introducing the new HP ProLiant G6 server family

Losing Ground: 2009 TMT Global Security Survey

Software Executives: Take Control of Your Organization's Code Quality

Delivering Secure and Reliable Data through Spreadsheet Automation

Taking the Service Desk to the Next Level

Why Data Loss is Increasing--and What You Can Do About It

Communications and Collaboration Needs at Business Organizations

Using Open Source to Deploy Web Applications

Mid-Sized Company CIO Community: infoBOOM!

Enterprise PBX Comparison Guide

Getting Value from Outdated Networking Equipment

Accenture IT Consulting: Logical meets technological. More . . .

White Paper: 8 Key Ingredients to Building an Internal Cloud

Read about virtualization and consolidation effort best practices

Building the Virtualized Enterprise with VMware Infrastructure

Top 10 Business and IT Drivers for the Wealth Management Sector

Bottom-Line Benefits of Virtualization

White Paper: The Building Blocks for Cloud Computing

Oracle's Application Grid Technical Demo

Next-Generation Application Servers and Infrastructure

Application Infrastructure at Enterprise Organizations

Achieving Business Agility with Application Grid

Learn about The Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

Achieving Pervasive Performance Management

Gartner Shares Predictions for 2009

Accenture IT Consulting: Enabling high performance. More...

 
 
RESOURCE CENTER