Security tops IT execs' list of worries

Securing information systems has become a top priority for IT executives following the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to the 14th annual CSC security survey.

Eliminating systems vulnerabilities to safeguard information was voted the number one priority for the financial services sector, but dropped to number five in other verticals, falling even further to rank number six for IT managers in Australia.

CSC Australia CEO George Bell said that in the local market, security is still seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, with organisations believing it is 'nice to have', but only [becomes] a reality after a serious security breach.

He said companies may also be looking for threats in the wrong places.

"There has been significant media attention on the risks of cyberterrorism over the last couple of months; the reality is that disgruntled employees or hackers pose a greater threat to data and intellectual property," Bell said.

Nearly 70 per cent of Australian executives rated their most important issues as 'organising and utilising data' and getting maximum value from existing enterprise systems.

The survey found interest in e-business declining as executives become more inward-looking as a result of the economic climate with only 15 per cent of corporate Web sites offering transactional services.