Spending on security technology, training, assessments, and certification now accounts for one-fifth of total technology budgets, according to research from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

A survey of 1,070 organizations found that on average, they spent 20 percent of their total technology budget in 2006 on security-related expenses. Thats up from 15 percent in 2005, and 12 percent in 2004.

Organizations also expect to increase spending across all areas related to security in the next 12 months. Nearly one-half of respondents to the CompTIA survey said they intend to increase spending on security-related technologies; and one-third of respondents expect to increase spending on security training. Among those expecting to increase spending, the average increase is in the range of 19-23 percent, regardless of area.

The survey also showed that for each dollar spent on security, about 42 cents is allocated for technology product purchases; 17 cents for security-related processes; 15 cents for training; 12 cents for assessments; 9 cents for certification; and the balance on other items.

Antivirus software, firewalls and proxy servers continue to be the top technologies for security enforcement, utilized by nearly all organizations. The past two years have seen a significant increase in the use of multiple security enforcement technologies to combat attacks, including firewalls, proxy servers, intrusion detection systems, physical access control, multi-factor authentication, and other technologies.

CompTIA commissioned TNS, a global market insight and information group, to conduct the study to identify current IT security practices and highlight security challenges confronted by organizations of varying sizes and sectors.
http://www.comptia.org