15/09-04   -   Pressmeddelande

Nordic Security Infrastructure Continues to Outpace Other IT Investment, Says IDC

A new IDC survey of 600 Nordic companies on security shows that even though a lot of effort has been spent on implementing tools like antivirus and firewalls, attacks are still successful. Hackers and criminal elements get smarter and find new ways of exploiting weak points in our IT infrastructures. Attacks now often concentrate on behavior and this has put the user in a central position.

User awareness and enforcement are big issues in all four Nordic countries, and implementation of a security policy scored highest on the to-do list. This is both an effect of hackers exploiting the users and the very high penetration of antivirus and firewall protection products. The focus is moving from products to different types of services.

In all four countries, security-related investment is increasing more than other IT investments. Norway lags the others, while Sweden and Denmark are increasing their investments in security the most, at around 10% more than average IT growth.

Executive concern with risk or productivity loss ranges from 30% to 60% as a trigger for investment in the security infrastructure. The results show that there is a positive correlation between management involvement, implementation of security products, and processes resulting in fewer incidents.

"The market is slowly maturing, and as IDC has said for a long time now, investment in security should not be regarded as an insurance premium, but as a business enabler," said Nils Molin, senior research analyst at IDC Sweden.

The IDC study, Nordic Enterprise Survey 2004: Security - Products Are Not Enough (IDC #N660424L, August 2004), is available to purchase; contact your local IDC office or visit www.idc.com.

About IDC
IDC is the premier global market intelligence and advisory firm in the information technology and telecommunications industries. We analyze and predict technology trends so that our clients can make strategic, fact-based decisions on IT purchases and business strategy. Over 700 IDC analysts in 50 countries provide local expertise and insights on technology markets. Business executives and IT managers have relied for 40 years on our advice to make decisions that contribute to the success of their organizations.

IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world´s leading technology media, research, and events company. Additional information can be found at www.idc.com
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For more information, contact:
Nils Molin
+46 (0)87510415
nmolin@idc.com