IT security lapses 'could affect economy'

19:30 30th June 2008

Security is one of the fastest growing sectors of the IT industry - and without it, the nation's economy could stall, a new report has claimed.

The Economic and Social Research Council believes that many small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are not putting enough measures in place to prevent cyber crime and breaches in security.

When it is considered that SMBs account for more than half of the UK's annual turnover, the problem that such lapses could present becomes clear.

"Security is about managing the risk from people, both known and unknown, interacting with your information and information systems," suggested Bruce Hallas, a specialist in information security.

"It is more about people management than technology."

The report follows figures released by market analyst Gartner, which showed that in 2007 sales of security software grew by 20 per cent.

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