The severity and number of exploits and vulnerabilities in computer systems are causing greater concern for IT directors.
In the wake of a report by outsourcing company Synstar, concerns over security are back to 2001 levels with nearly 90% of respondents more concerned about flaws and attacks than other IT issues.
Fran Howarth, practice leader of security at Bloor Research said there were many reasons behind the finding, most prominent of those were the ever-increasing number and complexity of exploits and flaws being unearthed. She also added greater regulation in Europe and the US was piling pressure on directors to comply with evermore stringent rules.
"The increasing number of laws such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley in the US and EU directives are forcing companies to look at their risk profile," said Howarth.
"Compliance is on the lips of every board member and a great deal of them are taking more care of systems."
Howarth believed that the figure would only increase next year before eventually levelling off.
The survey was carried out in six European countries and asked 700 IT directors about the pressures they faced in their jobs.
https://www.synstar.com/files/Pressure_Point_Index_V.pdf