SmallBusinessNewz

Ernst & Young released the results from its 12th annual Global Information Security Survey, finding that reprisals from recently departed employees and a lack of adequate security budgets are becoming the sources for major concern among IT professionals.

The survey was conducted among nearly 2,000 senior executives in over 60 countries. It found that:

- 75% of respondents are concerned with the possible reprisal from employees who have left their organizations

- 42% of respondents are already trying to understand the potential risks related to the issue

- 26% are already taking steps to prevent it.

"With the economy still in recession, employees that are made redundant may feel resentful towards their previous employer in a number of ways that may affect the smooth operation of an organization," says Paul van Kessel, Global Leader of Ernst & Young's Information Technology Risk and Assurance Services practice. "Increasingly, the employer's IT system has become a common target and data theft is also prevalent. It is paramount that companies undertake a specific risk assessment exercise to identify their potential exposure and put in place appropriate risk-based responses."

About half of the respondents ranked allocating adequate budget to information security as a significant challenge, an increase of 17% from the previous year. Less than half, however, plan to increase their annual investment in information security. 52% plan on maintaining the same level of spending.