The Hindu Business Line : `Regulatory compliance key to info security'

COMPLIANCE with regulations has emerged as the primary driver of information security for the first time, surpassing worms and viruses, according to a survey released by Ernst & Young.

"The sheer number of regulations and the consequences of not complying with them has escalated information security to the boardroom. Nearly two-thirds of the survey respondents - representing 1,300 global companies, Government and non-profit agencies across 55 nations - cited compliance with regulations such as Clause 49 of listing agreement, Sarbanes Oxley, the European Unions 8th Directive or their equivalent as the primary driver of information security," the survey titled Global Information Security Survey 2005 pointed out.

The survey revealed that organisations were missing the rare investment opportunities that compliance offered, to promote information security as an integral part of their business.

As many as 50 organisations from India participated in the survey. Of these firms, 56 per cent agreed that regulatory compliance was the key driver that had significantly impacted or would impact information security practices. However, only 53 per cent were using this as an opportunity to make changes to security architecture or to recognise their information security function, against the 41 per cent globally.

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