In the security section, competition is fierce in each market with security remaining at the top of the list of concerns for the region's IT managers and CIOs, according to a recent survey by IDC. When asked which security and continuity measures companies currently have in place, storage and archive came at the top of the list, with 81.4 percent of respondents responding positively. This is a good indication that organizations recognize that storage and archive forms the fundamental basis from which any disaster recovery efforts can be made. Coming in a close second was security software (81 percent), which covers anti-virus applications and intrusion detection tools.

While the level of understanding appears high, many organizations have yet to put in place the fundamental plans and tools required to ensure they can withstand attacks and recover from disasters when, and if, they occur. Of the 9 critical security measures surveyed, seven measures individually registered less than 60 percent take-up by respondents. This suggests that organizations may not have thoroughly planned their security measures and most likely deploy them only when security issues arise.

"Security risks are becoming progressively more sophisticated, and further efforts by organizations are required to keep pace with the dangers faced," comments Willie Low, market analyst, Infrastructure Software, IDC Asia/Pacific. "Many organizations have yet to adopt the additional security measures which they can use to arm themselves against these new threats. However, the awareness of the need for these measures is growing, and we expect to see higher adoption rates for enhanced security measures over the next year."

Assault on all sides

A 2005 study by the FBI shows that organizations are all facing a barrage of electronic assaults, ranging from nuisances such as spyware and viruses through sophisticated hacking attempts.