Security spending shifts

A year ago, 54% of security spending was aimed at keeping viruses, worms, spam, spyware and other cyber threats outside the perimeter; now it’s at 33%.

Meanwhile, authentication and encryption have gained to account for over one quarter of security projects, a big jump from just 7% a year ago.

Computer virus threats have relatively calmed down in recent months, which can help explain why security initiatives have shifted gears.

ZDNets' Datapoint latest IT Prirorities data (see insert) shows that spending on cyber threats has dropped significantly in recent months, freeing up resources for what may be long-awaited authentication, encryption, and disaster recovery projects.

But that doesn't mean security pros are easing up. Spyware and spam continues to be a major threat to enterprises.