(Length: 7 pages)

Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

In 2007, most firms plan to spend between 7.5% and 9.0% of their IT budgets on security, regardless of their size, geography, and industry. This convergence of budgets points to the maturity of information security discipline and the solidification of the information security role within the organization. As security professionals grow from purely IT-centric and technology-focused roles into information-centric and risk-focused roles, they need a new set of tools and processes to fulfill their responsibilities. As a result, security spending is on the rise again, and organizations across North America and Europe will spend 7.91% of their IT budgets on security, compared with 7.75% in 2006.