Security remains the top IT issue

97 per cent of companies rank security as 'high' or 'very high' in importance

European enterprises rank security as the biggest IT issue, according to new research.

Some 97 per cent of companies rank security as 'high' or 'very high' in importance, a study by network infrastructure firm Siemon revealed.

Compliance and global standardisation were also at the top of the list of priorities in a multi-sector research study of IT decision makers in Europe.

Environmental issues are another major concern, recorded as a 'high' or 'very high' priority by over half of respondents.

"In today's world of mission critical applications and reliance on data, it is little wonder that security came out as the number one priority," said Steven Foster, EMEA managing director at Siemon.

"This may partially be a factor of the financial bias in the sample population, but it is a clear message that security is front-of-mind for major corporations, followed by legislative compliance and system standardisation."

Foster added that the high score for global standardisation was least surprising as the company has seen this having increasing influence in major infrastructure tenders at the top tier of the corporate market.

"Many global organisations are keen to standardise their IT, working with global equipment suppliers to achieve internal standardisation," he said.