IT security needs to become one of the most important areas of focus for modern businesses, especially given the growth of malicious threats. Failure to ensure appropriate security could lead businesses to face data breaches and other cyber attacks.

In a new study, research organisation Gartner has detailed the growth of IT security spending. The primary reason, according to the organisation, is that companies are growing an awareness of threats.

Gartner predicts that spending will reach US$71.1 billion 2014, representing an increase of 7.9 per cent over 2013. Within this sector, data loss prevention is expected to record the fastest growth.

Failure to ensure security

Enterprises are no-doubt well aware of the risks of ignoring security, with data breaches and cyber attacks a common outcome. In many cases, businesses can be significantly set back, with damage to both reputation and finances.

While finances can be recovered, businesses may struggle to regain the trust of employees, leading to significant problems further down the line.

The Nexus of Forces

"[The Nexus of Forces is] creating new opportunities to improve effectiveness, particularly as a result of better understanding security threats by using contextual information and other security intelligence," said Gartner  Research Director Lawrence Pingree.

"This has led to increased awareness among organisations that would have traditionally treated security as an IT function and a cost centre."

This Nexus of Forces is essentially mobile, cloud and social technologies, which Gartner often group together when referring to growth.

Considering training

Growth in security threats should serve as a reminder of the value of IT security training. Courses handling SABSA, TOGAF and CISSP should be considered in order to effectively secure an organisation over the next few years.

Failure to put security measures in place could result in financial damage and reputation issues.