In our previous security surveys, IT executives have always expressed plenty of confidence in their security, even though so many corporate networks and web sites have been roughed up and penetrated. That's true again in 2006, although the level of confidence may have slipped just a bit. IT executives at large companies appear the most self-assured, even though they are more likely to consider their firms to be at a high level of risk. Those at small companies are more likely to be nervous. Even there, however, 73% say IT security is adequate.

At first glance, it seems odd that security spending and staffing is going up if confidence is high. If security is adequate, why boost the budget? One reason is the need to meet compliance requirements. But there's another likely explanation: CIOs feel confident in part because they are able to increase security spending. Just think of how IT executives would feel if security spending was cut back.

Resource Library:

We'll be digging into the reasons IT executives are confident about security, and question whether they ought to be, in the coming weeks. Come back each Wednesday to see the latest. See below for the full schedule.

Upcoming results from the Security survey:

Sept. 27: Are IT executives being overconfident? Protecting data, tightening policies

For more data and analysis, see CIO Insight 's Research Center blog at go.cioinsight.com/researchcentral

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