Future of IT: Security

Identity Theft Epidemic Pressures IT

Regulations and public outrage will force a clampdown on sloppy physical security practices. The problem of identity theft--the loss of millions of individuals' personal data around the world--will get much worse. That means huge losses for consumers and companies, and tighter data privacy regulations. IT executives don't expect technical solutions will end security breaches any time soon; most say damage from viruses and computer worms will rise significantly over the next five years. Inadequate mobile security is emerging as a new nightmare. But the biggest threat to security and identity is careless behavior: More IT executives say lost or stolen laptops or computer media represent a significant security threat to their company's IT assets than attacks on corporate networks; infected e-mail, downloads or Web sites; or vulnerabilities in software or anti-virus programs. Changing behavior is notoriously difficult, but companies will need to do it.

Next page: Encryption Becomes Business as Usual