In a worldwide study launched today by the non-profit global leader in educating and certifying information security professionals throughout their careers, (ISC)2® (“ISC-squared”), avoiding reputation damage to the organization was viewed as a top priority for security programs by three-quarters of information security professionals surveyed.

On behalf of (ISC)², the 2008 Global Information Security Workforce Study (“GISWS”) was conducted by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan. Including over 1,500 ‘C-suite’ executives and security managers, as well as IT and other professionals with responsibility for information security, from companies and public sector organizations in more than 100 countries, it surveyed 7,548 information security professionals. From the three major regions of the world came the respondents: Americas (41 percent); Asia-Pacific (34 percent); and Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) (25 percent). Web-based surveys were distributed to targeted information security respondents worldwide in the third quarter of 2007.

Frost & Sullivan industry manager, network security, Rob Ayoub, said: “This fourth edition of the study demonstrates more than ever before that information security has become a business imperative for organizations of all sizes, with far-reaching concerns such as corporate reputation, the privacy of customer data, identity theft, and breach of laws and regulations driving information security governance”.

With 49 percent of information security professionals reporting to executive management or boards of directors, pressure over data loss and compliance has driven accountability for information security to the executive level.

Frost & Sullivan estimates the number of information security professionals worldwide to be approximately 1.66 million. By 2012, this figure is expected to increase to almost 2.7 million professionals, displaying a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 percent. With the great majority of respondents expecting either stability or an increase in training budgets, a strong outlook is also depicted for professional development in the sector.