Chasing security ROI

In theory, with every security breach that is publicized in the news media—and the many more that go unreported—the value of investment into an organization’s security system and tools should be clear.

After all, if the U. S. Department of the Treasury can be hacked, as it was in January, then it stands to reason that any organization can suffer the same fate.

Despite the abundance of cyberthreats and the potential disastrous consequences of a successful attack, IT leaders are improbably feeling the pressure to justify security investments. That’s according to recent research from OpenText and Ponemon Institute—a leading independent research firm focused on information security and privacy management—that recently took the pulse of nearly 2,000 senior IT and security executives.

A majority—55%—of those leaders say they’re under pressure to justify investment in these security strategies within six months to ...