Survey Discovers Differing Views on Security

Top officials at mid-market companies say spending on security is a sound business investment, but a large minority sees it as an expense that must be minimized, according to a new report from The Conference Board on corporate security practices.

Sixty-one percent of respondents say security provides value for their firms and a positive return on investment, but 39 percent say security is simply a cost that must be tightly controlled. The Conference Board surveyed close to 100 chief executives and other top officers in a wide range of mid-sized companies, with annual revenues of between $20 million and $1 billion.

Most surveyed companies, however, report little increase in security spending since 9/11. In fact, fully 45 percent say they have not increased their spending since the terrorist attacks in 2001 and 1 percent say they have actually cut back on security spending.

"The most alarming finding is that only 28 percent of mid-market companies have an off-site center for emergency operations. This suggests that many smaller American firms would have difficulty conducting their business in the event of a prolonged power outage or closure of their primary facility," says Tom Cavanagh, The Conference Board's corporate security expert and author of the report. "Given the vital role played by smaller companies in the U.S. economy, the economic impact could be quite severe should we suffer another 9/11 type attack in heavily populated areas."

For more information on the Conference Board's report, click here:
http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2447.