Certain Risks Are Considered more Manageable Becoming less of a concern are risks associated with a mobile work force, virtualization and P2P file sharing. Although it seems that the mobile work force will pose less of a risk, respondents believe the most significant security threat is the inability to properly identify and authenticate remote users. With respect to P2P, it is the concern that inadvertent transfers and disclosures of documents that reside on an organization's computers and laptops will occur. The most significant risk associated with virtualization technology is the inability to properly identify and authenticate users to multiple systems and third party access to private files without authorization.

Organizations are faced with a plethora of security threats to their confidential and sensitive data assets. Forecasting the areas that pose the highest risk will help companies create an IT security strategy that is as cost effective as possible in times of tightening budgets.

Dr. Larry Ponemon is the chairman and founder of The Ponemon Institute and this opinion piece was posted in the December 2008 issue of CSO (US). For a copy of the 2009 Security Mega Trends Survey report, please contact research@ponemon.org.