PwC: Only 21 per cent of Canadian firms make security technology a top priority

By Canadian Security  February 27, 2012  

News Data Security

PwC recently released its 2012 Global State of Information Security Survey. Canadian highlights include:

• When approaching information security in Canada, 47 per cent of organizations are more driven by regulatory and legal requirements.
• Only 21 per cent of all Canadian organizations surveyed consider investing in security-related technology as very important or a top priority.
• Fifty-six per cent of Canadian companies assessed conduct one or more risk assessments a year — lower than the 72 per cent global average.
• Approximately 43 per cent conduct less than annual or no risk assessments.

The PwC report summarizes the challenges ahead for Canadian companies thusly:
"Canadian companies cannot be lulled into a false sense of security by perceiving that simply complying with federal or provincial regulations or industry requirements, such as the Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standard, means they’re secure.  'Tone at the top' will be one of the most critical factors in a company protecting its digital assets."