Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits
  • Email this page E-mail this page
  • |  Print Print this page
  • |   Bookmark and Share
  • |  icon
  • | 

CEOs Take Closer Look At Security


Nine of 10 CEOs at companies with yearly revenue of $1 billion or more have personally reviewed disaster-planning documents since Sept. 11, according to a survey by Booz Allen Hamilton. And, not unexpectedly, two-thirds see their companies spending more on security in the foreseeable future.

By Eric Chabrow
InformationWeek
January 23, 2001 12:00 AM

Chief executives at some of America's largest corporations have become personally involved in the planning of corporate security, including their companies' IT infrastructure, since last September's terrorist attacks, according to a survey of 72 CEOs released Wednesday by the management consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton.

Nine of 10 CEOs at companies with yearly revenue of $1 billion or more have personally reviewed disaster-planning documents since Sept. 11. And, not unexpectedly, two-thirds see their companies spending more on security in the foreseeable future.

More Software Insights

White Papers

Reports

Videos


Startup Mulesource offers an open-source ESB for SOA architectures SocialCast takes many of the social network tools from the consumer world and makes them available in an on-demand service for the enterprise. Microsoft GM of Virtualization, Mike Neil, on the State of Virtualization, Hyper V and Windows 2008
SocialCast takes many of the social network tools from the consumer world and makes them available in an on-demand service for the enterprise.
Still, Booz Allen Hamilton executives expressed surprise at the large number of CEOs who see the terrorist attacks having minimal impact on security. One-third don't expect security spending to increase, and one in five don't believe that corporate security is more important today than it was before Sept. 11.

Mark Gerencser, VP of the firm's global strategic security practice, suggests that the extraordinary nature of the calamity created unfamiliar territory for the CEOs to navigate. "Their awareness about security is increasing, but at this point in time, companies still aren't sure exactly what to do," he says. "There are no precedents, there are no benchmarks."

Among other findings of the survey, which was conducted late last year:

--Before Sept. 11, CEOs considered corporate security a midlevel concern, giving it an average rating of 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the highest priority. After the attacks, the average ranking increased to 7.5.

--Nearly half of the CEOs say their companies are evaluating alternatives in case of disruptions to their supply chains, with 42% assessing their suppliers' abilities to ensure that production is safe from sabotage. That didn't surprise Booz Allen executives, who noted that U.S. businesses lost hundreds of millions of dollars as the result of the Sept. 11 attacks.

--Half the companies have chief security officers, with 90% of them in that post for two or more years. The CIO is the most likely executive to oversee security in companies that don't have security officers.

--Sixty percent of the companies increased their use of videoconferencing since Sept. 11.

--The anthrax scare caught the attention of the CEOs, with 86% expressing increased concern for mail processing. Other concerns expressed by respondents: travel, 55% of CEOs; employee protection, 79%; and infrastructure protection, 75%.



Subscribe to RSS


Advertisement

CAREER CENTER
Ready to take that job and shove it?



TechCareers

SEARCH
Function:

Keyword(s):

State:
SPONSOR
RECENT JOB POSTINGS
CAREER NEWS
10 Search Engines You Don't Know About
Go beyond Google and get vertical. These specialized search sites will help you find the business information you need -- fast.

Yahoo Profits Fall 23%, Cuts 1,000 Jobs
Ari Balogh was named to the post of chief technology officer as the companys for a "realignment" of employees.

More articles from our career center





Subscription Info
Apply for a free 52-week subscription to InformationWeek (a $199 value)

Last Name:

First Name:

Title:

Company Name:

City:

Business Address:

Zip:

State:

Email Address:

NOTE: Offer valid for U.S., U.S. possessions, & Canada only

            

Join economist Chris Cornell and 3 CIOs in an Exclusive Online Exchange for Senior IT Executives: Using IT to Drive Value in a Turbulent Economy. November 5th only.