Top execs fear security threats from IP convergence : AT&T-EIU survey

Our Corporate Bureau
09 November 2005

New Delhi: Over two-thirds of corporate executives view ensuring reliable network security as the single most critical factor in the successful implementation of a converged IP network according to a new survey from AT&T in co-operation with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The EIU global survey of 236 senior executives, representing firms from 50 countries and more than 20 industries, addressed the electronic security implications of network convergence and reported that for the second year running, security remains at the top of the list as the most critical network attribute of network performance, ahead of cost, complexity and business disruption.

This is the second in a series of four thought-leadership papers written by AT&T in co-operation with the Economist Intelligence Unit on the theme of network convergence and business strategy. Future papers will address issues of customer service and applications integration in converged network environment.

More than 60 per cent of all executives surveyed say that processing customer data online exposes their firms to electronic security breaches, more than any other type of vulnerability. Yet three years from now, 62 per cent of the respondents expect to have implemented IP through most or all of their organisations.

Respondents reveal a clear link between their firms'' technology-related goals and their chief information vulnerabilities. Among some of the key benefits of convergence — the enabling of deeper electronic collaboration with customers as well as remote and mobile working — are also a prime area of network vulnerability.

The survey reveals that enterprise security strategies are evolving, with some organisations looking to complement the localised approach with a more flexible and centralised form of security that enables extensive electronic collaboration with customers and suppliers.