Sept. 6, 2002 -- In the year since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, corporate America has done a lot of talking about data security and disaster recovery. But in most cases, that talk hasn't led to significant action or new investment, according to a survey from Computerworld.
Forty one percent of the 2,600 technology professionals participating in the poll said their companies had not undertaken IT projects to improve disaster readiness.
In addition, 53 percent of respondents said their budgets for security and disaster preparedness had not increased during the past 12 months, with any business continuity spending being funded within existing IT budgets..
The results won't be particularly surprising to observers of the data center industry, where expectations of significant post-Sept. 11 investment in disaster recovery went largely unmet, with the exception of the New York and Washington areas, which were targeted in the terrorist attacks.
Yet the relative lack of new investment on corporate data security is troubling, according to ComputerWorld editor chief Maryfran Johnson.
"We keep hearing that security is a number one concern for CEOs today," said Johnson. "But without the necessary resources, it's a lot of talk but little action.
"It's alarming to see that such a large number of companies have done so little to increase funding for and protection of vital corporate data to assure business continuance after any kind of disaster," she added.
In another troubling finding, 53 percent of the respondents to the online poll said their companies had not taken any action to integrate physical security with IT operations for additional protection of employees.
Full results of the poll will be disclosed in the September 9 print edition of Computerworld and on Computerworld.com.