Manufacturers complacent over IT security?

Only one third of manufacturers say IT security is on their board agendas, compared with 82% in financial services and 19% in retail, distribution and transport. That’s the top level finding of a survey of 100 IT directors in companies with revenues over £50m, from Internet security firm Symantec. As for understanding the security threat, 53% in manufacturing say they do – similar to the other sectors covered. The survey comes against a background of a growing number of serious security threats. It finds employees the greatest risk, with 59% of manufacturing companies naming them, while 50% are also concerned about viruses and hackers. Despite concerns, less than a quarter of manufacturers are planning to implement an internal security policy in the next 12 months.