47% of IT pros see security audit costs going up in 2010

Forty-seven percent of IT security professionals believe that security audit costs will increase in 2010, according to a recent survey by nCircle, the leading provider of automated security and compliance auditing solutions.

The online survey of over 250 security professionals was conducted between February 4 and March 12, 2010, and covered a range of security topics including smartphones, healthcare, cloud computing and social media.

Key findings include:

• 45% of respondents anticipate no change in 2010 security audit costs
• 8% expect a decrease in security audit costs in 2010
• 45% experienced increased security audit costs and only 6% saw a decrease from 2008 to 2009
• 83% of respondents report they are effectively identifying security and compliance issues prior to an audit