IT security spending tends to be hard to justify under almost any conditions, but in the bad economy a lot of the discussion just gets put on the back burner. Between the growing sophistication of attacks and an improving economy, however, more businesses are preparing to make security investments. The good news is that vendors are showing more interest in their products' strategic value, writes Bob Bragdon, publisher of CSO magazine.

At the recent RSA conference, more vendors sought input from potential customers about how they could better meet their needs, Bragdon reports. Vendors are showing interest in the tools that businesses need to evaluate their security environment and the challenges that security executives confront.

As security increasingly develops into a major pillar of enterprise risk management, it is evolving into an independent group in many organizations. Framing security as a component of the overall needs of the business makes for a more useful discussion. "The odds are increasing that vendors will find more constructive ways to engage you in meaningful conversations centered around business needs," Bragdon writes.

For more:
- see Bob Bragdon's post at CSO

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