More and more companies are becoming aware of the need for better information security systems and are ready to spend more on this than their global peers, if a study is any indication.

According to an Ernst & Young survey, as many as 61 per cent of the 150 domestic firms surveyed say they will spend more on information security next year, while the global average is only 46 per cent.

The top five priorities for firms, both domestic and global, in the next 12 months, will be business continuity, data leakage, information security risk management, regulatory compliance, and bringing in transparent corporate policies," says the 13th E&Y annual global information security survey released here today.

The survey was carried out mostly online from June to August this year among the telecom, engineering, technology, and other sectors in the country, while globally it was carried out among 1,600 organisations spanning 55 countries.

"Traditional enterprise border is in the process of becoming a legacy. Workforce mobility, cloud computing and use of social networking media are driving changes in the environment. Security measures have to match these trends to mitigate the potential impact," says E&Y partner-risk advisory services Terry Thomas.

When it comes to cloud computing, however, domestic firms are a tad behind their global peers as 65 per cent of global participants believe that cloud computing will increase if certification is made available if firms can show certification by an accreditation body. Against this only 55 per cent of the domestic respondents feel the rising importance of cloud computing.