WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. government spending on information technology security contracts will rise by as much as 10 percent over the coming year, says a new analysis by INPUT.
"The federal IT security market remains in a state of flux," the market analysis firm said in a statement Thursday, noting that a new classified cybersecurity initiative signed by President Bush last month could infuse up to $6 billion into the mix next year.
In the current fiscal year, "Agencies are wrestling with flat security budgets, increasing vulnerabilities, shifts in security policies, and the lack of qualified agency IT staff," said the statement.
The analysis suggests that most federal IT departments do not possess the required security knowledge or skills to combat current threats let alone address new ones.
"Current requirements reach beyond the capabilities of most agency IT departments, requiring assistance from the vendor community to provide installation, and in many cases, operation and management services," said INPUT senior analyst Chris Campbell.
"Opportunities range from network security to incident response to compliance services related to the Federal Information Security Management Act," Campbell added.
He said that this year, IT security spending had begun to rise, after remaining flat for several years.
