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What are corporate decision-makers focusing on in information technology? Online security and data protection first, followed at some distance by online commerce, according to a recent report by Forrester Research Inc. on global IT priorities.

The lag in spending on the Internet and e-commerce may reflect the relative maturity of these activities. In comparison, the recent emphasis on security (after a number of well-publicized data thefts) and disaster recovery (following several natural calamities) has given these fields greater urgency.

It could be that not all companies view themselves as e-commerce-centric. Those that do, however, will enjoy competitive advantages that stem from offering the most up-to-date online options, according to Forrester.

China leads all regions in terms of viewing e-commerce upgrades as a priority, reflecting a burgeoning online market. Twenty-nine percent of Chinese respondents indicated such upgrades were critical. In second position at only 17% was Austria/Germany, followed by Japan (15%); the United States (13%); United Kingdom (12%); Australia/New Zealand (11%) and Canada and France (9% each).

Forrester based its findings on polls conducted among 1,914 enterprise decision-makers in North America, Europe and Asia.

UPGRADING SECURITY	28%
UPGRADING DISASTER RECOVERY CAPABILITIES	22%
CONSOLIDATING IT INFRASTRUCTURE	22%
UPGRADING APPLICATION SYSTEMS	21%
SUPPORTING CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHANGES	15%
INTERNET AND E-COMMERCE ACTIVITIES	15%
Source: Forrester Research Inc.