Canadian executives lead the world in their concern over network security, a new study says.

According to a global survey and report on networking and business strategy from AT&T in co-operation with the Economist Intelligence Unit, 87 per cent of Canadian executives identified security as the top concern for corporate networks, compared to 78 per cent of executives worldwide.

Moreover, the study said that executives believe that 83 per cent of security breaches come from within the company, and are the result of sabotage, espionage or accidental error.

Not surprisingly, Canadian businesses also led the world in creating positions for chief security officers (CSO): Canada stood at 16 per cent, while the rest of the world stood at 10 per cent.

Overall, security sat at the top of the list of concerns. It was in second place in 2003, just behind network reliability and availability as the most critical network attribute, which moved down a position.

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