The past month has seen yet another series of challenges to IT security

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The Blaster and Sobig F viruses spread at an alarming rate and, despite the advice, warnings and technology, the vulnerability of systems was cruelly exposed.

The reason is simple: the heightened state of security awareness post-11 September is beginning to wane.

The number of companies making security a 'high priority' is falling. And even at those businesses that are still focused on the threat, clear policies are sometimes lacking.

Many companies are not identifying exactly where money needs to be spent, meaning that large parts of the corporate IT infrastructure are left under-protected.

Lack of effective procedures and policies is becoming more of an issue with the growing use of wireless networks and PDAs, and new services such as GPRS and instant messaging.

Government or company laptops are being lost, with sensitive data often finding its way into the public domain.

People often move corporate data around, perhaps sending it home for out-of-hours work, or forwarding it to a friend because there was something funny in it.

All done without malice, but in ways that expose an organisation to potential security and legal risk.

Better education for users would help eradicate these threats. Staff must be aware of their responsibilities regarding company and customer data, and policies must is enforced and adhered to.

As with most areas of IT, the real solution is not in technology alone: it is in people and best practice. In this Special Report, we look at how you can better protect your organisation and its data.