A study on corporate security from the Conference Board and commissioned by the Department of homeland security has found some gaps in the way companies are approaching security. It also sends a message to the US Government on business attitudes to security.

The study, Navigating risk, found that while more than half saw security as being important for keeping pace with competitors and reducing insurance premiums, fewer saw it enhancing the value of the brand or important for managing the critical supply chain.

Furthermore, almost half said it was hard to justify security spending as there was no way to measure its effectiveness.

The way executives saw the US government's handling of security issues is also telling. There doesn't seem to be too much trust in the administration.

Nearly half the executives said the Government was too focused on terrorism and did not pay enough attention to protecting routine business operations. One in four said it was risky to provide information to the Government in case it would end up in the hands of competitors, and most didn't want more regulation.