Making sure that systems measure up to laws and regulations take at least quarter of their total spending of six out of ten IT security teams, a new survey shows.

Conducted by security management firm nCircle, the research canvassed the opinion of 103 UIT security professionals and revealed that significant amounts are spent making sure that latest versions of products are used legally.

"Compliance has become a factor in every business process and it's not a surprise to see so much focus on compliance," said nCircle's vice president for strategy, Elizabeth Ireland.

"It is surprising, though, to see that one third of the respondents are spending more than half of their time on compliance."

According to Ms Ireland, this figure suggests that more It security teams could benefit from adding automation to their compliance processes.

This would ensure that up to date products are used, highlight systems where updates have to be installed and ensure that software licences are renewed so that their use remains valid.