WASHINGTON--More than 50 percent of security practitioners have experienced budget cuts due to the current economic crisis, according to new research from the Security Executive Council.

The research, which was compiled through a survey completed by 259 participants, found that security departments faced approximately 17 percent in budget reductions from fiscal 2008 to 2009. Most budget reductions were reported in contract services/consulting (46 percent), capital projects/equipment (48 percent), training and conferences (52 percent) and business travel (51 percent). Only 34 percent reported a decrease in staffing.

In comparison, only 19 percent of security practitioners reported a decrease in budgets over fiscal 2007 to 2008.

Kathleen Kotwica, vice president of research and product development for the SEC, said businesses are "definitely squeezing budgets. Security obviously has had enough problems over time with getting management to understand that security is a business partner. Although things seem to be going better it's somewhat of a struggle to get an appropriate budget and justify that budget as compared to other functions. Some companies depending on vertical throw quite a bit of money at security, but overall this is not a trend."

Kotwica said many security leaders have worked diligently to create a culture where they are viewed as more of a value center instead of a cost center. "They have been able to demonstrate the value of security being in place for a multitude of reasons and this enables corporations to go further globally because they have a strong security team in place."

Even though the financial crisis is squeezing the wallets of many businesses, some survey respondents reported budget increases -- 23 percent in 2008 to 2009. But that number differs greatly from the budget increases reported in 2007 to 2008, which were marked at 48 percent.

Even as budgets are being cut, incidents are increasing. Theft and fraud were reported to be at the top of the list along with HR support and violence. In an effort to mitigate potential problems, security managers implemented awareness programs and deployed technology, such as CCTV or IP monitoring.