Security skills are a top priority for IT managers, according to new global research by IT trade association CompTia.

The report found that nearly three-quarters of the 3,578 IT managers in 14 countries surveyed said IT security was the most important skill for IT professionals, but supply is not meeting demand, according to CompTia's European director, Matthew Poyiadgi.

"People are more security aware than they were two years ago but the skills required for businesses to cope with increasing cybercrime remain lacking," he explained. "To really get to grips with the problem, we need to train up both the people managing business IT networks and everyone using them as well."

The research found that the UK has one of the highest gaps between the perception of how important security skills are and how proficient the workforce is in those skills.

"Better security awareness through IT security education for all staff, regardless of job title, from network administrators right through to project managers is a necessity given the rising rates of information security breaches, " argued Poyiadgi.