With organisations such as the NHS and Citygroup recently falling victim to high profile hacking incidents, and security intensive services such as cloud computing growing in popularity, IT professionals are looking to capitalise on an increasing demand for security professionals.

According to research from specialist IT recruitment website CWJobs.co.uk, nearly 80% of IT professionals believe technologies such as mobile and cloud clomputing are creating a demand for IT security skills. Of those that see an opportunity, 80% intend to capitalise on this by skilling up on security capabilities to boost their existing skill set, 19% plan to re-skill entirely.

78% of IT professionals believe that jobs in IT security offer good financial remuneration. Data from CWJobs’ Salary Checker tool reveals that the average salary for security jobs is £52,500*, which compares to an average of £47,500** for Analysts.

As prospects for security professionals grow, 45% of IT jobseekers see an opportunity to move into a security role, and 71% believe that security is a good option for graduates entering the IT industry.

Richard Nott, Website Director, CWJobs.co.uk, said: “Security is fast becoming one of the most talked about tech topics of the year. The opportunities for IT professionals are extensive, we’ve already seen an increase in the requirement for appropriately skilled candidates, and expect this demand to continue to grow throughout 2011.”