Business and government want to ensure their information infrastructures are protected against cyberattack, but money can be an obstacle for many of them. And, if you have more money in your marketing budget, how can you best spend it? Read on.

ENDPOINT SECURITY IN SMBs? IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PRICE

Getting pushback from small and mid-sized businesses on endpoint security solutions? SMBs are usually crunched when it comes to financial resources. That's a big reason most of them tend to skimp on security features when they buy endpoint security, according to endpoint security vendor VIPRE. A survey by the company found that more than 70 percent of IT managers within SMBs say budget considerations have forced them to compromise on security features when they buy an endpoint solution. VIPRE found that price was the top factor in endpoint purchases among 53 percent of survey respondents, followed by ease of use, at 47 percent. After that? Feature set (41 percent), support (34 percent), advanced detection technology (31 percent), cloud-based management (29 percent) and ransomware (21 percent).

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BUDGET FOR CYBERSEC BATTLE

If you have a municipality or two among your client base, does this sound familiar? A lack of adequate funding and insufficient cybersecurity staff are holding back cities and towns across the U.S. from reaching the highest levels of cybersecurity, according to a survey of local government CIOs. Despite that, the study, conducted by ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, partnering with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, found that 32 percent of respondents reported increases in cyberattacks to their local government information repositories during the past 12 months. Meanwhile, most -- 58 percent -- indicated that the inability to pay competitive salaries prohibited them from achieving high levels of cybersecurity. In addition, 53 percent cited an insufficient number of cybersecurity staff as the primary obstacle, and 52 percent cited a general lack of funds.

FUTURE WATCH: AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY

There is steady growth and then there is growth on steroids. The market for augmented and virtual reality falls into the latter, according to Allied Market Research. It predicts a compound annual growth rate of 65.7 percent for the new technology through 2022, from $760 million in 2015 to $59.5 billion. Among the findings: The mobile segment dominated the market in 2015, and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR; and the healthcare market will provide the best growth opportunities globally.

FLY THE 'MOBILE FIRST' SKIES?

Air travel can be a time-consuming activity, especially given the extra time required for more stringent security procedures. But wider use of mobile technology can make life a bit easier for travelers, and that's helping shape mobile technology strategies for airlines, according to new research from mobile technology vendor CellPoint Mobile, which focused on what's influencing airlines' mobile payment strategies. Nearly half – 48 percent – of the airlines surveyed said younger travelers who are receptive to mobile payments are most influential in shaping their mobile strategies, followed by improved Wi-Fi connectivity during travel (46 percent); existing use of mobile payments and mobile banking devices (43 percent); and increased smartphone use by consumers (41 percent).

BOOST YOUR BRAND? TRY MORE ORIGINAL DIGITAL VIDEO

Four of every five marketers are planning to boost their budgets on original digital video this year, according to research by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. IAB says online digital video is gaining a greater share of all digital video budgets, climbing to 47 percent this year, from 45 percent in 2016. More than half – 53 percent – of 358 survey respondents cited expanding marketing budgets as the funding source for more video.