A research initiated by security software maker Symantec Corp revealed that the theft of trade secrets and customer information cost companies an average of $2 million each last year.

The survey reported nearly 2,100 information-technology executives worldwide, 75 percent of respondents reported cyber to face such attacks last year. Majorly the intrusions were objected at stealing a company's intellectual property, including product designs.

The survey, one of the biggest of its kind, was conducted in January among 2,100 enterprise chief information officers and IT managers from 27 countries.

Moreover, it cited that each company surveyed reported to have witnessed some form of cyber loss in the previous 12 months with themselves, ranging from a full-blown attack to the loss of data by employees.

"Similar surveys we have conducted have not reproduced such high levels of people experiencing the crime", Mike Jones of Symantec said, "And the cost associated seems to be rising generally", he added.

Enterprise security is emerging more cumbersome to manage for a number of reasons. Firstly, the recession has contributed to a cutback in manpower, leaving many companies' IT security departments understaffed.