Businesses are increasingly being put at risk of failing compliance audits and struggling with other security-related efforts, as demand for employees capable of managing such projects is outpacing the supply of qualified candidates. According to a new research report published by the Department of Management at the London School of Economics and sponsored by security software maker McAfee, businesses worldwide are reaching a "compliance breaking point" as an increasing number of regulations make it harder for them to stay ahead of auditors. While <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2073084,00.asp?kc=EWWKNEMNL121506EOAD">the lack of adequate help</A> is currently most severe in the United States, where the government has been more aggressive in creating new directives such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which is aimed at forcing companies to do a better job of policing workers' handling of sensitive information, the shortage of highly skilled security expertise will soon come to a head in other nations that are in the process of applying new rules.