Concerns over possible breaches of information security have made companies take the threat more seriously, according to one recruiter who works in the sector.

Colin Locke, director of Nationwide Technology Recruitment, told Recruiter in an exclusive interview that business was strong at Nationwide, despite the fact they only moved into the sector three years ago. When they set up in 1992, the company specialised in more general IT staff.

Nationwide, which is based in Maidenhead in southern England, has up to 20 staff, some of which work part-time sourcing candidates. The firm provides staff such as penetration testers, who try and hack into networks to see how secure they are.

Locke said: "Companies are definitely taking the idea of information security more seriously. We saw there was a gap in the market for that type of staff and, because we focus on meeting clients' needs rather than hitting targets, we get good results."

Locke was speaking at Infosecurity 2007, an exhibition in London dedicated to showcasing new technology in the market which was held from 24-26 April.

It is the first year Nationwide has exhibited and Locke said: "I think we've got about a month's worth of calls from this and we've already booked to be here next year."