STAMFORD, Conn. – Credit union managers cautiously considering loosening the purse strings on technology spending are not alone. A survey of 956 chief information officers from a variety of enterprises around the world found more than 40% expected IT spending to increase in the second half of 2004. The survey, which research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. called the most comprehensive study of CIO behaviors and beliefs of its kind, also says that overall, IT managers are expecting a spending increase of 1.4% this year over last. "CIOs are being very conservative, laying down the foundations for growth, but not aggressively pushing for it," said Marcus Blosch, vice president and research director for Gartner EXP, the Gartner unit that conducted the study. Business priorities for CIOs remain focused on security breaches, operating costs and data protection and privacy, Blosch said. "Having weathered the storm of declining budgets and increased management expectations, most CIOs expect to focus on improving the contribution IT makes to the growth of their organization, while still keeping a control on costs," he said.