For more info on a specific newsletter, click the title. Details will be displayed in a new window.
Subscribe to
Computerworld 40 years of the most authoritative source of news and information for IT leaders.
Part 1: Keys to great security and IT operations
or
Other Security Stories
|
|
|
|
March 17, 2004 (Computerworld) -- Security and IT operations often act as if they are at war with each other, with completely opposing goals. You've probably seen it. For instance, security works hard to create a policy to ensure that the organization remains in an acceptable defensive posture, only to have it completely ignored by IT operations. So when the organization gets hit with something like the MS Blast worm, many critical servers are affected. As a remedy, security creates a list of urgent patches to be applied. However, due to the wide variety of server configurations, the patch doesn't consistently succeed. As a result, IT operations is left with a server, or hundreds of servers, that no longer even boot!
In scenarios like this, the patching cure prescribed by security is worse than the disease. A political blame game can follow, creating an adverse relationship between security and IT operations. More energy is put into unproductive activities, and business goals are compromised, including the delivery of a stable, available and secure computing infrastructure that fulfills business requirements.
Observed practices for success
I recently participated in two workshops where more than 70 practitioners from high-performing IT organizations shared their experiences on how they achieve and sustain their security and operational objectives. The first workshop, "Auditable Security Controls That Work," I co-chaired with the SANS Institute; the other workshop, "Best in Class Security and Operations Roundtable," I co-chaired with the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
This two-part article describes my observations and key findings from these workshops. This first article describes the challenges and solutions common to this group. The second article will explore a working definition of what it means to be a high-performing IT organization and will describe the resulting works in progress.
In the two workshops, three key management practices emerged as common to high-performing security and IT operations organizations: They rigorously enforce the change management processes, they foster a "culture of causality," and they ensure that security adheres to and helps enforce the effective management of change. Each of these practices is described below:
Rigorously enforce the change management processes
Common to all the high-performing organizations we studied is a culture of change management.
|
Print this Story |
|
Send Us Feedback |
|
E-mail this Story |
|
Digg this Story |
|
Slashdot this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
All Zones Application Performance Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone Enterprise Solutions Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone The Data Center Management Zone |
 See your link here
|
 |
||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
|
Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? 
Download this Executive Bulletin (a $49.95 value) for free, compliments of MessageLabs.
Get this white paper now!
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
- Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops
- FBI worried as DoD sold counterfeit networking gear
- Update: Microsoft to appeal $1.3B EU fine
- More top stories
Security Management ZoneSecurity management is the process of developing a comprehensive data protection plan. It takes into account all potential threats, the existing network environment, the future needs of the organization, and lays out a multi-tiered blueprint to integrate the security technology needed to combat these threats. CDW can help keep your network and data secure. Visit the CDW Security Management Zone now See All Zones
|
 Fired up about IT? Join Sharkbait and share your true tales of IT. SharkBait is the place for you to sound off about everything IT – the good, the bad, and the rest of the weird stuff you deal with every day. New baits 
|
Computerworld Technology Briefing: An open-source path to optimal virtualization Looking for a virtualization strategy that offers both the flexibility and reliability to meet the demands of mixed-source environments? Look no further than the fast-emerging open virtualization approach backed by some of the biggest names in enterprise computing. Together they are pointing the way toward higher data center performance without higher costs.Download this briefing
|
 In SecurityThere's plenty of talk about how to behave during a Customs search of your computer and gear, but Jon Espenschied's got tips for securing your data (and privacy) before you reach the border. Click here to read the latest column by Jon Espenschied |
 |
 |
Layered Security Solutions
Although basic network security issues have changed very little over the past decade, the
network security landscape has changed dramatically. Today's IT professionals still have the
primary responsibility of protecting the confidentiality of corporate information, preventing
unauthorized access, and defending the network against attacks. Security experts and analysts agree that a security solution comprised of multiple layers is the best defense against today's increasingly sophisticated attacks.Download this white paper
|
Universal Threat Management - Because Conventional UTM is Not Enough!
This white paper, written by Mark Bouchard of Missing Link Security Services, examines the challenges confronting today's enterprises with respect to managing threats on a network. It also discusses the need for "Universal Threat Management", which is a security solution approach for all physical locations within an enterprise that require threat protection.Download this white paper |
Selecting the Right Threat Management Solution
This short demo will guide you through key considerations for selecting a solution to manage threats on a network. Learn about the popularity of Unified Threat Management (UTM), and how it fits into an overall security solution. Explore critical elements of a network-wide solution for multisite and large network-size deployments and identify the four key features of a threat management solution.View this demo
|
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDG Connect
IDG World Expo
Infoworld
The Industry Standard
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
MacUser
Macworld
Network World
PC World
Playlist
Copyright © 2008 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited.
Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are
trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
|
