Ads by TechWords

See your link here
Receive the latest technology news and information.
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
Cloud Computing
View all newsletters




Privacy Policy
 
Security: Proactive Security

Editor's Note: Proactive Security

How to build a security organization and select tools that can foil internal and external attacks.
 

Sign up to receive Resource Alerts

sign-up

March 21, 2005 (Computerworld) -- Ask an IT executive whether he'd prefer a proactive security stance over a reactive one, and of course the answer would be yes. For one thing, it just sounds better. Plus, it's not much fun being reactive, because it means cleaning up messes like thousands of virus-infected PCs and explaining the nightmare to the boss.

So this special report is dedicated to the notion that it's better to be proactive -- a concept that seems obvious but is very new in the IT security field. You'll learn how to buy intrusion-prevention systems, build a proactive security organization and bake security into the application development process at the outset.

But no security organization can possibly be 100% proactive. "That would mean that you predict every possible threat and risk to your organization. The fact is that you will be surprised and caught off-guard from time to time," says Doug Landoll, CEO of IT security consultancy Veridyn. In other words, sometimes you'll have no choice but to be reactive, though ideally you will be able to quickly identify and respond to those crises, he says.

So what we're really saying is that it's time to blend some proactive techniques into your security mix, which is what forward-thinking companies like General Motors and AT&T are doing. "You just cannot sit back any longer and wait for your LAN to go down," says Ed Amoroso, chief information security officer at AT&T. "You need to be looking at things before they become a problem."

Mitch Betts is executive editor of Computerworld. He can be reached at mitch_betts@computerworld.com.

Special Report

Proactive Security
Stories in this report:



Print this Story Send Us Feedback E-mail this Story Digg! Digg this Story Slashdot this Story

Special Reports

Three Windows 7 touch-screen laptops
Report: Apple readies smaller iPhone on Verizon
Seth Weintraub: Pros and cons of Droid
More top stories...
Cisco doubles down on collaboration with 61 new products
Microsoft makes case for upgrade to Exchange 2010
Intel readies 2.3GHz, 3.5GHz WiMax support with Kilmer Peak


Ads by TechWords

See your link here


The updated iMac now offers a screen resolution that's higher than HD.
The Droid comes with Android 2.0, the slimmest QWERTY slider, a 3.7-in. display and Verizon's network. Is the iPhone in trouble?
Didn't think hardware this tiny could be tweaked? Think again. We explore five ways to turn netbooks up to 11.
Abundant spectrum resources and an engaged research community are drawing wireless experimenters back into a hobby that many had forgotten.
Get the latest news, reviews and more about Microsoft's newest desktop operating system.
General Mills, Genentech, San Diego Gas & Electric, University of Pennsylvania and Monsanto top the list.
All Zones
The SAS Zone
Software Resource Center
Mobile Security
Disaster Recovery & Cost Savings
Strategic Content Management
Business Analytics Zone