Where are the Holes? Turning IT Security Inside-Out
It’s an unfortunate truth. The holes in your IT security are most likely to be where you neither see them nor expect them. That means they’ll be outside the basic security arrangements that most organisations make. Firewalls, up to date software versions and strong user passwords are all necessary, but not sufficient. Really testing security […]
Who is Responsible for Cloud Data Security?
“The Buck Stops Here”, said US President Truman. And he made it doubly clear by having that statement inscribed on a thirteen-inch sign on his White House Oval Office desk. But what would he have made of the cloud, where IT engineers, managers and employees can all upload data and trying to pin down one […]
IT Security is Essential in the Cloud – But Which Cloud Do We Mean?
Clouds by definition are nebulous and vague. Their use in IT models and discussions goes back decades, long before the current cloud computing models. A ‘cloud’ was convenient shorthand for showing a link between a system on one side and a terminal or another system on the other. Today however, the concept has evolved. Not […]
Integrated Network Technologies Make Disaster Recovery Simpler (Sort Of)
What is the scarcest IT resource today? Processor power, main memory and disk space all seem to grow unabated. But network bandwidth on the other hand is still comparatively expensive. Consequently, enterprises tend to have less of it, which is turn leaves them more exposed to possible outages. Luckily, other technology means that bandwidth can […]
Penetration Testing: How Many Shades of Grey?
Commercial enterprises know that the best way to maintain market leadership is to attack yourself. It’s the same in IT security if you want to maximize your resistance against hackers. A niche industry has grown up around penetration testing – or ‘pentesting’ for short. Providers in this sector offer their services for applying automated or […]
“Data, Data, Everywhere, nor Any Drop to Drink”
The literature buffs among you should recognise this paraphrase of Samuel Coleridge’s epic poem, ‘The Ancient Mariner’. Besides having to put up with an albatross hung round his neck, the Ancient Mariner despaired of a lack of drinking water while becalmed at sea (“Water, water, everywhere…”) Given today’s oceans of data, CIOs might feel much […]