Security to Become Job One Instead of Add-on Afterthought

Security is becoming engrained in companies' IT structures, rather then something added later as an afterthought. An online article from Information Security Magazine describes the genesis of security integration, explaining that, "With each major denial-of-service attack, Web-site defacement and virus outbreak, management becomes more attuned to cyberthreats and the damage they can cause an enterprise. Slowly, management's recognition of cyberthreats is translating into security earning a higher spot on the corporation's list of priorities."

The magazine article continues, adding that larger companies—such as Oracle, Microsoft, Sun, Cisco and Intel—may end up squeezing out smaller security companies. Several, such as Oracle, will provide security options that service both theirs and other technologies.

As security goes mainstream, more business and IT managers have become involved instead of relegating the work to geeks cloistered in a back room. This may also mean that the products and procedures are less cutting-edge than in the past.

Antivirus importance

This isn't to say that the security threats have been neutralized, but it does mean the fixes aren't as groundbreaking as they once were. In fact, at the 2007 RSA Conference in San Francisco, Art Coviello, president of RSA Security, said that, "200,000 viruses are expected to be released this year, which will pose a huge challenge to the antivirus industry." He also indicated that only about 70 percent of attacks would be caught by existing intrusion-prevention systems.

Coviello believes that the solution is to worry less about individual threats and focus more on ensuring that the most important data is kept properly secure, perhaps through strong encryption. He believes that pattern-recognition systems could be used to identify and deal with suspicious behavior. Because the industry is shifting toward infrastructure integration within companies, Coviello agrees that stand-alone security firms are doomed.

The response

Coviello's keynote address criticized the security industry's manner of operation in recent years. "A more integrated response is needed to combat the scale of the threat facing Internet users and businesses today," he said.

For those companies behind the curve, simply saying there's a need for security or wanting to reduce risk isn't enough. Instead, companies need to take a thoughtful approach to integrating security into their IT structure.

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