Policy Management Features

As a fast growing company that has developed its business around proprietary technologies, WebEx faced the same dilemma. IT security teams need to know about confidentiality clauses in contracts. Virtualisation is the new business reality. Forrester Research recently issued a report stating that 51 percent of North American companies have deployed or are testing virtualisation technology. Due to the interactive nature and required access to exploit, local privilege escalation vulnerabilities have traditionally been thought to have a minimal impact on the strategies enterprise IT departments incorporate to protect networks when compared to other code execution vulnerabilities. Microsoft’s new Vista operating system has placed more emphasis on security than any previous version of Windows. Ever since the arrival of the first anti-virus software in the mid-1980s, accountants have been battling with IT managers to control and quantify the efficiency of IT security software. If there is one certainty in the security business, it is that security professionals and hackers are in a constant battle to protect and exploit vulnerabilities. Can organisations enforce Acceptable Use Policies? Tamzin Matthew investigates. The headlines are scary for both CIOs and the companies they work for. "Stolen Computer Holds Information of 16,000 Driver's License Holders," "Vulnerability Auctions Killing Responsible Disclosure," "Hacking for Dollars: Is The Botnet Battle Already Lost?" "Online Brokerage Account 'Incursions' Worry SEC." The complexity, frequency, and malicious intent of security attacks from many sources are increasing in today's enterprise. Hearing news about yet another lost or stolen laptop and exposure of personal information is almost like having seen too many horror flicks. Shock has shifted to disbelief - plus numb outrage at the apparent inability of corporations and government to protect our private personal data. Hot: Expect attackers to increasingly target networked, multifunction devices, such as high-end printers, scanners and fax machines, as these devices continue to grow more sophisticated and move away from proprietary operating systems and software. US Financial institutions that meet the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's (FFIEC) year-end compliance guidance for stronger customer data and transaction protection will be wise not to declare victory. With security becoming increasingly complex to manage, formerly reluctant organisations are embracing outsourcing, says Rob Buckley. In the last couple of years, the role of the information security function in many organisations has achieved recognition as an important component of the organisation's overall risk management strategy.