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Security is everyone’s concern: everyone should be security’s concern

That’s right. Security is not a responsibility or privilege accorded only to guards or security agents. Security is everyone’s concern. Keeping one’s door locked is the responsibility of everyone who goes through that door, regardless of height, color, sex, rank or position in life. That means in your business or institution, where you have PCs and LANS that provide gateways to the cyberworld, anyone and everyone who goes cyber or sends/receives messages and files on the Internet, should be security conscious, concerned and competent. Most security measures fail not because of a mechanical or functional defect, but because of a human failing. That is, somebody forgot to close the door. And nothing attracts more attack, than an open door or drawer. 

This year’s IT Security Conference and Exhibit is dubbed: ManilaCon 2k5: privacy@risk. And rightly so. Today, security means keeping one’s information vault private and sealed from prying eyes and ears. Practically everything that a business or a person has in the form of information is lodged inside PCs, servers and host sites. Take a man’s PC and he loses his life’s worthiness. No more emails, no more files, no more data to refer and use for tomorrow’s job or work requirements. Lose a businessman’s server (and backup) and the whole business is paralyzed. No more payables (a happy thought), but no more receivables at the same time. And no more prospects, clients, supplier’s listing, and plan to follow or fail upon.

Security is IT

Early techies in IT concerned themselves with just writing programs or systems that work. Today, IT people write programs that defend themselves first from attack before these programs can start their programmed work. Security or security skills is no longer a trait or talent separate from IT. It is part and parcel of doing IT work. 

In some instances, systems have become more difficult to build because of security requirements. Systems have also become more difficult to implement. Again because of built-in, integral security procedures and processes that has to be followed. Why does it take much longer now to board a plane? Because people have to line up for security checkpoints. When implementing an IT system, all those involved in the generation, use, storage, retrieval or maintenance of business data must consider the safety, security and sheltering of these data at all times. And this means providing training to all: even and especially the non-IT users.

Losing is just the beginning

Have you lost a file lately? Has some data been corrupted somehow? Are some data inaccessible at certain times of the day? Are your data and information correct and updated as needed? Your worries have just begun.

It just means you have reached that stage in your corporate or domestic use of IT where it assumes a certain mass that makes it vulnerable to loss, misuse, attacks and chaotic consequences. You have grown beyond your ability to comprehend and control the security and safety issues that have befallen you.

It is time to learn more… if you wish to grow your business and your system some more.

Many business institutions contend themselves with just getting by when it comes to use of their PCs and IT resources. The ManilaCon 2k5: privacy@risk conference and exhibit should convince you and your people that there is something you can do to prevent further loss of data or confidence in your IT system.

It is not enough to accept “computer error” when something goes wrong with your system. Nor is it correct to attribute such to your people’s incompetence. 

If at all, let’s blame lack of time and lack of real concern and attention to security. And because when you had a chance to learn and understand you didn’t. 

The next time ManilaCon will come around again is next year. That’s twelve (12) full months you will have to wait, to right certain things that have gone wrong so far in your system. Or you can just take a chance at finding out more about this subject in the coming month of September at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila, in Makati. For a minimum investment of P5,911 per person (or if you are a ISSSP member, only P4,911) you can sleep well knowing your people are sleeping as well (and not working out a solution to a security breach the night before).

Who says there is a cheaper approach to preventing a sleepless night for the next 365 days after September 13-14 this year?