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Insight
In an IEEE Software column earlier this year (Greg Goth, "Federal Government Calls for More Secure Software Design," IEEE Software, Vol. 19, No. 1, January/February 2002, pp. 90-92), we read the following quote from John Gilligan, CIO, US Air Force: "It is clear that the quality of software design and testing in the past does not measure up to the needs of the present and future." Along with this quote is a discussion of how terrorist attacks have galvanized agencies. All of this sounds impressive, but will there be any changes of consequence?
September 11 changed many things. Our personal lives have changed as much -- if not more -- than our professional lives. Some years ago, I had to beg for more money to enhance a security infrastructure. Why should we spend so much money on a "low-probability event" I was asked. Do we really need such a large off-site contingency facility? How will we pay for all this stuff? Today, it would be easy.
Many of us are finally very concerned about security. We've already documented this increased awareness and commitment to just about all aspects of security (see the previous article). But what technologies are we looking at? Which ones should we buy? Which ones are likely to become "standard"? What should your technology hit list look like?
Article
Security Survey
Editor's note: Assertion 57 from the Cutter Business Technology Council ("Pandemic II," Cutter Business Technology Trends and Impacts Council Opinion, Vol. 2, No. 12) states: "Every server on the Internet is attacked every day by hackers or hacker agent software.
As we all know, achieving IT and business alignment is not easy. We must tie business strategy, technology, and people into a comprehensive and synergistic package that, as Paul Strassmann of Strassmann, Inc. Consulting Services says, will demonstrate a positive relationship between IT and accepted financial measures of performance. However, as my mother used to say, you need to be careful for what you wish for, because you just might get it.
I think he's right. Everywhere you turn nowadays, you hear another what-if horror story.
Electronic business activity totaled more than US $980 billion in 2000, according to the US Department of Commerce [1, 3]. Business-to-business (B2B) transactions accounted for more than 94% of all e-commerce transactions, and much of this activity involved B2B collaboration.