Security allows you to protect the confidentiality of your information. It also allows you to access this information when you need it and to trust its integrity. It is an ongoing process where reasonable amounts must be spent to reduce avoidable risks.

To be secure, you must require:

My wife and I recently went shopping with my mother to purchase a new kitchen clock. While completing the transaction, the salesperson asked my mother if she'd like to take out their extended warranty service on the clock. Somewhat taken aback, she exclaimed agitatedly, "Extended warranty on a clock!

Everyone talks about architecture these days, and there are many different types or levels of architecture. Since its inception in 1987, the granddaddy of architectures, the Zachman Framework, has doubled, from three levels and three areas to six levels and six areas (see http://www.zifa.com).

The world's most eminent IT gurus are warning of the potential dangers to our information infrastructure caused by natural or malicious acts. In this post-9/11 world they are calling for companies, governments, and economies to take steps to buffer themselves from pandemic effects.

What began as a trickle is turning into a torrent.... Global sourcing is a hot topic in executive suites throughout the US and Europe. Driven by our increasingly globalized economy, IT services are following the lead of industries such as manufacturing and agriculture in their shift to less expensive geographic locales.

For the most part, functional testing seems to be pretty straightforward. Do this, that happens. Is "that" what we expected? If so, the test passes; if anything else happens, it fails. Seems pretty simple.

Is IT considered to be of strategic importance in your organization? Here are a few signs to look for: