Latest Data management and data security News

Secure your communications against Cyber warfare
posted on 02/02/2009

More and more organisations – emergency services, government departments and financial institutions – hold information nationally and access it nationally, and, in some cases, offshore it. There is relatively little offshoring of information by government. But corporate organisations, credit helpdesks and so on hold their customer relations management overseas. They share information over the web with a vast number of IT systems and databases. It is almost impossible for anyone to know on what scale this information is accessible. Almost every week the media reports on negligent loss of data, much of it highly sensitive. Perhaps with so many people using so much data in so many different places we should not be so surprised. The aggregation of information, in itself, escalates the level of sensitivity. So there is greater risk of abuse or corruption, either intended or accidental, as in the loss of the child benefit database last year. Unfortunately, shared technology increa... [more]

Lazy sales people most likely to cause a security breach
posted on 28/01/2009

The main cause of security breaches and data loss can be contributed to the actions of staff. A recent survey of IT managers has revealed that based upon personal characteristics, the personal assistant is one of the least likely to pose a security risk to the business. Network security vendor Clavister commissioned YouGov to identify the most likely culprits and those IT managers don’t trust. The survey revealed that only 1% of IT directors and managers that responded cited PAs as the type of employee that poses the biggest IT security risk to the company they work for. However, according to the IT managers and directors surveyed the sales and fieldwork force and operational staff are among those most likely to pose a security risk to the business. Someone who is lazy is also the office character IT managers feel most likely to pose the biggest IT security threat. “Companies have to act responsibly when it comes to protecting their business, including employees, partners, custome... [more]

Britain faces a credit crunch crime wave
posted on 27/01/2009

According to recent government figures, which cover July to September 2008, domestic burglaries were up 4%, robberies involving knives recorded by police up by 18%, murders involving knives up by 10% and fraud and forgery were also up by a figure of 16%. Ministers are warning that Home Office figures published last week provide clear evidence of a link between the recession and sharp increases in some criminal offences. Many police forces are reporting a significant rise in certain offences during the fourth quarter of 2008 with burglary and robbery doubling in some areas. dns believes that the figures relating to fraud are especially relevant for individuals and organisations worried about IT security. As the economic crisis continues to worsen, cyber criminals and potentially even ‘rogue’ internal staff will be increasingly on the lookout for opportunities to defraud and disrupt. Lee Lawson, lead penetration tester at dns, argues that while budgets might be getting tighter, no... [more]

GlassHouse Acquires CSSG to enter Security market
posted on 27/01/2009

GlassHouse Technologies has announced it has acquired Chicago-based security services consulting company CSSG. The acquisition extends GlassHouse’s offerings into data security services, including assessments, optimisation and policy framework development. As a result, GlassHouse customers will benefit from deeper infrastructure management services and consulting throughout their organisations. Founded in 2008 by Robbie Higgins, the team at CSSG has deep experience in security services with Fortune 500 companies and government organisations. In a market that is highly fragmented by point solutions, CSSG offers comprehensive security solutions to help manage the ever-changing risks generated by emerging technologies. Employing its proprietary Converged Security Framework, CSSG consultants blend technical skills with expertise in compliance as well as industry best practices, to simplify and optimise the customer’s existing assets within a complex IT environment. “CSSG brings experienc... [more]

QinetiQ and Secerno offer active database control to government and defence companies
posted on 26/01/2009

QinetiQ and Secerno have announced a partnership to offer active database control as a managed service to government departments and defence companies. The partnership will see QinetiQ market Secerno products to provide protection against threats that cause data to be lost or compromised. QinetiQ will enhance its current database monitoring and analysis activities with Secerno DataWall™ which identifies every attack, leak, threat and accidental misuse of data. The technology will also allow QinetiQ to offer database policy enforcement, compliance and auditing by accurately logging, alerting, substituting or blocking every query on its way to the database without blocking legitimate business transactions. Richard Franklin, Director of Digital Security at QinetiQ, said: "Partnerships are key to the way we work and we believe combining our skills and technology with carefully chosen companies like Secerno is of great benefit to our customers. This partnership with the market-leader in da... [more]

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