Today, we are more interconnected than ever before. Not only do we use the Internet to stay connected, informed and engaged, but also we rely on it for all of our day-to-day needs. We rely heavily on the Internet for everything from submitting taxes, to applying for student loans, to following traffic signals, to even powering our homes.
Acknowledging the importance of cyber security, President Obama designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month to engage and educate public and private sector partners to raise awareness about cyber security and improve the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident.
Government and corporate leaders overwhelmingly identify cyber security and associated trust issues as one of their top IT concerns. Use of network-based technologies such as mobility, collaboration and virtualization are increasing, as are related threats. Securing business infrastructure and data relies on solutions and secure systems from “trusted” vendors, a relationship founded on the reputation of the vendor, its people, its processes and its technology.
Cisco is dedicated to protecting organizations from threats including malicious modification or substitution of technology, misuse of intellectual property, supply chain disruption and counterfeit products. As the most trustworthy vendor in the world, Cisco delivers architectures built on secure software and hardware that is backed by a highly secure supply chain. By providing trustworthy and assured network platforms, Cisco enables government organizations and enterprises to confidently secure their business infrastructure, data and information from attacks.
We are currently in Cybersecurity month here in the United States, which is to say that our country is trying to raise our awareness in regard to our virtual protection.
So, Cyber Security? What is security for cyberspace…? It’s difficult at times to think of an imaginary border that protects networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access. Unauthorized access… so hacking? Yes, but more devious with results that could even lead to injury or death of our population.
Imagine what would happen if, all of a sudden, one of our major cyber systems were “hacked”… What does that mean for us? Think. Just about our whole existence revolves around cyberspace. That’s right, systems operate virtually to be able to manage simple things like pay roll all the way to complex things like flight plans, take-off and landing. Cyberspace is where your Facebook lives, Twitter, personal email accounts, and all of your personal finance information. Has your account ever been hacked by a friend posting a funny blurb on your account? Or has your identity been stolen by a hacker? With technology becoming an extension of ourselves, it’s just important to protect ourselves. Let’s not create an episode of J.J. Abrams “Revolution” if we can avoid it…
What can we do about it? That’s the point of this month is for “us”… yes, us plain ole citizens, to be more proactive in protecting ourselves, our communities, and ultimately our country.
“Americans can follow simple steps to keep themselves, their personal assets, and private information safe online. Here are a few tips all Internet users can do to practice cyber security during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) and throughout the year:
Set strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone.
Keep your operating system, browser, and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends, and community about Internet safety.
Limit the amount of personal information you post online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
Be cautious about what you receive or read online – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
As government agencies, schools, hospitals and organizations everywhere transition to mobile workforces the need to rethink cyber defense strategies becomes critical. Rates of cybercrimes, like hackings, virus infiltrations and digital breaches, continue to rise and networks need protection in order to keep data—and people—safe. In fact, President Obama outlined the importance of cyber security in his Wall Street Journal op-ed this summer.
In addition, The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) declared October National Cyber Security Awareness Month, so on October 25th , we invite you to join us as government experts, industry specialists and leading analysts gather for a cybersecurity town hall event, “Defending Cyber Borders—Beyond the Virtual Maginot Line.” Take part in the discussion as guests like Forrester analyst Rich Holland and Sans Institute Fellow Rob Lee, discuss innovative cyber security strategies and technologies and teach you to build effective, cost-conscious approaches to protecting your networks.
Register today for the virtual event. If you can’t make the date but are serious about cyber security, stay tuned for an on-demand version of the discussion.
We all know that the virtualization and cloud megatrend is a game changer for data centers, leading to profound shifts in everything from IT services and business models to architectures. Business benefits include reduced capital investments, new revenue growth opportunities, and the greater efficiency, agility and scalability demanded by globalization.
Enterprises have held back from making the transition to virtual and cloud environments primarily because of the inherent security risks and concerns.
Targeted attacks and security breaches are getting more sophisticated. The Verizon Security Threat Report for 2011 showed that 3.8 million records were stolen in 2010, and 94% of this data came from servers (an increase of 18%).
As security concerns are the primary barrier to making this transition from virtualized data center to cloud, we must rethink how security fits in to these new architectures and develop new security tools to ensure the secure transfer of information.
For enterprises to confidently seize the business benefits offered by data center virtualization and the cloud, security must be seen as the art of the possible, not as a hindrance.
Watch below as I explore the challenges and leading practices for securing virtualized environments today, and into the future.
Please join me also for a special webcast ”Defending the Data Center “ today at 10:00 am PDT /1:00 pm EDT /17:00 GMT -- To watch register here
Security events, such as vulnerabilities and threats, that are detected globally continue to grow and evolve in scale, impact, diversity, and complexity. Compounded with this is the other side of the coin, the unreported or undetected events waiting in the wings, hovering below the radar in a stealthy state. With all of the security technologies at our disposal, are they sufficient enough to provide effective protection? Well, it is certainly a good start when applied correctly. At a summary level, Cisco’s Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) approach to this challenge was covered in the Network World feature article, “Inside Cisco Security Intelligence Operations.” However, one of the core human elements, which I will introduce, that deserves closer attention is the role of security analyst. In addition, this article provides those of you with career interests some additional insight into working in the IT security field.
