IT ROSTRUM OCTOBER 1, 2005
Security: A Key To Success In IT
An unprotected IT infrastructure is susceptible to information theft. It can hit any business that aims to be competitive, and impact business operations, corporate reputation, and customer and shareholder trust. IT companies allocate substantial resources for their IT security programmes. However, non-IT companies still have a long way to go when it comes to IT security.An unprotected IT infrastructure is susceptible to information theft. It can hit any business that aims to be competitive, and impact business operations, corporate reputation, and customer and shareholder trust. IT companies allocate substantial resources for their IT security programmes. However, non-IT companies still have a long way to go when it comes to IT security.
Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi took up this critical issue and organized the second rostrum in its series on the 1st of October 2005. The topic for the IT Rostrum was- “Security: A Key To Success In IT”. During this seminar, eminent speakers from the industry addressed IT security issues related to technology and business operations.
Inaugurating the event Prof M.P Gupta, DMS IITD discussed the various aspects and scope of IT Security. Mr. A.K Wahi, Sr. Director, Convergys who moderated the Seminar emphasized on formulation of a Security Policy by all organizations as the first step towards building a secure infrastructure.
Speaking at the seminar Mr. Pavan Duggal, Sr. Advocate, Supreme Court of India eloquently explained various cyber laws and IT laws that are currently practiced in the country. He emphasized the need for these laws to be upheld properly by the law enforcing section of the society and also mentioned pitfalls that could arise in investigations of IT crimes due to the “draconian power and IT related ignorance of the policeman”.
On the issue of Cyber attacks and hacking, Mr. Sridhar Jayanthi, VP of Engg. and Head of India Operations, McAfee Inc., commented about the significance for protection against such attacks. “India’s IT infrastructure is not at a mission critical stage as yet so India does not need to worry about hacking and cyber attacks at present” he remarked. Mr. Devendra, AVP, Information Security, EXL Services gave an insight into various information security issues and challenges faced by the BPO sector. He mentioned Information Security Management Systems comprising of the ‘People, Technology and Process’ as the mantra for security and emphasized the relevance of organizations going for standard company certification like BS7799 and COBIT to increase their credibility in the market and show their seriousness about Security issues.
While speaking about Information Security with regards to confidentiality, sources of threats and general assessment processes, Mr. Kurien George, Principal Solutions Architect, Patni Computer Systems Ltd. mentioned reactive and proactive management as a means to control and manage security. “Customer is the driving factor for IT Security in the current market” was the message from Mr. Prabhat Kumar, Corporate Security Manager, TCS Ltd. He discussed about ‘End to End Assurance’ and elaborated the importance of risk assessment and risk & assurance matrices in achieving the same.
Delineating the evolution of IT Security in India, Mr. Ashok K Gupta, Worldwide director IT, Quark Inc, discussed about the history of security and its requirements in Indian context. “Security can never be achieved through a single tier of defense. We need to have multiple layers to protect our assets. For each security risk that we have tabulated, we should identify the preventive measures that could be used to reduce the risk” said Mr. Teevra Bose, Sr. Consulting Manager, Computer Associates Pvt. Ltd. He gave insight into security management, IT security policies and regulatory compliances.
Perhaps the event can be best summarized in Mr. Pavan Duggal words “IT Security has become an essential domain in the current IT era and it is but necessary for the policy makers to continuously outsmart the smart guys around”.