THE NATURE OF THE THREAT TO INFORMATION SECURITY

The Nature of the Threat to Information Security

The Nature of the Threat to Information Security

New federal rules require companies to audit IMs

Companies that do not keep tabs on PDAs, instant messaging and other forms of electronic data may soon be for an unpleasant surprise if they are in court. As of December 1, 2006, the introduction of new rules, known as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure shall enter into force. The rules established by the U.S. Supreme Court, expand the types of electronically stored information that companies may need to make in the trial.

This means that the company will now be on the hook to retain and produce a wide range of digital data than before. Flash drives, voice mail and instant message system archives all will be added to the mix.

According to a recent survey on the Internet, executives are not ready for the new rules: in November, research company Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, nearly 70 percent of respondents said that they need more training on their own corporate records retention policies and procedures (and this, in the classroom including many CFOs, tax directors, finance directors, lawyers, and controllers). "Deloitte said that it was time to check the data storage strategy.

One of the ways that IT can prevent surprises under the new rules a more thorough audit. Take instant messaging: A study in 2006 American Management Association and e-Policy Institute, more than half of those who use free software instant messaging at work say their employers do not know what they are up to.

For most companies, the biggest concerns associated with the use of undisciplined instant messaging will be a sharp increase in costs and lost productivity during discovery, says Jeffrey Ritter, one of the founders of Waters Edge Consulting, counseling, information management, based in Reston, Virginia, "the burden faced by companies is cost containment, "he says.

Companies can get a real problem when the CIO, chief consultant and manager of records, not on the same page, Ritter adds. "The most significant challenge for many companies is the lack of united approach to risk assessment.

The Chinese government hacked a noncritical Defense Department computer system in June, a Pentagon source told FOX News on Tuesday.

Pentagon investigators could not definitively tie the cyber-attacks of the Chinese military, said the source, but the technology was sufficiently complex that it shows the Pentagon - as well as ...