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A user-friendly board guide for effective information technology oversight

Overseeing a company's information technology activities is a significant challenge for directors. The pace of change in this area is rapid, the subject matter is complicated, and the highly technical language used to describe emerging technologies and evolving risks makes this a challenging area. And many companies are relying more and more on technology to get ahead, often prompting substantial changes in how they operate. All of these factors can make the board’s IT oversight responsibility appear harder than it is.

The “IT confidence gap”

Our research, which included surveying 860 public company directors, indicates many board members are uncomfortable with overseeing their company's IT. Although many directors want to better comprehend the risks and opportunities related to IT, they sometimes don't have an adequate understanding of the subject to be truly effective in their oversight roles. In addition, boards often lack a well-defined process that satisfies their needs in this area. On the whole, this confluence of factors creates an “IT confidence gap” for many board members.

See full Press Release: http://www.pwc.com/us/en/corporate-governance/publications/directors-and-it/index.jhtml

Corporate governance: Keep IT in the loop

Governance remains high on the corporate agenda. And paying attention to ethical standards and a cohort of privacy laws requires that the IT department is kept firmly in the loop. So where does this leave companies that join the migration to the cloud?

The insurance industry approaches the cloud from the perspective of risk says Sarah Goddard, chief executive of the Dublin International Insurance and Management Association (DIMA). And she believes that cloud providers “still have a lot of questions to answer” in regard to data segregation and audit trails.

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Companies not investing enough in IT security

Apparent rise in security breaches not enough to shock CIOs into action.

Chief information officers are aware of the increasingly dangerous cyber security environment but ignore this and instead have placed their trust in cloud computing providers, according to a study.

They also wait for security problems to be exposed by the media or to be forced into action by the company's board.

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2012 Global State of Information Security Survey

According to the results of the 2012 Global State of Information Security Survey®, the majority of executives across industries and markets worldwide are confident in the effectiveness of their organization’s information security practices.

Why are executives confident, and where have organizations made progress in addressing information security over the past year? What are the signs of vulnerability and weakness in security-related capabilities? And which priorities and opportunities should executives address now in order to prepare for the cyber threats ahead?

See full Press Release.

Businesses warned over rise in cyber crime

New research reveals online criminals cost UK business £21bn a year

Businesses are warned today to protect themselves against the rising risk of cyber crime as new research shows the true cost of this 21st century economic threat.

The warning comes from Bluefin Insurance Services which has offices in 50 locations across the country. Peter Castle, Head of Customer Proposition, at Bluefin says: "Cyber crime is an increasingly serious problem but many traditional insurance policies could leave businesses vulnerable in the event of an attack."

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New Greenpeace report digs up the dirt on Internet data centres

For most of us, when we think about our environmental footprint, the first things that spring to mind are how to commute to work, the kind of bags we use for grocery shopping, or the detergents we wash our clothes with. But how often do we consider the energy we use when surfing or searching the web? And how how much polluting, dirty energy does our Facebook profile generate?

"How dirty is your data?" is the first ever report on the energy choices made by IT companies including Akamai, Amazon.com (Amazon Web Services), Apple, Facebook, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo, and highlights the need for greater transparency from global IT brands on the energy and carbon footprint of their Internet infrastructure.

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Facebook shares green data centre technology

Facebook has announced that it will share the design secrets behind its new energy-efficient data centre with rival companies.

The social network's facility in Prineville, Oregon is said to use 38% less power than existing centres.

It hopes, by making the innovations public, to cut the amount of electricity the industry consumes.

Despite Facebook's advances, some environmental groups have criticised the firm over its green credentials.

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Accenture Identifies Eight Trends Driving The Future of Information Technology

The emerging world of information technology is one in which data is king, social platforms evolve as a new source of business intelligence, and cloud computing finally delivers on IT’s role as a driver of business growth, according to a new report from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).

The Accenture Technology Vision 2011 identifies eight emerging trends that challenge long-held assumptions about IT and are poised to reshape the business landscape. The report also offers “action steps” that high performing businesses and governments can take to prepare for the new world of computing.

See full Press Release.

Tougher compliance rules will force data security improvements

Businesses need to raise their game on the security of their web sites, as regulators and industry bodies begin to take a tougher line on compliance, a leading analyst has warned.

Graham Titterington, principal analyst at Ovum, said that businesses face a greater likelihood of enforcement action this year, if they lose data, or breach industry security standards.

See full Article.

Computer memory heralds green PCs

A new form of computing memory which could lead to faster starting, user-friendly computers has been developed by US researchers.

The device, developed by a team at North Carolina State University, claims to combine the advantages of two commons forms of memory used today.

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Process is key to plugging data leakage

Data leakage issues should be taken as seriously as financial loss problems

It has never been easier to communicate with a wide range of organisations or individuals, to conduct international business or to search and find information. It has also never been easier to disseminate and misuse data, intentionally or not.

Many of the failures relate to the breakdown or simple lack of adequate procedures for handling personally identifiable and commercially sensitive data. This is where the focus now needs to shift and more effort must be put into ensuring the processes that surround the movement and management of personal data are fit for purpose.

See full Article.

Green IT power ready to go

Activating power management settings and tools can save costs now

As companies look to go green, from adopting recycling policies to reducing paper consumption, power management should be a key component in their strategy.

Many software vendors are developing tools to help the IT department reduce its carbon footprint and energy costs. Over time, investment in eco-friendly initiatives will become necessary. However, these can take years of planning, and are costly to implement.

See full Article.

Bridging the Gap: How Internal Audit and IT Can Work Together To Improve Information Security

Internal auditors and information security professionals don't always get along, and it's not really all that difficult to figure out why.

"They just have different cultures and different backgrounds," W. P. Carey Professor of information systems Paul Steinbart explains. "I mean, when you think about it, most information security people have a computer science-type background with very little business focus. Meanwhile, on the internal auditing side, it's all about accounting and business with maybe just a smattering of IT."

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Inside IFRS - The opportunity for energy IT

A major move
Conversion to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) will likely be the largest single change of accounting policies and procedures ever undertaken by US companies. The move to IFRS may compel companies to make significant changes in business processes and supporting systems beyond the finance function. While the proposed timelines for IFRS adoption appear to be far away and not urgent, there are many reasons for energy companies to begin planning now.

While accounting considerations are the primary drivers of IFRS conversion, information technology (IT) departments must participate in project planning to provide insight around the technical implications of key decisions. Some energy companies may face significant information system implications, while others may find that systems do not require major rework. But there is simply no way to know the extent of effort required unless the IT organization devotes attention to this question. Consequently, the company that does not devote the effort now to analyze their organization’s specific conversion requirements for time, people, processes and systems, could be caught unprepared and have fewer options than those companies that planned ahead.

See full Report, in pdf format.

Companies falling behind on IT access governance, survey finds

As enterprises turn to Web-based applications for various uses -- from payroll, expense reporting and other employee services -- many are finding it more difficult to control access governance, according to a new survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute LLC. Outsourcing services and relying on contractors to do work is also making access a difficult problem to solve.

The survey of 728 IT professionals found many enterprises are having trouble keeping pace with access changes resulting in many employees having more access to systems than necessary. Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed said individuals had too much access to resources that are not pertinent to their job description. The figure has risen 9% from the 2008 access governance survey.

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PCI security compliance experts share ways to get compliance 'done right'

PCI security compliance experts share ways to get compliance 'done right'

Far too many merchants try to achieve compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) by finding ways to implement compensating controls with part of the standard and end up spending way too much money in the process.

"If you don't agree with a particular PCI provision and you think you can do things better, that's fine, but you have to build a case for a compensating control," said Anton Chuvakin, co-author of "PCI Compliance: Understand and Implement Effective PCI Data Security Standard Compliance."

See full Article.

SOA adoption: The human face of governance

Human and organizational factors such as politics, information silos, and change management generally underlie IT success and failure.

During a recent conversation, IT analyst and fellow ZDNet blogger, Dana Gardner, affirmed the extent to which this view applies to service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects.

I asked Dana to elaborate on the importance of organizational dynamics with respect to SOA governance and adoption:

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Green software holding finance directors back

Expert claims the software industry has not provided FDs with suitable and affordable environmental data systems

Software providers are holding back adoption of environmental strategies as they do not have the necessary tools.

The comments came from Jyoti Banerjee, a technology consultant and director of Kite Blue, at the ICAEW's sustainable business and green IT conference.

He said: "It is disappointing vendors are not playing a deep or significant enough role" when it comes to environmental IT. He also pointed out environmental software can be "easy" to create.

See full Article.