Mari-Len De Guzman

What started out as an online businessman's dirty tactic cost victims millions

You want to protect your network? Then give your staff some lessons on security. This advice comes from Howard Schmidt, chief security strategist, US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT). Schmidt previously worked in the White House as presidential advisor on cyber security.

The demand for strong authentication tools may intensify over the next two years as manufacturers increasingly adhere to open standards. Lower costs are also fuelling demand. Security vendors say there's been a significant decline in the price of strong authentication technologies from manufacturers involved with the Initiative for Open Authentication (OATH).

Businesses don

The unrelenting increase in oil prices is not only hitting commuters badly, it may also set back IT investments, according to an analyst firm. IT investments are expected to grow this year, but if the recent phenomenon of rising fuel costs continues, there may be "inevitable retrenchment" in technology spending, Denis Vance, chief research officer, IDC Canada said.

Executives the world over are recognizing that effective procurement strategies are the highroad to cost savings and competitiveness. An IBM global survey of three hundred senior executives

Investment in security has topped the banking sector's IT spending priority list for 2005, a study by the Info-Tech Research Group revealed. The 2005 IT Budget and Staffing Report surveyed more than 1,400 IT decision-makers across various industry sectors including finance, manufacturing, government, agriculture, health and professional services. Eighty-nine per cent of banks surveyed were based in the U.S.

A Microsoft Corp. security expert is calling for greater international collaboration, including increased technical and training support for law enforcement agencies, to seriously combat cyber crime. While many countries have the necessary laws in place to aid the investigation and prosecution of computer criminals, it is important that there be "no safe haven" for them, according to Philip Reitinger, senior security strategist, Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash.