Fear prevailing on the mind of IT Directors

During InfoSec Europe, Secure Computing took a survey of IT Directors, one-hundred and three of them to be exact, and asked them about their fears. What is it that concerns them most regarding IT security?

When asked to pick which was the larger threat, either outsider or insider, more than eighty percent said internal threats worry them the most. Insider threats can come from anywhere, jaded employees, accidental disclosure of sensitive information, and outright criminal theft. Less than one in five directors felt the external threats posed by criminals are more dangerous.

So why are these IT Directors showing fear? Because according to the survey, thirty-seven percent of them have experienced data leaks within the past year. Keeping with this data, the directors who took part said that internal security is at the top of their shopping lists.

Another item of note from the survey included Email as being identified as the biggest current security risk to the IT Director’s organizations (34 percent). VoIP was noted as well, coming in second with twenty-five percent, and is deemed a bigger threat than Web surfing, which only twenty-one percent of the directors said was the biggest threat. Despite this apparent confidence, however, four in five respondents (79 percent) feel they could be better prepared for Web-borne threats.

Established external threats continue to be the biggest concern in a developing Web 2.0 environment, according to Secure. Viruses top the list of offenders, with thirty-one percent of IT Directors feeling it is the biggest threat, while spam comes in second with eighteen percent, and data leaks a close third at fourteen percent.

Another issue raised by the Directors was disclosure laws. Over two-thirds of the directors believe data breach disclosure should be compulsory in the UK, as it is in the United States.

Multitouch features to be included in windows 7

While the anticipated arrival of Windows 7 is still some 18 months away by Microsoft’s (tentative) reckoning, the Redmond-based company has this week taken the opportunity to unveil one of the ambitious new features it has planned for possible inclusion.

With Apple’s iconic iPhone and Nintendo’s hugely popular dual-screen DS videogame console paving the way for a rush of ‘me too’ touch-sensitive devices, it hardly comes as a surprise to find American software behemoth Microsoft Corp. busy banding around a multi-touch interface for its next operating system.

Specifically, during the Wall Street Journal’s ‘D: All Things Digital’ conference in California, representatives from Microsoft gave attendees their first video demo glimpse of the multi-touch interface in action.

The demo‘s content, which appeared somewhat similar to Microsoft’s touch-based Surface technology, showcased a user applying simple tactile finger gestures to access, shift and organise photographic images, explore a 3D global map, and even tickle the ivories on an on-screen piano.

While undeniably tantalising in terms of bringing users ever closer to their systems via more complete physical interaction, subsequent online reaction is varied when considering the true worth of a multi-touch interface in Windows 7 — or any operating system.

For example, many tech watchers consider touch-screen interaction as little more than a fluffy gimmick that will add unnecessary processing pressures to their computers, much like Windows Vista’s much debated Aero visual interface.

In terms of what users would rather see Microsoft do with Windows 7, the general consensus appears to call for more focused development on the production of clean and efficient code, improved efficiency and reliability, better software compatibility, and a final operating system that doesn’t unfairly tax the hardware’s processing capabilities through throwaway features.

Microsoft has said that further details related to the ongoing development and features of its Windows 7 operating system will be revealed as the product gradually takes shape over the coming months. The current company calendar guess for the arrival of Windows 7 sees the operating system pencilled in for an early 2010 release.