Summary

Creating a high-security, high-performance, e-business infrastructure demands close coordination of both technical and management policies and procedures. Additionally, e-business security is evolving from an old notion of an information fortress that keeps others out, to a new notion of privacy and trust as you give customers, partners, and remote employees access to your business data. Although allowing access is the very basis of e-business, this also adds additional levels of complexity far beyond the traditional security model. The time, costs, and associated with monitoring external connections, internal activities, and vulnerabilities can be overwhelming.

Finally, International Data Corporation (IDC) research predicts that over time, the pressure to outsource security and privacy solutions will increase as the shortage of skilled IT professionals continues. But, whether you look to an external service provider or in-house to implement a new security infrastructure, you must take a series of specific steps to consider goals and basic capabilities. Without a blueprint based upon technical and business assessments, you cannot hope to create a system that is secure, up-to-date, and encompasses the divergent needs of greater information sharing and privacy.