Companies Risk Loss of Critical Information Due to Inadequate Computer Security Response Plans.

Business/Technology Editors

BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2001

-- Many policies outdated, insufficient to deal with natural disasters, sophisticated internal and external security threats

-- Integris, PRISM Security will address need for "Emergency Security Toolkit" at annual Computer Security Conference, October 29-31 in Washington, D.C.

Many companies risk the loss of critical information because they have not implemented adequate top-to-bottom policies to protect their IT systems from the threat of natural disasters or attacks from internal and external hackers.

Lack of senior management buy-in, continued corporate restructuring, unqualified technical staffs, and budgetary constraints are among the obstacles to implementing a comprehensive incident response plan, barriers that could leave a company's information at risk.

"In many cases, companies pretend the problem will go away if they ignore it," said Bob George, senior security consultant for Integris, an IT services company whose solutions include mission critical e-outsourcing services. "Some companies assign untrained people to maintain security and they provide neither the training nor the time to make it possible to do the job. They fail to realize how much money their information and organizational reputations are worth."

Bob George and Kelly Hansen, CEO of PRISM Security, Inc., Integris' managed security services partner, will present a seminar entitled "From Packet Floods to Data Tsunamis: An Emergency Security Toolkit", at the 28th Annual Computer Security Conference and Exhibition. The conference will be held October 29-31 in Washington, D.C. at the Marriott Wardman Park. George and Hansen will offer recommendations on how to develop and implement a thorough incident response plan so organizations are prepared when they face a security attack.

"Companies often focus on reactive, short-term fixes to security issues, so problems re-emerge rapidly," Kelly Hansen said. "They don't deal with the operational aspects of security, but rather, they make a few fixes and then don't follow through to see that the problems stay fixed."

Businesses need to be concerned about restoring operations after their infrastructures are affected by power failures, fires, flood, or hurricanes, or after deliberate sabotage of their IT systems by employees or external hackers. Statistically, fires and floods cause greater losses and downtime than viruses, but viruses, "worms", Trojan horses, and logic bombs can cause widespread damage, according to George and Hansen.

Indeed, security breaches are on the rise. The Computer Security Institute (CSI) reported in its 2001 Computer Crime and Security Survey that 85 percent of the 538 companies it surveyed detected security breaches in the past year and 64 percent acknowledged financial losses due to computer breaches. The most serious financial losses occurred through the theft of proprietary information and financial fraud. The increased sophistication of "sabotage" tools - such as encryption to send malicious information - and ready access to information available online make it easier for internal or external hackers and more difficult for companies to guard against.

A good incident response policy should begin with a document that clearly defines how an organization is going to restore system operation as quickly as possible with a minimum disruption in business, George and Hansen said. This document should identify possible threats, determine what information must be rescued, review all relationships between the company and external groups (outsourced infrastructure, suppliers, etc.), extensive training, and a determination of who has ownership of what responsibilities in the case of a security breach. A vigorous auditing of the policy, incidents, and infrastructure can help reduce the chances of problems.

George and Hansen will conduct their seminar on Tuesday, October 30, from 11:50 a.m. -12:30 p.m

NOTE TO EDITORS: Bob George, Kelly Hansen, and Mike Kayat, Integris Director of Sales and Marketing, are available for interviews at the Computer Security Institute conference. Integris booth will be located in Hall A, Booth #1708.

About Integris

Integris is a leading provider of business consulting, systems integration and professional services, and complex e-business systems management and hosting services. Integris is an Application Service Provider of Ariba Inc. Integris focuses on selected vertical markets, including Public Sector, Education, Telecommunications, and Financial Services. The Integris web address for its e-Outsourcing business is www.e-outsourcing.integris.com.

The e-Outsourcing business is part of Integris, a division of Bull HN Information Systems Inc., with headquarters in Billerica, Mass. Integris provides consulting, systems integration, systems operations, e-business/e-government management and managed services/ASP services to its public sector (state and local government) and commercial customers.

About PRISM Security, Inc.

PRISM Security is a subsidiary of Sun Tzu Security, a Milwaukee-based information security consulting firm. PRISM, an acronym for Proactive Remote Information Security Monitoring, is a proprietary software/service bundle designed to meet the information security needs of Fortune 1000 companies. PRISM's web address is www.prismsecurity.net.

Sun Tzu Security was one of the first providers in the nation to offer turnkey information security solutions. Sun Tzu ensures the success of its customers by providing strategic consulting services to protect mission critical information. The company's services include information security, risk assessments, computer investigative services, and HIPAA security and privacy compliance.