Next-generation IT security is need of the hour

In the context of the current market downturn and increasing risk of data theft by disgruntled employees, creating an integrated and robust security strategy is of prime importance.

Turning the spotlight on this critical issue, Paramount, a leading IT security services provider in the region, assembled thought leaders from across the world who shared their views on the latest threats, mitigation strategies and international client experiences at an annual event held at the Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai on 16th February 2009. The event was well attended by over 170 end-user delegates.

According to the 'Data Breach Report January 2009' - Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, "The percentage of breaches attributed to data theft from current and former employees more than doubled from 7 percent in 2007 to nearly 16 percent in 2008. This may be reflective of the economy, or the fact that there are more organized crime rings going after company information using insiders. As companies become more stringent with protecting against hackers, insider theft is becoming more prevalent."

The security summit entitled 'Optimizing and Securing IT Infrastructure in Challenging Times' featured presentations and case-studies by top executives from industry leading IT security vendors like Apere, Lancope, Palo Alto Networks and Imprivata. Speakers educated the summit attendees about novel technologies like Imprivata's award-winning OneSign converged authentication and access management platform, Palo Alto Network's Next-Generation Firewall that reduces 'total cost of IT security' substantially and Apere's Identity Managed Access Gateway (IMAG) appliance that overcomes many of the common objections medium-sized enterprises express about identity-based access control.

Topics of discussion included Network Behaviour Analysis (NBA). Lancope's market-leading StealthWatch® family of products was introduced as the only Network Behavior Analysis (NBA) and Response architecture that unifies flow-based network security and network optimization into a single, integrated enterprise platform. There were also presentations on Identity Governance and Management and the role of Virtualization in optimizing tomorrow's infrastructure

Speaking about the event, Mr Premchand Kurup, CEO, Paramount said:

"Last year when we launched our foray into the Identity and Access Management space with an appliance based solution, the market was slow to accept. The economic melt-down is a game- changer. Productivity improvement, cost savings and compliance in a secured infrastructure is more relevant today than ever before. The biggest security threat today is 'laid off employees' and the absence of a clearly defined exit process. Concerns arise over data theft by terminated employees. Prudent investments in Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the need of the hour. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) particularly through USB drivers is also of vital importance. You can count on your fingers the number of companies in the Gulf that have implemented IAM & DLP. The purpose of the event was to provide CIOs and IT Managers with new concepts that will help them create next-generation datacenters with next-generation security within their organizations."

Paramount is the only regional IT security company providing a holistic solution encompassing all three important aspects - Technology, Processes & People. The company propounds that customers should ensure that internal staff have leading-edge certification like CISSP, CISM, CISA and ISO 27001, processes and methodologies are within the ISO 27001 framework and technologies are in place for secure content management, data leak prevention, perimeter security, internal network security, identity & access management and vulnerability, risk & security event management.

With an illustrious list of clients and project implementations in the region, a large number of certified technical staff and best of breed vendors, Paramount is recognized as the region's leading IT security integrator and consultant.

"Paramount is prepared to help companies perform a 'Proof of Value' following the summit", added Mr. Kurup.