From the President's Desk

At LoadSpring our focus is security, which is why we decided this issue of The LoadSpring Connection should focus on how security risks can be planned for and manged. We have spent the past several years developing a multi-layered security system that not only defends our network from hackers, but isolates them from gaining any type of information about our networks and systems.

As the economy continues to globalize, the reliance on the Internet as a collaborative communications tool increases significantly. However, the decision to make business-critical information available to dispersed project teams carries with it real security risks - not to mention significant burden on internal IT staffs and budgets. As companies begin to plan security implementation they can start by reviewing ISO 17799, which provides a comprehensive overview of critical security concerns.

There are some basic things every company can do - that do not take a lot of time or money - to ensure all of the easiest doors to your assets are closed. These include: anti-virus, anti-spam, complex passwords and basic sensitivity to social engineering threats. For example, what to do when someone calls asking for a password posing as a Network Administrator? Addressing these questions and having steps in place may seem obvious, but if employees are not trained and the steps are not enforced on a regular basis then employees quickly become a security liability. In order for these steps to be quantified there must be training, verification and more verification. Talk to your employees, measure their success and keep them focused on the challenges. Even the best, most expensive firewall in the world can't keep the bad guy out if all he needs to do is call an unsuspecting employee who will give out a password.

There are many industries where business-critical documents need to be shared worldwide and maintaining confidential data in today's Internet-connected world can be a daunting task for even the best IT professionals. Therefore, it is vitally important for all project and program managers to consider different types of risk and address security strategies in their project plans, budgets and schedules. For more information on risk mitigation, visit our website.

Best regards,

Eric Leighton
LoadSpring Solutions, Inc.
President/CEO