Learned opportunity

Steve Browell: Resellers can bridge the gap in employee knowledge and security policies

Despite the efforts of security vendors and the media, there are still opportunities for security resellers to increase revenues by plugging data leaks.

Bell Micro carried out research during the InfoSecurity 2008 Expo on whether or not businesses have become more vigilant with data security and if that vigilance can be turned to the reseller’s advantage.

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents were IT professionals, and what became painfully clear in our findings was that
staff may be the weakest link in the security chain.

When asked about password protocols, 56 per cent of those surveyed said colleagues’ passwords commonly reflected either the names of family members or favourite sports teams.

Forty-one per cent of passwords were the names of employees’ favourite sports teams. These are all details that can be gleaned from social networking sites ­of which 41 per cent of respondents said they were permitted to visit by their respective companies.

A staggering 73 per cent of those interviewed were also willing to give their mother’s maiden names to researchers.

This is information that has commonly been used as a password or security prompt when accessing online bank accounts. All this from IT professionals questioned at an industry security event.

But to blame employees is missing the point. It is the responsibility of businesses to implement internal security procedures.
This year a laptop containing the unencrypted personal details of 600,000 people who had expressed an interest in joining the armed forces was stolen from a car.

If government cannot get management and protection of its critical data organised, how will others cope?

The channel can start to take a more proactive stance in security consultancy.

Without education, security implementations may only be half complete. Resellers can bridge the gap in employee knowledge and internal security polic ies, from internal monitoring through to encryption of mobile devices.

Educating staff must be taken more seriously – ­ both inside and outside of the working environment – ­ and represents new opportunities for reseller margin.

My advice to security resellers would be to take time out to re-familiarise yourself with different security vendors and
solutions – ­ or find a strong intermediary.

A well-educated business is more likely to request additional services to remain protected.

Steve Browell is general manager of the security division of the UK branch of global distributor Bell Micro Europe.