IT security: managing risks, reaping rewards

IT directors are not usually associated with the arts. But they grew poetic and quoted Chinese sayings at the MIS Asia round table held in Hong Kong on March 10. Perhaps it was because the topic was especially slippery and sensitive: IT security. It’s a subject that can only be addressed with analogies and sideways references. Because there’s a delicate balance at work: How much to spend versus measuring return on investment; how much to lock down v. user inconvenience; and what can be secured on the IT side v. what the user can be made to do.

Quantifying security: Mission impossible? Thomas Ng: Security is like a balance between risk and cost. You are holding a bird in your hand. If [you hold it] too tight, it will die. If too loose, it will fly away. I don’t think there’s ever a point that’s completely secure. From the CEO’s point of view, sometimes they don’t want to spend money because there is no true value added for the organisation.

Read Full Story