SIDEBAR: How VULNERABLE Are You?
Distributed, poorly defended organizations face the most risk
If your intellectual property is digital, you're at risk for online IP theft. But there are varying degrees of exposure. "It has to do with how valuable a target you present and how well-defended you are," explains O Sami Saydjari, president of security consultancy Cyber Defence Agency.
The types of organizations that currently face the highest risk include:
- Large, globally distributed organizations
- Small to midsize businesses in niche markets
- Companies with foreign partners or that sell directly in foreign markets
- Organizations with decentralized IT
- Military or government organizations that rely heavily on contractors and suppliers
- Industries like telecommunications that supply critical national infrastructure
- Organizations lacking executive sponsorship of security issues, technical enforcement of security policies, adequate security monitoring or process/preparedness for dealing with security breaches
— S OVERBY