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CITO to Work with Project Team to Implement Security Measures

March 21, 2004

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Executive Director for the Central Information Technology Office (CITO), Michael DuQuesnay has said that the office would be working with a project team to implement measures outlined at the recently concluded data security summit, and noted that several companies have made links with suppliers of security products.
“It is important that we do this kind of follow-up, and to a large extent the sponsor organisations, IBM, Microsoft and Fujitsu, which are the providers of solution in the region, will be doing their own follow-ups and have already spoken to a number of data security consultants.on how participating organisations can improve their security,” the Executive Director said.
He told JIS News that the closing sessions of the summit dealt with implementation to ensure that “intent translates into action”, and stressed the importance of getting staff behind the effort.
“It is much more clear to us now how important this issue of security is,” Mr. DuQuesnay, noting that business executives were becoming increasingly aware of it too.
As a regional event, the CITO Head said that one of the things initiated was greater government-to-government discussions for the sharing of ideas.
The regional data summit was held at the Kingston Hilton Hotel on March 17 under the theme: ‘Securing Enterprise Data in the Cyber World’. The event was described as successful, with more than 250 persons attending, leaving only standing room for many eager participants. Mr. DuQuesnay said he was heartened at the fact that the summit drew more than 100 business executives, whom he observed did not readily understood the importance of data security to their businesses.
“I don’t think executives would have trouble talking to their building managers about burglar bars, dogs, security guards, perimeter access, and security cameras,” he said, but lamented that many were not fully aware of the need for data security.
The CITO summit looked at data security as it related to key national assets, such as water and electricity and the responsibility of government. Most of the sessions were held separately for both the business executives and technical personnel. It also highlighted trends and the increasing threats that companies face from exposing their networks, data and application systems through online public transactions.
Mr. DuQuesnay told JIS News out that the event was helpful in educating persons on doing structured analyses of the risks that their companies faced and to assess where they were in protecting themselves against these risks.
This, he said, would allow business executives to make sensible cost decisions about the kinds of investments that they should make in securing enterprise data.

Last Updated: March 21, 2004

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