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Regional Summit Zooms in on Cyber Security

March 11, 2004

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With the increasing number of risk factors facing the cyber world today, a regional summit on data security has been organised to assist top business executives, chief executive officers and senior managers to better understand the dangers that could wreak havoc in their business operations.
The summit is scheduled to take place on March 17 at the Hilton Kingston Hotel under the theme: ‘Securing Enterprise Data in the Cyber World’.
Executive Director for the Central Information Technology Office (CITO), Michael duQuesnay noted that data security was an important concern today as the market now required that more and more companies provide electronic (e) transaction facility to their customers in order to be successful.
However, Mr. duQuesnay pointed out that such exposure via the worldwide web rendered business operations susceptible to data security risks and stated that decision makers in companies should understand this matter in order to make rational judgements on the expenditure of scarce resources for computer security.
“If they have this understanding then they will be able to determine how much they should spend and where they should spend in order to preserve shareholders’ value,” Mr duQuesnay argued.
According to the CITO Head, “everyone understands the need for security guards and the physical security of buildings. However, when it comes to computer security, senior business executives don’t seem to have the same level of understanding of the risks that they face”. He pointed out that CITO was staging the Summit to help senior executives to understand these issues.
Outlining the risks that a company might face, he said these included access to a company’s system by outside intruders, viruses that might infect the system through e-mails and security breach of computer files by persons working within the organisation.
Mr. duQuesnay pointed out that the Summit was also designed to benefit technical personnel in various companies and that the discussions would be pitched towards both senior executives and computer experts.
He added that delegates from across Jamaica and CARICOM would be attending, as “security is no respecter of national boundaries”. He observed that cooperation was necessary in slowing the movement of illicit drugs through the region and that cooperation would be required to deal with computer security.
“As we move to a point where there is more and more trade in the CARICOM region and greater movement of labour and common ownership of companies, then it becomes a transnational issue,” he said.
Discussions at the Summit would include presentations on government’s role; security in industries of national importance, such as those industries that relate to the supply of water and electricity; risk assessments and measurement; implementation and preparing a security plan for your organisation.
Participants at the event will be given a template that would guide them in developing their own security plan.
The region’s main suppliers of computer security products, that is, Fujitsu, Microsoft and IBM World Trade Corporation are expected to make presentations at the Summit.

Last Updated: March 11, 2004

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