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RSA 2009: Automation, Integration Key to Fighting Cyber Crooks

Security vendors who compete with each other now have no choice but to collaborate against increasingly clever bad guys, according to security industry leaders at RSA Conference 2009

By Bill Brenner, Senior Editor

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"We in fact are working together, beyond the obvious joint product areas and standards," Galloway said. "We've been working together toward better interoperability for some time, and there are lots of opportunities for security vendors' products to be integrated with our technology."

Charney added: "We have a common enemy. You see industry organizations getting together to share best practices, and there are huge opportunities to reinvent public/private partnerships."

Enrique Salem, president and CEO of Symantec Corp. delivered a similar message, saying the current security model isn't working and that it's time for security to become more "operationalized."

"Attackers are moving away from mass distribution in favor of micro distribution, and anyone can be a victim," he said. "Before you know it, you can lose your identity." Citing the most recent Symantec threat research, he noted that 90 percent of attacks last year targeted information. IT administrators often sets policies from within a silo that's inconsistent with the top-down, policy-based approach that's needed, he said.

"Security is often done piecemeal," he said. "Admins want products that work together, they want to have automation, integration, and the ability to respond more quickly to attacks."

In his keynote, Charney outlined Microsoft's strategy toward this end; specifically the software giant's End-to-End Trust initiative, which was first introduced by Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie at last year's RSA conference.

Charney gave an update on the initiative, which the company has billed as an effort to engage industry, consumers and policy makers in a serious discussion of online security problems. [See Microsoft's RSA Message: Internet Needs Trust to Grow and Microsoft Security on Display at RSA]