November 25, 2003

By Jenny Carless, News@Cisco

In a world of sophisticated hackers, debilitating viruses and other threats to business networks, security is on everyone's mind, and corporate IT departments are under increasing pressure to protect their networks in a highly effective - but affordable - way. Yet a recent survey of IT specialists in Latin America uncovered an interesting dichotomy: a high level of concern about network security contrasted with a comparatively low level of resource allocation to deal with the issue.

In early 2003 Cisco Systems sponsored a survey entitled, "Attitudes of Latin American Business Executives Regarding the Internet." Conducted by the independent market research firm Kaagan Research Associates, the survey targeted 75 IT specialists from local corporations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru, covering many industries. Respondents were asked about issues ranging from use of the Internet in the workplace to security and training.

Seventy-nine percent of Latin American IT executives consider network security to be of 'extreme priority' or 'very critical' for their companies. Hackers are considered the biggest threat by the majority of the IT specialists interviewed, surpassing current or former employees, terrorists, organized crime and competitors. The actual number of proven attacks to their corporate networks is low, however; viruses and inappropriate use of the Internet are considered more frequent problems.

Despite this level of concern, the more than 47 percent of survey participants indicated that less that 10 percent of their firm's IT resources is currently spent on security, according to the survey.

Global Trends

These results are consistent with corporate attitudes and expenditures around Internet security in other parts of the world, according to Jose Alberto Gonzalez, manager of commercial and business sectors for Latin America at Cisco. "The percentage of the IT budget that companies in the United States dedicate to security is below 10 percent, too," he says. "Worldwide, security concerns and the security market itself are growing at 16 percent annually, although the United States, Canada and Western Europe are leading this trend - as they are leading the implementation of security solutions."

Securing the Network

Because of the increasing importance of the network to the entire enterprise (from e-mail to e-commerce and from finance to supply chain management), network security is paramount. By protecting against hackers, viruses and other risks, a comprehensive, integrated security system can help ensure a company's ongoing productivity.

As security has increased in importance, network security has gone from being an add-on feature - almost an afterthought - to being an intrinsic part of the network. "Increasing the security in the network takes much more than simply putting a firewall at the perimeter and an anti-virus product in the workstations," Gonzalez points out. "Instead, what's required is a complete security solution, with policies, procedures and processes in place. That requires incorporating dedicated security devices throughout the network to prevent and detect attacks as well as having security embedded and integrated into the elements of the network such as switches, routers, servers and workstations."

Security That's More Effective and Easier to Manage

Cisco recently announced a portfolio of new security products to help improve network security and to make it more affordable and easier to manage. The new products include integrated management tools such as a new security device manager that supports all Cisco access routers as well as more advanced threat protection elements like a common software base for all of the company's intrusion detection products. Many are modular elements that integrate with existing Cisco network infrastructure, providing customers with a comprehensive and fully integrated networking security portfolio.

BANOBRAS (El Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos, S.N.C.) - a Mexican development bank with a 70-year history of providing loans and technical assistance as well as helping to promote community-oriented projects and organizations - recognized the importance of integrating security features into its network. The bank needed to upgrade its network infrastructure in order to continue offering its clients the most up-to-date services, but it also wanted to reduce operating and administration costs - particularly those associated with running separate voice and data networks. Cisco helped BANOBRAS develop a scalable network infrastructure that not only combines voice, data and video traffic but provides integrated security services that protect the bank's data and technical resources.

"This implementation is a great example of how Cisco can provide an integrated network security portfolio that helps organizations not only to protect their technology infrastructures and productivity, but also to improve their business processes and reduce operating costs," explains Gonzalez. For IT executives with big security concerns and relatively small budgets, that's very good news.

Jenny Carless is a freelance writer based in Santa Cruz, CA.