Symantec bares '09 strategy in combating malware

16.01.2009
New year, new threats. And Symantec claims it is ready to defend users against malicious software (malware) attacks now being tried out by well-organized cyber criminals.

Being the first IT firm to hold a media conference in the Philippines this year, the security and storage company brought in its executive vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) Mark Bregman to talk about security threats users should watch out for in 2009 as well as Symantec's IT security strategies.

Bregman revealed four key trends that will impact decisions on the way organizations secure and manage information, namely: consumerization of IT, information as target of malware, IT governance, and migration from tapes to disks, which is more of a data backup concern.

Under consumerization of IT, Bregman said there is a need for IT and business leaders to be confident that their sensitive information is protected, no matter where it is. The concern stems from various reasons, particularly the rising popularity of social networking sites, such as Facebook, which a lot of businesses are taking advantage of.

The executive added employees nowadays also store both personal and corporate data on laptops and mobile devices. He cited this as one of the reasons why data loss prevention and encryption technologies are getting more attention at the C-level and board level.

Bergman said information is the prime target for malicious attacks and the booming underground economy.