Encryption software is commonly referred to as the computer security fall back. In the event that a computer protected by organizational policy and physical deterrents is stolen, sensitive information on the laptop is made unreadable by encryption. For encryption software to be effective however, laptop users must consistently and accurately follow company encryption policy. Even more worrisome is the fact that more than 30% of companies believe employees are actively involved in the theft of company computers. Armed with the necessary passwords and encryption keys to access data, disgruntled or dishonest employees represent a threat that cannot be addressed by encryption alone.

The common failing of these laptop security measures is the fact that they are heavily reliant on the diligent action of laptop-using employees to remain effective. If a cable lock is not used, an authentication password is taped to the keyboard for convenience or a regular encryption process not completed, organizations remain unnecessarily vulnerable to public data breach. By the same token, complex, expensive and ultimately productivity-dampening security measures may be effective but greatly reduce the benefits of laptop computers. Endpoint security solutions complement other security measures by providing a final, user-independent layer of protection.

To reduce the risk of a data breach or theft, organizations must adopt new tactics.  In addition, companies must address e-mail and Web security along with employing a functional data loss and prevention strategy.  The application of multiple security techniques is required to reduce risk. For example, there must be a way to control spam and block the downloading of malicious software from poisoned Web sites.  In today's open Web 2.0 and social networking environments, companies need a way to defend against attacks and protect secret or sensitive data.  At the same time, they must maintain a flexible and responsive infrastructure to support today's business working habits.

The Janco Security Manual Template has helped over 2,000 enterprises world-wide to  meet these requirements.

Although the issue has been raised before by various ISPs and network carriers, recent worries have focused on securities firms that depend on third parties to clear trades and process payments over the Internet, according to the GAO.

"Internet congestion during a severe pandemic that hampers teleworkers is anticipated, but responsible government agencies have not developed plans to to address such congestion and may lack clear authority to act," the GAO warned.

Internet backbone congestion from a pandemic is not a major concern. The larger problem may be with the network "edge" or "last mile" in the residential portion of the Internet. Janco says that work-at-home strategies for organization may not work as advertized as residential Internet access may not be sufficient.  This is true both from a capacity and bandwidth at work at home sites.

Often many residential DSL users could share a single DSLAM connection at the carrier's switching office to reach the backbone, contributing to congestion problems. Last-mile DSL and cable modem networks are where remote access falls apart.

While the network edge impact would vary by neighborhood, the Centers for Disease Control planning guideline that assumes 40 percent of the workforce might not be in the workplace for an extended period of time during a pandemic.

CIOs and IT departments design the organization's infrastructure with continuity of business operations in mind. However, most organizations are not doing enough to protect mission-critical data, applications and systems from unexpected disruption and potential loss -- volatilities, such as viruses, power outages, natural disasters, corruption, human error and media failures can't always be prevented. Environments today are characterized by rapid data growth, complexity, stringent business requirements and the increasing government regulations, making it difficult for organizations to get their arms around their data protection strategies. In many cases, the focus is on just protecting data - not necessarily on recovering it. And when there is a focus on recovery, it usually involves just making data available to an application.

The results are supportive of the term audit fatigue, that unmanaged IT Audit efforts within regulated organizations have a negative business impact on IT resources and reduce IT efficiency. However, respondents are largely aware of and interested in tools to automate audit processes and controls as a means of overcoming audit fatigue and freeing up IT budget and resources for innovation rather than compliance. This results in the following:

• Compliance impact is increasing, resulting in high audit frequency and number: As can be expected, larger organizations must satisfy a number of IT audits. Small to mid-sized enterprises (SMBÂ’s) are also subject to an increased level of compliance requirements - resulting in higher than expected IT audit engagements. Given the lack of consistent IT standards across industries and geographies for audit criteria and reporting, compliance efforts - i.e., IT audit and remediation - are largely manual.
• Audit costs are unmanaged, resulting in increased cost: Many respondents conduct audits on an ad-hoc basis rather than as a scheduled effort of an enterprise risk-management program. Given the inability to forecast audit and remediation, spending, budgetary control is lost - exacerbating the perceived impact of compliance efforts.
• Lack of controls automation, limited process maturity: Audit fatigue can be attributed to lack of controls automation and unmanaged IT Audit processes. Limited controls maturity - i.e., repeatable and sustainable controls enforcement and audit processes -  constrains IT innovation due to uncontrolled costs associated with IT Audit and issue remediation.
• Security Policies and Procedures missing

As that process proceeds Janco suggests that CIO then do the following to control costs in the new year:

• Justify hardware and applications - Underutilized or old systems should be taken out, and workloads should be shifted to more-efficient hardware. Rationalization and consolidation programs can reduce the number of servers deployed.
• Consolidate data center sites and server farms - Financial savings often follow consolidation of multiple sites into a small number of larger sites.
  Manage energy and facilities cost. Tools and techniques include raising the temperature of the data center to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, using outside air when possible as an alternative to air conditioning, setting up hot aisle/cold aisle configurations and deploying server-based energy management software tools to run workloads the most energy-efficient way
• Manage the employee and contractor costs - Workers remain the single largest cost element for most IT organizations, accounting for as much as 50% of overall costs.
•  Eliminate or defer procurement of new assets - Servers' useful life often exceeds their amortized life, so monitor the condition of hardware carefully.
• Monitor energy consumption - Advanced monitoring, modeling, and measuring techniques and processes are essential to the adoption of many new technologies and going green.

The electronic document includes proven written text and examples for the following major sections of a disaster recovery plan:

• Policy Statement
• Safety Rules - including a check list of standard proven rules
• Accident Investigation Process
• Hazard Recognition and Control
• Safety Committee including membership and procedures
• Training including guidelines for orientation, job instruction, Supervisor training as well as specialized training
• Communication including for management and employees
• Record Keeping including inspection; accident investigation; training and coordination with Safety Committee.
• Job Description for Safety Director (ADA compliant)
• Technical Appendix including definition of necessary phone numbers and contact points; and sample forms:
  • First Report of Injury
  • Safety Audit Checklist
  • Alternate Work site Safety Checklist (i.e. work at home)

There is an extensive description that shows how a full test of the Safety Program can be conducted. 

The Janco Security Manual template addresses these issues and is a quick way for CIOs to overcome these issues.