'Bit' economy depends on Web protection

'Bit' economy depends on Web protection
In today's digital economy, the high value of integrated software and hardware plays a vital role in the success of a business. Technology is at the core of this success, believes In Focus contributor Samir Kapuria, director of strategic solutions for @stake Inc. Kapuria says that businesses' reliance on a networked infrastructure introduces a dependency on technology. The net result is a need to manage the risk associated with the use of such technology. The solution, he says, is to deploy more technology to achieve the desired level of protection, in the form of network security products. Kapuria and other contributors offer their take on the security issues in today's Web-centric world.

Kapuria advocates a comprehensive network security program that includes incident prevention, detection, response and management. Kapuria says it is difficult for most organizations to calculate the security costs associated with technology adoption, however, since there are many unseen costs attached to such peripheral factors as product refresh programs, patch management and employee education.

Field-programmable gate arrays have quietly assumed an increasingly pivotal role in network equipment design. Actel's Jon Ewald warns designers to choose the right FPGA to protect valuable intellectual property as well as ensure the integrity of the data in the system. Renesas' Victor Tsai describes a security approach for mobile devices that uses secure memory card technology to perform all the functions professionals need to protect confidential data while they're on the go.

Eugene Kuznetsov of DataPower Technology Inc. claims that nothing has done more to erode the enterprise security perimeter than the rise of XML Web services. Designed to bypass the existing enterprise Internet Protocol network security infrastructure, Web services create a sea of new security vulnerabilities. Addressing those threats requires both a whole new approach and high-performance technology. Certicom Corp.'s Tony Rosati addresses security concerns in wireless devices. And Alex Soohoo of IDT's Internetworking Products Division gives tips on designing a converged SME security appliance.