The turn of the decade in security

Perhaps this post was more appropriate around Halloween and I don't mean to scare everyone right before the holidays, but this article really hits the spot on the current state of network and data security.

http://digg.com/u1H0ll

For those who don't want to read the whole article, the basic points are:

1. Security is and will continue to fall behind current technology
2. Very early in the next decade, online identity theft and banking fraud will replace drug trafficking as the dominant criminal problem worldwide
3. Mobile devices will become the largest target of exploits
4. As we move more of our data and identifies online, the face of data security will change

So, as we look to the future, do we find a hole and hide in it?

Gosh no!

The moral of the story is, as with any new technology, tread carefully, ask lots of questions, and understand what you are doing.

As you make the move to storing more data online, ask the following questions:

1. Where does my data physically reside?
2. Is my data encrypted for its lifetime? (i.e. Not just as it resides on the disk, but is it encrypted over the wire, on the disk, and are backup copies of it encrypted)
3. Even if it is encrypted, what type of encryption is used, who holds the keys, and where are the keys stored?
4. What is my liability if data is compromised?

Again, as with any new technology or shift in the way that we do things, there are those that will hold fast to the "old way". There is merit in that. But for most of us, we must eventually embrace it. That's ok, too. In fact, I encourage it. Especially speaking as a business owner in the technology space, some of us MUST not only embrace it, but try to understand it and stay on the fore-front.

Just be careful and ask lots of questions.

Happy Thanksgiving
Adam