Cyber-Security Summit: Know and Defend Your Growing Domain

The loss of valuable intellectual property through a cyber attack can cause market failure for insurers and other companies, affecting their key offerings and reputation. To address these and other cyber-security issues concerning CIO and CISO-level executives worldwide, CSC hosted a cyber-security roundtable discussion during its annual “Interchange” event in Washington, D.C., last week, bringing together a panel of distinguished international government and private sector officials. The session was hosted by Michael Laphen, CSC president, chairman and CEO, and Sam Visner, CSC lead cyber executive.

With increasingly sophisticated threats, competing priorities and constrained resources, organizations are challenged as never before to thwart cyber attacks and operate confidently in cyberspace. Some of the key takeaways from the half-day cyber roundtable included:

• Defense and Resilience – Defense of the network perimeter is crucial, but even more important is the resilience of an organization to maintain operations after an attack has occurred, to sustain protection of intellectual property, and to produce swift recovery.

• The Cyber Domain – In a national security context, cyber is more commonly defined as a “domain” of equal importance to air, land and sea, and thus requires pertinent doctrine and legal statutes. One of the fundamental differences between these other domains and cyber is that we have the capability to control it.

• Assurance and Attribution – There is a growing concern about the lack of trust and assurance of knowing where attacks like Stuxnet originate, and who could be selling that information to the highest bidder. The private sector would be well advised to develop better tools and techniques to allow clients to withstand and aid in the attribution of cyber attacks.

• The Emergence of Cloud – Cloud computing and the evolution of the IT services industry to an “as-a-service” business model presents organizations with new ways to thwart cyber attacks. These technologies present platforms for creating alternative architectures that provide a more secure cyber environment with service levels that mitigate risk.

• Public/Private Partnership – The interface between public and private sector is key to future success in the cyber landscape.

“The cyber threat to public and private organizations around the globe is advanced and persistent,” says Laphen. “Now is the time to engage across industries and borders to have a more meaningful exchange of information about these threats and how they can be tempered. The cyber-security roundtable during this year’s CSC Interchange was an engaging conversation with some of the most influential cyber thought leaders from government and private sectors, and we’re committed to continuing these collaborative efforts to meet the critical cyber-security needs of our customers.”

In other news, CSC announced it has received unconditional clearance from the European Commission (EU) to proceed with the acquisition of iSOFT, one of the world’s largest providers of advanced healthcare IT solutions.

EU clearance means that all regulatory consents to the transaction have been received. Completion of the transaction remains subject to gaining shareholder approval and final Court assent in Australia. Please refer to the Scheme documentation lodged with the ASX on June 14, 2011, for an indicative timetable.

The acquisition, once completed, will complement and strengthen CSC’s software products and healthcare integration and services portfolio, while enhancing its healthcare research and development capabilities. It will also accelerate CSC’s strategic growth plan in the life sciences market and reinforce the company as a very strong player in healthcare information technology.