Infosecurity Europe says Cisco report confirms need for better IT security education

 Commenting on research from Cisco – claiming to show a “startling” lack of concern about security amongst students and young professionals – Infosecurity Europe says this highlights the need for better and more pervasive education on the subject of IT security.

 According to Claire Sellick, event organiser for the Infosecurity Europe show, the survey found that 61% of young employees felt that corporate IT security is not their responsibility and should be handled by their employer or the device manufacturer.

 “In many ways, this report – which took in responses from young professionals all the way up to 30 years old – mirrors our own observations and feedback we get from attendees at Infosecurity Europe. The IT professionals that attend the show’s comprehensive – and free – education programme tell us of the significant need for better security in their organisations,” she said.

“Obviously, expecting IT security to be handled by the device manufacturer is about as sensible as expecting a car manufacturer to educate buyers on road safety. But expecting employers to deal with IT security is quite logical and one of the reasons why we have invested so much in the education programme that has formed a central feature of each Infosecurity Europe show since the 1980s,” she added.

Sellick went on to say that the `Connected World Technology’ study also reveals that students and young professionals have a different attitude to using social media and IT devices in the workplace - something that blurs the lines between work and leisure use of the Internet.

This, she explained, is a contentious area in many organisations, as the report found that, over time, the attitudes of employers on such matters might become a deciding factor in choosing which company to work for.

The writing, says the Infosecurity Europe director, is clearly on the wall here: those employers that fail to embrace the changing world that the Internet has created may face losing their key staff, unless they develop company IT policies to support these changes.

But in order for this to happen, she adds, employers must develop the right security policies – and the means to enforce those policies – in order to better secure the company’s IT resources.

And, in order to develop these processes, says Sellick, managers need to fundamentally understand the technology involved, and the loopholes in traditional IT security platforms that this new technology creates.

“This brings us round to the principle of more effectively educating those IT security professionals that are decision makers at the sharp end. We’re now just over four months out from Infosecurity Europe 2012 - which takes place in London from the 24th to the 26th of April - and plans for the show’s education programme are now well under way,” she said.

“Details of the 2012 education programme will be released soon, and this will detail plans to enable visitors to connect with their peers and collaborate with the vendor community, delivering a return-in-investment on both the actual visit to the event and the visitor’s current IT security projects,” she added.

“Infosecurity Europe’s unrivalled education programme allows visitors to hear first-hand from those at the everyday forefront of business, as well as discussing the current IT security business challenges with political decision-makers and solution innovators.”   

For more on Infosecurity Europe show: http://www.infosec.co.uk

For more on the Cisco Connected World Technology report:

http://bit.ly/ubUFUg

About Infosecurity Europe

Infosecurity Europe, celebrating 17 years at the heart of the industry in 2012, is Europe’s number one Information Security event.  Featuring over 300 exhibitors, the most diverse range of new products and services, an unrivalled education programme and visitors from every segment of the industry, it is the most important date in the calendar for Information Security professionals across Europe.  Organised by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s largest tradeshow organiser, Infosecurity Europe is one of four Infosecurity events around the world with events also running in Belgium, Netherlands and Russia.  Infosecurity Europe runs from the 24th – 26th April 2012, in Earls Court, London.  For further information please visit www.infosec.co.uk

ENDS

Notes for editors

For further press information please contact Neil Stinchcombe on (0)20 7183 2833 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.