Despite more focus by businesses on business continuity, compliance and disaster recovery planning, critical information infrastructure (CNI) systems are being left exposed. So warns the European Telecommunications Resilience and Recovery Association (ETR2A).
The association points to recent research that 60 per cent of US companies have suffered from some sort of telecommunications related attack, and over 40pc of UK companies have admitted the same. The increasing convergence of voice and data networks adds further complexity and risk that needs to be addressed in businesses’ protection, resilience and corporate governance strategies, it is claimed.
This year’s annual ETR2A conference, which takes place on 29-30 June at Sophia Antipolis, France, and organised by IMP Events, will highlight what steps need to be taken to help international organisations address their CNI protection and resilience; and to understand how to look at their voice and data infrastructures with a risk management view, say organisers.
Maitland Hyslop, Research Fellow of ETR2A says: “World wide legislation now demands improved standards of infrastructure resilience. Legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Basel II, and new international accountancy standards, all require information and communications systems that assist, rather than detract from, compliance, which means that organisations will need strategically integrated systems, a robust information infrastructure, and comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Unfortunately, resilience is too often confused with recovery, which is somewhat like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Fundamentally, Industry and Directors do not understand the extent of their risk and exposure. Lack of information infrastructure protection and resilience will kill businesses.”
The ETR2A Conference aims to help business leaders extend the understanding of the relationship between telecommunications, information, disaster management and governance, say organisers. Topics include relations between customer and service provider; cyber terrorism; and standards and certification. The event will see the launch of ETR2A’s Risk Evaluation Checklist, a means of helping organisations to identify potential risk problems within individual departments or across the organisation.
Speakers and contributors include: Dr Peter M Fonash, Acting Director of National Communications System, Department of Homeland Security; Paul Stimpson, Head of Global Information Security Service Governance, ABN Amro; Andrea Pirotti Executive Director, European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA); and John Regnault, Head of Security Technology, BT.
Tracey Pitt, Chief Executive of ETR2A, adds: “Research shows that information infrastructure is an increasing area of weakness within international business infrastructures. This is an area that organisations globally need to start addressing, as a key part of their overall corporate governance strategies. Our aim is to highlight some of the potential pitfalls that businesses face, and to educate them in some of the practical ways in which they can address them.” To register to attend the ETR2A conference, or for information, visit www.ETR2A.org
