Jericho Forum to discuss security blueprint

The Jericho Forum, a group of 40 leading multinational companies, meets today to discuss the future IT security needs that it hopes will influence suppliers' product roadmaps.

The meeting at the Royal Mail's innovation labs in Rubgy will decide how common security standards can be achieved to improve information sharing and working between businesses (Computing, 12 August).

The Forum intends to produce two reports, covering their immediate and long-term needs, which will be used to influence the development of security products and standards.

Central to the group's agenda will be securing data and a move away from 'perimeter security' software, focused primarily on protecting businesses from external threats.

'You don't want to stop security at the application or infrastructure level, you want to get it into data, so it becomes self protecting and can move safely around applications,' said David Lacey, chairman of the Jericho Forum and Royal Mail director of information security.

Ian Dobson, director of The Open Group's security forum, likens the need for change to that of the banking industry.

'It used to be enough to have a strong bullion truck, but now it's the containers inside that protect the money and render it unusable if someone tries to steal it - it's the same for data,' he said.

Paul Dorey, chief information security officer for BP, told Computing he sees 'diminishing returns' from protecting networks, saying money could be better spent protecting servers and clients.

Dorey says IT security needs to move away from proprietary vendor standards if business collaboration over the internet is going to work.

'This will not work in a world requiring flexible global business to business communication and shared processes,' he said.

'User driven standards are the only way to break through an apparent vendor log-jam.'

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