A new study found social networking growth in the U.S. is about to peak. But even if true, the number of people currently using it in its various forms – 600 million on Facebook, 190 million on Twitter, and 100 million on LinkedIn – is astonishing.

The popularity has created a business problem that anyone with an information systems degree would expect: security.

Not only are people using social networks at home, but at work. That creates large vulnerabilities. In fact, a recent survey showed that 42 percent of network administrators are moderately-to-extremely concerned about employees using social networks in the office because of the accompanying security threats.
The good news? Someone just dropped a big career present on the doorsteps of those with information technology degrees.

As it is, cybersecurity is one of the hottest IT jobs of the future. However, cybersecurity is a broad field, and some of the specialties – mobile device and software security, for example – are growing needs that are often out of the experience of existing experts. Social network security will be another important area.

The big concerns about social network security include virus downloads, information leaks and possible intrusion.

“Social networks were initially strictly for entertainment purposes, so their use by employees at work constituted a waste of company time, as well as a vulnerability,” says Alex Lazo, IT professor at American Sentinel University.

Now organizations are starting to realize how powerful social networks truly are. “As a result, companies are loosening the reigns on their employees and this poses an even greater risk for organization because it is more troublesome to administer limited access than it is to cut off access altogether,” adds Lazo.

Some of the most important forms of security for social media are actually social in nature:

-Policies and procedures: The company has to carefully think through what social network access to give employees. An all or nothing approach may not make sense, especially as a growing number of social networks offer important business opportunities and a chance to develop contacts. But tie social network-specific policies to all relevant IT policies.

-Training: The biggest danger in social networks is how people use them. Not only do they need to know the company’s policies, but you’ll also have to show them how those policies translate into actually using a given social network.

-Monitoring: As President Reagan famously said, trust but verify. The company should intelligently track what employees do on social networks. That doesn’t mean recording every detail, which would create a mountain of unexamined data. But see if people use social networks at times they’re not supposed to. Also, regularly scan public interactions, like on Twitter, to be sure that employees who officially represent the company do so properly.

Unfortunately, people are often careless when using social networks. According to the study, only 16 percent said that employees had no access. That spells a lot of companies with potential risk and the demand for IT professionals has never been greater.

American Sentinel University has developed IT programs that prepare students to improve business through technology.

American Sentinel understands the importance of offering market-relevant, forward-thinking online technology degree programs that address the needs of today’s – and tomorrow’s – organizations.

Online programs range from software development and networking, information security to geographic information systems (GIS) to develop and improve the skills of IT professionals at various stages in their careers. The programs also prepare students to improve their organizations through technology and keep in tune with changing needs.

Degree programs include: Bachelor of Science Information Systems, Bachelor of Science Information Security, Bachelor of Science Information Technology – Networking, Bachelor of Science Management Information Systems, Master of Science Computer Science and Master of Science Information Systems, with industry certifications in Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco and PMP.

“Cybersecurity will continue to be a relevant and in-demand field for years to come,” says Lazo. “While real-world experience is essential, gone are the days when this was considered sufficient by employers. Professionals need a practical education to complement their experience. For most busy adults, their only option is a distance-based education program that provides them with the tools to advance, without putting their families and careers on hold.”

Social networks are not about to disappear and trying to eliminate them would be like waging a battle against phones during the early days of telecommunications. Instead, IT professionals can learn to help companies safely embrace it – and help their careers at the same time.

Bridgeborn Logo

Virginia Beach, VA (Vocus) August 26, 2008

Bridgeborn, a leading systems design, engineering and integration company, today announced that the Oberon team, which includes Bridgeborn, was awarded a contract to support US ARMY Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) Futures Directorate. ARMY INSCOM conducts intelligence, security and information operations for military commanders and national decision makers.

“We are pleased to have been selected by Oberon, a Stanley Company, to be part of their team. INSCOM’s needs and their focus on transitioning research and development activities into ARMY Programs align with our core capabilities including research and development, systems design, engineering and integration as well as data visualization” said Kevin Curry, Bridgeborn co-founder and Chief Scientist. “This win further demonstrates the wide range of applications and markets for Bridgeworks© powered solutions. We look forward to working with Team Oberon and supporting ARMY INSCOM as we continue to grow our business in the Intelligence marketplace.”

About Bridgeborn

Bridgeborn is a systems design, engineering and integration company that delivers innovative IT Solutions to the Federal Government and Commercial markets. Clients include DHS, JFCOM, USAID, and US ARMY.

Bridgeborn is a privately held company headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA with offices in Arlington, VA, Annapolis, MD and Savannah, GA. For more information, go to www.bridgeborn.com or call us at 757.437.5000

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Related Army Press Releases

New York, NY (Vocus) November 3, 2010

Some of the biggest events in the security industry will combine in 2011 to form “Security Week” in New York City.

Securing New Ground, Security 500, ISC Solutions and the Tri-Association Awards Dinner will, for the first time, be planned in concert with one another to make New York the place to be for the security industry during the first week of November.

“Security Week will provide valuable content related to all aspects of the security industry,” said Richard Chace, CEO of the Security Industry Association (SIA), the sole sponsor of ISC Solutions, the new owner of Securing New Ground, a partner in Security 500 and a co-presenter of the Tri-Association Awards Dinner. “Investors, manufacturers, distributors, end-users and others will find the information and networking opportunities that they need at these events.”

Security Week will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Roosevelt Hotel with Securing New Ground, a conference that brings together executives, investors and users of security technology.

“As the only conference that is focused on the business of security, Securing New Ground will start Security Week by focusing on some of the most basic and critical challenges for any company – those related to business growth, industry financing and market trends,” said Sandra Jones, principal consultant at Sandra Jones and Company, the conference founder. “For 15 years, Securing New Ground has offered unique financial information and the best networking in the industry for top executives and investors in the security industry. As part of Security Week, SNG will be able to provide even more value in the future.”

Security 500, the leading executive conference on managing and measuring the value of the security function within organizations, and the Security 500 Recognition Dinner are also scheduled for Wednesday at the Roosevelt Hotel.

“This is a great next step for the Security 500 Conference,” said Mark McCourt, Security 500 founder and group publisher of SDM and Security, “We have worked with Securing New Ground for several years to provide an executive program focusing on security’s value and impact to the overall organization. This expanded partnership will enable us to continue to grow and become an even more vital source of information and high-level networking.”

On Thursday, Nov. 3, and Friday, Nov. 4, ISC Solutions, one of the top trade shows in the security industry, will take place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

“The new model for ISC Solutions – one that focuses on security applications and making meaningful connections between manufacturers and end-users – fits in perfectly with Security Week,” said Ed Several, group vice president and general manager with Reed Exhibitions, the show’s producer. “These four days in New York will offer security professionals unprecedented opportunities to gather information, network and learn about new business possibilities.”

On Thursday night, the Tri-Association Awards Dinner, an elegant event held to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the security industry, will be held at The Lighthouse on Chelsea Pier 61.

More information will soon be available on the Security Week website at http://www.securityweekonline.com. Until then, visit http://www.siaonline.org/securityweek.

The Security Industry Association (http://www.siaonline.org) is the leading trade group for businesses in the electronic and physical security market. SIA protects and advances its members’ interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation on Capitol Hill and throughout the 50 states; producing cutting-edge global market research; creating open industry standards that enable integration; advancing industry professionalism through education and training; opening global market opportunities; and providing sole sponsorship of the ISC Expos, the world’s largest security trade shows and conferences.

Contact:

Ron Hawkins

Security Industry Association

(703) 647-8485

rhawkins(at)siaonline(dot)org

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More Security Press Releases

The DNF Security’s Falcon USS is a finalist in the “Best Security Hardware Product” category.

Hayward, CA (PRWEB) January 5, 2011

DNF Security, a Dynamic Network Factory (DNF) business unit and provider of mission-critical IP surveillance solutions announced today that leading information security research and advisory guide Info Security Products Guide has named the Falcon Unified Storage & Server (USS™) a finalist for the 2011 Global Excellence Awards in the Best Security Hardware Product category. These prestigious global awards recognize security and IT vendors with advanced, ground-breaking products and solutions that set the bar in the world of superior surveillance technology.

The Falcon USS™ is DNF Security’s first appliance that combines video management software (VMS) and shared video storage into one convenient hardware appliance. Whether your surveillance environment requires several VMS to run simultaneously or multiple edge recorders are needed in one system, the Falcon USS™ the ideal all-in-one surveillance management solution.

“We are honored to be recognized as an industry player in the surveillance market,” says Mo Tahmasebi, President and CEO of DNF Security. “The Info Security Products Guide is a respectable resource that reinforces our core priority in customer satisfaction. This recognition further validates our commitment to our customers and their security needs.”

About Info Security Products Guide Awards

Info Security Products Guide sponsors leading conferences and expos worldwide and plays a vital role in keeping end-users informed of the choices they can make when it comes to protecting their digital resources. It is written expressly for those who are adamant on staying informed of security threats and the preventive measure they can take. You will discover a wealth of information in this guide including tomorrow’s technology today, best deployment scenarios, people and technologies shaping info security and market research that facilitate in making the most pertinent security decisions. The Info Security Products Guide Awards recognize and honor excellence in all areas of information security. To learn more, visit http://www.infosecurityproductsguide.com and stay secured.

About DNF Security

DNF Security is a leading manufacturer of dependable, mission-critical video surveillance solutions. As a subsidiary of innovative storage and server manufacturer, Dynamic Network Factory (DNF), DNF Security leverages their advanced technologies by creating video surveillance solutions designed to handle the most complex video surveillance and physical security environments. The company offers a comprehensive range of video surveillance solutions including intelligent digital or hybrid video management systems, video management engines, mobile surveillance systems, viewing workstations, and scalable IP storage. In 2008, DNF Security was recognized top industry publisher Security Sales & Integration (SSI) Magazine as the “Top 30 Technology Innovator” of the year. With a focus on providing high quality, scalable and cost-effective IP Surveillance solutions, DNF Security continues to push the boundaries in the surveillance industry. For more information, please visit http://www.DNFSecurity.com or http://www.DNFCorp.com.

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Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Best answer:

Answer by Desert Dust
Inventory control device.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Herndon, VA (PRWEB) July 13, 2007

Secure Elements (http://www.secure-elements.com), the industry leader in standards-based IT audit and compliance management, today announced that the company has received the Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language (OVAL™) Repository Top Contributor Award from The MITRE Corporation for invaluable contributions of security compliance content to the Repository.

“The OVAL Repository Top Contributor Award is reserved for organizations that assist in making the OVAL Repository a gold standard for open information security content,” said Jon Baker of the MITRE Corporation and part of the group moderating OVAL. “Secure Elements is recognized today for their invaluable content submissions of new definitions and enhancements to existing Repository content.”

OVAL is an international, information security community standard that promotes open and publicly available security content and standardizes the transfer of this information across security tools and services. The OVAL Repository, hosted by The MITRE Corporation, contains OVAL content that organizations can use to determine the presence of a specified software vulnerability, configuration issue, program or patch.

“Secure Elements is proud to support the OVAL community by leveraging our experience in enterprise security compliance and vulnerability management to provide users with content that shortens the vulnerability window in the ‘scan, remediate, and verify’ cycle,” said Scott Carpenter, Director of Security Labs for Secure Elements. “This recognition reflects our commitment to author and contribute to industry leading, publicly available security content initiatives such as the OVAL Repository and for the NIST Information Security Automation Program (ISAP), where we have contributed content for auditing the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) for Microsoft Vista and XP.”

In addition to authoring and contributing content to ISAP that is compliant with the NIST Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP), which is utilized by Federal Agencies to comply with the OMB Mandate for standard security configurations, Secure Elements recently unveiled the latest release of the C5 Compliance Platform; the first enterprise-class, SCAP-compliant solution that enables automated and continuous compliance auditing for Microsoft Windows® XP and Windows Vista™.

About Secure Elements

Secure Elements (http://www.secure-elements.com) develops innovative products that help organizations achieve IT security compliance. We enable organizations to audit, evaluate, and comply with internal, industry, and regulatory policies. Our solutions reduce business risk and IT management costs while improving systems performance and maintaining business continuity. Based in Northern Virginia, Secure Elements serves organizations in the federal government and critical infrastructure markets, as well as the Global 1000.

Contact: Piper Conrad

On Behalf of Secure Elements

Phone: (703) 287-7820

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Medvedev Calls For Security Overhaul Following Moscow Terror Strike
(RTTNews) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for a major security overhaul along the lines of the one followed by Israel, in the wake of Monday’s deadly terror strike in Moscow, it has been reported on Tuesday.
Read more on INO News

LA school bolsters security after shooting
Security officers wielding metal detecting wands meticulously searched backpacks and students yesterday in a long line outside a Los Angeles high school where two 15-year-olds were shot in a classroom a day before.
Read more on Boston Globe

Voltage Security and Merchant Link Announce Point-to-Point Encryption, Decryption and …
New hosted solution offers large merchants cloud-based services to protect cardholder data NEW YORK –Voltage Security, a global leader in enterprise and payment card data protection inside and outside the cloud, and Merchant Link, a leading provider of payment gateway and data security solutions, today announced a partnership to provide point-to-point encryption, cloud-based decryption and …
Read more on ThomasNet

SC Worlds Congress 2010

New York (PRWEB) November 1, 2010

The third annual SC World Congress Conference and Expo, the East Coast’s largest information security event, taking place November 10-11 has rounded out its jam- packed agenda with the addition of two of the most prominent security experts in the industry, Special Assistant to the President and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt and Lieutenant General Robert Elder USAF (Retired).

    In his keynote, U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy – Progress and the Path Forward, the honorable Howard A. Schmidt will provide an overview of the progress of the nation’s cybersecurity efforts, and the way forward for pursuing the Obama administration’s cybersecurity goals. He will also enlighten organizations in the private sector on ways they can help keep the nation’s cyber infrastructure secure.
o    Boasting one of the most diverse and illustrious resumes in the industry, Schmidt brings more than 40 years of defense, law enforcement and corporate security experience. He has held senior leadership roles developing and leading security strategies in partnership with presidents and senior White House officials within the federal government and the FBI.

o    In the private sector, he has led critical security initiatives with the Information Security Forum, eBay and Microsoft.

    The keynote Offensive vs. Defensive Cyber Security Strategy, featuring Lt. General Elder offers best practices for private and public sector organizations seeking a better understanding of how to balance the fine line between aggressive and passive security strategies.
o    Lt. General Elder currently conducts research in the areas of cyber enterprise resiliency and the use of modeling to support national security decision-making. He also serves as an advisor to the Cyber Innovation Center in Louisiana.

o    General Elder served as the first commander of Air Force Network Operations and led the development of the cyberspace mission for the Air Force. He also served as the Air operations center commander and deputy air component commander for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

For more information on the Congress keynotes visit, http://www.scmagazineus.com/keynotes/section/1571/

“This year’s conference boasts the top security leaders of our time, bestowing insight and real-world experience to those attendees serious about improving security,” said Illena Armstrong, editor-in-chief, SC Magazine. “Our highly-revered security event continues to attract top talent and the addition of Howard Schmidt and Lt. General Elder delivers on our promise t to provide cutting edge sessions for security professionals from every industry. I am personally very excited to attend and hear all that our speakers have to offer.”

A full list of speakers, a conference agenda, media partners, sponsors and participant registration can be found at http://www.scworldcongress.com/.

Registration for the conference is currently open. To register for the conference, please visit http://www.scworldcongress.com/.

About SC Magazine

SC Magazine was named winner of 2010 Magazine of the Year by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). It provides IT security professionals with in-depth and unbiased information through timely news, comprehensive analysis, cutting-edge features, contributions from thought leaders and the best, most extensive collection of product reviews in the business. By offering a consolidated view of IT security through independent product tests and well-researched editorial content that provides the contextual backdrop for how these IT security tools will address larger demands put on businesses today, SC Magazine enables IT security pros to make the right security decisions for their companies. In addition to the monthly print magazine and a vibrant website updated daily, the brand’s portfolio includes SC World Congress Conference and Expo, SC Congress Canada, SC Magazine Awards, SC Directory and SC Magazine Newswire.

Become a fan of SC Magazine on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Contacts:

Sponsorship / vendor showcase:

Mike Alessie

mike(dot)alessie(at)haymarketmedia(dot)com

646-638-6002

Innovators Throwdown:

Eric Green

eric(at)elg-consulting(dot)com

Media:

Hally Wax

MIX Public Relations

hally(at)mix-pr(dot)com

# # #

Attachments

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Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Find More Security Press Releases

McAfee Launches Security Certification Program
SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE) today announced the McAfee Security Certification Program. This global program consists of two “tracks”: The McAfee® Certified Product Specialist track, which supports the McAfee award winning product solutions, and the McAfee® Certified Assessment Specialist track, which has been developed around the McAfee Foundstone Ultimate …
Read more on Business Wire

Yemeni security forces thwarts kidnapping European tourists
Two soldiers and a child were wounded when security forces engaged in clashes on Monday with armed tribesmen who attempted to kidnap four European tourists in a Yemeni tourism village west of the capital of Sanaa, Yemeni Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Read more on People’s Daily

Security guard, patron hurt in drive-by shooting in Vallejo bar’s parking lot
A gun battle in the parking lot of a Vallejo bar left one security guard and at least one patron injured Friday night, police said Monday.Vallejo police responded to George’s Den on the 100 block of Maple Street at about 11 p.
Read more on Vallejo Times-Herald