Growing IT Security Concerns Stimulate Forum Attendance

200 IT managers and executives attended key enterprise IT security forums in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore last week. Delegates benefited from the very latest information on good IT governance, and hearing about the best practices in dealing with today's many threats. New information announced at the security forum demonstrated a rising trend in Malaysia and higher priority being placed on IT compliance.

Singapore (PRWEB) April 11, 2008 -- 200 IT managers and executives attended key enterprise IT security forums in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore last week. Delegates benefited from the very latest information on good IT governance, and hearing about the best practices in dealing with today's many threats. New information announced at the security forum demonstrated a rising trend in Malaysia and higher priority being placed on IT compliance.

Global research shows that IT security threats are now perceived to be more likely to come from internal staff than from outside hackers.

Attacks on IT security are also becoming more complex, more sophisticated and more common, with the threats now growing three times as fast as IT budgets.

Cybercriminals are today driven by financial gain, not personal notoriety and 'career hackers' are using increasingly sophisticated and stealthy attack techniques to steal corporate assets for profit.

In this current atmosphere of concern about protecting networks, systems, data and trade secrets, some 200 IT managers and executives attended key enterprise IT security forums in Kuala Lumpur (Thursday, 27 March 2008) and Singapore (Thursday, 3 April 2008) last week.

The forums, entitled 'IT Strikes Back' were run by Computerworld Malaysia (www.computerworld.com.my) and Computerworld Singapore (www.computerworld.com.sg) magazines, involving top level presenters and sponsors from both vendor and end-user organisations such as Nokia, IBM , Symantec, Sophos, Ernst & Young, Reuters and Robert Walters.

Delegates at the two forums learned how embedded operating systems in multi-purpose printers and vending machines often provided back door gateways to unscrupulous hackers.

Computerworld Singapore and Computerworld Malaysia Editor, Teng Fang Yih, officiated at the Singapore security forum, and Computerworld Malaysia deputy editor AvantiKumar, spoke at the KL event.

Teng said that interest in the annual security forums was high and delegates appreciated hearing the latest industry approaches.

"The feedback has been that delegates valued the opportunity to meet with key providers of security management solutions," Teng said. "They also benefited from the very latest information on good IT governance, and hearing about the best practices in dealing with today's many threats.

AvantiKumar said the Malaysia delegates particularly valued PIKOM's overview on compliance presented by Justin Tan, a member of the Information Security Committee.

"New information announced at the security forum demonstrated a rising trend in Malaysia and higher priority being placed on IT compliance," AvantiKumar said.

"Speakers gave a surprising amount of time to compliance and confirmed that security was increasingly seen as an important business issue by the c-suite."

About Fairfax Business Media Asia:

Fairfax Business Media Asia publishes Computerworld Singapore, Computerworld Malaysia, MIS Asia (www.misweb.com), and CIO Asia (www.cio-asia.com) magazines. It is part of Australia's Fairfax Media, Australasia's leading media company with titles such as the Australian Financial Review, Business Review Weekly, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Melbourne Age, The Sun-Herald and The Canberra Times.

FBM Asia is also the official IT media partner with what is set to be the world's premier information and communications technology (ICT) forum (www.computerworld.com.my/links/wcit) for 2008. FBM Asia's enterprise IT titles will provide comprehensive coverage, including Show Dailies, of the World Congress on Information Technology to be held in Kuala Lumpur May 18 - 22, 2008.

FBM Asia Magazine Titles:

*Computerworld - Computerworld Singapore and Computerworld Malaysia magazines carry a stimulating mix of analytical reporting, in-depth discussions of current and emerging technology trends, enterprise IT, plus key technological developments and solutions that have an impact on regional IT professionals. Last month, Computerworld Malaysia received an honourable mention at the MediaConnect Asia Technology Journalist Awards 2007.

*CIO Magazine - This respected magazine links CIOs and senior executives with business strategy and technology innovation. It builds the IT business case for the highest-level members of the executive suite, and is aimed at the C-level leader who needs to know the business essentials of IT, with enough technical information for informed decision-making. CIO magazine gives the budget proposers (for example, the CIO) the means to drive strategy and the budget gatekeepers (such as the CFO and CEO) the means to judge its value.

*MIS (Managing Information Strategies) Asia. This is the leading IT management magazine circulated to some 10,650 CIOs and senior IT management in Asia's large to medium-sized enterprises, encouraging business-guided IT strategy by offering case studies and best practices. In July 2007, MIS Asia won the Best Business Technology Title award for the second year, at the MediaConnect Asia Technology Journalist Awards 2007.For inquiries on the Computerworld Malaysia and Computerworld Singapore Security Forums:

Contact: Teng Fang Yih - W: +65 6395 8028 - M: +65 9127 7056

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