Practical security balances the cost of protection and the risk of loss, which is the cost of recovering from a loss times its probability. Usually the probability is fairly small (because the risk of punishment is high enough), and therefore the risk of loss is also small. When the risk is less than the cost of recovering, it's better to accept it as a cost of doing business (or a cost of daily living) than to pay for better security. People and credit card companies make these decisions every day. With computers, on the other hand, security is only a matter of software, which is cheap to manufacture, never wears out, and can't be attacked with drills or explosives.
Related white papers
Balancing Security Against Productivity
What makes for great security? Is it about keeping the bad guys out or letting the good guys in? About defending attacks or preventing them? When IDG Research Services queried...
Secure Desktop On-Demand Webcast
The desktop or endpoint is one of the most vulnerable parts of your environment. Threats are everywhere. You have users who love to experiment with device settings (only to wonder...
Novell Zenworks Endpoint Security Management: Total Control from a Single Console
Still super gluing your USB ports shut? Unauthorized access to networks, lost or stolen laptops and other mobile hardware, and theft of proprietary information or intellectual property accounted for more...
Design Alternatives for a High-Performance Self-Securing Ethernet Network Interface
This paper presents and evaluates a strategy for integrating the Snort network intrusion detection system into a high-performance programmable Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC), considering the impact of several possible...
Exposing Network Services for Enhanced Competitive Edge
SingTel is Asia's leading communications group with operations and investments around the world. In the growing competitive telecommunications industry, SingTel needed new services revenue stream to maintain its top position....
Telecom Provider Increases Network Performance and Security, Reduces Costs
Oman Mobile is the leading mobile telecommunications provider in Oman. In 2007, the company decided to enhance the performance of its IT infrastructure and make it easier to manage. Also,...
Creditor Expects New Business Opportunities and Increased Employee Productivity
COFIDIS Portugal sells consumer-credit products both directly and through outside resellers. These partners require secure access to company programs without costly virtual private networks. Employees also need remote access to...

