IT Risk = Business Risk

Today, the web is one of the best places for business. Also, most business transactions are done with computers. Not everyone has got the hang of cyber-security yet, but it's very important that they try. We have evolved a lot and things are not done in the old fashion way, but just think about it - when employing the old ways of doing things, people always think of security. To say it in simpler terms - transactions in an unsafe cyber-environment are like money exchange in a dark alley from an unsafe neighborhood. Hackers are everywhere, just waiting to see a weak point in your defense system. They probe the Internet daily, so don't give them a chance to threaten your business by not applying security measures to you network.

"IT risk has changed," said Mr Hunter, who presented findings from the book during the Gartner IT Security Summit 2007, which is being held from 17-19 September in London, UK. "IT risk incidents harm constituencies within and outside companies. They damage corporate reputations and expose weaknesses in companies' management teams. Most importantly, uncontrolled IT risk dampens an organization's ability to compete." Perhaps now people will start taking things seriously - the Internet has no spikes to sting you in real life, but it sure is a dangerous thing, if you don't know your way around it!

"In many companies, it is difficult for business and IT people to exchange information about IT risks in a mutually meaningful way," said Mr Hunter. "To make effective decisions about IT risk, business executives need to know what happens to the business when technology fails or underperforms. Furthermore, any IT risk must be understood in terms of its potential to affect all of the company objectives that are enabled by IT. IT risk is too important to be delegated entirely to the IT organization."

They say information is money, and this is a proof that they're actually right. Nobody's stupid - people that know the risks will protect themselves. Only the ones that do not see a threat in the Web are at risk. "The most dangerous risks are the ones that are never considered, or considered too late," Mr Hunter said. "Executives need to look to the future. IT risk management is working the way it should when it is simply part of the way the company does business."