Sony improves information security measures by hiring veteran

Sep 6, 2011 15:05 GMT  ·  By

Sony executives are trying to recover from the difficult start they've had this year and the first step is to hire a new person to put in charge of their data security, the large number of attacks targeting the Japanese company clearly being a cry for an improvement in this sector.

Philip Reitinger was appointed as senior vice-president and chief information security officer in an attempt to prevent any future breaches in their networks.

Reitinger is not a rookie when it comes to fighting against cybercriminals, as he occupied related positions at Microsoft, the US Departments of Defense and Justice, as well as the US Department of Homeland Security.

If we were to take a look at his biography, we could easily concur that he is an excellent candidate for this position, as his previous work experience in most cases included things like “ investigating and prosecuting computer crimes, developing computer crime and technology training for law enforcement personnel, outreach to the private sector, protecting critical information infrastructures, and developing policy regarding the fight against high-technology crime.”

He obtained a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science degree from Vanderbilt University and a law degree from Yale Law School.

According to Sony representatives, "He will oversee information security, privacy and internet safety across the company, coordinating closely with key headquarters groups and working in partnership with the information security community to bring the best ideas and approaches to Sony."

The company has been experiencing a downfall lately which has lead to a more than 50% loss of their market share value.

It seems that with these changes and the large number of products presented by the company at IFA, Sony hopes to get back on the track and become the brand it once was.