Cyber security – and you thought that was IT’s “problem”

Well – you aren’t wrong, but the truth is, it’s everyone’s “responsibility” to safeguard the information and other computing assets that we each have access to and custody of as part of our roles here at the College.

Let me ask you a question:  Would you be comfortable living in a house that someone else had the key to?  Particularly if you didn’t know who that person was, or how many other people also have a key? What if an underground tunnel from a local public park came through to your basement? Or none of your windows would close all the way and lock? Would you trust that house with your safety and your privacy? Well, that house is the Internet. That is not to say you should never go into the house, but rather, you should know the risks before you store all of your valuables there, and what you can do to protect them.

Cyber security focuses on just those risks, and is a challenge for all organizations and individuals these days. As much as we don’t want to believe it, there are people out there, bad guys, who have nefarious or even malicious intent, and work hard to get at our data and systems.

You may have noticed some recent articles in the Langara Post with some cyber security tips such as “Understanding the future importance of cyber security“. Over the coming weeks and months, IT will be introducing a number of features, sharing more information, and introducing additional security measures aimed at protecting all of us.

IT security is always a balance between security and convenience.  But too much convenience allows the bad guys easy access to our private and personal information. Please watch this space for more articles and information as we work hard to protect our community and our assets from cyber-attacks. Or, feel free to reach out to me personally to discuss your concerns and how we can work together protect our environment.

David Cresswell, CIO