Computer security is vital for all individuals and organisations who use computers. In today's world information is both a source of power and money. Losing information means losing money and competitive advantages in today's world. This was clearly documented by Ernst & Young's recent survey on computer security.

What kinds of data are necessary to protect?

1. Sensitive commercial information.
   If an employee walks away with your company's client database or product development plans then your company will face serious problems if this information falls into the hands of a competitor. One research paper can be stolen in seconds, but the information it contains can represent years of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
   
2. Client information.
   If you hold data on clients which is stolen, then you would be in a very embarrassing situation. As a result you could lose not only existing clients, but also future potential clients.
3. Personal information.
   Most organisations today must by law secure any data held about individuals. If this data is compromised your company could also be taken to court, and forced to pay legal costs and compensation.

What threats exist in your organisation which could lead to your computer data being compromised?

The press likes to emphasise external threats such as computer viruses and hackers; surveys show that the largest threats to computer systems are internal. All personnel with access to unsecured computer data pose a threat, and often without knowing it. Every time one of your employees carries a notebook out of the company premises there exists a risk of the notebook being stolen along with all the data on it.

If your organisation has computers connected to the outside world an intruder can gain access to unsecured data without ever having to enter the building. The fact that this often happens has been documented:

..... one computer on the Internet is broken into every 20 seconds.....

The Financial Times, 15th April 1996

If you're still not convinced of the need for computer security, consider the following:

• computer fraud in the United Kingdom exceeds 2.5 billion pounds a year
• less than 1% of all computer fraud cases are detected
• over 90% of all computer crime goes unreported

A recent survey by Ernst & Young compiled in co-operation with Information Week. A total of 1,320 companies took part in the survey, which identified the following causes for loss of data:

Cause Experienced by (% of survey correspondents)

Accidental	65
Computer viruses	63
Loss of access channel	51
Internal theft	32
External theft	18
Natural disasters	25
Unidentified causes	15
Industrial espionage	6

It is impossible to ignore the fact that the potential damage of not securing your computer data is huge; at the same time the investment required to eliminate this risk is minimal. AEC is a leading provider of software security solutions which address your needs.

Investing in AEC's products could well prove to be one of the best investments you have ever made.