The results from the Business Software Alliance's fifth-annual study on global software piracy revealed some statistics that would put a smile on any software company executive's face: Of the 108 countries that are covered in the recently released report, the use of pirated software dropped in 67 countries. In just eight countries did the piracy rate increase.

Canberra-based knowledge economy and social computing evangelist Stephen Collins heard a quote earlier this year that perfectly describes the Enterprise 2.0 dilemma: "If you want to find out what tools your staff are finding most useful at the moment, just go and see what your IT department is blocking"

Some of the most sensitive digital data in London resides on the servers of the City of London Police - and a great deal of effort goes into making sure that it isn't downloaded onto portable devices and then lost or stolen

When I started in IT at insurance company MetLife in 1970, my background was as far away from insurance as you could possibly imagine. I was an engineer, and I had studied towards a doctorate in solid-state physics.

Disabled people have so far lost out on many of the benefits that technology has brought. But changes are on the way

Neither information technology nor security managers fire people in most organizations. That plain reality seems to escape some in the industry, where offended security administrators declare that disabling the anti-virus program is grounds for demotion or an IT manager finding unlicensed media makes arrangements for someone to make the cardboard box commute.

Demand for Executives Slows

The productivity benefits of smart phones and other mobile devices are difficult to ignore, and enterprises will continue to role them out across their workforce. For CIOs and other senior IT personnel the time to consider and implement a comprehensive mobile security policy is now.

Today's CISO plays a pivotal role not only in defining technical standards and security policies, but also in assuring customers of the security of their data and validating security controls to regulators. Many are struggling with this transition because they have been given these responsibilities without any real authority or visibility within their organizations. They also need a new set of skills to successfully fulfill their responsibilities.

As the threat of attack, both external and internal, continues to take root and as data-handling regulations continue to proliferate, the role of a chief information security officer appears to be growing more complex by the day. Many CISOs are doing an admirable job of stemming the tide of data loss and keeping their heads above water around compliance. But some IT security leaders are doing it better than the rest, according to a recent Forrester Research report, which has identified several characteristics that make these top CISOs more successful than their peers.

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