From John Chambers: Partnership, Prosperity, and Security

The theme of the 2004 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum was "Partnering for Prosperity and Security." Whether viewed as a small-scale instrument to foster opportunity, or as a catalyst and engine for global economic growth, the World Economic Forum recognizes that technology is a strategic tool for commerce, economic growth, and long-range prosperity. And while the World Economic Forum primarily focuses on global issues, many of its findings are also applicable to global business issues.Economic growth and prosperity rely on healthy business partnerships. Whether it is a partnership between countries or Fortune 500 corporations, the ability to quickly and reliably share information between partners is key to the long-term success of any venture. The network infrastructure that supports these business communications is therefore an important component of productivity and commerce. And like the ancient trade routes that once promoted and encouraged commerce, a corporation’s information infrastructure must be protected for commerce to flourish.As business requirements move beyond basic connectivity, the sophistication and operational relevance of the corporate information network has also grown proportionately. Through its support for business-critical information, applications, and processes, the network is now clearly a strategic asset that is critical for operational effectiveness, competitive resilience, and increased business productivity.The recent Net Impact 2003 study found that corporate network security ranks among the top three categories for networking budgets. Corporate network security has now moved to the fore of technology concerns. However, protecting this strategic asset is not a simple matter. Similar to the business partnerships that are critical for market success, a well-developed network security strategy is important to ensure enterprise resilience and employee productivity. Further, the increased reliance on external partners and their associated networks has led to operational dependence on partner and customer networks. Therefore, a combination of technology, people, and process, is necessary to secure the corporate information network of tomorrow.Source: Cisco