PATENTLY ORGANIZED Milind Joshi sees both good
and bad in a new tech patent library. Page 22.
LAPTOPS FOR EVERYONE Researchers have developed
a US$100 computer for kids in developing countries. Page 32.
$2.50
THE VOICE OF THE I. T. COMMUNITY I December 9, 2005 I Volume 21, Number 25
www.ITworldcanada.com
Gifts
for geeks
knowledge centre INTEGRATING IT
S ouectsuoruitrycing
catches on
From the latest Xbox to MP3
players to digital cameras, find out
what gifts for the computer-minded
are hot this year. See page 5.
BY WARREN LEE about outsourcing all of
their IT functions, including
Outsourcing of IT security security. They see no distinc-
services will increase dramati- tion between contracting a
cally over the next five years security company to guard
despite fears about turning their facilities and contracting
over the keys to the company an IT security firm to deal with
to an outside entity. their IT security requirements.
IDC Canada estimates that Not surprisingly, most com-
the market for security services panies are somewhere between
Municipalities lead charge in Canada was $436 million these extremes. However, there
in 2004. By 2009, are significant differences
says Joe Greene, between the market for
IDC Canada’s managed security
to electoral IT innovation vice-president services and that
of security for tradi-
research, it tional IT
will be $846 outsourc-
Provinces and Feds remain relatively be able to function independently, million ing. without Ottawa. That means soft- — almost As Paransky
low-tech by comparison BY JEFF JEDRAS ware must be imaged and ready doubling in a points out, “The
ahead of time, after extensive five-year period. vast majority
Elections Canada is laying ballot, and the ballots are counted testing to ensure it will work in the Yet many companies still of customers pick and
a foundation for future by hand. field. “You can’t be quick-response consider the outsourcing choose the particular service
evolution and changes are Rocky Kreis, who recently if you can’t apply a lot of the new of any IT security function that they want to outsource.”
afoot in British Columbia, joined Elections Canada technologies most people to be anathema. For them, They want to use their security
but across the country most elec- as director of IT, said more online are using,” said Kries. “outsourced security” is an service provider as an exten-
tion-related technology innovation technology is used behind See what’s happening Before more innovation oxymoron. Jonah Paransky, sion of their IT organization
is confined to the municipal level. the scenes, but internal in one U.S. state at can be considered at the senior manager of security rather than as a replacement
ITWorldCanada.com
Canadians will soon mark guidelines have made IT 052701 front end, Kries said the product management at Cu- for the security function. In
their ballots in a Federal election innovation difficult. The organization needs to pertino, Calif.-based Symantec doing so, they gain access to
process that hasn’t changed much 308 federal ridings across Canada decide what it wants tech to do Managed Security Services, specialized skills, which are in
in years. Their name is found on open returning offices during an and then build a new IT platform places these companies at one short supply, without giving up
a paper list, they mark a paper election, and Kries said each must to support it. extreme of a continuum. operational control or policy
“I think we’ve pushed the At the other end are compa- direction.
existing model about as far as nies that hold no reservations SEE SECURIT Y PAGE 7
it’s going to go,” said Kries. “We
have to build an IT environment
that’s going to be both very
stable and very agile, that will
dig deeper online
(let us) implement new business
requirements and new things
like online voter registration or
ballot-counting machines.”
There’s plenty more to this story and you can get the bigger picture by
simply going online to www.itworldcanada.com. Enter the following
Quicklink number to find other informative articles including:
Wireless security threats growing with the number of devices.
