Cape Town`s DLK Consulting has teamed with Johannesburg-based Centre for Computer Technology Security to increase the awareness and services to combat IT security attacks in the Western Cape.
A statement released by the two organisations says DLK Consulting, an empowered consultancy working mainly within local and provincial government, will represent and manage the Centre for Computer Technology Security services in the province, while bringing in IT security techniques and tools.
The alliance`s first initiative is a one-day intensive course about the threats of hackers, worms and viruses. Being held in Claremont on 19 November, the course will bring home to management and technical staff alike, the need to have a proactive security strategy in place, says Ian Melamed, CEO of the Cape Centre for Computer Technology Security.
"In DLK we have found IT professionals with a credible track record to open doors for us into organisations which are under increasing pressure to secure their networks and information."
Melamed says companies have still not fully grasped the fact that their computer networks are under constant threat of attack from hackers, viruses and worms that cause havoc with communications, corporate information, customer relationships and cost millions of rands. This includes those that are still suffering the effects of the Blaster worm that struck networks worldwide in August.
He says one major SA corporation estimated that Blaster had cost it more than R7 million. A network crisis centre was created which employed extra IT staff to work overtime. This was set up to deal with the worm`s impact on the systems and networks. A dedicated call centre handled customer complaints.
DLK CEO Leon Hendricks says information security is an ongoing issue and not a once-off, reactive task to be dealt with when the next virus alert goes out. "Malicious attempts to hack into networks or broadcast viruses and worms are ongoing, so companies must develop comprehensive strategies to manage the problem in perpetuity."
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