RSA 2010: IBM talks up need for 'smart' security

Al Zollar warned that expanding networks bring new security dangers [photo © 2010 RSA Conference]

The upcoming generation of IT infrastructure could force businesses to rethink their approach to security, according to IBM.

Al Zollar, general manager for Tivoli Software at IBM, said during a keynote session at the RSA 2010 conference that IT staff must prepare for greater amounts of security information as corporate networks grow larger and the number of connected devices increases.

Zollar warned that, as networks grow, the amount of data being generated by security tools threatens to overwhelm administrators.

"Today's security controls and management systems do a better job, but they also create a multitude of alerts and logs," he said, highlighting the need for better analysis and reporting tools.

Zollar also used the keynote to announce the IBM Institute for Advanced Security, which aims to bring in researchers and developers to address new security issues.

One of these new issues could be cloud security. Zollar suggested that the uptake of cloud computing services puts larger amounts of data at risk of damage or theft.

"The more data and information organisations make available to audiences, the greater the risk," he said. "We must ensure that organisations are proactively identifying all the risks, and that we have secure and resilient programmes."