Shaking it Up

It would be an understatement to say that public safety and emergency preparedness, with respect to protecting critical IT infrastructures, is huge. It affects every single sector − from health care to finance − and it can often be unclear as to who’s in charge of what.

What is clear, however, is that major events and disasters – like the blackout in Ontario in August 2003 – have led to new undertakings, like the Canadian Telecommunications Emergency Preparedness Association. Combine that with existing agencies like Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC), Industry Canada Emergency Telecommunications (ICET) and provincial organizations committed to improvement and collaboration, like the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, and you’ve got an unprecedented level of awareness and preparedness.

Government departments and agencies know what they need. And service providers are able to step up to the plate and offer solutions that could see Canadians through the next disaster, with little or no damage done. There’s still a long way to go, but the progress that has been made – and is continuing to be made – is impressive.

While some solution providers may be profiting from a climate of fear, there seem to be more and more advances and products cropping up, ensuring all will be well in the area of IT in the face of a national emergency or disaster.

Protecting critical IT infrastructures

Clearly, companies are listening to the concerns governments are voicing. Malicious codes or worms could effectively shut down an entire government, which would have an unacceptable impact on the economy.

One of the more recent developments in cybersecurity is Microsoft Corp.’s Security Cooperation Program (SCP), announced by Bill Gates last month at Microsoft’s Government Leaders Forum in Prague.

The goal of the SCP is to work with governments addressing threats to national security, economic strength and public safety more efficiently and effectively, through co-operative projects and information sharing, according to Zuwena Robidas, departmental spokesperson for Canada’s PSEPC, a participant.

John Weigelt, national technology officer with Microsoft Canada, said the company sat down with the PSEPC because they felt there was a need to look at where they could help each other in responding to broad incidents, sharing information and building awareness about these activities.

Weigelt said there are always “hiccups” when you try to implement a new program such as the SCP. In particular, sharing information between the public sector and private sector can be a challenge in terms of data classification and what type of information can be shared.

The U.S. appears to be a little ahead of the game, judging by a recent report in Voices Of America News on a week-long test of the country’s cyber security.

Dubbed Cyber Storm, the $3-million initiative was a co-ordinated effort among more than 100 public, private and international agencies, corporations and governments.