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Gartner Analyst French Caldwell |
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The Effect of Global Unrest
on Business and IT
Tuesday, 25 March 2003
Symposium/ITxpo attendees gathered for an hour-long Town Hall meeting Monday night to hear Gartner analysts tackle the difficult questions surrounding the threat of terrorism, the war in Iraq and what it means to business and IT.
Safety concerns were on people's minds, and the panel of Gartner analysts stressed steps American companies should continue to make to ensure business and IT are prepared in case of another major terrorism attack takes place.
Gartner analyst French Caldwell was a key participant in the Digital Pearl Harbor program, in which Gartner worked with the U.S. Navy War College to evaluate the threat of cyberterrorism. "Through the games that we put together," he said, "we found out that cyberterrorism is feasible. When we started the games, we weren't sure what we would find."
However, when asked what the War in Iraq might do to IT budgets, Mr. Caldwell replied, "The short answer is, probably not much." Not to say we should not worry about things around us, he said, but in terms of it affecting actual IT budgets, the estimate of impact is low.
Gartner analyst Vince Oliva discussed the impact that war could have on the financial services sector. He believes that war insurance, terrorism insurance and outsourcing contracts could all be affected. "However, the financial services industry is a heavily regulated industry. The federal government is determined to keep financial services companies running."
Gartner analyst Rich Mogull said that understanding your clients and knowing day-to-day operations of security management is key. "The biggest thing that clients want to know is ‘Am I at risk at work. Should I be scared or not?'" He went on to say that understanding your workers' roles in the enterprise should be of the utmost importance, especially with the call-up of national reservists."
Gartner analyst Dan Miklovic discussed the idea of the Iraqi people, angry with the United States, lashing out in the form of a cyberattack. "We're not worried about Iraqis breaking in, but we may see security breakdowns as a form of protest. Young, college educated students with major resources at their disposal pose a real threat."
The commercial passenger industry received a B-plus in terms of safety and effectiveness, according to Gartner analyst John Dubiel. "The high grade the commercial airline received has come at a cost," he said. However, the commercial cargo industry did not fare as well and received a C-minus for the safety concerns of letting in cargo that could pose a safety threat.
Click here to view the entire Town Hall meeting.
Bart Bailey-Gates
Gartner Staff
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