Michael Dell joined cybersecurity experts and international officials to discuss measures that the technology industry and governments can take to improve cybersecurity, including aggressive cross-sector development of technologies, policies and collaborative efforts that protect information networks.

“Governments and private industry need to work collaboratively to develop the appropriate international framework to secure cyberspace. We should all do this in a way that keeps our global information central nervous system intact and secure. It’s important that we prevent destructive elements, particularly given the Internet’s present and future role in our society,” said Michael Dell.

Dell also announced today that it is joining the Information Technology Sector Coordinating Council (IT SCC) which leads technology-industry activities related to U.S. infrastructure protection. The IT SCC also represents the technology industry with the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security which interacts with government to convey private-sector perspectives.

Dell is extending its longstanding commitment to standards leadership to cybersecurity, developing solutions that provide organizations – and governments – with efficient, flexible solutions that protect the flow of critical information for commerce, education, public services and defense.

Drastic increases in sophisticated, well-funded cyber criminal enterprises, the borderless nature of cyberspace and the explosion of data make cybersecurity an urgent issue for public and private sector organizations.

According to IDC, the annual capacity growth rate for data in traditional enterprises increased at about 45 percent in the past three years. An August 2009 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported a 200 percent increase in cyber incidents in just two years.

Mr. Dell will share his views on how those challenges are best addressed by an aggressive, coordinated and cross-sector “supply chain-to- software” cyber strategy grounded in:

• Governance - Advanced processes and precautions must be put in place to protect data in sensitive networks belonging to corporations, governments, and military forces.
• Education – Governments worldwide must invest in a comprehensive cybersecurity education initiative and development of a cyber workforce. That includes driving more funding to science, technology, engineering and math education.
• Technology - Governments and private enterprises should invest in developing open, scalable and affordable networks. As those networks are upgraded, security must be embedded into each component, from hardware to software. In addition, common standards must be developed to facilitate open access, consistent adoption and enhanced efficiencies.

For example, with INTEGRITY Global Security separation technology, government employees can access data of varying security levels on a single Dell system. Historically, many agencies used multiple systems to protect information, resulting in complex infrastructures and decreased productivity.