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PROFESSOR Iain Morrison (pictured), who is head of Bond University’s IT School, says more than one million Australians will fall victim to information and computer fraud this year.
Australian governments estimate engagement with the internet has generated more than 50 per cent of the gains in the economy over the past 10-15 years and Treasury models show the impact of ICT and the internet will continue to be a major economic driver and wealth generator for Australians over the next 30 or so years.
But what of the cost? Contrary to traditional bricks and mortar business models, your business, customers, corporate data and resources can be stolen in real-time without you being aware of it.
‘Open access’ communication models provide a myriad of exciting new opportunities for social interaction and business engagement but their use can be akin to you having an open house, leaving all doors ajar and inviting all to enter trusting there will be no pilfering and entrants keep to the directions you have left.
Theft need not be real/physical – digital copies of artefacts will suffice. On the internet, the ‘doorways’ are your desktops, browsers and PDAs/mobile phones and, if you are a service provider, the systems and applications through which services and products are offered.
The internet and smart mobile phones have changed the way we communicate, the way we work and the way organisations do business. But at what cost? Get your copy of the August edition to read more. The Gold Coast Business News August edition is available in more than 450 newsagents.
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