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Searching for Security
IN A WORLD WHERE THE ILLUSION OF SECURITY
HAS BEEN STRIPPED AWAY, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY
TO MAKE OUR BUSINESSES SAFER.
ALL
OF US DESERVE IT.
 On
September 11th, the unthinkable and the
impossible suddenly became chilling reality.
Our hearts go out to the victims. Our emotions
are numb. Yet even as we mourn the dead
and console the living, business leaders
must face new responsibilities not of our
choosing.
In a world where the illusion of security
has been stripped away, we have a responsibility
to make our businesses safer. Our families,
our employees, and our shareholders demand
it and deserve it. In matters great and
small, September 11th will change the way
we do business.
As just one example, before September 11th,
I never questioned the wisdom of concentrating
headquarters functions in a single building.
For me, the simple ability to walk down
the hall and meet your co-workers face-to-face
outweighed all other considerations.
I've now changed my mind. Of the companies
in and around the World Trade Center, the
ones that have recovered the fastest and
most gracefully are the ones with decentralized
operations. Whether their other offices
were across the Hudson in Jersey City, across
the East River in Queens, or across the
Atlantic in the city of London, these companies
quickly overcame formidable obstacles.
The restoration of these operations has
clearly depended on the latest audiovisual,
communications, and computing technology.
High-speed data lines and phone lines enabled
remote offices to pick up the slack. Laptops
and cell phones allowed homebound managers
to become involuntary telecommuters, staying
in touch and staying productive. Location
has become less important as employees anywhere
conduct business with customers everywhere.
Telepresence has effectively replaced physical
presence.
Just as we rethink location, we're profoundly
rethinking business travel. New security
requirements on the ground are making air
travel less convenient than before. No more
departing New York in the morning for lunch
in San Francisco. Inevitably this is driving
companies to look for alternatives, including
trains, rental cars, and videoconferencing.
Clearly, everyone is giving videoconferencing
a second look. We've even seen the President
of the United States sitting in Camp David
and talking to his national security team
via videoconference.
It's also no surprise that companies are
taking a fresh look at the physical security
of their buildings. We're seeing renewed
interest not only in armed guards and bomb-sniffing
dogs, but also in access control, video
surveillance, and the latest biometric technologies
from fingerprint recognition to facial recognition.
As businesses and as a society, we need
to balance the needs for video surveillance
with the need for privacy. I predict our
politicians, lawyers, and citizens will
be wrestling with this issue for years to
come.
Finally, don't forget the security of your
computer systems and data. The Internet
has already proved a valuable tool for thieves,
hoaxers, hackers, and spies. In the future,
we'll need to take further precautions to
guarantee the safety of our corporate data
and the integrity of our corporate systems.
It's not enough to move your server farms
offsite. It's not enough to back up your
data. You'll need to safeguard your systems
from committed, persistent, and highly skilled
intruders with the worst imaginable motives.
You'll be pressed for better archiving,
better firewalls, and far better authentication
of users than ever before. And content protection-once
the obscure obsession of music and movie
companies-may now become an issue for every
type of business.
As you know, Sony has important technologies
that can contribute to telecommuting, videoconferencing,
video surveillance, biometrics, data disaster
recovery, and data security. Since September
11th, we have redoubled our R&D efforts
in all these areas. We're working hard than
ever, enhancing product lines that are already
recognized for excellence.
Of course, these technologies all have
associated costs. It may take months to
assess which of these investments will make
the most sense. And it may take years to
recognize which investments have had the
most value. But while the visibility is
still poor and uncertainty abounds, I do
know one thing. Corporations will rise to
the occasion with ingenuity, determination
and skill.
-Ed Grebow
Deputy President, Sony Electronics Inc.
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