Eclectic follows a discussion on SOAP security caused by Bruce Schneier's tests to judge Microsoft Trustworthy Computing.  10:53:55 PM    

Replacing HTTP: "Is it a coincidence that CORBA's biggest cheerleader, Doug Schmidt, and Microsoft's champion for the opposition, Don Box, used to be roommates in college?" Web services vs. CORBA comparison.  10:42:52 PM    

"To help protect applications, a new class of software has hit the streets, designed to help customers secure their Web sites from dangers such as embarrassing defacements and theft of customer identities and corporate data. These so-called application firewalls sit between the public Internet and Web server and filter Web traffic for illegitimate data requests. To date, there are only three vendors in this arena: KaVaDo, Sanctum, and Stratum8 Networks. "

(InformationWeek)

  10:36:56 PM    

Handy checklist for selection of managed security service:

Experience

• How long has it been in business?
• What kind of customers does it have?
• Has it got reference sites?
• Does it use contractors?

Service Level Agreement

• What is the response time to incidents?
• Is there a firewall uptime guarantee?
• Are there performance tracking and reports systems?
• Are there penalties for poor performance?

Round-the-clock service

• Is there a call-out rota or are centres actually manned 24 hours a day?
• Staff accreditation: Is there rigorous vetting?
• How many employees are accredited in the applied technology?

Infrastructure

• Is it scalable?
• Does it provide continuity and integration?
• Does it rely on internet connectivity?
• Service Portfolio: Does it cover immediate needs? Development process?
• Does it have accreditation?
• What is its long-term viability?
• What is its policy on security best practice

(via vnunet.com)

  10:32:20 PM