Part 3 of 3: Monitoring the “Human Element” of Security – 10 Predictions for 2010

Part 3:  Where Vision Beats Pain

In our first and second segments of this three-part series, we explored how always-on technology and changes in society are impacting the “human element” of PC and Internet security—both from a corporate perspective and as parents of today’s digital kids.  As 2010 unfolds, SpectorSoft sees several emerging and usage trends that warrant closer monitoring and inspection.  As we wrap up our Top 10 Predictions for 2010, we’ll explore the intersection of security versus privacy in the workplace, and how we believe vision beats pain…

8. The Black Market for Data Grows. Identity and credit card theft are not only crimes happening on the Web.  An estimated one-third of broadband users are pirating copyrighted media such as movies, music, and games.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the most pirated title of 2009 with 4.1 million unauthorized downloads. In the workplace, people are becoming more aware of the value of corporate information and simply walking out the door with it.  Survey data suggests that as many as 41% of workers have taken sensitive data to a new position and 26% would pass on company information if it proved useful in getting friends or family a job.  In 2010, data theft will cost businesses billions of dollars, so they’ll be stepping up efforts to detect when sensitive documents are printed or saved to removable devices, especially if they’re required to comply with regulations like HIPAA.

9. The Points of Pain Will Double. Given the rapid advancements in Internet technology, we believe the “points of pain” driving business computer monitoring solutions will more than double in the next decade.  As recently as 2005, many SpectorSoft corporate customers noted as few as three such points: productivity loss, exposure to legal liability, and clogging of bandwidth. Recently, new pain points including data loss protection, document protection, fraud detection, viruses carried through social network sites and Webmail, and overall network security have been commonplace additions to the list. In 2010 and beyond, factors like cloud computing, entertainment via the Internet channel, unlimited broadband, and social freedom, will create additional concerns and drive the need for society to look from within and monitor computer and Internet activity more closely than ever before.

10. Vision Beats Pain. As pioneers in this market, we’ve discovered two types of customers… those who experience a pain-point and purchase monitoring products to investigate more closely; and companies and parents who continually watch the horizon and invest in monitoring software before something bad happens.  At SpectorSoft, we believe vision beats pain. We’re available 24/7/365 to share the message and help you make it through 2010 unscathed by giving you better insight and intelligence into PC and Internet usage, by helping you stop unwanted activity at the source, and by continually innovating our products.

SpectorSoft recently released Spector Pro 2010 and eBlaster 2010 for Mac and Windows. New features include enhanced activity recorders, keyword alerts, chat blocking, and a built-in “Internet Lingo” translator that reveals the true meaning of cryptic terms used in chat, email and instant messages. Additionally, SpectorSoft released the new 2010 version of its flagship corporate-wide monitoring product, Spector 360, with new features that include centralized event alerts, an updated control center, new dashboard views, and much more.  Spector 360 empowers companies of all sizes to address productivity, ethics, security, and compliance concerns head on by monitoring the human aspect of computer and Internet usage across the entire organization—day and night, 365 days a year.

Have something to add to the Top 10 list, or a new feature you’d like to see added to any of our products? We’d be glad to hear from you.