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NCR criticized over outsourcing security
July 1993
NCR criticized over outsourcing security A US government regulator of financial institutions, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), has highlighted a number of security failings at one of NCR's processing sites, according to a report in Computer Weekly. As a result of its findings, the FDIC has written to the company's outsourcing customers warning them of lax security controls. The letter was inspired by a report issued by the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank on NCR's outsourcing conduct. The report criticized the company's operating controls and procedures at its datacentre in Cranbury, New Jersey, which is responsible for the data processing of 60 banks. In its letter, the FDIC claims that the shortcomings at the site were "serious and may adversely affect" NCR services. NCR has stated that the "glitch" had been resolved and it was "business as usual" at the site in question.
Computer Audit Update
Since abandoning the system responsibility for IS development has become the responsibility of the individual TECs.
New PC audit tool from Visionsoft Next month sees the launch of an audit tool aimed at cutting the cost of PC auditing. The tool from Visionsoft is priced at £4.75 per PC for users with up to 1000 machines. An unlimited licence is available for £4750. VSAudit is written in Clipper and runs under MS DOS. Data is collected locally or over a network and is then stored in a database for analysis. The database provides the user with a hierarchical view of the hardware and software configuration of all the PCs in a company right down to their AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. The VSAudit user can schedule audit intervals to take place automatically if the program is running on a network. Global queries can also be made to the database, e.g. how many PCs are using 50% or more of their disk capacity. To tempt potential buyers, the company is offering a free 486 PC with 128K cache and a 130Mb hard disk to customers buying the full licence.
Furore over ditched DoE system According to a report in Computing, the UK Department of Employment has been severely criticized by the National Audit Office (NAO) for scrapping a £48 million system without fully checking to see if it could be salvaged. The system, originally designed to support the 82 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales, was abandoned in April following an internal review carried out in April 1992. The TECs recorded nearly 7000 bugs and requests for changes to the system between 1990 and 1993. AS a result, they argued that the Digital-based system had become unworkable. The NAO, however, disagreed. In its report it said that "the decision was not informed by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. This would have given the department a better assessment of the merits of the various approaches to meeting TEC's future IT needs." The NAO also highlighted a number of errors in the development of the system, including problems in: staffing; management and control; inadequate training and support; and the poor use of consultants.
©1993 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd
Asian-Pacific software industry gets serious over copyright Intellectual property rights (IPR) have sprung to the top of the software agenda in Asian-Pacific countries, according to a report in the China Post. The threat of US trade sanctions has lead to the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) making IPR a priority issue. Last April, Taiwan was placed on a priority watch list under the Special Provision List of the US Trade Act due to dissatisfaction with Taipei's I PR protection. The US Trade Representative will decide whether to remove Taiwan from the list or impose sanctions at the end of this month. Malaysia was also placed on the watch list despite being praised by the Business Software Alliance for its IPR protection in 1992. Taiwan has revised its Copyright law, passed the ROC-US C o p y r i g h t A g r e e m e n t and implemented computer software export inspections as the US requested.
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NCR criticized over outsourcing security A US government regulator of financial institutions, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), has highlighted a number of security failings at one of NCR's processing sites, according to a report in Computer Weekly. As a result of its findings, the FDIC has written to the company's outsourcing customers warning them of lax security controls. The letter was inspired by a report issued by the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank on NCR's outsourcing conduct. The report criticized the company's operating controls and procedures at its datacentre in Cranbury, New Jersey, which is responsible for the data processing of 60 banks. In its letter, the FDIC claims that the shortcomings at the site were "serious and may adversely affect" NCR services. NCR has stated that the "glitch" had been resolved and it was "business as usual" at the site in question.
Computer Audit Update
Since abandoning the system responsibility for IS development has become the responsibility of the individual TECs.
New PC audit tool from Visionsoft Next month sees the launch of an audit tool aimed at cutting the cost of PC auditing. The tool from Visionsoft is priced at £4.75 per PC for users with up to 1000 machines. An unlimited licence is available for £4750. VSAudit is written in Clipper and runs under MS DOS. Data is collected locally or over a network and is then stored in a database for analysis. The database provides the user with a hierarchical view of the hardware and software configuration of all the PCs in a company right down to their AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files. The VSAudit user can schedule audit intervals to take place automatically if the program is running on a network. Global queries can also be made to the database, e.g. how many PCs are using 50% or more of their disk capacity. To tempt potential buyers, the company is offering a free 486 PC with 128K cache and a 130Mb hard disk to customers buying the full licence.
Furore over ditched DoE system According to a report in Computing, the UK Department of Employment has been severely criticized by the National Audit Office (NAO) for scrapping a £48 million system without fully checking to see if it could be salvaged. The system, originally designed to support the 82 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales, was abandoned in April following an internal review carried out in April 1992. The TECs recorded nearly 7000 bugs and requests for changes to the system between 1990 and 1993. AS a result, they argued that the Digital-based system had become unworkable. The NAO, however, disagreed. In its report it said that "the decision was not informed by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. This would have given the department a better assessment of the merits of the various approaches to meeting TEC's future IT needs." The NAO also highlighted a number of errors in the development of the system, including problems in: staffing; management and control; inadequate training and support; and the poor use of consultants.
©1993 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd
Asian-Pacific software industry gets serious over copyright Intellectual property rights (IPR) have sprung to the top of the software agenda in Asian-Pacific countries, according to a report in the China Post. The threat of US trade sanctions has lead to the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) making IPR a priority issue. Last April, Taiwan was placed on a priority watch list under the Special Provision List of the US Trade Act due to dissatisfaction with Taipei's I PR protection. The US Trade Representative will decide whether to remove Taiwan from the list or impose sanctions at the end of this month. Malaysia was also placed on the watch list despite being praised by the Business Software Alliance for its IPR protection in 1992. Taiwan has revised its Copyright law, passed the ROC-US C o p y r i g h t A g r e e m e n t and implemented computer software export inspections as the US requested.
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