At the same time, as processes have become digital, companies also have moved to connecting systems both internally and externally. Internally, a company's finance systems now connect with marketing databases, payroll systems and sales forecasts. Remote corporate offices are now connected to headquarters. Externally, at the heart of the e-commerce revolution for many businesses is the extranet, a connection of a company's systems with those of its suppliers and customers. A retailer connects its sales data to its supplier's system to enable automatic re-ordering when goods are sold.
Companies become portals with virtual warehouses of products from vendors located around the world.
The same factors that have resulted in the enormous benefits for companies of adopting technology, particularly e-commerce technologies, also have created vulnerabilities. And a real threat exists. Companies absolutely must address the security of infrastructures and information, both internally and externally. Information technology companies in particular are in a unique position. They must worry about their own internal systems.