Standards Australia is a member of the Forum. The revised Information Security Management Standard provides us with a good guide for the discussion on how to achieve best practise in information security in business. The Government is providing input to the Forum from its own expertise in securing its information. Policy and technical expertise is also available to both the Forum and to further develop the standards. Benefits to Business I would encourage businesses to adopt the Standards.
Security breaches cost business in a number of ways.
There is the direct loss from the inability to transact business. But there are also hidden costs not always considered, such as the cost to rectify the problem and the loss of business when consumers or business partners lose confidence in an organisation. Any organisation that relies on information technology as part of its business model is at risk if it does not adopt sound security practices. Security can not be seen as a costly add-on. It is a fundamental part of business activity.