CENIC's Community Approach for Bringing Increased Security to Its Network and Constituent Institutions
Numerous recent headlines have drawn our attention to successful hacking, with breaches of information believed to be secure and systems believed to be safe. In the last year, hospitals have paid ransom to regain access to their own records, and political parties have been publicly embarrassed. Headlines like these raise security concerns for any organization.
At the center of CENIC’s work is its commitment to supporting the research, education, and government missions of its members in an open and transparent way. The 20 million people who rely on CENIC’s network to connect with each other and the world want to know that their network is reliable.
A central precept of CENIC’s approach to security is “community.” One part of CENIC’s approach is awareness of and respect for community needs. CENIC’s constituents have different needs from those of many businesses. CENIC’s constituents, for example, expect CENIC to do whatever it can to keep the network running so they can communicate with each other and the outside world. There is also an emphasis on “openness” that would make most businesses uncomfortable. Any security solutions need to accommodate these distinctive needs, not impede them. A central precept of CENIC’s approach to security is “community.” One part of CENIC’s approach is awareness of and respect for community needs. CENIC’s constituents have different needs from those of many businesses. CENIC’s constituents, for example, expect CENIC to do whatever it can to keep the network running so they can communicate with each other and the outside world. There is also an emphasis on “openness” that would make most businesses uncomfortable. Any security solutions need to accommodate these distinctive needs, not impede them.