Virtually every company in America engaged in Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce gives partners some degree of access to its network. That is a huge mistake, says Evan Kaplan, president, cofounder and CEO of Aventail, a security-services company in Seattle. “The whole notion that you need to tie networks together to do B2B business is bad security,” he says. At least a few companies agree with that sentiment and keep their networks in lockdown. Mt. Sinai/NYU Health System, a New York City network of six hospitals and two affiliated medical schools, shares medical records with outside medical practices. In the past, doctors and clinics could dial in to the network in an unsecured manner. But no more, says senior vice president and CIO Stuart Sugarman. With HIPAA privacy regulations coming, they?re taking no chances. Today, after the doctors enter an order, it?s sent back to them with read-only access. They can alter this data only by using the secure portal and with the proper sign-on authorization and patient access. They can download nothing, and the application shuts down after a certain amount of idle time. And when Mt. Sinai/NYU shares information to complete transactions with insurance companies, there?s no real-time connection. Everything is stored and forwarded in a batch environment. ?We just don?t believe the Internet is secure,? says Sugarman.Similarly, Lockheed-Martin allows no partners beyond its firewalls. The Bethesda, Md.-based defense contractor may set up separate secure websites to do business with certain partners, but there?s no access into Lockheed?s networks, says Senior Security Analyst A. Padgett Peterson. And to further protect classified information, Lockheed maintains a special classified network with no connection to its main networks. ?This limits our exposure every time we enter into a contractual relationship with a partner,? says Peterson. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks Operational technology systems require a robust Zero Trust strategy in 2024 Zero Trust provides a foundation for creating a stronger security posture in 2024. By Navneet Singh, vice president of marketing, network security, Palo Alto Networks Dec 05, 2023 6 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM How digital twin technology is changing complex industrial processes forever As the use cases for digital twins proliferate, it is becoming clear that data-driven enterprises with a track record of innovation stand the best chance of success. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM Why modernising applications needs to be a ‘must’ for businesses seeking growth Around one-third of enterprises are spending heavily on application modernisation and aiming for cloud native status. The implications for corporate culture, structure and priorities will be profound. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation opinion 11 ways to reduce your IT costs now Reorienting IT’s budget toward future opportunities is a big reason why CIOs should review their IT portfolios with an eye toward curbing unnecessary spending and realizing maximum value from every IT investment. By Stephanie Overby Dec 05, 2023 11 mins Budget Cloud Management IT Governance Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe