PC security remains a threat to the channel

Speaking at the company’s annual customer and partner conference in Sydney, Steve Morton, Symantec's vice president of product management, warned that when computers are thrown away the stored data can fall into the wrong hands.

This ‘Elephant Graveyard’ of data left on hard drives can lead to to massive security issues.

He said: “It is a legitimate cause of concern. We need to bring system and security management together.”

Morton coined the phrase the "Global Intelligence Network" - a movement of hackers and data theives - as the the biggest threat to data security.

He talked about the next generation of youngsters who will have grown up with facebook and iPhones and how they will demand more out of IT organisations.

Morton claimed corporations will have to allow for a mix between personal and corporate applications to cope with future demands.

He added that the IT industry needs to be prepared for the next generation of products by ensuring the security of their end point and be prepared for a dramatic increase in attacks.

“Attacks, signatures and storage will cause a fundamental difference in the way we look at security. IT will become more process centric, in that it will become less important over time and businesses will be driving process,” said Morton.

“This is the year of the mobile device. In the next few years, access to information, such as through a kiosk, or handheld device, will become more complex. The channel’s role is to ensure that every customer understands what they have and where it lies in the market.

“As a reseller understands their client’s environment, many of which have ‘Elephant Graveyards’, it will be their job to resolve these problems,” added Morton.