Washington, DC, May, 2002 -- The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has established a partnership with the Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance) to provide its 14,000 member companies with comprehensive computer security services. The NAM also will become a founding sponsor of the ISAlliance, joining such companies as Sony, IBM, and Raytheon to shape a proactive industry approach to computer security.
"Our partnership with the ISAlliance will allow the NAM to offer comprehensive computer security packages to member companies from startups to blue chips," said NAM President Jerry Jasinowski. "We''ll be able to provide e-mail alerts, corrective actions and patches, ongoing training, and the opportunity to share best practices so that information service managers can play offense, instead of defense, against hackers and viruses."
The ISAlliance is a collaborative effort between the Electronic Industries Alliance and the CERT® Coordination Center (CERT/CC) of Carnegie Mellon University. It provides vulnerability and threat information to its members, culled directly from the knowledge base of the CERT/CC. The ISAlliance also hosts member-driven working groups that focus on best practice development, security tools evaluation and development, and tracking of the latest legislative and policy trends.
"The Internet Security Alliance is taking a lead role in gathering together industry and government to develop a holistic approach to information security," said Dave McCurdy, Executive Director of the ISAlliance. "NAM represents a tremendous opportunity to work with a broad array of companies on the frontlines in the battle to secure the Internet."
The CERT/CC, which has been called the "fire department of the Internet," is the nation''s leading research and development organization focused on computer security vulnerabilities and threats. Each year, thousands of companies and organizations report security-related incidents to CERT/CC. ISAlliance members have direct access to this information, along with the security advisories and countermeasures recommended by CERT/CC.
ISAlliance is also developing Internet security best practices, pulling from EIA''s 75-year history as a leading creator of industry standards. Working directly with its members, the ISAlliance will publish a comprehensive group of security best practices, with the first set released in April 2002.
NAM members can visit www.isalliance.org/nam.phtml for more information regarding the new partnership. A username and password is required to sign up for ISAlliance membership, which can be acquired by emailing Dan Akman at dakman@nam.org.