Muehlfeit: Personal information is the new currency of crime
25.02.2009, 12:22 Estonia is a small country with few natural
resources and as a result Estonia’s greatest asset is its people, their
knowledge and technology expertise, Jan Muehlfeit, the Chairman of Microsoft
Europe said when answering to readers' questions in BBN.
How important are the cyber security issues to Microsoft and in
general? Will the cyber wars likely become more common? Do governments,
organizations and IT-companies enough about it or can the cooperation be
improved (if, then how?).
Cyber security is extremely important to us here at Microsoft we recognise
that the internet offers us so much now, whether it’s free or commercial —
social networks, health services, online banking, retail sites or photo-sharing
sites. These services provide great benefits, but they also require consumers to
share more and more information about themselves online — and this,
unfortunately, makes the internet a magnet for crime. Personal information has
become the new currency of crime, and “cybercriminals” are always trying to find
new ways to target data for profit.
We believe it is essential that people are educated and can make informed
decisions when it comes to complex privacy issues. Security is about both
industry and government coming together to ensure that consumers truly
understand the concept of online privacy and evolving threats to online safety.
Are existing measures on cybercrimes enough?
While we are gaining ground, trends suggest that criminals will continue to
build malware to steal personal information through social engineering schemes
and software vulnerabilities. The total amount of malware and potentially
unwanted software removed from computers worldwide actually increased more than
43 percent during the first half of 2008, so we’ve got a long way to go.
In addition, everyone has an important role to play. Industry, government and
NGOs must build on the already strong consumer education efforts that are
underway. And those efforts must move beyond prescriptive guidance and focus on
helping people truly understand the concept of online privacy and evolving
threats to safety. The good news is we have deep commitment across NGOs,
government and members of industry to build on what we’ve already. We are about
to hold a roundtable on March 17th in Estonia on Child Online Safety as part of
our wider internet safety programme.
Can technologies help companies to get out of recession?
How?
There’s no doubt that the current economic situation presents difficult
challenges for businesses of all kinds, in every industry. But we continue to be
optimistic about longer-term global economic prospects. We believe that
technology will be a key industry for all markets and will help businesses
address and minimise the impact of the economic downturn.
It is important to
enable businesses to continue to innovate and maximize growth opportunities,
helping them overcome any pain arising from the economic downturn and preparing
them to be competitive and agile when the economy recovers.
Do we have the potential to be one of the most innovative ICT
countries in the world?
One of the critical aims of the Lisbon Agenda is to "make Europe, by 2010,
the most competitive and the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world”.
The route for recovery will be found through renewed investment in
knowledge-based jobs and cultivating a business climate and policy framework
that prioritises innovation.
Business and government will increasingly work together towards shared
objectives on education, skills, knowledge transfer and investment in
innovation. In this context, the technology industry, and the proprietary
software industry in particular, has a pivotal role in generating new business
models, greater long-term competitiveness, and a broader knowledge economy
skills base. Estonia has all the right ingredients for an e-skills based
knowledge economy.
What does Estonia have to offer to Microsoft?
Estonia today has a vibrant technology base. It boasts a strong and growing
technology industry and is a regional and global leader in internet software,
e-government services and other key IT areas. Microsoft is always interested in
places where technology and innovation are actively fostered.
You have said that smaller Estonian companies don’t know how to use
computers and the government, companies and IT-companies should cooperate more
tightly. Has the situation improved since 2004 when you said that? How can the
cooperation between them be better?
Improving ICT knowledge is
everyone’s responsibility. Certainly we have noticed that the levels of
technology have significantly improved, but there is still a way to go. We
continue to work closely with government and NGO partners drive adoption of IT
skills.
Has Linux as a freeware operation system become a competitor for you?
I’ve heard complaints that while Mac and Linux go faster with every edition,
Windows goes slower.
Microsoft products help deliver superior business advantage to our customers
and partners through interoperable and innovative software that helps people to
be more productive. Our products are engineered to be familiar, easy to use,
support a broad choice of applications, with an emphasis on security,
reliability and consistent interoperability – all at a low total cost of
ownership.
Microsoft products are familiar and easier to use, so you can help reduce
costs required to maintain day-to-day operations and free up investment for
innovations that drive new business value. They are consistently engineered to
conform to rigorous security and reliability standards and when breaches occur,
the Software Update Service rapidly issues patches to help ensure your business
is protected. Microsoft Windows’ systems are easy to configure and maintain,
predictable as requirements evolve, and allow end users to access the resources
they need in a timely manner. Our software delivers interoperability by design.
Our products work well with others. We are building bridges to competitors and
partners alike to foster competition and coexistence between innovative
solutions.
What will be the roles of freeware and licenced programs in the
future?
We believe there will be roles for multiple business models in the future,
both proprietary and open source software – not one to the exclusion of the
other. Business models will evolve. Some will become ad-funded, some will be
licensed, some will be subscribed to, but there will be new and flexible
approaches for people to receive value in return for value delivered.
What are Microsoft’s plans in Europe and in general?
Europe is a vital partner for Microsoft. We believe in the future of the
European economy and we are committed to investing in the region to accelerate
this process.
Where will the IT-sphere develop and what’s Microsoft’s role in
it?
10 years ago, most people didn't have a cell phone. Ten years ago, most
people didn't have a PC. Ten years ago, most people didn't know what the
internet was. So, a lot has changed.
On that basis, things will change even more radically in the next 10 years.
In the next 10 years, the computer should understand not only our voice but our
intentions. In the next 10 years, literally any surface, whether it's as thin
and light as a piece of paper or a screen or a table, you'll be able to have a
high quality digital screen embedded in almost any surface, and be able to
communicate with, interact with, and access the people and information of the
world.
Some companies will tell you we focus in on mobile devices or PC devices or
we do enterprise software. We will bring them together with a holistic approach
based on the magic of software.
It has been said that Estonia has advanced IT skills. Could Estonia
sell these IT-solutions like m-parking, ID-signature etc elsewhere or does our
smallness stop us? Does Estonia actually have strong IT-skills compared to other
countries?
Estonia is a small country with few natural resources and as a result
Estonia’s greatest asset is its people, their knowledge and technology
expertise. There is no reason why the knowledge economy Estonia has created
cannot continue to thrive and grow. Size is not an obstacle for innovation and
as the IT sector continues to grow nationally, these types of technical
creativity will have broad appeal to the wider market.
You have said that Europe must change its concept of education in
order to compete with Asia. What should be changed? Is there anything else to be
changed in your opinion?
Estonia joined the EU in 2004, deepening its connection to Europe and the
wider global economy, creating new opportunities for Estonian citizens. Ensuring
a solid foundation of technology skills is one way Estonia can stay competitive
and make the most of its EU membership. The last four years have seen a rapid
explosion of innovative applications in schools, making ICT a part of everyday
life for school children. Supported by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning,
teachers are encouraged to use technology to deliver rich, exciting lessons that
focus on real life issues and authentic problems for students to solve.
Growing the foundation of technology skills is key to Estonia. Students who
are engaged early and given meaningful and creative lessons harnessing the power
of technology will ultimately be future workers who power Europe’s dream of
being a knowledge economy. By realising that this all starts with education, we
understand the role we can all play in enriching the lives of students and
equipping the next generation of workers with the skills they
need.