Gartner’s IT Symposium has been a great source of stimulation and hugely influential for our technology planning throughout the years. This year, I left the conference ‘quaking in my boots’ – albeit still armed with a wide array of new business and technology knowledge.

On the first morning, Steve Bittinger, research director at Gartner Research, in his presentation ‘Internet Security 101’ used fortress and airport metaphors to vividly demonstrate two extremes in terms of the potential operation of the real-time organisation.

Simply put, the fortress allows little movement in and out, using a single-dimensioned security mechanism (a moat and draw-bridge). The fortress produces a reasonably secure operation, but one not able to compete in a global marketplace that demands rapid and flexible business models.

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