Once burned, lesson learned, the adage goes. So why do IT departments keep getting burned by the same security issues?

In large part, it’s the nature of the beast: network security is a moving target, with parameters and conditions shifting with each software version or patch deployment, hardware upgrade, merger or acquisition, and every new hire who receives a logon. The situation is further tempered by pressure to stay cost-effective, on budget, and on schedule.

The result: Even supposedly repaired problems can come back to bite you, and ongoing vulnerabilities can result from a missed server on a patch deployment. Microsoft, itself, was recently taken out by a good old-fashioned denial-of-service attack. And some security issues, such as e-mail hoaxes, get little or no IT attention at all.

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