By James Williams 

There is a lot going on in the information security space. 2006 looks to be an interesting year in these regards. Below are some things to watch for in 2006, some of them are good and, unfortunately, some aren’t. 

First the good news: 

We are getting a lot more serious about our security. This has a lot of reasons behind it. For example, new privacy laws are mandating organizations to tighten their security.  Look to see more consumer privacy laws passed in the coming year and more tightening of security systems. 

Authentication requirements are increasing. This is closing in large security holes.  Corporations are requiring a great deal more of authentication to get into secure systems (this also is on the bad news side) 

There is a plethora of sophisticated programs to help us be more secure and they will continue to get better. Competition right now is strong in the security industry sparking a lot of innovation. 

SPs are now taking on the responsibility to help us with our security. Take AOL's recent commercials as a good sign that others will follow the trend. 

Now the bad news:

 Securing our networks is costing us.  Most companies are globalizing their organizations and making them secure costs a lot of money.  It will get worse before it gets better.

Authentication requirements are increasing. This is getting claustrophobic.  Corporations are requiring a great deal more authentication to get into secure systems (This is also on the good news side) Unfortunately, for the end user, it is one more thing to be unhappy about, not unlike airport security lines.

Hackers are getting more sophisticated.  For example, Botnets are becoming more complex and harder and harder to catch and stop. Do a search on botnets on the Internet. They really are causing a whole lot of problems, but it does not stop there. The number of viruses and malware out there is staggering.

Spammers keep finding more creative ways to fill our email boxes.  Don't look for this trend to stop anytime soon.