TV Networks Realizing That The Traditional 30 Second Spot Needs To Change

Verizon Latest To Buy Into Security As A Service

from the countering-counterpane dept

Mon, May 14th 2007 6:24pm — Joseph Weisenthal

When Bruce Schneier recently argued that security shouldn't be a standalone industry, he was partly speaking from his own experience. Last autumn, his own firm, Counterpane, was acquired by BT, as part of a plan to offer managed security services to its corporate customers. In a move that echoes that deal, Verizon has announced the purchase of Cybertrust, which offers similar managed security services to business. For telcos like BT and Verizon, selling security services allows them to stave off becoming a much-feared dumb pipe. On the other hand, this strategy presents an opportunity for companies that are willing to be that dumb pipe and let clients do what they want at a cut rate. And seeing as how Verizon is the company that claims it has a First Amendment right to hand over private data to the government, you have to wonder how crazy companies will be to buy security services from it.

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g, 14 May 2007 @ 7:28pm

They should only be dumb pipes
And if they fight that, then they should have to pay damages for anything they do that breaks their SLAs, which should still be regulated, and lose the protections of being a common carrier.

You shouldnt have protections of being a common carrier, while refusing to commonly carry the data.

Dumb pipes are the only good thing they can provide to most people. Any additional services should have to be through a separate companies, regulated like they always used to be so that they couldnt unfairly provide service to themselves that a 3rd party wouldnt get access to.

Cables, especially the last mile, are a resource monopoly, because not everyone can drop cables anywhere they want, since theres only so much space to do it in.

Every step we make away from this is the wrong one for all users of data services.
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SailorRipley, 15 May 2007 @ 10:04am

Funny Story
I was im-ing with a really good friend back home in Europe yesterday, and at some point he had to go to a meeting/briefing because the company he works for has been taken over.

short version, afterwards he told me the (Verizon) manager leading the briefing (don't know in person or via video conference) said they offered 100/100 for $39.99 in the US, I had to inform him that wasn't true...and tell him about some of Verizon's less desirable practices...anyway, my friend's reaction at the end of our conversation: "I knew he was full of shit about certain things (I know about), I just didn't realize to what extend"
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