Group8 Security, Inc. is pleased to announce the formal launch of a new company that intends to change the way business looks at security. The founders say they have an expanded philosophy that will help lift the technical veil from the security process.

Founded by Michael Grant, the Group8 team of seasoned industry professionals includes Patrick Botz, former lead security architect for the IBM System i platform and i5/OS. Group8 Security will provide consultancy that demystifies security from what has until now been seen as a complex technical issue, the company says.

Focusing first on the business processes behind security rather than its related software and technology, Group8 Security will partner with businesses to help them establish and manage business processes that lead to sound IT security business decisions. The end result, says the company, will be a security infrastructure that meets an organization's specific requirements in the most efficient and cost-effective way instead relying on a simple one-size-fits-all software solutions that can be only partially effective.

"All too often businesses are attempting to secure their assets before those needs have been properly defined," says Grant. "We recognized this disconnect between the real issues that shape security and how companies often put the cart before the horse when attempting to address them."

Says Botz: "There's a serious problem with the state of security in the IT industry. Security isn't primarily a technical issue. It's a business issue. Part of the reason for the dismal state of information security across the whole industry is that the average IT executive, or chief financial officer (CFO), has assumed that information security in the electronic age is purely a technical issue."

Group8 hopes to change this thinking by helping to bridge the gap between business executives within an organization and their IT staffs. By focusing on security processes and policies as a foundation, and then guiding partnering organizations through the implementation, monitoring, and verification of those security policies, Group8 says it can offer the business world a new path to proper security so critical today.

"Because security is a 'verb'—an on-going process—the team at Group8 Security will be offering annual security partnerships for medium-to-small organizations who otherwise have no access to CSO expertise," says Ken Akren, vice president of business development. "Our intent is to demystify security and to train and coach organizations to become self sufficient. We will then offer a more modest partnership to these organizations whereby they will always have access to industry security experts on an as-needed basis."

For more information on Group8 Security, Inc., its new philosophy on security, and how Group8 can assist your organization, visit http://www.group8security.com, or write to Akren at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..