It was during this manmade disaster that security collapsed against the onslaught of terrorists in the real and virtual world when the Internet infrastructure also bogged down.

With this as a backdrop, the Philippine cyberspace security industry has put up an annual conference to remind people of vital importance of having a secure environment.

And with most companies in the country, especially the smaller companies, relying heavily now on the Internet for their businesses, cybersecurity has indeed become a critical concern.

This year’s 6th Annual Philippine Information Systems Security Conference, dubbed "ManilaCon2k7:world@risk" is scheduled on September 11 and 12, 2007 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City.

This yearly event is organized by the Information Systems Security Society of the Philippines (ISSSP) in cooperation with the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the National Computer Center (NCC).

ISSSP is an association of security professionals and businesses whose main aim is to increase security awareness and improve the ICT community’s understanding of the threats and the risks involved when connected to the Internet.

The confab seeks to provide a venue for both small and large enterprises to understand the state of Internet security in the country and the many ways and means to protect one’s network system to ensure a safe, secured and continuing business operation for the company.

"ISSSP’s main objective is to create awareness," said Cynthia Mamon, this year’s ISSSP president. "Those connected to the Internet should be fully aware of their responsibilities when it comes to security since any breach by one member of the community can provide a real threat and may cause a total loss of data and the business for the uninformed and the unprepared." (Melvin G. Calimag)