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Maryann Karinch
The Open Group
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EC Backs The Open Group’s Active Loss Prevention Initiative Through Funding of New Projects

ALPINE Project Aims to Address IT Security Concerns of European Companies

San Francisco, CA/ Reading, England – November 11, 2002 – The European Commission has given its support to The Open Group’s Active Loss Prevention Initiative through investment in an 18-month project called ALPINE. ALPINE initially encompasses three Special Interest Groups, namely, Security Policy Management, Liability in Mobile Transactions, and Trust Services Mapping.

“The European Commission sees significant business value for European organization in the approaches taken by The Open Group’s Active Loss Prevention initiative,” said Richard Sitruk, Director of External Relations for ETIS (e- and telecommunications information services), which is addressing the issues specific to the telecoms infrastructure providers.

“We are proud to have the European Commission’s endorsement of our efforts to mitigate risks related to electronic business,” said Allen Brown, President and CEO of The Open Group. “With participants from all over Europe and involving multiple industries, ALPINE is structured to answer pressing questions related to liabilities, best practices, and more.”

The next meeting will be held on December 3, 2002 at the Hotel Mercure Montmartre in Paris, France. Project deliverables to be progressed at the meeting address trust services mapping, mCommerce liabilities, security policy management best practices, and corporate identity requirements. To participate, please register at the project web site www.alpine-wg.org.

About the Active Loss Prevention Initiative

Active Loss Prevention is the proactive management of information system risk. Through The Open Group’s Active Loss Prevention initiative, participants will develop a risk-mitigation infrastructure for information systems. The initiative involves a multidisciplinary approach to risk management that combines information technology, legal, audit, financial, insurance and business expertise. The common interest of members is protecting the physical, technical and information assets of the extended enterprise and mitigating the impact of inevitable losses.

Current projects of the initiative are as follows:

For Legal, Audit and Insurance Professionals

• Vocabulary – a set of terms that can be used to accurately communicate risk information
• Liability – defining boundaries of liability with standard contract terms, model law, model regulation, standard business terms, and so on
• Actuarial Data – enabling businesses to assess risk, cost, frequency of events, severity, and so on

For IT Professionals

• Trust Services – identifying and understanding the services that business will require to maintain current levels of trust and deliver standards-based solutions in an internet-enabled environment

About the Open Group

The Open Group, a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, has a vision of Boundaryless Information Flow achieved through global interoperability in a secure, reliable and timely manner. The Open Group’s mission is to drive the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow by working with customers to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies, and share best practices; working with suppliers, consortia and standards bodies to develop consensus and facilitate interoperability, to evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; offering a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and developing and operating the industry's premier certification service and encouraging procurement of certified products. More information on our organization can be found at www.opengroup.org.