RSA Conference 2012: Symantec president talks of threat posed by new generation of employees

One of the most important threats facing organisations today isn't criminal in any respect, but comes from someone generally known as a 'digital native'.

"There's an unstoppable force heading this fashion and it's hitting us at that time," Enrique Salem, president and CEO of Symantec, said on Tuesday in a keynote address on the annual RSA Conference in San Francisco. "It isn't a brand new kind of cyber crime… it is a large group of children called digital natives."

Typically born inside the 1990s, a digital native is identified because the new breed of young worker who's aware of bringing their very own computing "customs" into the office, whether through their own devices or by accessing social networks such as Facebook. Enterprise security now faces the duty of conforming to those new customs without compromising security standards.

Salem said this new generation is redefining multitasking by not counting on a single source of data and reaching out across their networks to get answers and collaborate on solutions. Through their networking efforts, they find faster how one can get things done, ultimately impacting business.

"It's impacting us today, and we must understand this new generation and create a global that works for them," Salem said. "To them [digital natives], there isn't a distinction between the net at work and the net at home. They do not take into consideration identity and security the best way we do."

While new techniques and products are being developed to deal with these workplace trends, Salem highlighted four core pillars of security that should be addressed: a competent early-warning system, state-of-the-art protection, fast remediation, and a response plan using outside resources, including law enforcement.

"We have to lean in and be more aggressive about accepting these changes," Salem said. "The truth is, there isn't any fighting it. We have to have the ability to protect it."