RSA Security, he said, has been a part of the EMC Group for four years, during which time cloud and virtualisation have taken off into the mainstream, with IT security on these platforms following not far behind.
In those four years, he explained, the cloud has developed into a mainstream technology, largely on the back of the cost efficiencies it offers, but along the way, it has not changed the fundamentals of what IT really is.
"The cloud is about delivering IT as a service. The internet has acted as a communications medium. The web has acted as a communications layer, and the cloud is a service enabler", he said.
As a result of these changes, Baize – whose experience in our industry dates back some 20 years to the early days of Groupe Bull – means that, at long last, IT has become a service.
And in parallel with this change, there are now three main layers of IT – the infrastructure layer; the control management layer; and the overall management layer, the latter of which is what makes modern IT more efficient.
"Because of this, the most important aspect of IT security is not encryption. It's key management", he said, adding that, along the way, companies have been able to answer questions such as: "how can I control the IT system" and "am I compliant?"
The most important question, however, that most IT managers have been able to answer from this brave new world is "what are my risks?"
This change in IT, says Baize, has brought about a fundamental change in the way that RSA Security meets the need of its customers, using authentication and protection, as well as security and risk management to meet their needs.
In parallel with this, RSA Security has changed its offering – where previously it was offering mainly consultancy, now the firm offers a flotilla of security products as well.
"We have become a solutions provider", he said.