New post at http://www.rep.net

I have written a piece on the critical role I believe REPs 
can play in bringing greater security to the regional and 
local networks and communities they serve.

http://www.rep.net/archives/000176.html

Some of the ideas I propose, that REPs could offer to their 
participants. I'm interested to know if any REPs are 
offering these services, or have explored them? What about 
St. Louis REP, has there been further development in this 
area?

- Collaboratively-managed anti-virus server or
collectively-negotiated anti-virus services. Probably
provided as an opt-in service, and with the use of in-line
virus "sniffers" such as RadWare FireProof, could block
virii through email, Web, file transfer, IM, peer-to-peer,
and more.

- Shared security notification. Establish a CERT or SAINT
type of organization for sharing security information.
Extend it to provide (as opt-in) services to help REP
members identify and handle vulnerable and compromised
machines and services.  Establish relationships with other
local, state, regional, and national security organizations
on behalf of the regional exchange members.

- Shared monitoring service. Collaboratively buy a product
like Arbor Networks PeakFlow DoS, which probably few, if
any, REP participants could afford to purchase or operate
themselves. Use it to help REP members track and respond to
security incidents they would otherwise never have known
about.

- DoS services. Using PeakFlow, FireProof and other
services, provide monitoring and remediation for DoS attacks
in conjunction with

- Security education services. Help REP members become more 
educated about, involved in, and successful with their 
security plans and processes. Network security is still a 
little-understood black art to a lot of REP participants.

- "Secured" Internet service. Especially for exchanges that 
offer co-op bandwidth services, a combination of all of 
these options can produce a secured, managed Internet 
service to co-op members interested in a completely 
hands-off security solution.

I encourage you to read the article, and continue the 
discussion on this list.

Pete.