[FDE] Amateurs study cryptography; professionals study economics

[dan at geer.org]

Allen writes:
-+-----------
 | > "More than $1 billion is spent annually by the private sector on cyber
 | > security," said Link, who is the United States representative on the
 | > United Nations Economic Commission for Europe where he evaluates
 | > innovation and competiveness policies for the European Union. "That
 | > translates to $1,500 per employee. Many companies have no idea how to
 | > employ the usefulness of cyber security tools. There are no benchmarks
 | > for companies."
 | 
 | Even being generous and say it is $1.5 billion. That means there 
 | are only 100,000 employees in the private sector!
 | 
 | I'd say the math is a bit whacked, wouldn't you?
 | 


Yeah, I saw that, too.  I'll bet/guess it is a British
"billion" (10^12) and not an American "billion" (10^9).

Not that I believe the number in any case.  My own figures
say it is more like $200 and, thus, Gene Spafford remains
correct that we spend more per capita on coffee than infosec.

--dan