Download The Legend of the Geese of Juno

The Legend of the Geese
of Juno
Policy management, identity and access management, information security management, intrusion
detection, risk mitigation, change and configuration management can all be found thousands of
years ago in the legend of the Geese of Juno.
Back in the early days of the Republic, Rome was under siege by invaders from Gaul. The Roman
army had been defeated on the battlefield at the river Allia and the Gauls, under Brennus, had
marched on the city. In the haste of the army’s retreat back into the fortified city of Rome; security
policy had not been followed and one of the city gates was left open to the advancing Gauls. The
Arx, a fortress which stood on the Capitoline Hill in the heart of the city, was Rome’s only safe
repository from the invaders. Taking advantage of two levels of security - its steep rocky slopes and
its protective walls – the Arx was easy for the Romans to defend. The fortress, which housed the
Temple of Juno, now stored the city's treasures and any records that had been quickly retrieved in
time. The Gauls were determined to take this prize. For seven months they held the city at siege
and camped at the base of the Capitoline Hill. Most of the records and historical documents of the
Roman Republic had been abandoned in the city below. They were lost forever as the Gauls looted
Rome. One night, while the Romans slept safely in their fortress, the Gauls stole their way up the
steep rocky slopes. Before they reached the walls the sacred geese that lived in the Temple of Juno
on the summit of the Capitoline Hill detected this unusual activity and started to squawk and
squawk, alerting the Roman troops to the sudden peril. Some versions of the legend tell of war
dogs being sent down to prevent the intruders from advancing to their target. The Romans then
easily drove the Gauls down away from the Arx causing massive losses to their attackers. Shortly
thereafter the Gauls retreated back towards the north in search of spoils that were more easily
accessible then those held on the Capitoline Hill.
Much like the ancient fortress of Rome, the goal of your organization’s information security
defenses is to assist you in creating a secure environment for your information assets that would
deter hostile entities. You must ensure that your disparate defenses have been integrated to
provide the synergy to help you govern your security policies, mitigate risk and maintain regulatory
compliance. Send today’s attackers on to a less coordinated target than your corporate fortress.
Will Raeside