Internet service providers (ISPs) have a responsibility to their business customers to protect them from denial of service (DoS) and other network-based attacks. That was the message last week from Dan Cole, head of product management at network operator Thus, which owns ISP Demon.

Cole told IT Week that ISPs should provide a “certain level of security” whether their customers ask for it or not, because many IT managers still lack the knowledge to deal with distributed DoS attacks effectively.

However, Cole added that problems originating within customers’ own firewalls should be dealt with by the customers themselves – for example if staff look at illegal content then it is up to firms to police their systems and put acceptable-usage policies in place.

“[Security is] something that ISPs should take seriously and it should sit in our court,” Cole said. “But as long as firms are protected from external attacks, whatever traverses the network is the customer’s problem – whether they are hosting [cont- ent] or pulling it down from the internet.”

Cole added that Demon is likely to support WiMax wireless broadband in the future, if the technology lives up to its promise.

“WiMax makes sense as an alternative to [3G and Wi-Fi] if you’re on the move in city centres, because Wi-Fi hotspots are in danger of becoming the Rabbit phone [a defunct mobile phone hotspot system] of the ISP sector,” Cole commented.

Cole also predicted there would be consolidation among ISPs, because in the business market only the large providers can ensure the quality, robust networks and service-level agreements that enterprises demand. This means the smaller providers will either be acquired or forced to specialise, he said.