Information Security
As the world migrates to the digital village, a lot of digital data and information is generated and transmitted. In the same line, there is a growing need for data repositories or data banks. Information security is chiefly concerned about prevention, detection and response to computer threats or risks (CISCO, 2013). Protecting organizational information and systems is a daunting task because of the emerging and advanced threats to information technology resources. Securing information technology infrastructure and informational assets is a continuous cycle as advancements in technology presents a new breed of threats (Hunt, 1998).
In the current business landscape, accounting systems are typically modules of web-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (Laudon & Traver, 2009). As much as they are core operational areas of any organization, they need to be interconnected seamlessly with other operational areas like transport and procurement to meet the growing demands of real-time operations. With this in mind, customer experience, productivity and profitability of an entity must be achieved without compromising the information security of such critical modules. In this line, the concept of information security is directly linked to the productivity accounting systems. That is to say, for accounting data or information to have value and used to generate revenue, it must be safeguarded at all costs.
Since threats are constantly shifting, conducting information security audits on a continuous basis assist entities to ensure that adequate security controls and tools are up-to-date. Security audits reduce the security risk to an organization’s information assets and other interconnected systems, such as t...
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Auditing enhanced the security in an infrastructure by giving Systems Administrators a closer look of events occurring in their infrastructure. It gives them a history of a certain user’s or computer’s activates and allow them to watch out for intruders’ events and preventing unauthorized access to a certain object in the infrastructure. Best practices of auditing are making an auditing plan at first where Systems Administrators can define what items to audit. In most cases, Systems Administrators should at least archive security logs and audit them, audit login activates, and audit applications logs. Additionally, policy change events must be audited to insure that users can never change the Local Security Authority (LSA). This auditing option allows Systems Administrators to insure that users do not go around enforced polices and cause a security issue to the
Security helps the organization meet its business objectives or mission by protecting its physical and financial resources, reputation, legal position, employees, and other tangible and intangible assets through the selection and application of appropriate safeguards. Businesses should establish roles and responsibilities of all personnel and staff members. However, a Chief Information Officer should be appointed to direct an organization’s day to day management of information assets. Supporting roles are performed by the service providers and include systems operations, whose personnel design and operate the computer systems. Each team member must be held accountable in ensuring all of the rules and policies are being followed, as well as, understanding their roles, responsibilities and functions. Organizations information processing systems are vulnerable to many threats that can inflict various types of damage that can result in significant losses (Harris, 2014). Losses can come from actions from trusted employees that defraud the system, outside hackers, or from careless data entry. The major threat to information protection is error and omissions that data entry personnel, users, system operators and programmers make. To better protect business information resources, organizations should conduct a risk analysis to see what
The intensity and depth of an organization's security policy depends heavily on the nature of their business. A large company compared to a small company would require a different approach to their security policy. Also, the type of information that the company dea...
Would you be interested in a career where you could make fifty thousand dollars a year right out of college? Would you like to have an extremely secure job? Would you like to create a company as successful as Microsoft or Facebook? If so, a career in computer security may be the field for you. As a high school student, you might be wondering what it would be like to work in the field of networking or database security, as well as compare them to similar fields. Today I will give you some general information that might encourage you to seek a degree in the field of computer science, with a concentration in computer security. My goal is to give you information to help you make an informed decision about whether this might be the career for you.
Business owners will go to amazing lengths to keep their workplace safe while completely overlooking their IT security and their multifunction devices. IT security breaches cost the average company $800,000 in 2009 (Tattrie, 2009). Those figures represent a 97 percent increase from 2008. The $800,000 includes labor lost when a breach freezes systems, cost of repairing the damage caused by the breach, and the cost of replacing the faulty security. That is quite a large sum that is also highly avoidable. Due to escalation in Internet use, the amount of computer security breaches that businesses have experienced in the last year has increased at a rapid rate. Breaches can come from external attacks as well as within the walls of a company. External attacks are serious but the threat created by a company’s employees can be much worse (Robb, 2010). Last year 81 percent of security breaches came from inside the company. Employees can cause deliberate attacks, but more likely employee use can compromise your system without malice and unknowingly. Employees can abuse internet access privileges by downloading pornography, downloading music, and pirating software. Obviously, this is improper use of company time and resources but more importantly, it can expose your company to fines from the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and it also can make your computer network more vulnerable to access from outside troublemakers and industry spies. BSA has collected more than $70 million in penalties from companies where employees violated piracy laws.
The major threat of the organization is securing its gigabytes of data from the prying eyes of unauthorized outsiders and insiders attempting to exceed their authority. ...
Risk Management Theory. The Risk Management Theory has been around for quite some time. According to Hong, Chi, Chao, and Tang (2003), risks pertaining to IT security can be measured and evaluated by means of assessing potential attack vectors, and susceptibilities to the organization’s systems and processes. The authors suggest that the outcome of this evaluation allows for the identification of essential security programs and the employment of IT security controls to mitigate these risks. The intended outcome of utilizing this theory is to manage risks until they are at a permissible state. The Risk Management Theory, while broad in nature, does not encompass enough of the information security and risk...
Security management within the context of information systems “needs a paradigm shift in order to successfully protect information assets” (Eloff & Eloff, 2003). Due the rapid increase in information security threats, security management measures have been taken to proactively remedy the growing threat facing information security. As a result of this, security management “is becoming more complex everyday, many organization’s security systems are failing, with serious results” (Fumey-Nassah, 2007). To remedy the increase threats to information security systems, organizations are seeking alternatives to network vulnerabilities from malicious attacks. There are several management measures that organizations must take to fully understand the vulnerabilities at stake.
Information systems are a vital necessity to healthcare institutions in the United States and other nations with the ominous need to keep up with technology, research, and science in the 21st. Century. Most of healthcare institutions in Africa still depend on physical documentation, written by hand and afterword’s stored in binders locked away in storing facilities. With the growing populace in Africa, gathering information concerning patients health documents is costly, hard to maintain, and unethical. Therefore, in this case scenario I’m going to target my research, in developing countries in Africa in general, who are striving to improve ideal management information system. The goal is to aim efforts to improve public health through enhanced supervision through healthcare information, such the ability to collect, store and analyze accurate health data, service transfer proficiency, improve data accuracy, value of involvement, increase accountability and to learn about trends. The objective of this information system is to record information on health events and check the quality of services at different stages of health care. The data collected will also help to notify forthcoming healthcare policy determinations.
Databases have become one of the most power pillars within organizations, regardless of size, industry, or geographical location. Databases are used for the sole purpose of storing and retrieving pertinent information, that in many cases deliver a vital blow to operations in any organization, and for this sole reason, hardware and software make database security a paramount feature that must not be overlooked.
Safety of information is the most valuable asset in any organization particular those who provide financial service to others. Threats can come from a variety of sources such as human threats, natural disasters and technical threats. By identifying the potential threats to the network, security measure can be taken to combat these threats, eliminate them or reduce the likelihood and impact if they should occur.
The first thing that we must consider about Information Security is that there is not a final destination at which we can arrive. IT Security is an ongoing set of processes and activities that requires attention and expertise on a daily basis. It is important to understand that systems are not secured by themselves and it is our responsibility to maintain and improve them periodically as required. It is of vital importance to establish the appropriate mechanisms and requirements in order to support the company’s CIA triad. The following report will provide you guidance about auditing and hardening techniques applied though the 7 Domains by utilizing IT Security Best Practices.
As the usage of technology and the Internet increases, businesses depend on the security of the IT infrastructures and the data within them. However, a threat to a business’s infrastructure can challenge the systems security. There are four different types of security threats such as, unauthorized data disclosure, incorrect data modification, Denial of service and Loss of infrastructure.
Nowadays, the information is the most treasured asset in an organization, due to it along with the experience represents the input necessary to take appropriate decisions and consequently to have success in the business. Almost all the information and knowledge related with the processes business, goods and services offered by a company, is processed, managed and stored through technology and information systems, thus the security of information has become increasingly important and plays a critical role in the enterprise government.
Privacy exist wherever personal information or other sensitive information is collected, stored, used, and finally destroyed or deleted – in digital form or otherwise. The challenge of data privacy is to use data while safe-guarding individual's privacy preferences and their personally identifiable information. The fields of computer security, data security, and information security design and utilize software, hardware, and human resources to address this issue.