¶ … Insecurity
Managing Issues of Information Insecurity
The field of Information Technology is unique among professional disciplines due to its high-paced atmosphere. The quick change of technology, particularly within the context of systems design and electronic information data-basing means that management in this field must be prepared to acclimate to security demands, practice obstacles and end-user needs all while implementing a system that conforms to the particular needs of the firm in question. Technological advance is creating a highly integrated standard for operational usage, particularly in achieving a balance between security imperatives and freedom of usage. Indeed, this concern is at the center of the discussion here, which considers how best to pursue a business IT strategy in the face of so many options.
As the discussion here will note, there is a general emphasis on employing certain 'best practice' strategies in implementing Information Technology security strategies. The background to our case discussion denotes that this approach is often a consequence of a rather problematic attitude. Namely, the use of 'best practice' IT security strategies will not always occur because of the company's confidence in the selected approach but will often be employed because deferment to industry standard practices can help to diminish culpability for system failures or vulnerabilities. This underscores the decision made here to pursue a security strategy that combines the most appropriate elements of Best Practice with elements of...
Here, the article by Microsoft TechNet (2011) offers a useful first step, and one that combines the two approaches. Here, the article reports, "in order to effectively secure your network environment, you must first become familiar with all of its components. Assessing your infrastructure involves not only identifying all assets and security issues, but also monitoring the quality of your overall security program. To determine your specific network security needs, you should consider several issues. First, you need to be sure that your IT staff has the necessary executive support to run a successful security program. If you find yourself on the same page with management on how to proceed, you should focus on establishing a process to identify and analyze security risks on an ongoing basis. Without such a plan in place, you run the risk of initiating projects that are not solving your largest security problems." (Microsoft TechNet, p. 1)
And certainly, few small or medium businesses (SMBs) can afford to implement a major IT overhaul only to witness failure. This is why there is a distinct need to conduct the step above, recommended as a phase in the Best Practice strategy but also implying that said strategy is not mutually exclusive from steps reflecting a Best Fit approach. Here, scanning the network environment and the environment attendant to the organization's culture can help key decision-makers to identify areas of potential difficulty,…
