Intelligence Unit That Is Secure and Maintained

¶ … intelligence unit that is secure and maintained at all times is an absolute necessity for operational reasons. Explain in detail why this is so important. Security is probably the single most important factor that prevents the intelligence unit from applying information technology more effectively. Security is essential for intelligence unit. When it comes to IT, approach is not "risk management," but "risk exclusion." There are some very specialized electronic security threats that could apply, so it may be that a secure PDA needs to be developed and provided.

In intelligence unit the presence of sensitive but unclassified information could cause serious concern over information bypassing safeguards on tiny solid state disk equivalents, which can fit into pens. This problem can be addressed by requiring the devices to store information in encrypted form, and using biometric identification. An intelligence unit can be secured, but the security both has to be built-in, and maintained. Files need strong encryption. Multiple layers of security risk detection tools are needed such that biometric authentication will identify only legitimate users (McLeod, Raymond, 2004).

Moreover, physical security of the intelligence unit file is imperative to maintain the confidentiality of the information stored in the file and to ensure the protection of the individual's right to privacy. In case files are not properly secured there could be operational problems for the organization as it would be in a state of continuous threat from various sources.

On the other hand maintenance of intelligence unit is important as demands made on the intelligence unit document collection can stem from three types of requests: Requests for a specific document to which the analyst has a reference or citation; Requests for a specific bit of information in answer to a specific question; Requests for all information relevant to a subject which may or may not be well defined.

If the maintenance is not properly done it could result in duplication of effort or, worse, in non-use of reference materials by the researcher laboring under the misimpression that he has all relevant documents in his possession. Maintenance of intelligence unit would ensure that preliminary selection of materials is made so that particular need of a particular user is effectively met (Valacich, 2004). You have learned that the analyst is confronted with many tasks including collecting, entering, analyzing, and visualizing investigative data.

Often the analyst is asked to present his or her findings. Discuss in detail the guidelines for preparing an oral briefing and written report and how this benefits the investigative team. Guidelines for preparing an oral briefing and a written report: The most important step is to prepare an overall outline that will be the foundation of the oral or written report.

The focus should be on the content and structure of the report Collection processes provide analysts with assorted kinds of information, some important and some irrelevant, some true and some false (with many shades in between), and some requiring further preprocessing before they can be used in analysis. In preparation for the report the analyst should draw a clear line between giving out too little information and too much information. Tables and graphics can be used but they should be simple and easy to understand.

Important word and phrases can be highlighted in the written document. Grammar and spelling check needs to be done for a written report and consistency in fonts needs to be maintained throughout the report For an oral report given via presentation the analyst should ensure that there is no information overload and the presentation can be easily viewed by the audience. The most important part of an oral report is to prepare in a manner such that the oral report can be effectively communicated to the audience.

This would require practice to ensure that the presentation flows smoothly and that the timing is correct. The investigation team responsible for the project studies the document for the purpose of approving or not approving the work of the analysis team. The analysis team provides the committee with a demonstration. In essence, the analysis team walks the committee members, step-by-step, through the requirements definition phase. A walk-through starts with a description of the project.

From this point, the analysts delineate a set of well-defined goals, objectives, and benefits of the computer information system. Following that, the budgets and staffing requirements are articulated and the plans are shared with the committee. Specific, planned tasks are compared to actual accomplishments, and deviations, if any, are noted and accounted for. The plans for asset protection and business control are reviewed with the committee members.

This complete description gives the investigation team a well rounded picture of the project and the benefit of this report is that it helps the investigation team in taking an effective decision regarding the approval or the project (Heye, n.d). When evaluating software applications for intelligence use, what types of questions should be asked of the vendor so that the application meets the needs of the unit? Provide five pertinent questions that could be used here (Kendall, 2005).

When evaluating software applications for intelligence use the following questions needs to be asked of the vendor: 1. Quality of vendor services: Will the vendor help with implementation, to configure the system and train staff to ensure they can do their jobs in the system? How is vendor support? Are knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly vendor.