Internet security has become a big topic in the last few years because every business and every person has, to some extent, allowed their information to be captured by the web. With businesses, it is necessary to keep certain records on the computer because it makes processing payroll and other critical issues much easier and more secure. Though it is true that computers can be kept much more secure than paper records for the most part, there are challenges in maintaining computer security also. One large issue is that people who work for a particular company are always an issue. Through the lure of money or some other gain, it is possible for outside sources to gain access to critical customer and employee files via an unscrupulous employee. The case study analyzed here is concerned with just such a problem. The topic is what types of security are needed in a company.

Summary of the Case

The case begins with an employee leaving an unlabeled compact disc on a break room coffee table and the events that unfold from that action. After the first employee leaves, another employee comes into the break room and after a while discovers the CD. The second...

She found that the CD contained critical company information such as employee social security numbers and customer credit card information. There was also an email to a person that was going to receive the stolen information. Through investigation she found out the identity of the employee who had gathered the information. The employee who found the CD called an anonymous security line her company had set up, and then went through the process, with human resources, of making sure that the company was again secure.
A second part of the case dealt with the aftermath of the security breach. The company security head gathered all of the employees for a security briefing, and a brainstorming session to see what the employees believed needed to have more security. During this session, the employees discovered that there are many more aspects to security than they had previously thought.

Statement of the Problem

Of course, the problem that the company encountered was that one employee had access to a great deal of sensitive information that…