ICT Services and Network Protection †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the ICT Services and Network Protection. Answer: Introduction The Information and communication technology entails all technologies that are used to enable telecommunications, social media, networking, and other online platforms that have made businesses easier. The internet is the most recent and common platform for communication and other important business transactions across the world. Since the discovery of the internet and the advancement of what the internet can do, people have embraced the technology, thanks to the information and technology personnel across the globe. In the recent years, cybercrimes are on the rise and the demand for security software demand has also risen, some companies and organizations have been complaining about their systems being hacked, and confidential information has been publicized, and even they have been used against them. Among those affected by cybercrime are small businesses such as pharmaceuticals, hospitality, and online gambling. At the Victoria research and technology company, we are looking to explore new businesses that can benefit from our security applications. But there are some of the executive members are concerned that not all the potential clients are engaging in socially acceptable ethical businesses. While others are more concerned with the economic aspect and do not concentrate much on the social and the environmental aspect Individuals or organizations can improve their security by restricting who can and who cannot access their information an application security, antivirus and antimalware software, email security, wireless security among others (alliance technology patners, 2017). This will protect them from them from being victims of cybercrimes hence improving their privacy. Firewalls are used to put barriers restricting an outsider from accessing ones confidential information. Victoria research and Technology Company is known to provide all security applications to prevent their clients from being victims of cybercrimes. It will be advisable to accept all their potential clients regardless of their ethical stand on their type of business. They can then involve a contract on the terms at which they will be conducting the businesses. For instance, if the online gambling is a con and it is involved in multiple law breaking scenarios they will terminate the contract. While preparing the report on the security agenda, theres need to understand some of the terms that will be used in explaining the various areas in network and information security. Network a network is two or more computers or electronic devices connected, and information/data can be shared between them. These networks are what contains confidential information therefore the need to be secured. Hacking this is an attempt to intrude one's network without authorization. This is done by usually done by a hacker who attempts to find weaknesses in the network security and exploits it to gain access to data. Network security- these are defense mechanisms that one puts in place to prevent data loss or leakage through hacking. An effective network security system stops malicious and other threats from entering the network. Can be both software and hardware technologies. (cisco, 2017). Internet- it is a network of networks that is used to form an interconnection in order to access information from more than one electronic device. For instance, Wi-Fi is an example of a wireless internet. Cybercrimes- these are computer-related crimes that involve extraction of confidential information without authorization. The intentions of these malicious crimes can be harmful to the reputation of the individual or organization or use it to their advantage. Firewall these are barriers that are put in place in order to create a boundary between the trusted internal network as well as the untrusted external It can be either software or hardware or both. Every company or organization needs to have a network security no matter how large or small the organization is. Network security is part of the mitigation plan organizations should have to avoid risks. This will prevent the company risk of losing valuable data. Valuable data can be product information, design, plans, or financial information, financial records or the customers information which are most likely confidential (Applied Trust, 2017). Information network security will allow only authorized personnel to access the network, this is ensured through authentication that will confirm that the users of the network are who they say they are. Authorized users are the only ones with the means to communicate through the network. Types of information network security applications. There are several information network security applications that have been developed and upgraded up to date. This is to ensure that with every new invention in technology, there is a corresponding network security plan that enables users to be protected from viruses and cybercrimes. Every individual or organization acquire a network security software or hardware with the aim of protecting what they want to keep confidential. The various types of network security include: Antivirus and antimalware software- this software provides protection from all forms of viruses and malware such as spyware. Malware is dangerous since they cannot be fully eliminated. They will be mild in the network waiting to attack. Antiviruses are to be scanned regularly and updated in order to keep track of any threat that might be waiting to attack your network. Email security - emails are very important to all businesses. Securing emails ensure that no unauthorized person access the emails. Attackers can use your personal information to blacklist or email on your behalf. Email security blocks the threat and controls what is sent out. Wireless security- the wireless network is usually the hardest network to secure because it is readily accessible for tampering. Therefore the wireless network should be controlled on the network coverage and the wireless security should be super strong to keep off hackers.(alliance technology patners, 2017) Off-the-shelf applications vs. products in-house Ongoing business organizations who need to acquire network security can either choose from purchasing the software that is readily available in the market or customizing their software to fit their specific needs. Off-the-shelf applications are security software that is built and can be purchased or leased. They provide a solution to various universal needs. They are cheap and readily available. They offer long-term services and can be used in various sections of the organization. Product in-house or customized software is much expensive and are usually specifically designed to address a specific need in question at the moment. Customized software is designed by specialists within the independent organization with specific standards to be met. The software provides quality results, and changes can be made to fit your own changing needs (Burkett, 2017). The company should focus on providing off-the-shelf software since it's less costly and theres already a product in the market that suits the business needs. Off-the-shelf software can also be useful in other programs in the business. Its also faster since applications come pre-built and fully functional (King, 2016). With the need for safe and secure networks, business organizations are looking for fast applications that are do not consume a lot of time to install but offer similar services to the developed applications. If the company invests in the Off-the-shelf software, there will be increased clientele as many small and medium-sized organizations opt for the Off-the-shelf software since they do not have the financial capability to install the customized security software. Advantages and disadvantages of network security Protect data network security prevents a security breach, therefore, keeping off unauthorized persons from accessing. This will ensure that respective data is not lost, tampered with, stolen or exposed to the public. Prevent cyber-attack most of the network attacks come from the internet. Hackers have come up with viruses which if they introduce it to your network they can bypass the security and tamper with your information. Therefore a strong network security will prevent the viruses from harming the computer. Level of access the provision of a unique identification key of the password has made it safer for most networks since a user has to be authorized by providing the identification details in order to access information. The computer also keeps a record of who accessed the information and when. Centrally controlled to avoid security breaches the security system is controlled centrally by the administrator who can prevent hackers from damaging or accessing any information. Costly to set up most of these security systems are expensive. Purchasing and installing them may be expensive especially for small organizations but since they have to protect their data security installation cannot be ignored at any cost. Time-consuming some security systems entails a double security, and the user has to ensure they get them correct each time they access a document. Some passwords are so long with numbers, special characters and alphabets, it takes time to feed in the passwords. Skilled personnel large networks requires highly skilled personnel since its not an easy task handling security issues when they arise. The administrator has to be qualified for the job for him/her to be able to run smoothly the company security needs. Information security risks. The following set of risks should not be overlooked, and the security network should provide an umbrella cover against them. USB and other external devices. - These are the most common agents in the introduction of viruses in computers. Anti-virus software should be installed on each computer more so laptops. Staff members should also be made aware of this risk and should help prevent it. Insufficient policies The staff should be educated on the danger they pose on the organization if they use the internet on personal matters. The managers should take responsibility in monitoring what employees engage in during working hours to avoid security breaches. Wireless access points- the wireless network in the organization should be secured, and only authorized staff should access the password. This will limit who access the network hence minimize the risk of being hacked. Disgruntled employees- employees should be made aware of confidentiality of the organizations information. They shouldnt share it with anyone who is not a member of the staff. They should not give passwords and other security details to the public. Smartphones and tablets a lost handheld device that poses information about the organization should be taken seriously since it can be used to leak information. These gadgets should be installed with the highest security to minimize the risk of leakage. (Iris Network System, 2017) For the company to expand, it will have to go in business with a variety of organizations in different fields. Some of this organization engage in activities that are regarded as not ethical such as gambling companies. These factors make it mandatory that the company observes the necessary ethics both legally and socially. The company should ensure that all organizations it gets to business with have met the required legal requirements and that they are officially recognized by the respective governments. The company should also file new tax returns as required legally since the scale of operations will increase meaning the companys income will increase. As of the social considerations, the company should make it clear in terms of the contracts that it is not taking part in the activities of such businesses that are regarded as unethical. The company should not engage in any other business dealings with such organizations other than providing network security. It is an open fact that gambling in the contemporary world is becoming socially accepted and there are many clients in organizations that deal with gambling. This means that those organizations will require up to date security software to protect the customer database as well as the companys financial information. This provides an opportunity for our company to expand on the scale of operations. Though the company will be associating with clients regarded as unethical, it will raise the profits margins considerably and expand to many branches of ICT. Updating of the software will be frequent, and this will result in the company being always on production. The off-the-shelf software will be in continuous demand, and this will mean more income at lower cost for the company. Conclusion The company has for long been specializing in developing and customizing applications that specialize in information and network security. Production of off-the-shelf software has not been given much attention over the years. If the company was to expand, it needs software that will sell quickly and at a friendly price. Organizations around the world prefer software that is not time-consuming to install and that is easily accessible. The company should, therefore, invest in off-the-shelf applications as much as it invests in customized applications. This will result in diversity in production which will lead to increase in clientele and thus enabling the expansion to different branches of ICT. There are many network security issues that require efficient network protection software. The company will gain from both the customized applications and off-the-shelf software. The risk involved may include loss of information of private information being made public. This can be avoided by the building a firewall to protect the organizations information from being hacked. Security software is also effective in controlling who has access to some of the crucial data in an organization such data may include clients financial statements, medical records for patients, the companys financial records among others. Recommendations. The company should invest in off-the-shelf software on a larger scale The company should start training programs to train the employees on how to create efficient network protections that will be competent on the open market. Contracts should be sought out from a variety of fields to increase the companys scale operations. The company should give much attention to network security and have a variety of applications for network protection The company should not shy away from going into business with organizations considered unethical such as gambling companies. This is because such companies have a high demand for ICT services especially network protection since they deal with a large customer database as well as large sums of money. References alliance technology partners. (2017). the different types of network security. Retrieved from Alliance technology partners. Applied Trust. (2017). Every company needs to have a security program. Retrieved from Applied Trust. Burkett, D. (2017, June 22). app development: off-the-shelf vs. custom software. Retrieved from working mouse. cisco. (2017). wha is network security. Retrieved from Cisco. Iris Network System. (2017). 5 network security risks your company might be aware of. Retrieved from Iris Network System. King, M. (2016, June 26). building a custom app vs. off-the-shelf options. Retrieved from pixel.