Introduction
Believe it or not, a dramatic technological revolution has transformed the global environment of the 21st century. Though this era has witnessed many triumphs in technology, the most transforming technological event is the Information Technology revolution. The impact of computer based information technology, one of the most known manifestations in technology, is considered both as a boon and a bane. Apparently, computers have gripped our life firmly and its wings are impacting all aspects of human interactions and relationships. At the same time, we have to be globally competitive in providing quality product, service, and delivery. So, due to this tug of war for quality service, all the companies in this world are facing the challenges of competition. In this age of globalization of the world’s economy, business demands to take pro-active measures to serve the customers by taking some risky and strategic decisions. Therefore, similar situation was encountered in an aerospace company which also took the initiative in computerization and modernization in the information system. But, the company had to pay heavy price for this as the open information access system not only affected the security structure of the data but also the basic infrastructure and growth rate of business in the aerospace industry.
Background of Case study
A company named“Aerowright” in aerospace industry, though a small company, had the distinction of possessing a rich caliber of expertise and technocrat, and this reputation made this company a synonym of quality, efficiency, and satisfactory growth. In view of the future prospects of the challenges from the competitors and establish of transparency in the process, it was decided by the director, Daly, to ensure quality service and delivery system for the customers. For this, a committee of experts was formulated to examine the market challenges and advise steps to meet the demands of the competitions. The committee advised various measures to restructure the information management system in order to meet the existing needs of customers.
Suggestions by the Committee
In light of the competitive global world and demand of modernization process of the information system of the Aerowright, it is recommended to use the current version AirNet to meet the challenges of the airspace industry and take the cutting-edge advantage of the technological advancement. Using this modern gadget will ensure the transparency in the deal and development of the competency, thereby leading to winning the big contracts for the design and manufacturing of modern avionic components.
Action Taken on Recommendation and its Impact
Keeping the recent decline in global avionic market, Aerowrightintroduced the upgraded version of the network of AirNET and gave access to all the information to the tentative customers for future business deals.For this, the commercial director, Arthur Daly, had a pragmatic and far-sighted vision to take the company to a great height by introducing the modern infrastructure of the AirNet. He further took an initiative to create Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for effective and efficient negotiations on any types of business deals. This proactive initiative made negotiators to use AirNET exhaustively and they began to access any new updates or information about the company. Despite having customers’ satisfactions and international exposure, there were no tangible benefits on the receipt of demands and orders for the company.
Impact of free accessibility
Though the security department of the company expressed reservation about the misuse of free-access and possibility of breach of security for the secret and confidential information, the company went ahead with the plan of free-accessibility as part of the measure of modernization process and efficient information management. After some time, free-access of information gave clue to the competitors about Aerowright’s business strategy and future plans. This contributed to decryption of company’s confidential information, thereby losing not only the new contract deal, but also all the design documents of the company. Further, time was not far away when the company not only lost the good deal but also struggled to sustain and survive. Ultimately, leak of confidential information became the order of the day, and all this shifted the blame on the security engineer for his inefficiency. In the end, due to constant and regular infiltration of confidential data, the securityengineer resigned, owning the moral responsibility for the infiltration of the data. As of now, the existing circumstances suggest to believe that Aerowright will be on the verge of losing all the business.
Angle of business ethics and modernization
Being the commercial head of the company, what Arthur Daly did was as per the changing need of time and system of transparency. His intension, motive, and philosophy of restructuring the system of information management really deserved appreciation. But, he failed in what he wanted to do for the company. The problems that he did not foresee, was the safety and security of information. He could not effectively plan as to who should get what access right and how much. Had he focused and resolved on this issue, he could have been the sole savior of Aerowright for its future growth. According to the principle of utilitarianism, there is nothing like good and bad but it is the outcome that decides something to be bad or good. So, Arthur Daly adopted the same philosophy and endeavored to do well, by deploying WLAN, for his company as well as customers.In view of the aforesaid facts of circumstances, it is the burning need of hours to ethically solve security problems of data, and try to render quality service to Aerowright, its customers, employee, and finally, the people who use aircrafts.
Recommendations
Based on the analysis of the challenges and possible loss incurred by Aerowright due to negligence displayed for the safety and security of data and information, a conclusion can be drawn from this case study to find out the reasons and take preventive measures in order to improving the IT systemsbased on ethical and professional guidelines.
Reasons for the loss of the safety and security of data
There are many reasons that give loopholes in the security and safety of the information loss. This lapse is attributable to the negligence and lack of proper safety precautions which might ultimately cause heavy damage to the existence and prospect of the organizational grwoth. In this age of information technology boom, the phenomenon of cyber-crime, computer virus, and global hacking are on the rise, and it gives an ample reason to cause a worry for physical and logical security of computers. This situation forces us to strategize for ensuring privacy, confidentiality, integrity, consistency, and strict monitoring of the process and procedure of computer security ethics. The main reasons that cause threatening challenges to the computer security are:
a) Viruses - It enters through computer programs to cause infection to the computer data.
b) Worms - It enters through the systems of networking from one machine to another one.
c) Trojan horses - It is a kind of damaging programs that seriously hampers the functioning of the computer application.
d) Bacteria or Rabbits - It is kind of rapid mushrooming ofthe computer-threatening bacteria in the memory system.
f) Logic Bomb - It is a kind of placing a system of device or program by the reliable computer personal and smuggle out the confidential information from it.
g) Hacker - It is kind of person who, without any authorized permission, enters into the computer system of another person.
Preventive Measures
In view of the aforesaid reasons that cause concern for the computer data security, there is an urgent need to redefine the policy of computer security and adopt preventive measures for computer security. This preventive measure should cover the entire gamut of misuse, leakage of secrecy or confidentiality, and integrity of the computer systems. If these measures are taken, some of their possible benefits are:
a) It can protect the private and personal information.
b) It can prevent from receiving any false or fake information.
c) It can protectfrom eithermalicious or accidental misuse.
d) It can help to repair and service the system in case of emergencies.
e) It can be used to detect the automated monitoring of any misuse or undesirable activities.
f) One disadvantage of this automated monitoring is that it keeps a spy watch even on authorized and competent computer users.
So, no matter how ethical or moralistic the society is or the people are, the compliance of safety precautions for computer data safety plays a key role in the betterment of any organization. As most of the loss of data is due to unethical practices of the unauthorized people, it makes good sense to develop and apply the systematic guidelines of computer ethics and protects the systems from hackers. According to a report on anatomy of computer attack submitted by Higgins (2010), "And once they are in, they don't need to hack through again; they set up camp with a longer-term presence that allows them to move about the company freely and typically undetected"(P.1)In case of any violation, it is possible to keep a track of hackers, file legal cases, and take preventive to stop further damage.
Code of conduct for computer security
The ethical challenge is how to create institutions and procedures to safeguard the privacy right of individuals. It is practically impossible to create an ethical code that would safeguard every individual and hence the society as a whole from such hackers. Some of the ethical codes that can help us in our day-to-day life are:
a) Never try to do something using computers that otherwise one considers as immoral.
b) Never tamper with the privacy and confidentiality of any vital information.
c) Provide precise information to ensure better performance of both the individual and the organization.
d) Keep the document protected by the password.
e) Never use or copy a software for which one has not paid.
f) Never use others’ computer resources without authorization.
g) Think about the social consequences of the program that you write.
h) Avoid plagiarism so as to be prevented from any serious legal and ethical complexities.
i) Establish an organizational code of conduct for the resolution of any ethical conflict.
Conclusion
In the light of the aforesaid study on facts and analysis of Aerowright problems and challenges of data safety and security, it is important to remember that the information technology revolution has led to additional accountability on redefining the depth of carefulness about information security. It is point to remember that any resource is of no use if it is not safe and secured. It is now necessary that we should learn from the mistakes of Aerowright and devise suitable and preventive security measures for any types of confidential data and information. And, this will certainly help any organization become professionally competent and growhigh in this globalized environment.
Works Cited
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2. Higgins, J. Kelly (2010). Anatomy Of A Targeted, Persistent Attack, 1. Retrieved from http://www.darkreading.com/database-security/167901020/security/attacks-breaches/222600139/anatomy-of-a-targeted-persistent-attack.html
3. Brey, P. (2006). Evaluating the Social and Cultural Implications of the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.utwente.nl/gw/wijsb/organization/brey/Publicaties_Brey/Brey_2006_Implications-Internet.pdf
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