According to Arnold (2003), intranets are networks that are made available to the contractors or employees within an organization. As such, it can be deduced that this kind of networks carry information that is very confidential and private to the organization, such as business secrets (Via Control, 2012). My company has a long-standing intranet connection. The information layout follows the format suggested by Kioskea.net (2012). This is as indicated below.
There is a domain name server (DNS). This is the main machine with which the others identify as the IP address. There is also an email server which supports and enables the users within the organization to send and receive e-mails. Definitely, there must be an internal web server which provides the internal website. All the information regarding the organization is stored within a database. This acts as the information store which makes sure that the information regarding the organization can be accessed only by authorized individuals. To enable the users of the intranet to share information, there is the need for a file server. This allows the employees and contractors to share files. There is also a LDAP which serves in providing directory services which are strong and reliable. Lastly, it is definite that some people within the organization would need to mail others. The mailing list is available which allows the users to send and receive emails to all or some of the people within the organization. With such an information layout, the website is integral and stable, having served the organization for quite a long time.
According to Arnold (2003), ensuring intranet security is one of the main concerns. This is mainly because it holds very private and confidential organizational information. If this information got to the public internet, it would lead to the selling out of company information, hacking by outsiders and other compromise on the company information that might be too costly. As such, there is the need to ensure intranet security.
There are various security measures that the company has adopted to deal with the various challenges. The information is encrypted in such a manner that it can only be accessed by the authorized individuals. There are also passwords that protect files and information that can be easily accessed, such that only the people who are actually authorized to access it can. The passwords are changed periodically to enhance the security. The information is always updated so as to ensure that he site is up to date. Additionally, there is a firewall set up which can prevent the breach of the company’s intranet. For remote access, there are continuous tests on the remote access system which are aimed at detecting errors within the system and rectifying them. Generally, there are other security measures that are put in place so as to make sure that the system is not compromised. One of them is making sure that the employees observe integrity so that they do not divulge the company information to non-members. These measures have helped the company’s intranet to stand strongly for quite a long time.
References
Arnold, S.E. 92003). Ten Internet Security Pitfalls. Retrieved on 20th Dec. 2012 from
Kioskea.net. (2012). Introduction to Setting Up an Intranet. Retrieved on 20th Dec. 2012 from
Via Control. (2012). Document Management. Retrieved on 20th Dec. 2012 from
