Introduction
With information and data sharing being an issue of concern for many companies, there has been the call to have secure processes that will ensure that there is better management of information and customer data. Many companies have experienced data breach in the past, the recent victims being Home Depot and Target. It has called for companies to have ways in which to secure the data and policies to ensure that there is better understanding of information that they have stored in their computer systems. This paper will focus on ways in which global organizations ensure that they secure their customer data and information. It will focus on the computer security trends that are being undertaken in computer world today (Bulgurcu, Cavusoglu, & Benbasat, 2010).
What companies are doing right
Many companies have put in place measures that will ensure that they secure their data. With data being a significant assets, one of the ways in which their protection and security is assured is to have access control over the data. Most companies have had access management to the data that they have stored and implemented in their organizations. It is important to understand the issues and the requirements for the data that has been stored. Different people have different ways in which to access information in the systems. Many companies have few people who have the authority to access the data in the systems. It is a process that has helped in the management and enhancement of information in information systems.
Another way in which global organizations work and do well is data encryption. Many organizations ensure that they encrypt the data that they send and receive over the internet. The data encryption makes it simple and easier to achieve the required security that is required for the data to be achieved and managed well. Data encryption has helped companies to secure the data that is stored both in the organization infrastructure and on the internet. It has also helped to secure the data that is sent over the internet.
Most companies are also making use of secure connection mechanisms. A keen observation for most websites has seen companies making use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). These are the processes and practices that have been seen to better enhance the management of information and data in organizations. It is a practice that many global organizations use in order to protect card data. It is a trend that is seen to be used by financial institutions (Whitman, & Mattord, 2011).
What they are doing wrong
One of the things that most global organizations are doing wrong is the password policy. Most of these organizations do not review their password policies. It is no wonder there are many organizations which are attacked through the careless manner in which employees manage their passwords. Most employees have poor password management policies. They make use of passwords that are easy to guess.
Another thing that they are doing wrong is the storage of necessary files and documents in computer systems. Most organizations keep files and documents which are not necessary. The files contain important information that can lead to discovery of significant trade secrets for the company. It is an issue of concern that should be managed and enhanced better by the company. Most companies do not permanently delete files after they have removed from their computers. These files will be discovered by fraudulent people who will take advantage of the data that they have discovered in the file (Whitman, & Mattord, 2013).
Special challenges
One of the special challenges that organizations face is data access and managing intrusion. Many of the computer challenges that are faced by majority of organizations is availability of data. With intrusion and external attacks on the rise, there is an increase of external attacks that are being targeted at institutions. Many companies are not able to protect the challenge of external attacks. There is a need to protect data from corruption (Catteddu, 2010).
Another challenge is that of data storage location which are multiple. There are multiple data storage locations which makes the security and safety of data difficult to achieve. Many international organizations have many different locations where data is stored. It makes the management and enhancement of security achievable. There are many issues that come as a result of multiple places where data is stored. It is one of the challenges that need to be taken into consideration.
Dangers of data security breaches
There are many dangers that come with security breaches. One of the short-term dangers is the loss of data. Many organizations have lost valuable information with data breaches. They have been robbed of customer data that they are used by competitors to gain valuable information. Most organizations have been out of business for some weeks because of the lack of data. Many companies have also been in courts because of the legal complications that come with data loss (Tipton, & Krause, 2012).
Another danger of data breach is the loss of customer confidence. With the customer data lost, it leads to loss of confidence end many customers will leave the organization.
Conclusion
Data security is a significant aspect for any organization in this century. There are many vulnerabilities that companies face in the world today. With the changing face of crime where new challenges keep on emerging by the day, there is a need to ensure that there are measures in place to ensure there is secure business systems. The special challenges can be eliminated if organizations understand the security perspective of the assets that they have. They need to understand the architecture of their information systems and have tools that will protect their networks.
References
Bulgurcu, B., Cavusoglu, H., & Benbasat, I. (2010). Information security policy compliance: an empirical study of rationality-based beliefs and information security awareness. MIS quarterly, 34(3)ss, 523-548.
Catteddu, D. (2010). Cloud Computing: benefits, risks and recommendations for information security (pp. 17-17). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Tipton, H. F., & Krause, M. (2012). Information security management handbook. CRC Press.
Whitman, M., & Mattord, H. (2011). Principles of information security. Cengage Learning.
Whitman, M., & Mattord, H. (2013). Management of information security. Cengage Learning.
