Introduction
In the current era of the internet and the automation of processes, it has become difficult for organizations to protect their information properties. Businesses are forced to identify their assets, formulate policy documents for their protection, and implement them. They also set procedures and standards to ensure that everyone who needs information receives it on time without any alteration or risk of exposing it to hackers. A company should structure the management, information, owners, for instance, clients and suppliers, and users of the information correctly, to enhance the handling of both hard and soft copies. Information is the most essential asset in any organization, but its relevance varies with the quantity and sensitivity of the data (Ministry of Transport and Communication, 2018). My motivation to undertake this course was triggered by an incident that occurred in the company, which was sued by the client for illegal usage of their personal information. Since organizations today seek to personalize the services for their customers, more details about the clients are held by the company. Pursuing this course is an achievement for me because I desire to become a proficient IT project manager.
Application of Operation Security in E-commerce
Today, business transactions are conducted online in a seamless environment, where physical contact is eliminated. In this kind of organization, the crucial assets are data, information systems, and clients. Customers order goods online through a shared platform such as websites and mobile applications, in which they need to provide the details on where they live to facilitate the delivery. After ordering, they pay for the goods through online transfer, during which the information about their bank accounts, credit cards, identification numbers, and security codes or pins and passwords are displayed. It exposes both the client and the organization to a higher risk of leaking the information to hackers. Since sensitive information is transferred online, e-commerce businesses should safeguard it.
Operations security plays a critical role in e-commerce through the following major ways. First, it is applied in the identification of critical information for customers, suppliers, and organizations. In e-commerce, transactions are based on trust and, therefore, slight mistakes in information security could ruin the relationship. After the identification of relevant information, organizations can formulate the policies, standards, and procedures for protecting it (Alhassan & Adjei-Quaye, 2017). Some of the critical data in online business include financial records of the company, bank accounts of the clients and firm, list of suppliers, contacts, and prices, and other personal details concerning clients’ residences. Records found in an organization have disparate relevance and vulnerability to hackers and, therefore, categorization is instrumental in minimizing the risk.
Third, companies use operation security to analyze vulnerabilities in their systems, networks, hardware, and software. There are many vulnerable points in e-commerce, especially because all processes of the transactions are done online (“What Is E-Commerce,” 2017). Weakness can be either in the networks, mobile applications, websites, or in physical devices such as hard drives and computers. After the recognition of potential areas which can be used by hackers, appropriate actions are taken.
Operation security is applicable in the assessment of the risks exposed to the organization in case of a successful attack or intrusion. For instance, if the details on banks are accessed by illegal parties, they can use it to steal money. The impact in this scenario is massive because the company will not only be forced to pay the clients but its reputation and trust will be ruined. The chances of losing customers are high and if the money was stolen, the organization could be sued.
Lastly, operation security helps establish the appropriate countermeasures for the threats, vulnerabilities, and risks identified. Different attacks require disparate approaches, and, therefore, the right actions should be determined (Alhassan & Adjei-Quaye, 2017). For instance, an organization can decide to utilize a verification technique for the clients before a transaction could be processed, or demand encryption or the use of complex passwords for mobile applications. As the attacks continue changing, businesses should upgrade their protection policies and procedures to match the environment.
Personal Growth in the Career
In consideration of the career path, the operation security course connects with the role of IT project manager. A project administrator’s duties conform to that of ordinary managers who implement, execute, guide, and oversee the operation of a certain task. Due to the sharing of data through the internet, IT specialists require the skills and knowledge in information ethics, risks analysis, threat identification, vulnerabilities assessment, and the available measures for information protection. Although I have not experienced the application of operation security in any workplace yet, I am equipped theoretically and ready to apply the competencies I have gained.
Conclusion
Overall, the knowledge I obtained from the entire course is essential to my career as a project manager interested in the organizations involved in e-commerce. The world’s business networks are highly interconnected, exposing data to the internet. The number of online transactions is also expected to increase significantly as people continue using smart technologies, such as mobile applications. Protection of information should be incorporated into every organization’s strategic plan to enhance success, while still reducing the risk associated with its breach.
References
Alhassan, M. M., & Adjei-Quaye, A. (2017). Information security in an organization. International Journal of Computer, 24(1), 100−116.
Ministry of Transport and Communications. (2018). Cyber security guidelines for information asset management: roles and responsibilities. Web.
What is e-commerce and what are the major threats to e-commerce security?(2017). TechGenyz. Web.