Introduction
The rapid growths of technologies and the rise of digital devices that impact the functioning of various establishments and organizations introduce numerous changes to the way the modern world functions. Computerization conditions the improved efficiency of numerous agents and companies. However, at the same time, the given process poses a significant threat to security as the usage of digital data storages and mediated ways of information exchange might result in its loss and even theft.
For this reason, there are numerous attempts to improve the sphere of security and guarantee the stable and efficient functioning of organizations and companies that integrate technologies into their functioning. For this reason, the given project is devoted to the comprehensive analysis of security measures that are explored by a certain company to preserve its status, competitive advantage, and guarantee its further beneficial existence.
Overview of the chosen company
The company FERTIL is chosen as the background for the analysis. The choice is not accidental and it is predetermined by several important factors. First, its geographical location is important for research. Being situated in the UAE, the company functions under the conditions of the unique market that is characterized by numerous perspectives and good tendencies for its evolution.
A limitless number of opportunities, the great level of incomes of the local organizations, and the great wellness of the population obviously influence the way the companys functioning is organized and introduce unique demands to the security that should be fulfilled to assure that a company will continue its rise. The analysis will help to indicate the most crucial aspects of FERTILs functioning and improve the comprehending of computer security and its significance.
FERTIL company was founded in 1980 with the idea to become a leader within the fertilizer industry by offering customers the unique products and services that would satisfy their needs and desires (“Message From CEO” par. 7). The company provides its services worldwide and is also focused on international cooperation with numerous agents and potential partners. Moreover, the company aims at producing and supplying sustainable and value-added products that could be considered environmentally friendly and improve the state of the world significantly.
FERTIL is a member of the ADNOC Group of companies. It also utilizes the lean gas that is supplied from the onshore fields located in the country (“Message From CEO” par. 5). This fact evidences the great importance of FERTIL and provides numerous opportunities for its further rise.
The company could be characterized by the tendency to its further growth. The fact is that the existing stable demand on the products of the oil refinery industry conditions the further evolution of the importance of services provided by FERTIL. Yet, the high rates of its development also mean that a number of new workers will be needed to support its functioning and assure that it will become even more efficient. At the moment there are several thousand workers who work in different departments located in various regions (“Message From CEO” par. 8).
The company tends to create a certain corporative culture that is characterized by the efficient and well-thought-out collaboration of members who want to condition the company to rise and evolve. FERTIL also tries to create conditions that might contribute to the personal and professional growth of every individual who works there.
Besides, being a great company that is focused on the acquisition of a certain competitive advantage and winning the rivalry in this sphere, FERTIL obviously implements computers and digital devices into its functioning. At the moment, there is an IT department that functions across the companys branches to guarantee the further spread of technologies and preservation of important data that is needed for FERTILs functioning.
According to the annual report, the company acknowledges the importance of technologies and creates the conditions beneficial for the further implementation of innovations (“Granular Urea” par. 5). That is why the number of computers is great. Almost all workers have to work with them to perform their daily tasks and improve efficiency. Furthermore, a new employee who is eager to work in the company is expected to demonstrate good skills in working with a computer.
It is also obvious that there is a data center that guarantees the functioning of the corporative network and preservation of data. It could be taken as the heart of the company as in case computers fail to work its functioning will be paralyzed.
For this reason, the data center is traditionally placed in a secured room that excludes the opportunity of occasional interventions. There is also a backup system that is needed in case the main one is corrupted or suffers from some fatal error (“Corporate Security Measures and Practices” par. 4). Besides, storing of data is crucial for the efficiency of the majority of projects and tasks performed by the company (FERTIL 6). That is why there is a great need for specific security measures that will assure the absence of any data leaks and protect FERTIL from the appearance of numerous problems in the future.
Besides, the team of IT specialists is responsible for the monitoring of the corporative networks functioning and its ability to satisfy the companys needs. Additionally, the company also has a certain security team whose main task is to work directly with security concerns and protect the company from any interventions that might result in the decrease of the efficiency and data losses. The security team is comprised of qualified specialists who bear responsibility for the creation and adaptation of the most important strategies that will be able to create a certain barrier between FERTIL and some potential offenders or hackers. This very team should also provide newcomers with detailed and understandable instructions that describe the basics of computer security and help to improve it.
Yet, the pattern that rests on the usage of a specialist team to protect data also presupposes the wise allocation of IT departments. At the moment, there is one main center that creates the security policy and guarantees its implementation in the FERTILs functioning through other local smaller divisions that exercise this very policy and monitor the functioning of a certain office in the area.
At the same time, the head office also creates and provides a specific software that is supposed to protect the companys computers and guarantee the absence of serious problems. The importance of the tasks performed by this team could hardly be overestimated as they guarantee the further existence of the FERTIL. There were numerous cases when the weak security system resulted in the collapse of a certain organization as the information needed for its further evolution was stolen (“Corporate Security Measures and Practices” par. 7).
Specific Policies
ISPP document
Title
Fair and Secure usage of the corporate network to share important information and pieces of data that are needed for the FERTILs further evolution and growth.
Classification internal usage only.
Statement of Policy
This very security policy is focused on the creation of a secure environment for all users of a specific corporate network that is implemented in the FERTILs functioning. It includes hardware, software, firewalls, and other technologies and devices that might guarantee the preservation of crucial data and its further distribution between the agents who have the permission to work with it. For this reason, the policy is intended for authorized users within the enterprise. All workers who guarantee the companys evolution and have been granted approval to access the data system. The above-mentioned category of users is expected to understand and comply with the importance and the main points of this policy and the document that describes it.
Authorized access and usage of equipment
FERTILs employees are permitted to use the internal wireless net and the corporative net and to link their laptops to them. The company adheres to the pattern according to which the description of tasks that should be accomplished and the essential information needed for their completion are sent to workers emails. For this reason, the usage of laptops and WLAN is inevitable. To ensure the appropriate protection and the level of privacy, the following steps should be made. First, when linking to the corporate net, all users should pass through the procedure of strong mutual authentication and encryption.
Prohibited usage of equipment
Moreover, in case a worker also uses his/her laptop to establish a connection to some public net or hotspot, the companys developed and approved firewall should be installed to protect the given device from any potential threat and guarantee the security of data stored there. Additionally, the usage of non-standard or non-approved hardware and software and protocols are prohibited and monitored by the companys security system (“Corporate Security Measures and Practices” par. 3). This approach establishes the efficient protection of data.
Systems Management
Besides, the main responsibilities of the Network Administrator who belongs to the companys security team are the configuration of the most important devices and software and the provision of proper settings that are defined by the given policy. These also include authentication and access to the corporate network. At the same time, an employee should ensure that his/her laptop is configured and protected in accordance with the standards outlined by this policy. He/she should be ready to check the main configurations, go through the authentication procedure, and bear responsibility for the potential data leaks that might happen in case the basic demands are ignored. Altogether, the FERTIL security team is focused on the encryption of the most important data and its protection by all means.
Violations of Policy
In case the above-mentioned security system is not used in a proper way or its basic assumptions are ignored by the members of the collective, the FERTIL company, and its security team reserve the right to perform any action that might prevent data leak and guarantee restoration of security and protection of significant information. Moreover, a first-time violator should be warned about the great pernicious impact of his/her actions and the potential threat posed by his/her irresponsible attitude to security measures. However, in case the violator remains inattentive, his/her actions should be reported to a manager for him/her to create an appropriate solution and provide the needed punishment for a person who ignores the basic points of the introduced security system.
Policy Review and Modification
This security policy should be reviewed by the security department every three months. This pattern guarantees the ability of the policy to respond to new threats that might appear every day. Moreover, the introduction of new patterns to the system helps to confuse potential offenders by the constantly changing approaches used to encrypt the important data and guarantee the security of email boxes. Furthermore, the modification should be accomplished in accordance with the new methods and solutions suggested by the analytical team which is focused on the investigation of the topical and dangerous threats that could destroy the corporate net and result in the collapse of the company.
Limitations of Liability
FERTILE does not guarantee any liability for acts that are aimed at doing harm to its networks or corruption of the important and needed data. In case these actions occur, the company will inform a violator, local authorities and will provide no legal assistance. These actions should be terminated to guarantee the preservation of the companys security.
Conclusion
Altogether, the evolution of digital devices and the spread of technologies preconditioned the appearance of numerous threats that might have a negative impact on the functioning of a certain company and even result in its collapse. For this reason, FERTIL has the specialist team whose main task is to introduce the efficient system that protects the important data and provides employees with the information that is needed to work on the local network and prevent data leaks. The efficiency of this system is conditioned by the great importance given to its main aspects and the practice of its constant improvements that are needed to make it topical and efficient.
Works Cited
“Corporate Security Measures and Practices.” New Era Associates. n.d. Web.
FERTIL. “Employee Handbook.” FERTIL. n.d. Web.
“Granular Urea.” FERTIL. n.d. Web.
“Message From CEO.” FERTIL. n.d. Web.