Advancement in technology and communication networks has changed how organizations market goods and services; the sales and marketing department are becoming computerized as a policy to attain competitiveness. The risk facing the globalized world is how to secure corporate and customer information; when using technology to market products and services, companies are able to reach a large number of target customers.
Balancing effective marketing, sales, and communication with security is a major challenge; however marketing managers should make strategies that address such issues if they are to remain competitive and earn customer confidence (Kurtz, MacKenzie & Kim, 2009).
This paper discusses information security bleach at Apple Inc. and how the organisation reacted to the security lapse; it will also give recommendations on best policies to enhance information security.
Apple history
Apple is an international American company that designs, manufactures, markets, and sells consumer electronic commodities; the company is respected for its innovativeness in business processes and consumer products; some of the company’s products include electronics, the iTunes media browser, the iPhone , the iPad.
Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system, and computer software iPod, personal computers. The company has embraced online marketing; using the method, the company advertises, sells, and makes contracts with domestic and international companies/consumers using the site.
Apples Official Website Evaluation
Apple has an official website that can be accessed from different parts of the globe; the company sells and displays its products over the website: the following are some of the disclosures that can be found in the website:
Product information
From Apples website, a customer can learn at a glance the products that the company is offering for sale; the color theme of the website is appealing to the user; when someone enters the site, the first indication that he gets is that the company sells quality phones, Iphones, and Ipods.
The photos portrays joy and of a child whose photo has been taken by the phone. At the top of the website, there is an icon that someone can use to get to the specific product that he would like to get from the company; the following are the list of products on the top icon: Store, Mac, Ipod, Iphone, Itune, Ipad and support.
The above provisions offer a first of repeat user the chance to scroll and get to the specific materials wanted with ease. The websites ensures that they have disclosed as much as the customer would like to know.
Corporation’s contact information
To assist users of the site, the company has considered using some assistance from the company to guide the user through the site; the first area that a customer can get to learn more of the company is under stores. At this icon the customer can navigate himself through the site and have some of his issues handled.
Other than the self-evaluation section; at the top of the site there is the icon support; when a user contracts/ opts to use this icon, he can be assisted through the website and making decision enhanced or assisted.
At the bottom icon of the site, there is the contact icon; this icon gives users the companies addressed and the contacts of further assistance. With the icon someone can know the person and the place he should call for some enquiries.
Customized products for customers
Apple website displays the company’s products however much concentration is on the benefits and superiority that the product has over the improved version of the same or products made by other companies in the same industry (competitors). Very rarely do the website offer insight information on how the product had been made or the constituents of the product.
The above move can be interpolated as a move to keep business secrets and manufacturing information secret from competitors. To the customers the company ensures it offers such quality information that can persuade them make a decision to buy from the company.
Customer information at purchase
When customers want to buy a product form the website, he is expected to fill a certain form that asks for some private information. The information is expected to be for the companies own consumption and all security and privacy actions/ elements are addressed. Customers are assured that the information they give is secure in the hand of the company.
Apples Internet marketing strategies and the competitive advantages its Website provides
Apple is among world’s most respected effective online marketing strategy; the companies policy emphasis on creating customer awareness to the products, and services that the company sells. One of the major competitive advantage that the company has and rides on is its brand name strength; the company maintains a strong brand name that ensures it sells products with relatively low marketing and sales.
When using the policy, the company uses the website to sell the products and introduce new markets to the market without much hassle as the case would be if it has a weak brand name. Global advancement in technology has changed how organizations reach their customers; the sales and marketing department are becoming computerized with advancement in technology.
Strength of the companies online advertising is it’s qualified, experienced, creative, and innovating marketing and sales department. The department is able to make responsive decisions that the company can use when posting its products in the internet.
Different ages, continents, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds are likely to use Apple’s website; when they use the site they need to have a standard site that will cater for their needs regardless of their social and political differences. The organizations marketing team has been able to capture this aspect and is offering customer responsive products.
The third pillar that the company online/internet advertising has is the strength of its information, technology, and communication department. The department is robust and keeps updating the site to ensure that people get the right information at the right time.
With such a department, the company is able to note any hindrances of the system and fix it before it inconveniences a customer. The company’s website has been developed after massive research and development campaigns, the company has a strong research and marketing department that advises the company accordingly.
The competitiveness of Apples website advertising/marking policy is vested on the structure, the representation, and the information that the site gives to potential customers. The site offers the most required information and ensures that customers are attended to in good time using the site (Kerin & Peterson, 2009).
Analyze and evaluate apple’s privacy / security policy and the corporation’s response to the security breach
To protect customer information, Apple has an elaborate privacy policy; the policy aims at giving confidence to customers that the company has the capacity and will to protect their information. With the policy, the company ensures that all customer information is only used for internal consumption and no one point should the information be used for any other reason that the customer intended purpose.
The policy holds the company accountable of the privacy of the customer information and any linkage from the system means that the company has bleached the contact with the customer and the customer can take legal redress on the matter.
Before giving ones information, the company website advises the customer on the extent that it will be held accountable of the information. Customer is also given the option of not giving some information if they think it’s private (Kurtz, 2010).
Two method to improve privacy and Data security at Apple Inc.
Although the efforts and success attained by Apple can be applauded, the company needs to do more on improving the privacy system. There have been some information leakages that have cost the company and victim customers. The following are two recommendations that the company can implement to improve its security situation:
The company’s information, technology, and communication department should be kept on its toes to devise programs that will always be ahead of hackers. To have a good system, there is need for continuous improvement that can be attained through massive research and development.
Another system that the company can implement is a hybrid data security system; under the system, every time customer’s information is accessed, either by legalised people or otherwise, the customer is alerted to authenticate the process. Such a system will give customer the power to trace the use of their information and give consent to the same; this will increase the company’s data security.
References
Kerin, R. A. ,& Peterson, R. A. (2009). Strategic Marketing Problems: Cases and Comments. London: Pearson Education.
Kurtz, D. (2010). Contemporary business: 2011 custom edition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Son.
Kurtz, L., MacKenzie, F. ,& Kim, S. (2009). Contemporary Marketing. New York; Cengage Learning.