Cyber Network Security, Threats, Risk and Its Prevention Dissertation

Cyber Network Security, Threats, Risk and Its Prevention - Dissertation Example The rapid change in technology has significant effects in the everyday lives of human influencing all the aspects of life such as medicine, commerce, education, and security. Information technology too seems to influence the lives of individuals similarly since it has brought improvements in the individual lives, in the family lives, in education, career, democracy and freedom and every other aspect of life where information is needed. During the 1990s, the entire world could be seen to be developed around the telecommunicated networks of computers incorporating the use of information systems and technology. The power of information is largely responsible in contributing to the spheres of human activities. Be it genetic engineering or the development of software, the information technology is enabling the progress across every field of advancement across the world (Castells, 1999, p.2). However, considering the topic of information technology, the concern for security also arises to which it can be stated that the technology has both a good side as well as a bad side to it. While IT may be used for the purpose of promotion and stability of security, on the other hand, the system can also be misused that threatens the system and its use. The positive uses of the IT come in the way it can be used to distribute and exchange ideas and strategies for security, to draw together support for harmony missions and security programs, and to put into practice and organize security plans and operations. It is crucial in every operation of the government of any country, spreading its functions from intelligence collection to command and control. Even targeting terrorists and implementation of controls over borders can be achieved through the use of IT (Denning, 2003, p.1). However the negative side of the IT reflects on its misuse and the effects of the cyber crimes that have significant concerns in every organization across the world. Information technology can be easily at tacked and taken advantage of that in turn threatens the issues of stability and security. Computers and communication systems may be jammed by any individual or groups working against goodness making use of bombs, missiles, and electromagnetic weapons. Moreover the use of media that is another part of the IT can be done by such harmful people to spread rumours and lies across a nation, or attack computer systems purposefully to steal undisclosed information or damaging data and systems (Denning, 2003, p.1). Thus technology can be said to have both its good and bad side. It is in this regard that the ethical issues are also needed to be taken into consideration. The values of ethics are considered to create a balance and serve as a platform supporting the codes of practice in businesses, medicine, national security, and other related fields. Throughout the world and in the developing countries, governments, defence industries, and organizations associated with finance, power, and te lecommunications are increasingly made targets to such cyber attacks from criminals and nation states seeking economic or military advantages. The number of attacks is now so large and their sophistication so enhanced, that many organizations are encountering difficulties in determining the threats and vulnerabilities that pose the greatest threats and risks and how they might

The Impact of Offshoring in the Services Sector Essay

The Impact of Offshoring in the Services Sector - Essay Example The researcher presents that in an extensive study by Wilding and Jurado noted that, "Poor labor availability or quality within the surveyed organizations is not a considerable driver for outsourcing". The number one driver is cost savings on labor. For a company to realize any benefit from the lower cost of labor, it will require employee displacement. According to Beaumont and Sohal, "Outsourcing a function may entail dismissal or redeployment of employees, changes in the work they do or their transfer to the vendor's employment and its different conditions". All these features impact the employees that are directly affected as well as influencing the attitude of the employees that remain with the firm. Balancing to the lowered cost of labor is the substantial investment that the firm needs to make in the offshore workforce. Training the vendor is a high priority and requires a significant investment to train and retain agents who are skilled and highly motivated. These investments need to evaluate over the long term and not a snapshot in time. One of the risks associated with offshoring is that the firm creates a dependence on the vendor that does the contracting. As the company offshores more of its internal functions the risk grows with it. The direct cost of this risk is the cost of monitoring the vendor which increases as the size of the contract increases. Additional risk comes from long-term offshoring contracts, which may be difficult to break in case of a problem. According to Oh, Gallivan, and Kim, investors weigh the impact of these risks and state, "Investors will "bid up'' the stock prices of client firms that are able to pursue low-risk outsourcing engagements while punishing clients that become entangled in outsourcing contracts that pose a high level of risk". Offshoring will have a negative economic return for the shareholders. Offshoring may be the remedy of last resort for a failing business. According to Lacity and Hirscheim, "outsourcing is being used to salvage a losing enterprise. Is it sound business practice to liquidate the IS department to rescue a firm Many shareholders believe so -- stock prices systematically rise just after an outsourcing announcement". The remedy for the impact of offshoring on the low skilled segment of the financial services sector may not be realistic. According to Binder, "the jobs of call center operators are clearly at risk, while the jobs of most doctors look safe. The glibly-prescribed remedy for the rich countries is, therefore, more education and, more generally, an upskilling of the workforce". However, in a capitalist market system, there is a saturation point where upskilling results in a market glut of these skills and drives the wage downward. Educating away the cost of offshoring would, therefore, be counterproductive.