information systems security 2

Watch the Information Technology Security for Small Businesses video from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST):

Information Technology Security for Small Business

Then write an information security white paper that can be used to market your firm’s security consulting services to small businesses in the Washington, DC, area. Your white paper must:

• Be concise—no more than three pages long.

• Provide a general explanation of the business need for information security (protection measures) even in the smallest of businesses (e.g., protect against loss of profit, damage to company’s reputation, costs of litigation, etc.).

• Explain information security threats and vulnerabilities in plain English to small business owners who, while experts in their own business areas, have limited knowledge of computers, networks, and software.

• Explain the following key concepts as part of the threats and vulnerabilities discussion:

  • confidentiality
  • integrity
  • availability
  • non-repudiation
  • authentication
  • authorization
  • risk

• Recommend technologies, processes, and policies that can be used to solve or mitigate one of the following common information security threats:

  • data breach and/or data theft (confidential client information)
  • denial-of-service (DOS) attacks
  • insider theft of intellectual property
  • deliberate corruption of electronic files (hacker attack or malicious insider) including virus/worm infections

• Discuss the impact or results that can be expected:

  • costs and benefits of effective protection measures
  • costs and penalties of ineffective or nonexistent protection measures

Remember to present your white paper and cite your sources in APA format and use only authoritative/scholarly sources such as journal articles, books, government documents, and other industry publications (e.g., trade journals or magazines for health care or security professionals). The title page and list of references are not included in the required page count.