Category: uncategorised

Topic 1: Digitalization

What is digitalization or digital transformation?

How is digitalization transforming the world of IT?

Use your favorite search engine to search the terms digitalization and digital transformation.

Many traditional analog services have switched to digital in the past 25 years, which has not always been seamless. There are instances where that transition is complete or almost complete.

From your research, find two relevant resources for the questions:

• What is digitalization or digital transformation?
• How is digitalization transforming your world?
• Provide an overview of the two sources, stating why these sources are relevant. Include the references or URLs for the sources. Include an example of a product switch from analog to digital. (Hint: television, telephone, etc.)

Why do service providers need to consider the key concepts of service management to ensure they provide value to their clients in this digital landscape?

Include a question that students can reply to within your initial post(s). Also, include the reference(s) for your source(s).

Hardening Information Systems for Enhanced Security

While information systems enable critical business functions, they are also constant targets for various threats. “Hardening” an information system refers to the process of securing a system by reducing its attack surface and mitigating vulnerabilities. This process directly involves applying core information system concepts and architectural principles to enhance security.

Consider a common type of information system, such as a web server hosting an e-commerce application, an enterprise database system (e.g., for customer records), or an internal network infrastructure within a medium-sized business.

In your initial post, address the following:

1. Initial vulnerabilities (IS concepts): Based on your chosen information system type, identify and explain at least three common vulnerabilities that might exist within its core components (e.g., in its software, network configuration, data storage, or human processes). Be specific about why these are vulnerabilities.
2. Hardening techniques (architectural principles in action): Propose at least three distinct hardening techniques or architectural security measures that could be applied to your chosen system to address the identified vulnerabilities. For each technique:

• Explain how it works to reduce the attack surface or mitigate risk.
• Identify which fundamental information systems architecture principle(s) (e.g., principle of least privilege, defense in-depth, segmentation, fail-safe defaults, simplicity, modularity) it primarily aligns with.

1. Impact on company security: Discuss how the implementation of these hardening measures would contribute to the overall security posture of the company. How do these technical and architectural choices provide a more secure environment for the company’s operations and data, going beyond just fixing individual flaws?

Designing and Implementing a Secure Information System

Outcomes:

• Discuss foundational information architecture fundamentals and their various applications.
• Apply architecture design principles to the context of information systems.
• Identify the role of security policy auditing in information systems.

IT332-1: Explain the fundamental concepts of information systems and architecture principles.

Assignment Scenario

After successfully leading Coastal Computing through the development of a new BIA, the CEO, CIO, and CISO next want to tackle a review of all information security policies. The introduction of AI services, the recent revision of the BIA, and the ever-changing nature of cybersecurity risks necessitate a review of these policies. Further, this review will facilitate the creation of a new SOC 2 audit report that Coastal can share with its paying clients under a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). All related documents, policies, standards, baselines, guidelines, and procedures will be in scope for this review.

Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, you will write an essay that answers the following questions based on the scenario:

• What documents can the organization collect to form the basis for this policy review?
• Are these documents confidential or proprietary? Explain your reasoning.
• Who are the key stakeholders who must be included in the review?
• Who has a stake in the review process, and how does their role impact the review?
• Coastal is planning to conduct this review internally. What are the pros and cons of that approach? Explain your reasoning.
• What are the pros and cons of hiring an external security company to perform that review? Explain your reasoning?
• Provide specific examples.
• How can Coastal ensure that the new policies are understandable and that employees can follow them?

Submission Directions and Requirements

You are to write an essay that answers the five bullet points listed above. Also, be sure to provide specific examples to add to your essay.

Name your assignment document according to this convention: IT332_Unit2_LastName_FirstName (use your own name, of course). Submit your completed assignment to the Unit 2 Dropbox by the deadline.

Complete the following questions in an MS Word Document in APA format.

1. What connections would you make if you connected your laptop to a wireless hotspot, opened your email program, and sent an email to someone? Describe the series of connections that would be made, the equipment you would use for the wireless hotspot, the protocols used, and the TCP/IP layers the email would go through.
2. The addition of control information to a packet as it moves through the layers is called encapsulation. Provide a brief overview of the process that requested pieces of data (packets) undergo as they are sent over the Internet. Include the difference between the size of a typical packet and the size of a typical Ethernet frame.
3. Define data communication. Briefly discuss how signals are clocked, including what is meant when a signal is self-clocking and how the way in which signals are clocked affects data transmission. What is the relationship between frequency and baud rate?
4. Provide the results of these calculations:

• What is the frequency, in hertz, of a signal that repeats 60,000 times within one minute? What is its period (the length of one complete cycle)?
• What is the bandwidth of a signal composed of frequencies from 60 Hz to 600 Hz?

Assignment Requirements

Double-space your work, use a sans-serif font (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri), 11-point font, and include both a separate cover/title page, a separate reference page, and references.

Written work should be free of spelling, grammar, and APA errors. Points deducted from the grade for each writing, spelling, or grammar error are at your instructors discretion.

Be sure to cite in-text and reference list citations where appropriate and reference all sources. Use in-text citations where relevant, and provide a reference page. The cover page and reference page are not included in the page count.