Blog Entry 7.1: IS Security

            In at least 8-10 sentences, explain how your company can be threatened by the 5  most common threats to information systems security.  Then explain how you can safeguard your information system from exposure to these threats.  Be sure to relate your discussion specifically to your company’s proposed information system.

 

•     In IS Security the 5 most common threats are Accidents & Natural Disasters, Employees & Consultants, Links to Outside Business Contacts, Outsiders/Hackers, and Viruses.  Accidents & Natural disasters can be threatened by this because if a natural disaster happens it can destroy all of our customer data for good.  The only safeguard that can help with this is backing up our information.  The next one Employees & Consultants can effect our Pharmacy because they have access to electronic files within our organization.  The safeguard for this would be Access Control Software, which is used to keep stored information secured.  Links to Outside Business contacts could be dangerous to the health of our company because our electronic information could be at risk when we send it between businesses.  The safeguards for this would be Firewalls & VPN.  Firewalls will add an extra level of security so our information is not easily taken.  VPN or Virtual Private Network does pretty much the same thing as a firewall, it adds extra security.  Next we have Outsiders/Hackers.  These individuals penetrate neworks and computers in order to snoop for information or cause damage.  In our case, this is a very bad thing if someone is trying to get a hold of another persons medical records.  The way to stop this is by having IDs.  Having IDs would limit the amount of people who were allowed in our secured areas.  Lastly Viruses or destructive programs that disrupt the normal functioning of computers.  In our case viruses can make it so our systems don't work which could easily put us out of business if we couldn't access our customers files.  The safeguard for viruses could be a firewall.  This would provide extra security for our information. 

Blog Entry 6.1- Web 2.0

—Explain in 5-8 sentences explaining how your company could utilize the Web 2.0 Pillars.  Name and define the pillars, then explain them in relation to your company.

         The 3 Pillars of Web 2.0 are Utilizing the Web As a Platform, Harnessing Collective Intelligence, Leveraging Data, and Implementing Innovative Web Capabilities.  By utilizing the web as a platform our business can use peer-to-peer technology to standardize how we access the web.  By harnessing collective intelligence we allow users to contribute to improve our content.  For example we could have a pharmacy forum where individuals go and make suggestions about different medicines.  By leveraging the data our business is successful because of its knowledge of medicines and products. Our company can implement innovative web capabilities to keep our business ahead of the game.  For example adding a Pharmacy Hot line we can make sure that customers are updated on our new and upcoming medicines and products.

Blog Entry 5.3

Explain how your company would use an intranet to offer services to its employees.  Use the terms extranet, VPN, firewall, client, server, and internet in your 3-5 sentence discussion.

         My company (Pharmacy) would use intranet to offer services to our employees by providing them with quality e-training, easily streamlined information and the sharing of files.  Like extranet, intranet also consists of a private network.  Protected by the Virtual Private Network or VPN and firewalls our intranet is highly protected.  All of the clients that we will be working with wil have to travel through all of our security before reaching our server. 

Blog Entry 4.4

Explain your ERD using the following terms : entity, attributes, attribute types, record, data types, database tables, and relationships

     My Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) shown above shows how the Pharmacy is broken up.  Each entity has its own set of attributes.  Attributes are individual pieces of information about an entity.  The type of attribute in the database is known as the data type.  A collection of attributes in an ERD are known as records.  All of these are located on a database table.  This is where the collection of related data is stored in order to facilitate searches. 

Blog Entry 5.2

• ¨Explain how your company would use an extranet to do business with another business.  Use the terms extranet, VPN, firewall, client, server, and internet in your 3-5 sentence discussion.
  
   
   
             The diagram above is an extranet diagram.  Extranet enables 2 or more firms to use the internet to do business through use of VPN and firewall technologies.  VPN or Virtual Private Network is used to ensure transmission of proprietary information.  The Firewall or the gatekeeper is used to authenticate users and provide security.  In extranet the client must travel through the firewall and VPN to get to the server.  My company (the Pharmacy) can benefit from using the extranet because there is no special training needed and it reduces the number of misunderstandings.   

Blog Entry 4.3 - Packet Switching Technology

—Upload this image to your blog.  (Copy found in the folder on Angel)

 

—With a 5-10 sentence paragraph describe what is happening in this image.  Use the following terms : Router, client, server, IP address, IP datagram, packets, concurrent data transmission, TCP, IP, Packet-Switching Technology.  [Explain what is being sent and how]

      The diagram above is called packet-switching technology.  Messages are being divided into packets and sent between a client or clients to a server or servers.  IP and TCP are both involved in this process.  IP forwards the Packets from node to node (Routers).  TCP or Transmission control Protocol breaks information into packets.  The IP Datagram is a data packet that conforms to the IP specifications.  It also relies on the IP address.  The IP address is a unique address that is assigned to computers and routher.


   

Blog 5.1

CVS
Rule 1:  The Web site should offer something unique.  (4)

• I like the color scheme of this website.  It even has a sideshow to show the new products and upcoming sales.

 Rule 2:  The Web site must be aesthetically pleasing (4)

•  The CVS website is not crowded and has enough space so that the user is able to find what they are looking for without having a huge problem.  Also the color scheme of the website makes the website relaxing and less stressful to the user. 

Rule 3: The Web site must be easy to use and fast (5)

•  The Web site moves at a very good rate.  The traffic rate for the cvs.com website in the U.S is 780.  The average load time for this site is 1.34 seconds. 

Rule 4: The Web site must motivate people to visit, to stay, and to return (4)

•  This website would motivate people to visit, stay and return because it is constantly changing.  The sideshow has a different item being advertised daily.

Rule 5: You must advertise your presence on the Web (5)

•  The CVS website is advertised on over 2,000 different sites.  Also you can find links for this site on Google and Yahoo. 

Rule 6: You should learn from your Web site. (4)

• Most of the pages on this website are appealing to the user.  None of the pages would make a customer want to leave and never come back.