IT Security Infrastructure refers to the system of electronic structures, designed to provide security. With the evolving world of technology, the world has seen numerous attacks on critical infrastructure governing the world. System shut-downs and disruption of operations are the most evident consequences of cyber-attacks, with attackers focusing on the critical infrastructure in the development of the world economy (Dubenskaya, Kryukov, Demichev, & Prikhodko, 2016). The concept of IT Security infrastructure solves the problem of mass attacks on the various systems. Initially, control systems were managed through segregation from all the open internet sources, using air-gapped networks. During this era, infrastructure security heavily relied on the physical aspects of security, with armed guards offering the needed security to systems. However, with the introduction of IoT proliferation, there were numerous benefits like a cut in security expenditure and operational costs (Dubenskaya et al. 2016). While this new system of remote controls and smart valve management, most systems were exposed to cyber-attacks, power plants, oil pipes, water pipes, medical systems, and military systems can be altered through the attacks posed by these new data management techniques.
IT Security Infrastructure offers numerous benefits to the world of systems. IT Security Infrastructure helps protect systems from both external and internal attacks that could destroy not only the reputation but also the existence of the various critical systems in the world. Secondly, security infrastructure offers an increment in visibility across the infrastructure. In the identification of threats, visibility is a critical factor to consider (Lewis, 2019). To achieve this visibility factor, real-time network monitoring is deployed, which helps in increasing operational reliability and cyber resilience. IT Security infrastructure enables different infrastructures to be managed with high visibility. Spyware activities could lead to leakage of critical information. For instance, in defence departments, critical codes, and data are stored, whose leakage could lead to disastrous consequences. Security infrastructure offers protection for these systems, through the breakage of information into numerous parts, encryption of the broken parts, and transmission of the information through independent routes.
Business Continuity Plan is a system that helps in the recovery of data and the prevention of any potential threats posed to an organization. A business continuity plan consists of actions towards the preparedness of an occurrence of an emergency. These plans help in the prevention, mitigation, and recovery from a disaster. This plan enables protection of both assets and personnel and ensures quick functioning in any occurrence of disasters. A Business Continuity Plan covers all the business processes within an organization, human resources, assets, and business partners, among other critical aspects of a business (Shulmistra, 2019). Resilience refers to an organization’s capacity to withstand threats or changes in the environment and the ability to function under these challenges. Thus the primary goal of a business continuity plan is to ensure improved responsiveness to a disaster, either by employees in their different situations or through the adaptability of the equipment within an organization. Through the help of Business Continuity Coordinators, BCPs can be developed and maintained (Ferguson, 2018). These coordinators work through collaboration with the various business units within an organization to identify the possible risks and come up with the possible solutions to these risks.
Business Continuity plans offer numerous advantages to organizations, with the promise of preventing the various risks associated with these disasters. Organizations are faced with numerous unpredictable challenges that could expose their businesses and make edge them out. In the contemporary world, the frequency of severe weather calamities has dramatically increased, and the world heavily relies on sophisticated technological advancements for the management of these events. Both the advanced technologies and the environmental factors expose businesses to numerous risks, which could be emerging or already existing (Shulmistra, 2019). Business continuity plans help in preparation for these risks by enabling employees and the various stakeholders in an organization to understand how to cope with the various disasters.
BCPs enable employees to understand what they do when an emergency occurs. Employees could be well adapted to emergencies, but through the lack of collective action and response to emergencies, an organization could witness huge losses. BCPs provide competitive advantages to organizations because investors and clients want to identify with organizations that portray high degrees of readiness for the occurrence of disasters. Additionally, after a disaster, businesses with BCPs are better placed to recover from property damage, interruption, and financial impacts (McMurray, Cross, & Caponecchia, 2019). This implies that after these disasters, a business with a BCP can advance better in its field as compared to other businesses that lack BCPs. Lastly, BCPs help reduces the costs involved in disasters whereby they help in establishing post-disaster businesses.
Physical security refers to the protection offered to personnel, software, hardware, data, and networks from any physical events or actions, which could lead to severe damages and losses to an agency, institution, or an enterprise. Physical security offers protection from natural disasters, theft, burglary, floods, terrorism, and vandalism. In most cases, people overlook physical security by over-emphasizing on technical aspects of security that focus on prevention of hackers, cyber-espionage, and malwares (Fennelly, 2016). However, the consequences of physical breaches to security could be disastrous. With little technical knowledge, people can break into systems and cause considerable losses to these systems.
In relation to the concept of physical security as learned in class, security guards present the most crucial element of physical security. Physical security is involved in the process of deterring intruders from making entry into a building or a facility. This action is attained through various techniques, which include; the construction of physical barriers like walls and fences, natural surveillance, lighting, and use of sensors and alarm systems. Even with the presence of the other elements of physical security, guards play a crucial role in the protection of premises form physical attacks (Fennelly, 2016). Security personnel are people, employed by private companies or governments, who offer security to people and businesses by preventing unauthorized entry into the various premises. Due to their physical presence within the premises under external threats, security guards can prevent any magnitude of attacks.
Security guards offer numerous advantages in addition to their physical presence within premises. First, they are trained on how to handle any possible occurrences of security breaches, which implies that they can handle most threats posed by physical risks (Ortmeier, 2017). Other elements like padlocks, fences, alarms, and security cameras can be tampered with, thus exposing a system to attacks (Ali & Awad, 2018). On the other hand, security guards have adequate training, which enables them to avoid manipulation by attackers. Secondly, security guards are reliable in requesting for back-up units from other departments. This implies that for a complete physical breach, attackers have to employ huge amounts of resources towards the attacks. On the other hand, padlocks and other elements provide a concrete barrier that can be tampered with, without their consent. Through security guards, any physical attacks can be reported to higher bodies, while also attempts are being made to counter the attacks. Presence of an adequate number of security guards can be highly helpful in the prevention of physical attacks. With sufficient security guards, constant and regular patrols can be made, which can help in the prevention of physical attacks. Additionally, the positioning of guards helps in the identification of any possible risks. Finally, security guards work through critical analysis of situations, which implies that they can evaluate the magnitude of attacks and initiate better decisions to save an organization.
In this unit, I have learned the various concepts involved in physical security. I have understood that networks, software, hardware can be protected through physical security. Before this class, I had the misconception that physical security entails the use of physical force to prevent malicious events from happening. After learning this topic, I now understand that even non-physical aspects of security can be protected through physical security (Fennelly, 2016). For instance, I believed that networks and software could also be protected from technical threats like malwares and hacking. However, today, I understand the importance of having physical security in all these systems.
Before learning this topic, I thought that data centres require no physical security because they are manned by complex algorithms that prove hard for any attackers to access. However, with the learning in this topic, I now understand the importance of physical security in these sites. For instance, physical security in data centres offers protection to both the equipment used to store the data and the personnel involved in the management of data.
Before the learning obtained in this class, I had numerous misconceptions concerning the topic of physical security. First, I had believed that surveillance cameras are installed to make monitor occurrences within an organization. Through this topic, I now understand that surveillance cameras can be highly critical in ensuring the physical security of the various systems. Physical security is the most basic form of security because it offers protection to all the other forms of security (Ali & Awad, 2018). For instance, without the presence of physical security, all the technical securities cannot be managed. Even with evolving technologies, the concept of physical security will never be extinct. This implies that the world should focus on developing.