About Security: Internal and External Security Planning (Essay Sample)

Internal and External Security Planning
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Internal and External Security Planning
Recent advancement in technology has made it difficult for small and large businesses to advance or even run smoothly without a network. Many firms cannot succeed in their operations without network security. Unauthorized and malware attacks occur in business, and the only solution to this kind of threat is through the use of network security. Safety is of great importance to a company. For instance, it safeguards user information, preserves the resources of the enterprise, protects companies against malware attacks, protects firms against cybercrimes, and ensures easier sharing of resources in the network. This paper will focus on VPN networks, their security benefits, and limitations; the standard procures of adding new users to a network, uses of intrusion detection system, and whether workers are supposed to report potential security violations. Besides, it will determine the best email policy for an organization, Create a password-change policy for a networking group, and Provide an executive summary briefing for a non-IT manager to review the business implications for the IT policies
VPNs
VPNs are vital resources for organizations because they enable sharing of information by connecting remote LANs over a public network. Such connectivity encourages better information exchange and lessens the overhead and the cost of keeping the information up to date. They give a variety of benefits over wide area networks that use a dedicated line to combine multiple locations (Kolesnikov & Hatch, 2002).
Security Benefits of VPNs
First, VPNs provide enhanced security to firms. VPNs use advanced encryption and verification protocols that protect data from snooping and tampering. This is mostly done by hiding the user information using an encrypted server that can hide location and thus they cannot be traced easily. Secondly, they provide secure communication. VPN offer secure connection compared to other remote communication methods. This is because they have advanced technologies that can be used to protect the network from any unauthorized access. Thirdly, VPNs give business flexibility to communicate via a secure network. Additionally, it creates ease in communication with the remote workers and enables them to check in at their offices without having to sacrifice for security. Lastly, VPNS provide online anonymity (Kolesnikov & Hatch, 2002). Through the use of a VPN, one can browse the web in complete anonymity. Compared to the IP software or the web proxies, the benefit of a VPN service is that it allows the user access both websites and web applications in complete anonymity
Limitations of VPNs
VPNs have numerous limitations. First and foremost, when mobile devices are used in the initiation of connectivity to the VPN, security issues can occur especially in wireless connections. Due to his limitation, added solution is required to tighten security when one has to log to VPN with s mobile device. Secondly, when creating additional infrastructure, solutions can be incompatible and cause technical issues if one happens to use a different type of vendor than one used for the current infrastructure. Besides, working with the same vendor can increase the cost of deploying additional infrastructure. Thirdly, the performance and reliability of the Internet-based VPN cannot be directly controlled by a business. This forces an organization to depend on ISP that is supplying the VPN to keep the service active. Lastly, it is not easy for firms to deploy a VPN. The technology requires expertise that understands network and security issues. Additionally, it requires a high-level of configuration and careful planning (Kolesnikov & Hatch, 2002).
Procedure for Adding New Users to a Network
Adding new users to an interface is the most important part of a network as it brings out the virtue of scalability in a network. A good network should allow scalability by the addition of new members in the network. This enables the system to grow without reducing the bandwidth. There are various ways of adding new users (Harrington, 2005).
Use of WAN Network
This refers to the use of Wireless network that allows new users of the system to join a given network. A good wireless network should have a password to reduce unauthorized access. This means only users with the password can access the network thus enhancing the security of the network.
Use of LAN Cables
With a LAN cable, new users can access the network through Local Network cables. They offer good network as they are high-end with approximately 100Mbps of bandwidth. The network, however, should have a password to access.
Use of VPNs.
This is the usage of the Virtual network to offer maximum security to a network.
Summary of Network Plan
The network will use several devices that will make the networking experience dependable. The devices will be password protected to allow unauthorized modification and easier monitor plus setup. The devices will be managed by the Network Administrator, who has a complete knowledge of their usage and performance. Some of these devices are:
Hub
This is a networking device that is used to join all Ethernet cables to one central point where they run from all network devices. It is known for its ability to concentrate the signal and send it via network cables running through to exact users for easier communication (Harrington, 2005).
Routers
These are networking devices that will be used cover or segment the network by forwarding the packets from one logical network to another. It is mainly used to create ‘other’ networks from one network being known as segmenting.
Switches
Switches are used to reduce congestion in the network by addition of an intelligence layer to the network. It reads the MAC address of a computer, and it sends information related to that computer repeatedly to that particular computer when it has been addressed to it.
Firewall
This is a hardware device that will be used to secure the network by examining and controlling the incoming and outgoing communications. They offer a first line protection from outside attacks but have no control over the inside attacks on a corporate network. Some firewalls may also block traffic and services that are valid to offer maximum protection. It is intended to protect one network from another network. There are three basic types of firewalls (Rajarajan & Furnell, 2013). First there is Packet-filtering firewalls which encompass checking the network traffic for a source and destination addresses thus enabling the administrator to eliminate traffic based on source and destination. Secondly, there is the Circuit-level Gateway, which monitors TCP/IP sessions requested between trusted hosts on the LAN and not trusted networks. Lastly, Application-level Gateway this is known as a proxy. A proxy server inserts itself between an internal client and an external server for express of monitoring and sanitizing external communications (Harrington, 2005).
A good firewall should be in line with a well-designed firewall policy which refers to one of the two fundamental ways firewall deal with traffic rules defined by the administrator
Uses of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
Intrusion detection system is a network security technology that is originally built to detect vulnerable exploits against a target application or computer. Intrusion prevention systems extend IDS solutions by adding the ability to block threats in addition to recognizing them. An IDS needs to detect threats and as such is placed out-of-band on the network infrastructure, meaning that it is not in the real –time communication path between the sender and the receiver of information (Rowland, 2002).
It is a listen-only device that monitors traffic and reports its results to the network administrator. This type of systems would be very appropriate for any business as it would help in maintaining a secure environment away from unauthorized intrusion.
Whether Workers Should be required to Report Potential Security Violations
There is a need for workers to report any possible security violations to maintain a healthy working system. This would also boost the loyalty towards the company and, in turn, enhance the relationship between the management and the workers. In my capability as the IT manager of the company, I have come up with a policy to increase the reporting of potential security violation, it involves
Detection
When a worker detects or suspects a violation of the company’s internet security policy, he or she should inform the information security team immediately. Additionally, when the information security team receives the information, it should start investigating immediately. The violation should be is verified the information security team should contact the person involved. No physical evidence should be destroyed or deleted ...