Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
In.this.case,.the.vulnerabilities.that.might.threaten.the.com-
promise.or.loss.of.your.intellectual.property.(IP).might.be.the.
same.as.in.our.irst.example,.but.the.potential.impact.is.huge..
Some.of.the.possible.threats.to.the.loss.of.your.IP.might.include:
•. Industrial.espionage.in.the.form.of.an.attack.on.your.
computer.systems
•. An.insider.threat.from.a.disgruntled.employee
•. An.accidental.loss.of.the.information.through.the.loss.
of.a.laptop,.smart.phone,.or.other.digital.device
•. The.compromise.of.your.network.or.computing.sys-
tems.via.a.bad.Web.site.or.e-mail.that.installs.malware
•. The.loss.of.data.due.to.a.natural.or.man-made.disaster
The. loss. or. compromise. of. that. data. could. result. in. lost.
proits. or. business. or. might. have. a. deleterious. effect. on. a.
court.case.if.you.were.arguing.for.your.patent.rights.
Here.we.see.that.your.organizational.risk.analysis.will.indi-
cate.a.greater.need.to.expend.resources.and.time.as.necessary.
to.secure.the.data.and.mitigate.the.risks..Deciding.whether.
to.secure.the.data.therefore.becomes.the.irst.thing.you.need.
to.consider.before.deciding.how.to.do.so..To.accomplish.that.
irst.step.you.will.need.to.do.the.following:
•. Take. the. time. and. expend. the. effort. to. understand.
the.classiication.of.your.data.and.appropriately.apply.
those.classiications.
•. Separate. the. different. classes. of. data. into. unique.
groups.for.storage.or.management.
•. Conduct.realistic.and.thorough.risk.assessments.of.the.
data.classes.
•. Make. decisions. about. the. level. of. resources. you. will.
dedicate. to. the. security. of. the. data. in. their. different.
classiications.
Once. you. have. completed. that. irst. all-important. risk. man-
agement. assessment,. you. are. ready. to. consider. the. proce-
dures.and.protocols.for.actually.protecting.the.data.
