Free «Avisitel» Essay

Introduction

Avisitel is an information technology team, which is responsible for the preparation of activities and simulation rounds regarding various developments in the field of the information technology. Among notable advances of the team is the completion of three simulation rounds and preparing reports for them. The report of the second round captures the data of the first round, while the data for the third round captures the information from the second one. Specific areas for the individual and team activities include security index, global national index, profitability, downtime and budget. The simulation rounds that are conducted by the team have significant effects on the performance of various rounds, thus, necessitating the summary of all the activities regarding the preparation of the team sector briefing. Team sector briefing is an activity that the Avisistel team conducts before, during and after each simulation to determine the level of efficacy of their activities regarding the core of focus. Simulation rounds that are conducted by the team entail the imitation of various computer systems in different rounds. The objective of the simulation rounds is to establish the best results for improving the performance and indexes of the core areas that the team researches or delves into. A computer model is the operating platform for all the team’s activities in each simulation round. The team has made considerable strides in developing activities that are pertinent to positive results of each round. The various activities that are performed by the team entail the imitation of situation that seem hypothetical from the onset with a view of finding solutions that are applicable to the line of cyber security. The objective of the Avisitel team is to develop a debugging program based on the results of the three rounds of simulation to ensure the safety of critical files. The second objective of the Avisitel team is to ensure that cyber security improves. Current paper offers a summary, discussion and evaluation of individual and team’s activities in preparation for the briefing and simulation rounds.

Preparation for the Team Sector Briefing and the Simulation Rounds

There is a set of activities that take place in preparation of the various simulation rounds and team sector briefings. The activities begin at the individual level and develop to the team’s level. The individual level is orchestrated by the determination of various activities that match the projected results regarding core activities of the team. The core activities of the team relate to the cyber security issues, such as determination of various cyber security indexes and safety of the cyberspace of the main area of operation for the company. The first step in the preparation of the simulation rounds is the determination of the potential viruses and threats that the team needs to simulate in order to develop matching firewalls and protection for the computers.

The second simulation round focuses mainly on the virus Trojan that has no possible solution of countering firewall. The team, therefore, needs an advance preparation to establish the possible techniques that the team can employ to counter the virus. The preparation process, therefore, begins by acknowledging that the virus poses deleterious effects on the safety of the computers, which can be attacked. The second preparation process is the analysis of the response of the virus to various firewalls and antivirus. The aim of the second simulation process is to establish the gaps that need to be developed in the firewalls to maximize safety of the computer systems (Shackelford, 2014).

Evaluation of Individual Activities in Preparation for the Team Sector Briefing and the Simulation Rounds

The role that each of the team members plays in the development of the three simulation rounds depends on their status as students. There are two main activities that the individuals perform in the team: visit to know the team rounds and visit next steps screen. The role of the individuals showcases in the results of the index that the team scores, alongside with the core mandate of the team. There is a remarkable improvement in the team’s status before the beginning of each round and at the end of each round. Results of the various rounds discussed below affirm the status of the team.

Results of the Team’s Activities Over the Duration of the Simulation

The results of the team activities over the duration of the simulation are evident in the results for the first, second and third round. The score for the three rounds, R1, R2 and R3 offers the overall performance of the team. First, the results of the team activities regarding the global national security index depict a positive progression. The score of the indexes for the global national security index in R1, R2 and R3 are approximately 95, 110 and 130 respectively. There are, however, fluctuations in the budgets used by the team in the three rounds. The percentages of budget used in R1, R2 and R3 are approximately 65%, 55%, 72% respectively. The budget remaining for the rounds R1, R2 and R3 are 35%, 45%, and 28%. The activities of the team are, therefore, within the budget for the entire three rounds with no documented evidence of an overdraft that is incurred by the company.

The results for the security index in the three rounds also depict as positive progression, just as the score of the global national security index. The score for the security index in the first, second and third round is approximately 110, 125 and 140, depicting a significant progress by the team regarding the scores. The results for the downtime and the profitability depict a negative progress trend. The results for the downtime in the first, second and third rounds are 110, 150 and 180 respectively. The results for the profitability in all rounds are approximately 85, 70 and 50 respectively. 

Use of the cyber technologies in securing the computer systems and the cyberspace have inflated the budget that the team needs to use. The cyber security technologies result in the improvement in the security index (Shackelford, 2014). There is, however, justification of the dwindling scores for the downtime and the profitability. The simulation process may be regarded as an experimental one that entails the use of a computer-based design. The simulation is the enabling factor for the team to make a decision on the cyber technology to use (Juniper Networks, 2008). Simulation process, as an experimentation of the cyber technologies, leads to the downtime as the computer systems are practically not able to function normally. Downtime coupled with the cost of the simulation process justifies the progressively dwindling profitability levels in the three rounds.

Lessons Learned Concerning Cyber Security During the Duration of the Simulation

Balancing of conflicting goals, such as profitability, collaboration and cyber security is the main lesson learned during the simulation. Use of cyber securities in the simulation process is responsible for the dwindling profitability results based on the data received during the three rounds of the simulation process. The cyber security technologies influence recommendation on the cyber security policy. Cyber security technology that relates to the defense of malware and viruses needs to be integrated in the national policies, such as the Federal Information Security Management Act (Juniper Networks, 2008). The technology influences the priorities that an organization, company or government need to employ to ensure that the cyberspace is safe. The funding allocation of the rounds, that is almost equal based on the percentage of the budget that is utilized in each round, needs to be revised in each of them. There is a need to ensure that the cash allocation in each subsequent round needs to be higher compared to the previous round. Cloud technologies, when used as the cyber technology to restrain viruses, are expensive in each round. The viruses in the cyber space tend to mutate with time, thereby creating the need to justify additional funding for the cyber technologies in each round of simulation process. The relationship between profitability and the cyber security is inversely proportional (Juniper Networks, 2008). Entrenching cyber technologies in a firm reduces the profit margins that the firm ought to earn, thus, limiting the profitability margins.

Overall assessment of the team depicts that the team is exemplary in the balancing of the goals that are set by the team. To begin with, each member of the team plays a critical role in the briefing before and after each round. The report by the entire team and each member is evident in its positive performance.

Team's Strategy to Protect the Classes of Critical Data

The classes of critical data that is protected by the team include student’s information, information regarding jobs and heath. The three classes of data call for the protection. The aforementioned classes of data are at risk due to the vulnerability of the computers that store the data to online threats (Holmes, 2015). The Avisitel team strategy regarding the protection of the critical data entailed classification of the risks that accompany the critical data and matching cyber defense technologies to mitigate the risks. Classification of the data by the team, as the first strategy, led to four main classes of risks. The risks include reputation risks, mission risks, compliance risks and health and safety risks (Holmes, 2015).

The second strategy of the team is the decision of applying network securities, prevention of malware and application securities as the main cyber technologies. The three cyber technologies that are applied by the team have a mission of ensuring the security of the systems. It involves blocking potential hackers and keeping potential intruders to the information at bay, as such data may be interesting for the hackers and foreigners.

The strategy that is employed by the team to classify the crucial data based on the risks and level of exposure to threats is a good strategy as evident from the report of rounds one and two. There is a progressive, positive score in the security indexes of the two rounds proving that the two strategies are working effectively. Anyway, there are many setbacks in the analysis of the strategy that is used by the team regarding the downtime. Though the strategy is effective in defending the systems that protect the crucial data, it negatively impacts the efficacy of the systems. Therefore, there is a need to contextualize the cyber security strategies to ensure that they benefit the crucial data in two ways (Holmes, 2015). First, the strategies need to eliminate incidences of downtime. Second, the strategy needs to develop permanent firewall that can detect and exterminate potential threats and viruses.

The strategy of the team seeks to ensure that the storage of critical data does not compromise the integrity or reputation of the organizations. Organizations, such as government agencies, hospitals, and learning institutions, fit within the strategy of the team. The team ensures that there are no viruses that gain unauthorized entry to the stored data.

Team’s Use of Cyber Defense Technologies and Its Harmony with the Strategy of the Team

There are three main cyber defense technologies that the team employs. They include: network securities, application securities and prevention of malware (Holmes, 2015). The three cyber defense technologies play a critical role in ensuring that the team accomplishes its objectives regarding cyber security. Network securities blend with the cloud technologies that are necessary for an environment of information technology. The cloud technology detects viruses much easier, greatly assisting the team strategy of detecting threats. There are three main components of the cloud security defense technology that is applied by the team in realizing their strategy. They include cloud penetration test, assessment of cloud vulnerability and testing of cloud service provider (Holmes, 2015). The three aspects of the cloud technology work harmoniously to ensure the security of networks.

The second technology that is applied by the team is the application securities technology. The main component of the application securities technology is ethical hacking. Ethical hacking enables the team to have access to various data sets and storage of information on the Internet or Intranet. The technology is in tandem with the team’s objective of ensuring that the computer systems have preventative measures against hackers, malware and viruses. Application securities technology enables the team to monitor the progress of its activities (Spaulding, 2015). The team uses the technology tests to check the ability of various computer systems and data storage compartments to repel the hackers’ attacks. In event that the hackers can access a system, the team redesigns the firewalls for it. Development of appropriate firewalls in defense of the various malware is a strategy of the team in ensuring cyber security. The technology enables the team to affirm the appropriateness of their work regarding their strategy and objectives. The technology is also pertinent to the strategy of the team as it enables the team to develop reports regarding the firewalls efficacy. Further, the strategy of the team to have the requisite skills in the fight of mutating malware is made possible through the use of technology. The technology enables the team to make considerable advancements in routinely testing of various datasets and programs that store the critical data.

The strategy of the team also aims at finding a permanent solution to the deleterious effects that malwares, such as Trojan, present. Trojan is a malware that currently has no antivirus that can counter it. The strategy of the team in the use of various computer technologies is, therefore, necessary for recruiting cyber gatekeepers. The cyber gatekeepers receive training on the weak points of the cyber security that the team cannot find a permanent solution to. As a result, the technologies that are applied by the team play a critical role in ensuring the safety of all the programs of the organizations and firms.

Prioritization of Key Cyber Defense Technologies

The priorities of the team on the key cyber defense technologies are accurate based on the developing threats and viruses. The team prioritizes its cyber defense technologies in the networking systems that receive high traffic constantly. The networking systems are either in the public domain within the shared infrastructure of the Internet or the private domain of an organizational Intranet. Networks that are usually busy receive a high number of cyber traffic, therefore, leading to an increased interest of the hackers in such sites (Spaulding, 2015). The end user training and awareness of cyber security by the populace is a prioritization area for the key cyber defense technologies. The cyber technologies need to ensure that the training and awareness that is offered to the end user leads to the protection of the systems. Cyber threats are advance at all levels at which the computer programs and data sets of a company or firm operate. Priority of the cyber security technology, therefore, needs to advance further on the most vulnerable aspects of the company, such as the end users (Spaulding, 2015). The company staff has the benefit to qualify information technology experts who can determine threats to the cyberspace of the company. The end user is, therefore, highly vulnerable.

The Most Valuable Simulation Round

The second simulation round is most valuable for the learning about cyber security. The round begins with the explanation of worm Metica. There are no effective programs that have been developed to fight the worms. Such situation enables one to understand the problems of cyber security. The threats that the worms pose to the cyber security can influence more than a million computer users globally. Therefore, the current intrusion of the worm creates a need of developing relevant and pertinent cyber technologies to counter it.

Second, the round enables one to understand the various controls that may be affected by the worms. The controls include Information Privacy Policy, Information Sharing Policy, Training, Training Incentives, Information Sharing and Training and Auditing (Spaulding, 2015). The controls are the specific subsets of information technology and cyber security that one needs to protect to ensure cyber integrity. The second round offers a practical case of the compromising cyber security effect in an online gaming company. The round, therefore, enables one to establish the impacts of compromising cyber security to a firm. Compromising cyber security leads to downtime that many organizations experience, thereby leading to the company incurring losses (Spaulding, 2015). Cyber security also enables an online-based company to accept some losses due to the downtime that they have to experience while using the various cyber technologies in their operations. 

Conclusion

Concisely, the three simulation rounds by the team offer a notable learning lesson on cyber security. Cyber security compromises national security, downtime and profitability levels that are experienced by the company (Spaulding, 2015). There are three main technologies that guide and are responsible for cyber security, as well as fight malware. They are: network securities, application securities and prevention of malware.