Strategic Network Management - Coursework Example

Strategic Network Management Table of Content Executive summary 2 2)Introduction 3 3)Vulnerabilities and challenges of social networking platforms and management 4 4)Conclusion 7 Bibliographies 8 1) Executive summary This paper provides insightful and detailed information pertaining to online social networking. It covers the vulnerabilities/risks of social networking that forms its key issue of focus, the benefits and how the risks can be controlled. Its main purpose is to equip the CEO of the relevant company with pertinent information on the risks of online networking platforms and their management to aid decision making. Notably, the key vulnerabilities of online social networking platforms that include Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram among others are reputational damage and information leakage. Loss of intellectual property, malware attacks, virus attacks, copyright infringement, and privacy breach also form key risks of the platforms. The risks present immense challenges that may expose a company to low performance, poor marketing, low sales volumes, hinder market expansion, and communication between departments. It may also impede creativity, innovation and selfless input to work by employees especially when they feel insecure of sharing ideas. To avert such circumstances, managers are under obligation to design viable controls and measures to avert the occurrence of the risks. They should encourage accountability, introduce ethical guidelines on computer usage, integrate antivirus software’s, and construct centralized data management unit. 2) Introduction Online social networking is a web based communication platform that fosters communication and execution of activities in various institutions. The platforms that are several in numbers are credited for contributing in enabling the world to become a global village. Ideally, the ones that are widely used especially in the modern days are facebook, twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and e-mail. The use of these platforms is increasingly gaining momentum in most settings due to their effectiveness in fostering communication, sharing of ideas, creativity, and execution of core activities (Durbin, 2011, P. 6). The platforms are central performance drivers in the contemporary society and any institution that aspires to record exemplary performance should embrace them. According to Gelbstein & Kamal (2004, p. 24) most institutions that are vibrant in terms of performance, productivity, and human resource management operate within the confines of networking platforms. The institutions have capitalized on the gains obtained from the sites that are performance centered. The main benefits that institutions have been accruing from the use of the platforms include increased marketing, effective communication of instructions, key tasks for employees, and sharing of ideas about new cultures including production techniques. The enormous benefits explain why institutions should see the need of embracing online networking (Cross, 2014, p. 5). However, the institutions must be cautious when adopting the usage of the platforms due to the negative aspects attributed to them. The platforms present various vulnerabilities and challenges that may compromise the gains expected that include data theft, impersonation, and other malicious use of information. In this regard, organizations should put in place requisite controls and data usage structures to safeguard communication via the platforms. This paper explores the main vulnerabilities of online social networking platforms. 3) Vulnerabilities and challenges of social networking platforms and management As noted, online social networking is a performance tool that helps in promoting effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery in companies. However, the social networking system presents diverse vulnerabilities that must be dealt with appropriately (Durbin 2011, P. 6). This explains why, managers in institutions must evaluate and design amicable solutions to the emerging challenges and risks of online networking platforms in ensuring sanity in their usage. The managers should develop effective structures and control systems to promote safety in the usage of the platforms. From an expatriate point of view, major risks and vulnerabilities of using social media platforms include reputational damage, data theft/ information linkage, loss of intellectual property, and malware attacks (Langheinri & Karjoth 2010, p. 52). Others include privacy breach, copyright infringement, and incompliance to regulatory requirements, including impersonation. Imperatively, malware attacks and virus remains as key risks to company computers as they can cause collateral damages with respect to data loss. The attacks exposes both organizations and computer users to severe risks of losing crucial information such as marketing plan, payment details, invoicing data, supplies and sales details including financial information (Langheinri & Karjoth 2010, p. 54). Other information may include personal profile with pertinent information about employees, generated ideas, shared working guidelines among others. Data theft is another risk that the institution must be weary of, especially in the conventional technology environment. Data theft is increasingly becoming a common challenge among online networking users. It entails stealing of information or sharing of information with crucial performance/social connotations without authorization (Sanyal, Shelat & Gupta 2010, p. 23). Data theft has resulted to immense court battles with various parties in the court of law globally. For instance, an employee of a Corning company was sentenced to imprisonment for executing a conspiracy to steal and convey trade secretes that regards Corning’s thin film transistor (Shullich 2011, p. 4). Online social networking can immensely lead to reputational damage of an institution if necessary steps to curb such malpractices are not taken. Malicious individuals can use the network to convey certain negative information about the company in terms of its product quality, pricing, poor management purposely to damage its reputation among the main stakeholders. This may impede sales, financial support, productivity, and social development. The main motivation for such an act is to destabilize the competitiveness of a company in the industry at which it operates. Variably, information leakage and privacy breach are computer-networking risks that are highly damaging (Molok, Chang & Ahmad 2010, p. 2). This is apparent since the networking platforms exposes individuals and institutional key potentials, qualifications, standards of operation, and work strategies. Such kind of information that should remain confidential can be leaked to certain parties without consonance interest who may use it to their advantage. It is with this fear of privacy breach why full disclosure of information especially confidential ones are discouraged in some institutions. Information leakage has been a problem in most settings for instance at General Motors company where an employee and the husband used the social platforms to provide general motor’s hybrid vehicle technology to a Chinese competitor (Shullich 2011, p. 4). The couple was arrested for disclosing the technology whose development caused over 40 million US dollars. Likewise, impersonation is a common challenge that the use of online social networks poses in the current society. This problem is emerging given that accessing online accounts communication platforms is not cumbersome. Some individuals access the accounts and make detrimental updates without the knowledge of the owner. Some can also create accounts in similar names of others and post damaging data in terms of content and value. For instance many government officials and prominent people have been victims of online impersonation with people making damming posts to paint them in bad light. Indeed, these risks present serious damages that the company must be alive to in its quest to embracing the use of the platforms. The company must evaluate the effects of the available online websites and make wises choices (Cross 2014, p. 9). To curb the potential risks of online computer networking, the company must develop a viable framework of operation and put in place superior control measures. The controls are necessary even if the company is not willing to integrate or authorize the use of internet platforms since internal stakeholders have away of accessing and using the social network platforms to communicate. The first measure to avert social network vulnerabilities is to secure the computers used with quality antivirus software’s. The antivirus is vital in controlling possible data damage. Secondly, the company can develop clear ethical guidelines on computer usage. The initiative is imperative in advancing accountability among the system users (Gelbstein & Kamal 2004, p. 24). Similarly, the company may formulate stringent rules and punishment to individuals who unkindly use the networks. Integration of effective software that can detect any malpractice or facilitate traceability of the activities undertaken within a system or massages sent also form an integral control measure. This can be coupled with the formation of centralized data control unit where communications are being coordinated. The highlighted measures are integral in ensuring that the social network platforms are used for the intended purpose only and positively (Cross 2014, p. 45). They are to curb any form of malpractice or security breach that may hinder progress of the institution. 4) Conclusion Indeed, online social networking presents various vulnerabilities and risks that require prudent mitigation despite its nobleness in steering performance. The major vulnerabilities that hold the capacity of compromising performance include individual/institutional reputational damage, information leakage, malware attacks and privacy breach among others. The vulnerabilities require proper alleviation if a company has to realize its intended performance levels. This is evident since no organization can thrive under unfavorable environment especially the one marred with poor information management. Activities such as marketing of products, advancing contact levels, execution of advertisements and receiving of feedback from respective persons may greatly get hindered when proper management mechanisms are not put in place. Therefore, the company is under obligation to manage the possible risks with utmost determination. Bibliographies Cross, M. (2014). Social media security leveraging social networking while mitigating risk. New York: Springer. Durbin, S, 2011, Tackling Converged Threats: Building a Security-Positive Environment, Network Security, 2011 (6), pp 5-8. Gelbstein, E., & Kamal, A. (2004). Information insecurity: a survival guide to the uncharted territories of cyber-threats and cyber-security. [New York], UN ICT Task Force. Langheinrich, M & Karjoth, G, 2010, Social Networking and the Risk to Companies and Institutions, Information Security Technical Report, 15 (2), pp 51-56 Molok, A, Chang, S & Ahmad, A, 2010, Information Leakage through Online Social Networking: Opening the Doorway for Advanced Persistence Threats, Proceedings of the 8th Australian Information Security Management Conference, 30th November 2010 Sanyal, S., Shelat, A & Gupta, A, 2010, New Frontiers of Network Security: The Threat Within, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Information Technology for Real World Problems, 9-11 December 2010 Shullich, R, 2011, Risk Assessment of Social Media. Viewed on 9th/10/ 2014 http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/privacy/risk-assessment-social-media-33940 Read More