Information Technology and Security - Essay Example

Information Technology and Security
Introduction
The proliferation of information technology can be overwhelming and the Internet technologies are now seen as staples or natural resources, just like coal, cotton, fish, and so on. Just as a society is conditioned by its reliance on a few staples, so societies are shaped by the communication media they use. The Internet technologies have undeniably affected the way the British act, changing the social organization of everyday life (“Computer Disaster,” 1987). According to security (1992), as technology developed, major businesses and industries were developed. Many laws were made because some individuals took advantage of the growth of businesses and were able to monopolize certain parts of the British businesses (security, 1992).

The rise of Internet technologies can be either awe-inspiring or devastating. In spite of these fantastic improvements in the way British institutions can communicate across expansive distances, certain drawbacks weigh down the splendor of Internet technologies. We are in the midst of an information revolution (“Management Awareness,” 1987). Certain ancillary drawbacks terrorize their information channels as any computer virus, simple or sophisticated, can (Jackson, et al., 2003). These are known by different names but for this, they will be termed as “computer-related crimes”.

This essay will start by charting the evolution of information systems and information technology and then establish the definition of “computer-related crimes”. It will demonstrate how with the advancement in technology crimes too have risen and most often the people entrusted with the system are most likely to commit the crimes. The motives behind the crimes will be discussed and then the countermeasures that have been adopted by the software experts, as well as the government measures, will be discussed.
Computers and technology have become indispensable. Society is dependent on technology in every field. Computer crimes have risen along with technology but certain countermeasures can help to keep the crimes and the criminals under control. However, no society can be free of any crimes, and mishaps and computer-related crimes are just another way of conducting crime.

Evolution of Information system
Phenomenal changes have taken place in industrial communication over the past hundred years. To create a simple document, we have moved from handwriting to typing to word processing. To produce multiple copies of that document by hand to carbon paper to high-speed photocopying machines. To store those documents, we have moved from boxes to file cabinets to floppy disks to CD-ROM to flash disks. To send those documents over long distances, we have moved from stagecoaches to airmail to express mail to facsimile. To exchange messages over long distances, we have moved from messengers to telegraph to telephone to voice mail and electronic mail (Boswell, Simons, and Doswell, 1986). Electronic mail can be used to send simple messages to targeted individuals, to broadcast information to a large market segment, to chat with collaborators across the country or world, or to exchange and revise long and complex documents (“Computer Related,” 1988). The Internet and the World Wide Web can be used to gather relevant technical or policy information, to check on the activities of partners and competitors, to access timely news on a minute-by-minute basis, or to promote the desired image and communicate with customers and constituency through a sophisticated website.

To get together as a group, we have moved from formal meeting rooms to conference calls to video conferencing. To make a decision, we have moved from meetings run by parliamentary procedure to the use of computerized group decision support systems. In short, the industry at the turn of the 21st century bears little resemblance to the industrial operations at least a hundred years ago, and many of these changes we observe are the result of innovations in information technology (Dutton & Peltu, 1996). Decision-making can be enhanced through these information-gathering and communication capacities and through group applications such as video and audio conferencing, computer conferencing, and group decision support systems (“Management Awareness,” 1987).