Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

1. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition Chapter 9 The Personal and Social Impact of Computers

2. Principles and Learning Objectives • Policies and procedures must be established to avoid waste and mistakes associated with computer usage • Describe some examples of waste and mistakes in an IS environment, their causes, and possible solutions • Identify policies and procedures useful in eliminating waste and mistakes • Discuss the principles and limits of an individual’s right to privacy Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

3. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Computer crime is a serious and rapidly growing area of concern requiring management attention • Explain the types of computer crime and their effects • Identify specific measures to prevent computer crime Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

4. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Jobs, equipment, and working conditions must be designed to avoid negative health effects from computers • List the important negative effects of computers on the work environment • Identify specific actions that must be taken to ensure the health and safety of employees Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

5. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Practitioners in many professions subscribe to a code of ethics that states the principles and core values that are essential to their work • Outline criteria for the ethical use of information systems Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

6. Why Learn About the Personal and Social Impact of the Internet? • Both opportunities and threats: • Surround a wide range of nontechnical issues associated with the use of information systems and the Internet • You need to know about the topics in this chapter: • To help avoid becoming a victim of crime, fraud, privacy invasion, and other potential problems Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

7. Computer Waste and Mistakes • Computer waste: • Inappropriate use of computer technology and resources • Computer-related mistakes: • Errors, failures, and other computer problems that make computer output incorrect or not useful Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

8. Computer Waste Common causes: • Some companies discard old software and computer systems when they still have value. • Others waste corporate resources to build and maintain complex systems that are never used to their fullest extent. • The amount of company time and money employees can waste playing computer games or sending unimportant e-mail. • Junk e-mail, or spam. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

9. Computer Waste • Waste paper and computer resources. • Spam messages often carry attached files with embedded viruses. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

10. Computer Waste • Spam filter: • Software that attempts to block unwanted e-mail • Filtering Spam Approaches: • Building lists of acceptable and unacceptable e-mail addresses. • Automatic rejection of e-mail based on the content. • Anti-spam software ex: SPAMfighter, ChoiceMail, SpamEater Pro, and Spam Buster Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

11. Computer-Related Mistakes Common causes: • Unclear expectations and a lack of feedback • Program development that contains errors • Incorrect data entry by data-entry clerk Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

12. Preventing Computer-Related Waste and Mistakes • Preventing waste and mistakes involves: • Establishing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing effective policies and procedures Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

13. Establishing Policies and Procedures • The first step to prevent computer-related waste is to establish policies and procedures regarding efficient acquisition, use, and disposal of systems and devices. • To control and prevent potential problems caused by computer-related mistakes, companies have developed policies and procedures that cover the acquisition and use of computers. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

14. Establishing Policies and Procedures • Types of computer-related mistakes: • Data-entry or data-capture errors • Errors in computer programs • Mishandling of computer output • Inadequate planning for and control of equipment malfunctions • Inadequate planning for and control of environmental difficulties • Installing computing capacity inadequate for the level of activity • Failure to provide access to the most current information Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

15. Implementing Policies and Procedures • Policies to minimize waste and mistakes: • Changes to critical tables, HTML, and URLs should be tightly controlled • User manual should be available covering operating procedures • Each system report should indicate its general content in its title • System should have controls to prevent invalid and unreasonable data entry • Training is another key aspect of implementation. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

16. Monitoring Policies and Procedures • Monitor routine practices and take corrective action if necessary • Implement internal audits to measure actual results against established goals Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

17. Reviewing Policies and Procedures • Questions to be answered: • Do current policies cover existing practices adequately? • Does the organization plan any new activities in the future? • Are contingencies and disasters covered? Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

18. Preventing Computer-Related Crime • Efforts to curb computer crime are being made by: • Private users • Companies • Employees • Public officials Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

19. Crime Prevention by Corporations • Many businesses have designed procedures and specialized hardware and software to protect their corporate data and systems. • Encryption: is the process of converting an original electronic message into a form that can be understood only by the intended recipients. • Fingerprint authentication devices: provide security in the PC environment by using fingerprint recognition instead of passwords. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

20. Crime Prevention by Corporations • Guidelines to protect your computer from criminal hackers: • Install strong user authentication and encryption capabilities on your firewall • Install the latest security patches • Disable guest accounts and null user accounts • Install a corporate firewall between your corporate network and the Internet • Install antivirus software on all computers and regularly download vendor updates. • Verify and exercise frequent data backups for critical data. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition

21. Crime Prevention by Corporations (continued) • Using Intrusion Detection Software: • Intrusion detection system (IDS): • Monitors system and network resources • Notifies network security personnel when it senses a possible intrusion • Examples of suspicious activities: • include repeated failed logon attempts • attempts to download a program to a server • and access to a system at unusual hours Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition 21

22. Crime Prevention by Corporations (continued) • Security Dashboard • Provides comprehensive display on a single computer screen of: • All the vital data related to an organization’s security defenses, including threats, exposures, policy compliance, and incident alerts • The goal is to reduce the effort required for monitoring and to identify threats earlier. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition