Information Assurance

Information Assurance

Information Assurance - Data information of businesses, corporations, institutions and the government can be misused by people with bad intentions. We can prevent this from happening through information assurance. Information assurance means securing these important details from the improper use of these data which can be done by a hacker, a spy or someone who just want to ruin any data information of a company or individual. It may sound new but it practically started in the earlier ages. It includes the processes of gathering, processing, storing and transmitting information which need to be protected and locked. It has three models being practiced. These are the CIA (confidentiality, integrity availability) triad, Five Pillars and Parkerian Hexad. Qualified people are trained to be information assurance professionals.

Information assurance experts are responsible for setting up a system to prevent threats from taking place. Since no system is fully secure, data assurance professionals must create system checkups and security measures to catch the bad guys. There is numerous exchange of data information on the web, especially with the rise of social networks that opens up new threats and risk to company data. These experts must be knowledgeable in software and hardware technology in order to locate unnecessary data process interruptions such as system attacks and bugs, viruses, and even natural disasters. Network activities must be monitored round-the-clock to check if there are suspicious activities that could damage secured data. The need for these experts is growing in demand because of the increase in computer use in the world.

The importance of training individuals for information assurance is now being recognized by most organizations and institutions around the world. Even government agencies are now investing in this training to ensure defense in case there are security risks. The required training includes the extensive knowledge in the principles and applications needed to protect an organization’s information system and network. There are certain information assurance certifications and accreditation standards required for some organizations.

There are a number of information assurance training centers you can choose from. They have different information security courses that you can take or you can ask for a customized training program depending on your organization’s needs. Information security awareness training usually involves certain assessments, preparation for certification, program management and continuing education. The US Army Signal Center has their own Information Assurance Training Division to provide training to their team and also to provide assistance to the security needs of federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, US Navy, US Marine Corps and US Air Force. Courses offered are the following:

Computer Network Defense Course
NETCOM Information Assurance Technical Level Certification Course
Network Manager Security Course
Social Media and Operations Security Training
Army Specific Phishing Training
Scholarships, which are monitored by the US National Security Agency and Central Security Service, can also be availed in accredited training centers of academic excellence in information assurance.

Aside from trainings, interested individuals or representatives of organizations can attend workshops, seminars and conferences. These are all interrelated to each other. Information assurance trainings help individuals to monitor data in a network and keep it safe from problems arising with the electronic age. Those who are trained comply with privacy issues and can recover lost or damaged data. Being trained as an information assurance expert allows you to expand your information security knowledge and gives you an opportunity to work in the government requiring the needed skills.