INFS213 Information Management (2020/2021) PDF

INFS213 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (1st Sem, 2020/2021) The Concept of Information Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah Introduction (1) The conception of information has changed over the years with the strategic uses of information...

INFS213 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (1st Sem, 2020/2021) The Concept of Information Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah Introduction (1) The conception of information has changed over the years with the strategic uses of information systems. For the modern organization, information is a resource that is described as parallel if not more important to land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 2 Introduction (2) Information is an elusive concept and there is a continuing debate about its meaning and about its relationship to its correlates such as knowledge and data, and in business circles, intelligence. In everyday language, data, information, intelligence and even knowledge are frequently used interchangeably. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 3 DATA DATA is a plural of a Latin word “Datum” which are facts, records of an event (i.e. figures) that has occurred or about to take place. Data or facts are independent, unrelated, unlimited in number and meaningless as it stands. Data is the starting point in providing information. It is the facts, figures, values, or even opinions which are needed to help with decision making. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 4 Examples of Data ⚫ No, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes ⚫ 70, 65, 86, 73, 61, 43 ⚫ Red, Amber, Green ⚫ The data sets above have no meaning unless they are placed into a CONTEXT and PROCESSED into a useable form. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 5 INFORMATION Information can be defined as data that have been converted into a meaningful and useful context for specific end users (O’Brien, 2003). Information must inform, that is, add to what we already know about an event or place; it must tell the recipient something that he/she did not know before or could not predict. Information adds to knowledge but must be relevant to some event, state or process. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 6 Processing Data into Information Organizations and individuals need to be able to process data to achieve goals. Example: Red, Amber, Green When theses colours are placed in the context of driving regulations, what meanings can you assign to each colour? DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 7  Activity 1.1 Yes, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No, Raw Data Yes, No, Yes, Yes Responses to the market Context research question – “Would you buy brand x at price y?” Processing Information ??? Source: (FatMax, 2007) DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 8 Activity 1.2 Raw Data 70, 65, 86, 73, 61, 43 The scores of students who Context sat for INFS213 in 2014. Processing Information ??? DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 9 Some possible responses We could add up the yes and no responses to calculate the percentage of customers who would buy product X at price Y. The resulting information could further be presented as a chart to make it easier to understand. The students scores can be averaged to know the general performance of students. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 10  KNOWLEDGE “…the capability of understanding the relationship between pieces of information and what to actually do with the information” Debbie Jones – www.teach-ict.com Knowledge is explained as awareness and understanding of a set of information and ways that information can be used to support a specific task and make a decision (Stair & Reynolds, 2003). DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 11  KNOWLEDGE Cont’d. Knowledge is the capacity to request, structure and use information (Mckeown, 2003). Knowledge is information in context to produce an actionable understanding” (Rumizen, 2002). E.g., know-how, experience, beliefs, values, ideas, intuition, DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 12 Activity 1.3 Revisiting activities 1.1 & 1.2, what possible knowledge and yet wisdom can we derive from the information we arrived at? Responds to Activity 1.3: A Marketing Manager could use this information to decide whether or not to raise or lower price Y. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 13 The Knowledge Pyramid DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 14 KNOWLEDGE Mckeown (2003) defines it as the capacity to request, structure and use information Smith and Medley (1987) also define it as human inferences and interpretations derived from processed information – it is a blend of human experience, analysis, deduction and assimilation. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 15 DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 16 The Characteristics, Functions & Values of Information DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA- 17 MENSAH Characteristics of Information Relevance Timeliness Accuracy Clarity Complete Current Cost and Value DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 18 Functions of Information Elimination / Reduction of Uncertainty Aids Strategic Planning Communication Serves as a Memory Supplement Simplifies Situations and Problems DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 19 VALUES OF INFORMATION This is the amount/ price a decision maker will be willing to pay for information prior to making decision. Maximum price one should pay for knowing the actual value of an uncertainty before the decision on a course of action. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 20  Three Main Reasons Why Information is considered Valuable are: Strategic Resource Competitive Advantage Decision Making DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 21  What makes Information a Valuable commodity? Source of the information Ease of Assimilation Accessibility Frequency of the Information DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 22 Adding Value to information/ Transforming Data to Information DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 23  To conclude on Data, Information and Knowledge, lets look at how they relate to each other: DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 24 Relationship Between Data, Information & Knowledge (Simmons, 2011) DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 25 Information and communication Definition of Communication | Types of Communication DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA- 26 MENSAH  COMMUNICATION Communication can be defined as a process of exchanging information, imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others. It also includes understanding others in return. (Seitel, 2004) DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 27 THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS DESTINATION / SOURCE / MESSAGE CHANNEL/MEDIUM RECEIVER DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 28 DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 29 CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION Communication generally involves the exchange of information, thoughts, ideas and emotions. This process that involves a sender who encodes and sends the message, which is then carried via the communication channel to the receiver where the receiver decodes the message, processes the information and sends an appropriate reply normally via the same communication channel DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 30 Elements /Components of Communication Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient The one who formulates the idea/information is the Sender or The Encoder The means through which the idea/information is transmitted is the channel/ message The one who receives and translates the idea is the decoder/recipient DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 31 Elements /Components of Communication – Cont’d The receiver sends feedback if the message has been well understood. However, during the process, there may be some ‘noise’ or distortion of the message being sent and consequently, the appropriate feedback may not be obtained DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 32  Elements /Components of Communication – Cont’d Noise could range from lack of clarity of the message, to irrelevant or excessive volumes of information, or incomplete information. Feedback is critical to the process of communication. A communicator must get feedback from a receiver to know what messages are or are not getting through DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 33 Goals of Communication Inform Motivate Persuade To build mutual understanding. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 34 Types of Communication ▪ Oral Communications ▪ Written Communication ▪ Electronic Communication ▪ Visual Communication DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 35 Oral Communications Oral communications refer to spoken, verbal or word of mouth transmission. Example; Face to face communication, Telephonic Communication... Advantages: It is characteristic of its immediacy and personal touch, which might be difficult to capture in other forms of communication DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 36  Oral Communications Cont’d Disadvantages: Since it is spoken, there is no written record of what has been said which can lead to disputes. Also in oral communication the persons involved do not have sufficient time to think through the answers they give. So they could arrive at some decision which they may not have suggested with hindsight. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 37 Written Communication Written communication refers to the written words and can be communicated in writing and sent by e mail, snail mails or memoranda (either printed or handwritten). Examples are: Orders, Instructions, Letters, Memos, Reports, Policy manuals, Information Bulletin, Complaint System, Suggestion System, etc. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 38  Written Communication Cont’d Advantages: they provide a permanent record of events which can not be disproved. It can be a potential record, capable of extended life and of being used again and again. Disadvantages: it takes time to produce and they tend to be formal and distant. They can also cause problems with interpretation. Instant feedback is not possible. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 39  Visual Communication Visual communication in part or whole relies on vision. It is described as the transmission of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. It includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colour and electronic resources t also explores the idea that a visual message accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 40 Visual Communication Cont’d Advantage They can simplify messages with numbers in them and be used to illustrate techniques and procedures Disadvantage At times, they may be difficult to interpret without the reinforcement of the written and spoken word. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 41 Visual Communication – Examples DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 42  Electronic Communication Is generated and received electronically. This communication can be accessed by electronic mail (E-mail), videoconferencing, instant messaging… Advantages/disadvantages: Speed of access; as well as the unlimited access to global information. Enhances communication and instant feedback. It is machine dependent. Power dependent DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 43 To sum it up… All the types of Information could be as important as each other. It is always important to consider your intended recipient before you choose your communication type. You can also combine the type for clarity DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 44 Combination of VISUAL and WRITTEN DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 45 Think about this … Which type of communication can the Braille system be categorized under? Any Questions so far? DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 46 The five (5) Cs of Communication ▪ Clear ▪ Complete ▪ Concise ▪ Correct ▪ Courteous DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 47 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION Differences in People Differences in personal, Cultural, Educational,... Status differences Personal biases Fear and Emotional overtone Language DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 48 Breaking the Barriers of Communication With your understanding so far, how do you think some of the barriers of communication can be surmounted? DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 49 Assignment 1.1 Organisations may obtain information either from an internal or an external source. Briefly describe any four sources of external information and any four sources of internally generated information. Elaborate on the nature of information required at each of the managerial levels Due date: Friday, 25th April 2021, at 11:55 PM. This means that you can submit from now till that time. You are to submit this assignment through the Sakai LMS. Visit the course site and accesses further details through the Assignment Tool. DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 50 Any Questions? DR. MRS. FLORENCE ENTSUA-MENSAH 51 INFS213 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (1st Sem, 2020/2021) Information Management Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah Lecture Outline Concept of Information Management Information Management Challenges Personal Information Management Organisational Information Management Information Management Systems Information Management Strategies Information Management Task Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 2  Introduction As organizations grow, data volume and complexity increases exponentially. More and more interactions with your data from different departments and data managers compound the challenges. An integrated, enterprise-wide approach is necessary to ensure the performance, quality, sustainability and scalability of new and existing information (Adastragrp, n.d.). Hence the need for IM (importance of IM). This implies that IM in organizations must be business-driven Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 3  IM is vital because of the… Exploding digital universe: The rate of information growth is increasing exponentially. Duplication of data to ensure high availability has also contributed to increase of information growth Increasing dependency on information: strategic use of information plays an important role in determining success of a business and provides competitive advantages in marketplace Changing value of information: Information that is valuable today may become less important tomorrow. value of information often changes over time Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 4 Definition of IM Information management is a discipline that governs accountability for the structure and design, storage and security, movement, quality, delivery and usage of information required for management and business intelligence purposes (Bowman, 2015). Information Management can also be defined as a managerial support for dealing with information. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 5 Definition of IM Cont’d… The effective production, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information in any format and on any medium to support business objectives Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM in Great Britain). The collection and management of information from one or more sources and distribution of that information to one or more audiences. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 6 Elements of IM Information management entails: people process technology content Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 7 Elements of IM Cont’d. People: They implement what ever systems or measures to manage the information. It is the People that; plan control monitor take important decisions at various levels in the organization. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 8 Elements of IM Cont’d. Process: These are the procedures established for carrying out every activity in an organisation. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 9 Elements of IM Cont’d. Technology This enhances the processes of managing information including the speed of delivery and accuracy of information. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 10  Elements of IM Cont’d. Content refers to information that is captured, stored and disseminated for use within the organization Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 11  INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (IM) CHALLENGES Lack of Coordination : The large number of disparate information management systems with little or no coordination between the information systems. For instance, Managers acquire a system solely for the payroll which can not be coordinated with the Human Resource System Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 12 IM Challenges Cont’d. Quality of Information: Poor Content: Lack of consistency Duplication out-dated information Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 13 IM Challenges Cont’d. Limited resources for deploying, managing or improving information systems is another challenge with information management. Organizations need a lot of money to be able to acquire, manage and maintain the information flow Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 14 IM Challenges Cont’d.  Limited and patchy adoption of existing information systems : This arises when inadequate training is given and employees do not have a feeling of owning the information system.  Difficulties in changing working practices : this is a cultural issue that needs to be worked on gradually for staff to accept any new changes in the organization. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 15  MANAGING THE CHALLENGES Staff participation - Information management systems are only successful if they are actually used by staff and it is not sufficient to simply focus on installing the software centrally. The staff are the ones who actually make it work or a reality. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 16 Managing the Challenges Cont’d Manage Complexities - Managers must stop looking for simple approaches, and must stop believing vendors when they offer very large suite of applications which they claim can be used to solve all information management problems at once. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 17 Managing the Challenges Cont’d. Delivering tangible and visible benefits Information management projects must always be designed so that they deliver tangible and visible benefits. ▪ The projects should also target issues or needs that are very visible within the organization. ▪ When solutions are delivered, the improvement should be obvious, and widely promoted throughout the organization Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 18 Managing the Challenges Cont’d. Strong leadership - Successful information management is about organizational and cultural change and this can only be achieved through strong leadership – engage all stakeholders effectively. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 19 Managing the Challenges Cont’d. Mitigate Risks ▪ Risk relating to: ▪ Integrating systems ▪ Failure to gain adoption by staff ▪ This might be mitigated through: ▪ conducting pilot projects to identifying issues and potential solutions. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 20 Managing the Challenges Cont’d. Extensive communication - This is critical for a successful information management initiative. This communication ensures that staff have a clear understanding of the project and the benefits it will deliver. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 21 Managing the Challenges Cont’d. Seamless user experience - ▪ Users do not understand systems. ▪ Educating staff on the purpose and use of information systems may be difficult, and generally fruitless. ▪ There will always be a need to have multiple information systems, but the information contained within them should be presented such that accessibility is through one ‘log in’. ▪ This could mean delivering a single intranet (or equivalent) that gives access to all information and tools; ensuring a consistent look-and-feel across all applications Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 22 PERSONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (PIM) Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 23 What is PIM? The practice and study of activities people perform in order to acquire, organize, maintain and retrieve information for everyday use Goal of PIM: to have right information in right place, in right form and of sufficient completeness and quality to meet our current need Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 24  Dimensions of PIM Personal information can be considered from three points of view: Time, Location, & Form. Time Information when you need it. Information that describes the time period you are considering. Location Having information irrespective of your location. The Intranet and Internet grossly enhance this. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 25 Dimensions of PIM Cont’d. Form Format: This refers to the format in which a user feels comfortable in receiving or accessing information. It may be; Audio Text Video Animation Graphical and others. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 26  The second deals with accuracy. That is, you need information that is free of errors. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 27  Challenges Associated with PIM Information at the right time – Time Information at the right place – location Information in the right form - format Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 28 Benefits of PIM Better PIM means a better use of our precious resources (time, money, energy, attention) and ultimately, a better quality to our lives. Within organizations, better PIM means better employee productivity and better team work in the near-term. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 29 ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (OIM) What is OIM? Dimensions in OIM Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 30 What is OIM? In every Organization, information should be available to those who need it and it must flow from the right channels. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 31  Dimensions in OIM Managing information in an organization, requires some dimensions. These are: Information inflows what information describes information granularity how information is used Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 32 Information Inflows This occurs in four directions in an organization: upward downward horizontally Outward Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 33 Information Inflows con’t Upward flow of information Information that is gathered as a part of everyday operations is consolidated by information technology and passed upward to decision makers. This describes the current state of the organization based on its daily transactions. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 34 Information Inflows cont’d. downward flow of information consists of the strategies, goals and directives that originate at one level and are passed to lower levels. Horizontal flow of information Information flow between functional business units and work teams. Eg: from one HOD to another or Unit to Unit Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 35 Information Inflows cont’d. Outward flow of information Consists of information that is communicated to customers, suppliers, distributors or other partners for the purpose of doing business. This outward flow of information (and its corresponding inward flow of information) is really what electronic commerce is all about. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 36 Information Granularity The level of detail considered in a model or decision making process or the extent of detail within the information Information Granularity Differs at each level of Management. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 37  Information Granularity cont’d. Strategic Level deal mainly with a coarse granularity or highly summarized information. Lowest Levels of the organization need information with fine granularity. Operational Managers for example need information in great detail that describes each transaction. when it occurred, whether by credit or cash, who made the sale, to whom the sale was made etc. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 38 What Information Describes Internal information - describes specific operational aspects of the organization. External information describes the environment surrounding the organization. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 39 What Information Describes cont’d. Objective information - data or facts/information gathered from the different information systems or from questionnaires and so on. Subjective information - personal feeling or opinion on a fact or an issue. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 40 What Information Describes cont’d. As a general rule, People in the lowest levels of the organization deal mainly with internal and objective information. People in the highest levels of the organization deal with all types of information. Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 41 How Information is Used Depending on the level in which the user finds him/herself, information can either be used for: Transaction processing Analytical processing Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 42 Assignment 2 Using practical examples explain: i. Analytical information processing ii. Transactional information processing What is the significance of each (i and ii) to an organisation? Lecturer: Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah 43 INFS213 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (1st Sem, 2020/2021) Information Management Systems (IMS) Lecturers: Dr. Florence O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) Outline of Lecture Conceiving IMS (Untangling Definitions) Types of IMS Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 2 What is an Information System (IS) What is a System? categories: Biological systems, social systems, Examples: Digestive System, Respiratory System, computer system, information System, … What is an information System? Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 3 Definitions of Information System (IS) Is a set of interrelated components that collect, manipulate, store and disseminate data and information and provide a feedback mechanism to meet an objective. The feedback mechanism helps organizations to achieve their goals such as increasing profits or improving customer service. software that helps organize and analyze data. the purpose of an information system is to turn raw data into useful information that can be used for decision making in an organization. We interact daily with IS: ATMs, check out scanning of purchases etc. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 4  Typical Components of an IS (1) While information systems may differ in how they are used, they typically contain the following components: Hardware: Computer-based information systems use computer hardware, such as processors, monitors, keyboard and printers. Software: These are the programs used to organize, process and analyze data. Databases: Information systems work with data, organized into tables and files. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 5  Typical Components of IS (2) Network: different elements need to be connected to each other, especially if many different people in an organization use the same information system. Procedures: These describe how specific data are processed and analyzed in order to get the answers for which the information system is designed. The first four components are part of the general information technology (IT) of an organization. Procedures, the fifth component, are very specific to the information needed to answer a specific question. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 6  Types of Information Systems For most businesses, there are a variety of requirements for information. Senior managers need information to help with their business planning Middle management need more detailed information to help them monitor and control business activities Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 7  Types of Information System (Cont’d.) Typically, the types of information systems include: Operations support systems e.g. Transaction Processing Systems Management information systems Decision support systems Executive information systems Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 8  INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (IMS) IMS systems are computer-based tools that are deployed for the collection, identification, analysis, storage, presentation and distribution of information. IMS is also a general term for software designed to facilitate the storage, organization and retrieval of information. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 9 Types of IMS Content Management System, Enterprise Content Management System Document Management System Records Management System Digital Asset Management System Library Management System Learning Management System Learning Content Management System Geographic Information System Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 10  Content Management System (CMS) CMS supports the creation, management, distribution, publishing, and discovery of corporate information. Usually used to manage web content. Some Characteristics: It manages small, interconnected units of information (e.g., web pages). It provides a very powerful publishing engine and template-based authoring Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 11  CMS – Cont’d Some Benefits of CMS faster turnaround time for new pages and changes greater consistency improved site navigation support for decentralized authoring increased security reduced site maintenance costs Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 12 Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) An Enterprise Content Management system consists of a core web content management system, with additional capabilities to manage a broader range of organizational information. Obviously, this is a much bigger system than the CMS. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 13 ECMS consist of : Records Management Documents Management Digital Assets Management Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 14 Examples of ECMS Filenet (IBM) Hippo Alfresco Enterprise Adobe Experience Manager Nuxeo Oracle Content Management Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 15 Document Management System (DMS) - 1 DMS or EDMS (Electronic Document Management Systems) are designed to assist organizations to manage the creation and flow of documents through the provision of a centralized repository, and workflow that encapsulates business rules and metadata. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 16 Document Management System (DMS) - 2 DMS are designed to support these general categories of information management: Document Scanning Document Storage Document Workflow Document Search Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 17  Characteristics of DMS focused on managing documents, in the traditional sense (e.g., transcripts, certificates, land titles ) each unit of information (document) is fairly large and self-contained there are few (if any) links between documents provides limited integration with repository (check-in, check-out, etc) Provides access to relevant data and facilitates information mining. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 18 Characteristics of DMS con’t It often includes security features. Security is important to maintain an organization's critical data and business secrets. Security features also serve to protect personal user information and customer data. focused primarily on storage and archiving targeted at storing and presenting documents in their native format Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 19  Benefits of DMS Document Sharing and Collaboration Documents can be scanned and stored to create an electronic database accessible to users across an enterprise. Cloud-based DMS can also allow out-of-office users to access company and project-related documents through a wireless connection. Security Confidential files and documents are protected mainly through passwords and lock-and-key systems. This helps ensure compliance with ethical and legal regulations. Additionally, because files are computer based, electronically backing up files can help reduce the risk of losing important documents in the event of a fire or natural disaster. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 20  Benefits of DMS Elimination/ reduces the cost associated with paper-based documents. E.g. storage space & fees, and shipping and mailing of documents. Compliance with regulatory, legal, and quality requirements. Faster process cycle times. - allow files to be recalled at the click of a mouse, while providing information on when and by whom the file was last viewed and/or marked up (electronic trail). Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 21 Records Management System (RMS) Records Management is the practice of maintaining the records of an organization from the time they are created up to their eventual disposal. This may include classifying, storing, securing, and destruction (or in some cases, archival preservation) of records. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah 22  Elements of Records Management A content analysis A file plan A compliance requirements document A method for collecting records that are no longer active A method for auditing records Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 23 Elements of Records Management cont’d A method for capturing records' metadata A process for holding records A system for monitoring and reporting on the handling of records Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 24 Digital Asset Management System (DAM) - 1 DAMS is an integrated suite of infrastructure components used to capture, catalog, store, and manage digital assets, and to expose those assets to creative tools for producing video, audio, Web, and print content in an organization. DAMS include computer software and hardware systems that aid in the process of digital asset management Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 25 Digital Asset Management System (DAM) - 2 Elements of DAMS The ability to group individual assets to form collections or packages of assets; The ability to ingest, index, catalog, navigate, transform, re-purpose, package, and publish to a wide range of digital formats while protecting the integrity of the original assets. The ability to define rights, permissions and process rules about assets to enable their use in a variety of settings while protecting the rights of owners. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 26 Learning Content Management System (LCMS) Learning Content Management Systems combine the capabilities of a Content Management System (CMS) with that of a Learning Management System (LMS). An example is “Blackboard” a software designed for those in academia. It can be used by lecturers to share knowledge Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 27  LIBRARY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) A library management system (LMS) is an enterprise resource planning system for a library. It is used to track individual items and patron accounts, and to monitor a library's entire collection. The LMS consists of a centralized database and a method for the patrons and staff to interact with the system. Library staff have access to functionality that includes acquisitions, cataloguing and circulation. Serial subscriptions are also tracked from the LMS Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 28 Library Management System (LMS) Provides a complete solution for the administration of all library technical functions and services to the public. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah 29 Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 30 Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 31 Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 32  DIGITAL IMAGING SYSTEM Digital imaging systems (DIS) give organizations the ability to capture, store and distribute an enormous number of records over electronic networks. In the past, businesses relied on paper and microfilm for storage. A DIS speeds the search and retrieval process for documents and information. Organizations can save considerable storage space because of the decrease in the need for filing cabinets and other storage devices. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 33 Digital Imaging System cont’d This allows for integration with other IMS because it has been digitized. Automate the creation of electronic versions of paper documents (such as PDFs or TIFFs) and are used as an input to Records Management Systems. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 34 The Primary Purposes of IMS IMS mainly serves the following Purposes: Planning and Control Aid Decision Making Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 35 Other purposes of IMS IMS can also serve the following Purposes: The company is able to highlight their strength and weaknesses due to the presence of revenue reports, employee performance records... Giving an overall picture of the company and acting as a communication and planning tool. The availability of the customer data and feedback can help the company to align their business processes according to the needs of the customers. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 36 Other purposes of IMS Cont’d. increase employee productivity by reducing the time, errors and cost associated with processing information. Improve team collaboration – improving the performance of teams by supporting the sharing and flow of information. Enable global reach – marketing your products and services in countries all over the world and developing partnerships. Lecturer: Dr (Mrs) F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 37 INFS213 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (1st Semester, 2020/2021) Information Management Strategies & Tasks Lecturer: Dr. Florence O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) Lecture Overview IM IM Task Summary Strategy An understanding of IM Strategy IM Strategy: Process Components of IM Strategy IM Policy Document (as an entity) Benefits of IM Strategy Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 2 Lecture Outline An IM Policy Components of Document understanding of IM Strategy IM Strategy (as an entity) Benefits of IM IM Task Summary Strategy Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 3 Learning Outcomes By the end of this class, students are expected to: Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of what constitutes an Information Management Strategy. Appreciate the importance and role of IM. strategies and policies in an organisation. Have some skill in drafting IM policy. Know what counts (or otherwise) as an IM task. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 4 INTRODUCTION Developing an IM Strategy is the foundation stone on which an excellent information system can be implemented. The goal of the strategy is to build a system that people can count on – one that is more efficient, effective and accountable. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 5 Understanding IM Strategy Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah 6 (Mrs)  IM Strategy Defined (1) IM strategy is a comprehensive plan that is used by IM professionals to guide their organizations. IM strategy is about how IM will help the organization achieve its goals. To ensure this, the IM strategy must be driven by the organizational goals, i.e., anchored in the organization’s cooperate strategy. ⁻ IM strategy must deliver on the organization’s overall strategy. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 7 IM Strategy Process IM strategy is based on an intensive planning phase where the current information management situation is analyzed, recommendations for the desired situation are developed, and presentation of an implementation action plan (Bowman, 2015). situation is recommendations implementation analyzed, for the desired action plan Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 8  Components of an IM Strategy (1) Although there may be some variation in the components of an IM strategy from one author to the other, generically we can speak of the following components: →Information Quality →Information Policy →Information Architecture →Legal, Ethical & Security Issues Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 9 Components of an IM Strategy (2) Consequently, the strategy should reflect what the organization want as far as these four(4) components are concerned, and how they will contribute to achieving the goal of the organization. Legal, Information Information Information Ethical & Quality Policy Architecture Security Issues Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 10 Information Quality The information quality is Content characterized by these three(3) Time subcomponents: form Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 11 Information Quality Con’t Content: accuracy, relevance, completeness and conciseness should be factored into the strategy of the system before and during implementation. Time: timeliness of information, currency, frequency and time period of the information. Form: format in which information should be handled; tables?, graphs? Hard or soft copy and through which media? Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 12  Information Policy Policies are high level statements which ensure or guide compliance (Boateng, 2017). An information management policy provides direction and guidance to staff for creating, capturing and managing information to satisfy business, legal and stakeholder requirements, and assigns responsibilities across the agency. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 13 Information Policy Cont’d Information Policy describes the set of rules, formal and informal, that directly restricts, encourages, or otherwise shape flows of information Where and how data is collected and by whom. Where the data is stored, and how the data flows. Who has access to what information. Who makes decisions based on that information. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 14 Information Policy Cont’d In relation to information management strategy, the policy is one of the key elements that ensures compliance with the mapped out IM strategies. This must agree with the general business policy, which are the guidelines developed by an organization to govern its actions. The policy articulates the mission, vision, and the entire strategy of the organisation. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 15 Information Policy Cont’d. The policy enshrines the laws that exist in the environment (country and industry) in which the organisation operates. E.g. Copyright law, Data protection law, laws on rights of privacy, etc. The (IM) policy document should be reviewed and updated so that it remains current. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 16 The Goals of the IM Policy (Document) sets out the expected information management practices in your agency explains the benefits of good information management outlines roles and responsibilities enhances business performance by guiding information management practices, processes and systems that will protect information as an asset contributes to an environment that values the integrity and accessibility of the information to support the efficient delivery of business outcomes (National Archives of Australia, 2017) Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 17  Components of the IM Policy Document (1) The Policy Document may include statements on the under listed areas: Creation and Legislation and other Scope maintenance of key mandates information Specify who and what aspects of the agency's The document should Guidance on the types business and business cover the legal, of information that transactions the policy need to be created, regulatory and covers. Indicate the captured and managed business applications and business context to support agency systems the policy covers, within which your business and legal e.g. websites, email, and agency operates. requirements. business systems. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 18  Components of the IM Policy Document (2) Systems used to Access to Information maintain information Transfer information Establish clearly A statement An outline of which locations supporting the the instances and technologies concept that staff when are endorsed for should have ready the capture and access to corporate information information. may be storage of Describe information and circumstances when transferred or which should not it is appropriate to shared with a be used. restrict this access. third party Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 19 Information Architecture Basically, refers to the structure of an information system. That is, the way information is grouped, the navigation methods and terminology used within the information system. Focuses on organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way. The goal is to help users find information and complete tasks. (usability.gov) Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 20  Information Architecture Cont’d. For an information architecture to be effective, there are four types of responsibilities. Governance responsibility Stewardship responsibilities Usage responsibilities Infrastructure responsibilities Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 21 Information Architecture responsibilities. (1) Governance - responsible for the overall directional and control of information management. Their work involves obtaining funding for projects and systems to improve information and quality and ownership for their implementation. Stewardship - responsible for quality of information which involves activities such as information capture or creation, dissemination, etc. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 22 Information Architecture responsibilities (2) Usage responsibilities: Identifies and describes the activities of the various users involved in the IM activities. i.e. the responsibilities of those who capture data, store, process, and the laid down procedure for information access and use. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 23 Instances of user categories and their responsibilities Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 24 Information Architecture responsibilities. (3) Infrastructure responsibilities: Infrastructure refer to the people, processes, procedures, tools, facilities, and technology which supports the creation, use, transport, storage, and destruction of information (Pironti, 2006). The responsibilities is therefore concerned with the availability of the base tool, facilities and technology, and their respective roles in the architecture. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 25  Legal, ethical and security Issues Include ownership, privacy issues, use of encryption, intellectual property rights and crime prevention and prosecution. Examples of information privacy issues could be sharing customer data with a third party without the customer’s consent, sending out unsolicited e-mail to a consumer, monitoring employee access to data and online services. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 26 Benefits of IM Strategy Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 27 Benefits of an IM Strategy With the strategy in place, it becomes possible to integrate all information activities and use all information quickly and effectively to make efficient business decisions. It also becomes possible to promote openness of communications throughout the company both between and within levels. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 28 Benefits of an Information Management Strategy cont’d. A strategy also fosters a culture of innovation and knowledge sharing. It also forms a sound strategy for investment in information systems and technology. Finally, an information management strategy ensures that awareness of opportunities and threats are communicated throughout the company and allow timely responses to these. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 29 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (IM) TASKS Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah 30 (Mrs) INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TASKS 1. Identifying current and future information needs 2. Identifying information sources 3. Collecting the information 4. Storing the information Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 31 Information Management Tasks con’td. 5. Facilitating existing methods of using information and identifying new ways of using it. 6. Ensuring that information is communicated to those who need it and is not communicated to those who are not entitled to see it. 7. Ensuring that information is secure Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 32 (1) Identifying current and future information Managers seek for more and better information to support their current and future needs Such information allows the organisation to respond to opportunities and avoid threats Such information also allows managers to anticipate changes in an increasingly changeable business environment and to respond effectively to their clients and customers Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 33 (2) Identifying Information Sources Can come from sources both inside and outside of an organisation but should be reliable and accurate. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 34 (3) Collecting the information It is collecting information internally as well as externally. One needs to be mindful of certain issues like: why the information is needed who needs the information when is the information needed how should the information be processed and how much it costs to obtain the information Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 35 (4) Storing the Information This is where records management comes in. It refers to the control of recorded information in an orderly way from creation of the information through active use, inactive storage and final disposition. The information manager needs to create a system that will control the quantity, quality and cost of records. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 36 Facilitating existing methods of using information and identifying new ways of using it. The manager should be abreast with changing technologies and times. Since technology has provided new sources of information, new ways of collecting, storing and processing it and new methods of communicating it. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 37 (5) Ensuring that information is communicated to those who need it and not communicated to those who are not entitled to see it. Pertinent information should be communicated to the right people at the appropriate time. Supervisors must communicate duties and responsibilities to their subordinates or to those who report to them. Employees must be able to alert management to potential problems Therefore managers must ensure that communication must be ongoing both within and between the various levels of the organisation. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 38 (6) Ensuring that information is Secure The integrity of information should be of prime concern to managers of the organisation This is because organisations have large collection of detailed personal information and other sensitive information which they are obliged to keep secure in order to comply with a range of privacy and data protection laws. Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 39 SUMMARY OF TODAY’S LECTURE IM Strategy: Components Information LEGAL, ETHICAL, Information Information & SECURITY QUALITY POLICY ARCHITECTURE ISSUES Laws on Content Scope Governance Information Use & Access Time Legislation Stewardship Ethical context Creation & Form Usage Maintainance Systems for Info Use & Infrastructure Maintainance Access to Information Information Transfer Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 40 SUMMARY OF TODAY’S LECTURE Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 42 Thank you …. Any Questions? Lecturer: Dr F. O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs) 43 INFS213 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (FIRST SEMESTER, 2020/2021) An introduction to Information Security (I. S.) Lecturer: Dr. Florence O. Entsua-Mensah (Mrs)  Lesson Objectives To familiarize ourselves To understand with some of the Information Security. threats to I. S. To demonstrate Failure to Secure is an knowledge of the To appreciate the Opportunity to Fail measures in securing importance of I. S. information in the ----- Casey W. O’Brien digital age. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 2  Introduction Why this topic? One key aspect of IM that has a lot of attention is the issue of security of information. Why do we need to keep information secured. How do we do that? Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 3  What is Security? “The quality or state of being secure—to be free from danger” A successful organization should have multiple layers of security in place: Physical security Personal security Operations security Information security Which includes Network & Communications security. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 4  What is Information Security? The protection of information and its critical elements, including software, hardware, and the persons that use, store, and transmit that information. Includes both Electronic as well as Physical Security Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 5  What Is Information Security? “Protection of information systems against unauthorized access to or modification of information, whether in storage, processing or transit, and against the denial of service to authorized users or the provision of service to unauthorized users, including those measures necessary to detect, document, and counter such threats.” --United States’ National Information Assurance Glossary Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 6  Elements of Information Security Three widely accepted elements of information security are referred to as the “CIA Triad” / “CIA triangle”: Confidentiality Integrity Availability C. I. A. triangle is usually expanded into list of critical characteristics of information Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 7  CIA Triangle ISO Guide, 2017 Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 8  Confidentiality Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to authorized users/persons only. Confidentiality is related to the broader concept of data privacy -- limiting access to individuals‘ personal information. In Ghana one can make reference to the Data Protection Act as a reason to keep data confidential. Authentication methods like user-IDs & passwords can be used to uniquely identify users and control access to data systems. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 9  Integrity Information has integrity when it is whole, complete, and uncorrupted. The integrity of information is threatened when the information is exposed to corruption, damage, destruction, or other disruption of its authentic state. Data corruption can occur while information is being stored or transmitted. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 10  Integrity Cont’d It includes, data that have not been changed inappropriately, be it by accident or on purpose. Integrity implies that, the data actually came from the person or entity you think it did, rather than an imposter. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 11  Availability (Recoverability) Availability enables authorized users—persons or computer systems—to access information without interference or obstruction, and to receive it in the required format. E.g. research libraries that require identification before entrance. Librarians protect the contents of the library so that they are available only to authorized patrons. An information system that is not available when you need it is almost as bad as none at all. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 12  Maintaining a Balance It is always good to ensure the right levels of Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. That is, confidentiality Should not hinder access (availability) that much when access is paramount for business transactions. Sometimes the security measures to ensure confidentiality makes access to that information time consuming. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 13  Information Security Threats What is a threat? A situation or an activity that could cause harm or danger (Macmillan English Dictionary, 2007). What then is an information security threat? /What does it mean to consider something as a threat to information security? Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners CD-ROM 2nd Edition. CD-ROM © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007. Text © A&C Black Publishers Ltd 2007. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 14  Threats to Information Security (1) A threat is an object, person, or other entity that presents a constant danger to an asset. Some Security threats in the Digital age Malware (a malicious software that creates inconvenience for the user. They include computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, bots, spyware, adware, etc) Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programs that act without a user’s knowledge and deliberately alter the operations of computers and mobile devices. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 15  Common Types of Malware Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 16  Threats to Information Security (2) Spam (unsolicited and mostly irrelevant messages sent on the internet to a large number of users) Phishing (occurs when an attacker attempts to obtain personal or financial information using fraudulent means, most often by posing as another individual or organization.) Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 18  How dangerous are these threats? Spyware: A computer Software that enables a user to obtain covert information about another user's computer activities. Limits our ability to protect the confidentiality of the data as it grants unauthorized access. Spams can flood a user's inbox and could make access to information difficult. Either by having to sift through a tall list for relevant mails or preventing incoming messages because the inbox has reached its limit. Phishing: affects confidentiality Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 19  Other Information Security Threats Other forms of attacks include: Social Engineering Password Attacks Threats to Privacy Network Attacks Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 20  Social Engineering (1) Manipulating a person or persons into divulging confidential information. But, I am not dumb!!! so does this really apply to me? YES! Attackers are ALSO not dumb. Social Engineers are coming up with much better and much more elaborate schemes to attack users. – Even corporate executives can be tricked into revealing VERY secret info Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 21  Social Engineering (2) What can I do to protect myself? NEVER give out your password to ANYBODY. – Any system administrator should have the ability to change your password without having to know an old password Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 22  Social Engineering (3) Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 23  Social Engineering (4) Any observations or submissions from the afore- presented conversation or chat? Let's discuss your opinions. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 24  Password Attacks Password Guessing – Ineffective except in targeted cases Dictionary Attacks – Password are stored in computers as hashes. – These can sometimes get exposed. – Check all known words with the stored hashes Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 25  Password Attacks Password Guessing – Ineffective except in targeted cases Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 26  Password Security Many Web sites require a username and password to access the information stored on it. To prevent anyone from guessing your passwords, you should always create and use strong passwords. A strong password consists of at least eight characters of upper- and lowercase letters and numbers. Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 27  Strong Password Characteristics of Strong Passwords; Should have eight or more characters Does not contain your user name, real name, or company name Does not contain a complete dictionary word in any language Is different from previous passwords you have used Contains both upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters (such as ~ ! @; # $ % ^; &; * ( ) _ +; – =; { } | [ ] \ : “ ; ’ ;? ,. /) Univ. of Ghana | Dept. of Info. Studies | INFS213 | Dr. F. O. Entsua-Mensah SLIDE 28  Class Activity Create a Strong Password What would you make of this as a password? “I was born in Accra, before 1990.” substituting the character < for the word before = IwbiA,