Local Area Network Report Proposal

MEMORANDUM

To: Information Manager Office (ATTN: Mr. Black) August 18, 2003

FROM: Operations (ATTN: Theodore Robinson)

DATE: August 18, 2003

SUBJECT: REPORT PROPOSAL TO FAMILIARIZE PERSONNEL WITH THE

COMPANY'S COMPUTER SYSTEM AND LAN

This report is in response to the various security and maintenance problem this company has experiencd over years. I propose to study the problem and develop a baseline defense in handling procedures for personnel using computers and the local area network (LAN).

My proposal, written for Information Management Office and staff, will cover these areas:

1. An assessment of the problem and the need for this report

2. The proposed plan is covered in phases outlining an approach to better the company ability to maintain a trouble free network.

3. Interviews of personnel in the Information Technology field and the likely benefits of adopting this proposal.

All recommendations for improvement will be based on the collected evidence in my report. I will be happy to further discuss this proposal with you at anytime.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction........................................................................... 2

Proposed Plan.........................................................................3

Conclusion and Recommendation..................................................4

Proposed Checklist....................................................................6

Bibliography...........................................................................8

I. Introduction:

Statement of Problem.

In 2003, the company experienced a major increase of problems with the

Local Area Network (LAN). The LAN downtime has double from previous

years. There's also an increase of maintenance problem with computers

systems this includes hardware and software. Some user's have acquired the

authority to load there own software on their system, this has attributed to

some user's purchasing or borrowing software from unimproved sources and

loading them on to their systems. If these actions continue it may cause

irreversible damage to our information system. This is causing this unit

thousandth of dollars per month.

Objective.

This proposal examines the computer and LAN problems from the

viewpoint of new and old employees, the tier one and tier two information

system managers. It then offers a plan to make the system more secure

against hackers. In addition, it recommends ways to improve the computer

and system maintenance making it a more secure environment for the

entire company.

Sources.

The data is compiled from a company wide-interview questionnaire,

interviews with employees; email inquiries to companies similar to 1st

Battalion Engineers, the internet, and over six years of observations of

military information system networks.

Details of the Problem.

This subsection examines the severity and causes of security and maintenance

problems on the LAN.

Severity.

Since 2001, the company has experienced a continuous increase of

computer system problems. Personnel are allowed too many privileges with

their assigned computers and the local area network, and the use of

unapproved software, which only compounds this problem. We experienced

four major system problems in the past year that led to the entire LAN being

in-operable. Many users lack the know-how to operate their system. Upon in-

processing employees are presented with numerous passwords that they

tend to write down on paper and attached to their desk or computer this

represents a major security flaw to any company that processes classified

information.

Causes.

The following were specific concerns noted by the Information System

Manager, technicians, and the employer (in descending order of importance):

1. New employees loading unauthorized software on the company systems.

2. Passwords not being safe-guarded

3. Hardware added to the system