Contributors - CyberSecurity Malaysia

34.Improving OrganizationalSustainability through InformationSecurityIntroductionOrganizational sustainabilityThe increased usage of ICT in doing businesses and growingoutsourcing services has changed business requirementsand the way of doing business; thus makes it a more riskyplace. The driving force to success in businesses andachieve sustainability by making the right decision throughhaving the right information at the right time.As the economy moves faster to the global economy, itis imperative for organizations to pay attention on howto protect from and survive a disaster. This does not onlyallow them to grow but also achieve sustainability throughtasks and controls implemented outlined in businesscontinuity.Information security and business continuity are two areasthat have been in board agenda in many organizations forthe past few years. Given recent high profile events in boththe private and public sector, information security hasnever been higher on the board agenda. Reputation, trustand brand value can all be seriously affected by informationloss and theft.As for business continuity, it provides the mechanismwhereby an organization able to continue to operate itscritical business functions in the event of disasters; be itICT or natural disasters by invoking planned procedures.It has been increasingly important for every organizationto have a strategy to transform organisation to becomesustainable and resilient.Both; matters for business survival.Achieving information securityInformation security is achieved by preserving the threemost significant properties, confidentiality, integrity andavailability. Different organizations emphasize differentinformation property in setting their priority. For military,confidentiality is their top priority.They cannot afford to disclose any sorts of information; beit accidentally or otherwise. As for financial institutions,availability means a lot to these organizations. A fiveminuteoutage could cause millions to them! In thehealthcare industry, it could mean loss of lives whenintegrity of the information systems was compromised forwhatever reason.Often many associate sustainability with financial oreconomic aspect, but it can also interpreted in a moreholistic conception including social, cultural, technological,legal, political and organizational aspects. In the contextof organizational aspect, many organizations contend toremain operable and remain in the business for a long time.For organisations to achieve this sustainability, a solidprogram within the organizations needs to be establishedin meeting this goal. The interconnected systems in today’strend of doing business stimulate more opportunities ofdoing business anytime and anywhere. Ironically, it alsoprovides a platform for intruders with illegal activitiesfor financial gain by exploiting weaknesses organsationsmight have within their systems. In other words, borderlessbusiness environment has become riskier when systemsthe organizations are operating in are not secure as theyshould be.Effective security is not a technology problem, but it is abusiness issue. For many countries, healthcare industryhas been privatized to increase efficiency in servicesdelivery. Due to this, sustainability of organizations inthis industry depends very much on services it provides.Customer satisfaction measures from hospitality, efficientservices and information protection. High dependencieson ICT require more controls to be in place in assuringinformation are accessible at all times. Patients informationneed to be critically protected against loss of patientsrecords that could subsequently mean; absence of knowingallergies, prescription, life-threatening diseases and otherinformation required by doctors in treating patients. Justimagine when someone hacks into a hospital system andchange the prescription!In many developed countries, the enforcement of actsor regulations in data protection, has significantlysafeguard patient and other medical data. HIPAA (HealthInsurance Portability and Accountability Act) in US made itsrequirement where data shall not only be protected fromtheft and disclosure, but also from data loss. Organisationalsustainability is not only affected by the monetary fine,but very much towards image and reputation. Securitybreaches may cause monetary loss in short term, but lossof confidence to patients could lead to further losses whenpatients began to shy away.In similar context, failure to implement reasonable policiesand procedures in disposing securely crucial information