What Is Information Assurance?

When we look around us today, we see computer systems all around us. Almost everything uses technology, whether it is a mode of communication, transportation, manufacturing or even banking. However, just like humans, they are not perfect. For humans, we are vulnerable to diseases and hazards, but for computer systems, they are vulnerable to threats like viruses, worms, hackers, and information thieves. Thus, businesses and government agencies are looking for ways to minimize such threats towards these systems to ensure that their information is safe and intact. While viruses and worms can cost time and money, the outcome of information theft can bring painful consequences like identity theft, exposure of trade secrets, or even manipulation of governmental secrets. Thus, this is why assurance of information is important.
Information assurance is to do with everything that protects information, such as the people, hardware, software, policies, and procedures. In this field, the emphasis is on making sure that information is available when required, the integrity of the information is kept and is able to be proofed, the authenticity of the information can be verified and kept confidential, as well as the origin of the data can be provided. Although the missions of this field has been around for decades, the increasing number of computer and the reliance on them has made information assurance one of the fastest growing fields around. Furthermore, people are now looking at the protection of sensitive information as both businesses and personal use rely heavily on computers to transfer and store information.
Although one can find employment with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and some relevant experience, most specialized jobs in this area will need a deeper understanding of the computer systems, which can be proven with the qualification of a Master's degree in Information Assurance. Especially since this field deals with assuring people's information, employers expect you to be well-qualified for this position.

Information Assurance Training

Why Would You Benefit From Information Assurance Training?

All military IT personnel are now required to become certified according to the DoD 8570 guidelines. As of December 31, 2010 all military IT personnel must be compliant. However, since that deadline has passed many are awaiting updated information on possible extensions or acceptations.

Additionally, the DOD has not relaxed its high standards for personnel training across all Information Assurance levels and functions: all training providers must still be ANSI certified.

IT professionals looking to expand their information security knowledge to qualify for more lucrative government jobs handling IA would benefit from specialized training as well.

Over the next decade, certified information systems managers will experience more job opportunities, greater job security and higher earnings, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Another benefit from becoming certified is that certified information systems managers can command salaries about 10% to 15% higher than non-certified individuals in comparable roles. Contributing factors to the increased need will be from technology growth, competition and greed.

As technologies grow more competitive with one another, the need for certified cyber-security professionals will increase. These professionals must be able to adopt the most efficient software systems for their clients' safety. Troubleshooting unforeseen breeches and attacks will be important as well.

These professionals have no further goal than to protect critical information from cyber-attacks and information loss.

Not all IA jobs are in the Department of Defense (DoD) sector, but a great deal of them are - all of which require information assurance training and certification by 2011.

Information Assurance Explained

Information security is often misinterpreted as information assurance and vice versa. These areas of data protection are related, but there are fundamental differences.

Information assurance (IA) protects data, software and hardware and also provides protection against hacking and malicious code attacks. IA covers a broad area of governmental duties which can range from fraud examination to forensic science, criminology to disaster recovery, and much more.

The DoD defines IA as the practice of managing information related-risks. Security professionals who specialize in information assurance seek to protect and defend information and information systems by ensuring confidentiality, integrity, authentication, availability and non-repudiation.

Information Assurance - The Availability Attribute

Information Assurance assigns systems to shield data and the computer systems they reside on, and the transmission approaches processed to transmit the data. Availability is certified by requiring an impeccable and prompt avenue to information services and information only for entrusted users. By achieving consistency of the material and data structures of the operating system, hardware, software and filed material and analytical accuracy, entirety and dependability, integrity is guaranteed. Integrity can also assure against unauthorized deletion of information. Information assurance also certifies acceptance by guaranteeing the certainty of a communication or a document and its producer, and also by substantiating an individual's approval to accept explicit data from the architecture. Confidentiality is preserved by only exposing information to trusted organizations or systems. Non-repudiation is included, which is ensuring evidence of delivery to the transmitter of material and supporting validation of identity to the receiver, to require neither recipient can afterwards debate having processed the data. Information Assurance also accounts for additional fundamentals to include reconstruction of information systems by assembling protection, detection, and reaction qualifications.

Information Assurance furnishes availability by furnishing up-to-date and impeccable access to information and information services for entrusted users. The users need have reliable avenue to all hardware, software, services and information. Often availability is also assessed in terms of what is attainable to just mission-critical processes, but it need also be evaluated for the comprehensive system.

Design theories that promote availability can be incorporated into the system. Elements and subsystems need be able to be gracefully restarted at will. Subsystems and elements have to be independent of each other and adhere to an open architecture. Subordinately critical missions or functions should be uncoupled from more crucial ones, as well as more risky functions from those that are less risky. Networks, processes, and information assembly can also be optimized for mission availability. The architecture can be securely executed for increased availability so that platforms, software and architecture are produced as services such as cloud computing. Cloud computing can support additional availability owing to proficient usage of assets and making individual disruptions imperceptible to the user. The redundance of services like these make the architecture more tolerable of failures and unavailabilities.