Essay Example: Technology and Customer Anonymity in Business

General Purpose: To give a relationship between business, technological advancement and safeguarding customer anonymity.

Specific Purpose: To give convincing explanations on how businesses could use technological advancement to gain competitive advantage while at the same time, keeping client data anonymous.

INTRODUCTION

Background Information

The ability of a business to survive generations is dependent on how well it adapts to emerging trends. Currently, the use of technology such as electronic point of sale terminals, mobile payments, and e-commerce has emerged as a boost in business operations.

One of the greatest challenges while using technology in business is guaranteeing customer anonymity. This is as a result of hacking and use of malware to corrupt databases and obtains crucial information.

Thesis Statement

To understand how businesses can adapt to new technological advancement to gain competitive advantage while safeguarding customer anonymity.

Create a connection with the audience

Every customer is usually worried about the safety of their credit card details when shopping in a new store for the first time. The scare arises as a result of the possibility of information being accessed by third parties who may then choose to reign havoc on the customer and at the same time, kill the reputation of the business.

Preview

Literature review to highlight the relevance of the citations used.

Explain the potential threats to customer anonymity when using technology.

How businesses can avoid exposing their clients to cybercrime.

Regulations on sharing of information and management of information systems.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Dhillon & Backhouse (2000) gives insights of the technology in the 21st Century and the potential of this sector. The authors provide a transparent oversight of the challenges that could occur resulting from technology. Privacy of the technology users and cybercrime are listed as the critical issues. From the journal, Information & Computer Security, 24(1) it is possible to get extracts on information management and the use of passwords. The effects of repetitive use of passwords are also highlighted.

Trim (2005) offers the possible solutions to computer security issues with a specific reference to business organizations. This article, explains the security issues and gives way in which a business can avoid being a victim. Jain et al. (2006) focus on the use of biometrics as a control method to ensure that a limited number of people can access the delicate information. A research article by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, 2017) gives information on threats and how to approach business cybersecurity issues.

BODY

Potential threats to customer anonymity

CCTV cameras are used commonly by business owners as a security measure for their organization. It is however unfortunate that such recordings can be used to invade privacy and track client movements and trends in the shopping premises.

Payments done through cards or mobile money at the point of sale terminals are proof of where someone is. If such information is made public, then the whereabouts and purchase history of a customer are known.

Hackers may access information in the database by either the use of password cracking tools or installing viruses, worms, and malware in the system.

Sale of private data but unscrupulous businesses.

How to ensure client data is anonymous

Use of company computers which are networked and have the read and write features disabled for computers not in the network.

Ensure the database access is encrypted using strong passwords which are often changed. The password should be tagged with employee IDs to track the personnel accessing the data at specific times.

Use of firewall to restrict computers from accessing insecure sites which may be a source of worms and malware.

Use of biometric devices to access certain information such as CCTV footage and database to limit those with privileged admittance.

For businesses running online, use Internet Safety Protocols (ISPs) to guarantee the privacy of customers.

For online payment, provision of a safe site with https is required. This is a secure form of hypertext transfer protocol for protected communication over the internet.

Regulations on sharing of information and management of information systems.

The Patriot Act is an exception to keeping client data anonymous but only applies when the authorities ask for such information.

Data Privacy Laws based on Fair Information practice forbid disclosure or misuse of information about individuals who wish to remain private.

CONCLUSION

Summary

Advanced technology gives businesses a competitive edge over other firms in the industry, especially in the marketing department.

The risk of using technology, especially the internet is cybercrime and disclosure of personal data.

Client data stored by a business could aid in cybercrime if it falls into the wrong hands. Notable cases include credit card theft, blackmail, and cyberbullying.

List the possible solutions offered above to guarantee client data anonymity.

Businesses should follow regulations on information sharing to avoid putting their clients at risk.

Closing Statement

It is necessary for business operators to understand the necessity for client data to remain anonymous. For this reason, measures have to be taken to offer protection to the customers while at the same time ensure that technology aids the operations for better productivity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dhillon, L., & Backhouse, J. (2000). Technical opinion: Information system security management in the new millennium. Communications of the ACM, 43(7), pp.125-128.Retrieved 12 October 2017, from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/26008100/luento1.pdf.

In this journal, the writer gives insight on a vision of the future information security management. He suggests information security principles like responsibility, integrity, trust, and ethicality on the part of a security manager as the future of safeguarding customer anonymity.

Yu, X. and Liao, Q., 2016. User password repetitive patterns analysis and visualization. Information & Computer Security, 24(1), pp.93-115. Retrieved from www.emeraldinsight.com/imcs.htm published by Emerald Group Publishing Ltd

The Journal contributes to the advance of knowledge directly related to the management and security of information and information systems, relating to new security technologies, developments, and applications.

CSIS. 2017. "Cybersecurity Two Years Later." Csis.org. Retrieved November 24, 2017 (https://www.csis.org/analysis/cybersecurity-two-years-later).

Although the report does not offer much, it gives insights on major actors, threats, and approaches to business cybersecurity systems.

Granick, J.S., 2005. The price of restricting vulnerability publications.

Although brief the journal explores the economics of cybersecurity typical in any form of business to utilize. Granick and Jennifer ways in which information can be shared and disclosed in line with regulations/liabilities.

Jain, Anil K., Arun Ross, and Sharath Pankanti. Biometrics: A Tool for Information Security. 2006 .The article offers solutions to securing customer information which includes verification through matching facial features, fingerprints, irises, keystrokes, hand geometry, signature and voice applications.

Ryan, Julie J.C.H. "Information Security Tools, and Practices: What Works?" (2004) http://ieeexplore.ieee.org (accessed March 17, 2006). This article looks at effective tools and practices to ensure information security. It Surveys corruption of data, such as viruses, and worms and offers solutions when concluding although brief.

Trim, P.R., 2005. Managing computer security issues: preventing and limiting future threats and disasters. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 14(4), pp.493-505.This article goes over computer security issues faced by businesses and focuses on management issues rather than technical details. Statistics are used to drive home the point that security is a problem and that management not only needs to take it seriously, but also needs to make sure those policies, procedures, and personnel are a part of the security framework.