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Case Study 1: Mitigating Cloud Computing Risks
Due Week 4 and worth 125 points
Imagine you are an Information Security Manager in a medium-sized organization. Your CIO has asked you to prepare a case analysis report and presentation on establishing internal controls in cloud computing. The CIO has seen several resources online which discuss the security risks related to Cloud based computing and storage. One that stood out was located at http://www.isaca.org/Journal/Past-Issues/2011/Volume-4/Pages/Cloud-Computing-Risk-Assessment-A-Case-Study.aspx. You are being asked to summarize the information you can find on the Internet and other sources that are available. Moving forward, the CIO wants to have a firm grasp of the benefits and risks associated with public, private, and hybrid cloud usage. There is also concern over how these systems, if they were in place, should be monitored to ensure not only proper usage, but also that none of these systems or their data have been compromised.
Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:
Provide a summary analysis of the most recent research that is available in this area.
Examine the risks and vulnerabilities associated with public clouds, private clouds, and hybrids. Include primary examples applicable from the case studies you previously reviewed.
Suggest key controls that organizations could implement to mitigate these risks and vulnerabilities.
Develop a list of IT audit tasks that address a cloud computing environment based on the results from the analysis of the case studies, the risks and vulnerabilities, and the mitigation controls.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Describe the process of performing effective information technology audits and general controls.
Describe the various general controls and audit approaches for software and architecture to include operating systems, telecommunication networks, cloud computing, service-oriented architecture and virtualization.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in information technology audit and control.
Write clearly and concisely about topics related to information technology audit and control using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions
Assignment 2: Software Engineering, CMMI, and ITIL
Due Week 6 and worth 125 points
Realizing that an organization’s CMMI level impacts an organization’s success on requests for proposals (RFPs), your CIO wants to get the software development processes to CMMI level 3. Your organization has started developing software applications and database systems for their customers. The CIO wants to ensure that the software development and database development processes are being properly managed and audited, and he wants to ensure that the organization begins taking the necessary steps to progress to CMMI level 3. In preparation for your response, review the CMMI information available at the Carnegie Mellon Website, located at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/.
IT managers will commonly manage software development and systems integration activities. Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
Describe the software engineering process, the challenges in managing software development activities, and the potential interface issues from the software development perspective.
Analyze the CMMI levels and define a roadmap that the organization will need to follow in order to get their software development processes to CMMI level 3. Note: This is important because the CMMI level that an organization achieves impacts their software development reputation.
Explain the auditing tasks that must be performed in order to achieve level 3.
Determine the continuous assurance auditing activities that the organization will need to implement to help achieve CMMI level 3.
Analyze the ITIL service management guidelines and principles.
Examine how ITIL service management practices relate to CMMI levels and continuous service auditing.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Describe the process of performing effective information technology audits and general controls.
Describe information technology general controls based on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices.
Describe the various general controls and audit approaches for software and architecture to include operating systems, telecommunication networks, cloud computing, service-oriented architecture and virtualization.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in information technology audit and control.
Write clearly and concisely about topics related to information technology audit and control using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
Case Study 2: HIPAA and IT Audits
Due Week 7 and worth 125 points
Imagine you are the Information Security Officer at a medium-sized hospital chain. The CEO and the other senior leadership of the company want to ensure that all of their hospitals are and remain HIPAA compliant. They are concerned about the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules and its impact on the organization. You begin looking at the information provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, located at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/index.html. Specifically, you are asked to provide an analysis of two (2) of the cases found here with emphasis on what was done to resolve the compliance issues.
Section 1. Written Paper
Non-compliance with HIPAA regulations can result in significant fines and negative publicity. To help ensure that your organization remains in compliance with HIPAA regulations you have been asked to write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
1a. Create an overview of the HIPAA Security Rule and Privacy Rule.
1b. Analyze the major types of incidents and breaches that occur based on the cases reported.
1c. Analyze the technical controls and the non-technical controls that are needed to mitigate the identified risks and vulnerabilities.
1d. Analyze and describe the network architecture that is needed within an organization, including a medium-sized hospital, in order to be compliant with HIPAA regulations.
1e. Analyze how a hospital is similar to and different from other organizations in regards to HIPAA compliance.
1f. List the IT audit steps that need to be included in the organization’s overall IT audit plan to ensure compliance with HIPAA rules and regulations.
1g. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
Section 2. Network Architecture
2a. Create a network architecture diagram (using Visio or an open-source equivalent to Visio for creating diagrams), based on the description of the network architecture that you defined above for the organization to be compliant with HIPAA regulations.
2b. Include in the diagram the switches, routers, firewalls, IDS / IPS, and any other devices needed for a compliant network architecture.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Describe the process of performing effective information technology audits and general controls.
Explain the role of cybersecurity privacy controls in the review of system processes.
Describe the various general controls and audit approaches for software and architecture to include operating systems, telecommunication networks, cloud computing, service-oriented architecture and virtualization.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in information technology audit and control.
Write clearly and concisely about topics related to information technology audit and control using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
Term Paper: Managing an IT Infrastructure Audit
Due Week 10 and worth 210 points
This assignment consists of four (4) sections: an internal IT audit policy, a management plan, a project plan, and a disaster recovery plan. You must submit all four (4) sections as separate files for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the section of the assignment it is written for. Additionally, you may create and /or assume all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.
Imagine you are an Information Security Manager for a large national retailer. You have been hired to be directly responsible for the planning and oversight of IT audits. At the request of the Board of Directors, the CEO has tasked you with developing a plan for conducting regular audits of the IT infrastructure. The planning and management aspects of IT audit are critical to the overall success of the audit, and as a result, the overall success of the systems implemented within the organization. You must develop a policy for conducting IT audits and develop a project plan for conducting two week IT audits.
In addition to the typical networking and Internetworking infrastructure of a medium-sized organization, the organization has the following characteristics:
They have a main office and 268 stores in the U.S.
They utilize a cloud computing environment for storage and applications.
Their IT infrastructure includes Cisco workgroup and core switches, Cisco routers, Cisco firewalls and intrusion prevention systems, and servers running Microsoft Windows Server 2012.
They have over 1000 desktops and approximately 500 organization-owned laptops in the main headquarters.
They allow employees to bring their own devices into the organization; however, they are subject to being searched upon entry and exit from the building.
They enable remote access to corporate information assets for employees and limited access to extranet resources for contractors and other business partners.
They enable wireless access at the main office and the stores.
They process an average of 67.2 credit card transactions per hour every day at each location and via their corporate Website.
Section 1: Internal IT Audit Policy
Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:
1. Develop an Internal IT Audit Policy, which includes at a minimum:
a. Overview
b. Scope
c. Goals and objectives
d. Compliance with applicable laws and regulations
e. Management oversight and responsibility
f. Areas covered in the IT audits
g. Frequency of the audits
h. Use at least two (2) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Section 2: Management Plan
Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:
2. Explain the management plan for conducting IT audits, including:
a. Risk management
b. System Software and Applications
c. Wireless Networking
d. Cloud Computing
e. Virtualization
f. Cybersecurity and Privacy
g. BCP and DRP
h. Network Security
i. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Section 3: Project Plan
Use Microsoft Project or an Open Source alternative, such as Open Project to:
3. Develop a project plan which includes the applicable tasks for each of the major areas listed below for each element of the IT audit mentioned above; plan for the audit to be a two (2) week audit.
a. Risk management
b. System software and applications
c. Wireless networking
d. Cloud computing
e. Virtualization
f. Cybersecurity and privacy
g. Network security
Section 4: Disaster Recovery Plan
Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:
4. Develop a disaster recovery plan (DRP) for recovering from a major incident or disaster affecting the organization.
a. The organization must have no data loss.
b. The organization must have immediate access to organizational data in the event of a disaster.
c. The organization must have critical systems operational within 48 hours.
d. Include within the DRP the audit activities needed to ensure that the organization has an effective DRP and will be able to meet the requirements stated above.
e. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Describe the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act and Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) framework.
Describe the process of performing effective information technology audits and general controls.
Describe the various general controls and audit approaches for software and architecture to include operating systems, telecommunication networks, cloud computing, service-oriented architecture and virtualization.
Explain the role of cybersecurity privacy controls in the review of system processes.
Discuss and develop strategies that detect and prevent fraudulent business practices.
Describe and create an information technology disaster recovery plan.
Develop an audit plan and control framework that addresses and solves a proposed business problem.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in information technology audit and control.
Write clearly and concisely about topics related to information technology audit and control using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
