A security plan for network protection and threat assessment Essay

A network security plan proposal is what the institution requires to meet the security requirements for its network operation. Baker, (2001) stated that network plan needs to postulate the people, time and other important raw materials that are needed for the technical development and implementation of the plan. Based on the objectives of the corporation and analysis of the network risks and assets, a appropriate and practical network security plan can be designed. The success of the proposed network plan will depend heavily on the support of the employees in the organization including the technical staff. The plan will go a long way to ensure that medical information, customer records, personnel data, and intellectual property are protected (Baker, 2001).
A security plan for network protection consists of prevention of attacks through implementing measures to defend against destruction, compromise, or modification. Detection of threats is also a phase in securing a network, especially when using the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model at Sunshine Corporation that is prone to breaches (Baker, 2001). In addition, the reaction to security breach by either recovering lost data or restoring network processes to avoid future invasion contributes to a working network security plan. There are several steps involved in the development and implementation of a networks security plan threat assessment, generation of some implementation options, description of the security wheel, passive security monitoring, and application of security policies.
Threat Assessment
In order to protect the organization's network from breaches and attacks, it is crucial to assess the threats that the network is susceptible to (Karygiannis & Owens, 2002). Threat assessment is important and skipping this step could lead to an ineffective and disorganized security policy. In carrying out risk assessment, all the tangible and intangible assets of Sunshine Health Corporation will be taken into account. For each of the technology of the devices used, possible threats that may occur to the network used are recorded (Karygiannis & Owens, 2002). For example, the devices that could be connected to the patients or communication devices between doctors and nurses could be prone to hacking or data theft especially when using wireless networks. The organization database containing all the confidential information of the employees and patients should be prioritized during the assessment (Karygiannis & Owens, 2002).
Generation of Implementation Options
Several implementation options should be generated for the potential threats facing the network at Sunshine Health Corporation. A firewall server could be the best solution to protect databases and also allow limited access to networks that will be provided by the management only when required. Authorization addresses should be used to allow specific clients to access the company's databases (Perrig, Stankovic & Wagner, 2004). Clients should also be warned about using the wireless network of the Corporation to access their personal bank accounts as these may be hacked. Another way would be to use Virtual Private Networks to handle viruses and hackers in the network. VPN ensures that the workers and the company are all protected, as it is both authenticated and