Information Technology: Challenges and Improvements for a Global Community - Research Paper

Introduction

The Information Technology field is perhaps one of the most dynamic in the world today. As a result of the continually changing landscape, the area faces a myriad of challenges continuingly, as well as several new improvements that emerge every day. Thanks to the continuously improving technology, access to IT facilities has increased all around the globe, transforming the world into an intricately linked community. The improvements associated with the IT technology make things easier to work with, given the ease of accessibility to information from anywhere in the world. This efficiency, when used productively, could reap enormous benefits for the user, whether individually or as a company (Yuan et al., 2014). However, the efficiency also comes with multiple risks, especially where sensitive information is concerned. The paper looked at the cybersecurity strategies employed by the United States and the United Kingdom to discover the similarities and difference in fighting off new age criminals.

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Similarities

Some of the most common dangers of the ever-evolving Information Technology systems are the vulnerability of data to misuse and targeting by illegal users. The centralization of crucial data in single servers, as is mostly the case in cloud computing, mainly increases the vulnerability and the magnitude of the potential risks resulting from attacks. The chances are further elevated when mitigation measures are not adequately addressed, and in a reasonable time, in a company for instance. Some of the critical factors to look at in formulating a strategy include the financial aspect of the move, the environmental factors as well as the security concerns to be expected from such as strategy (Drum, 2013).

In both the US and the UK cases, the main focus in the strategies is prevention rather than cure. The strategies aim to deter cybercriminals from gaining sensitive information both about the government and financial institutions, which could compromise service delivery in the public and private sector with huge potential ramifications ("United Kingdom's Cyber Strategy," 2016). The strategies adopted by both countries aim to make it harder to target the most vulnerable institutions from cybercriminals rather than focusing on the prosecution of such cases. The reasoning behind this strategies is that pooling resources behind the prevention of attacks would be more economical as opposed to having to deal with the problems when they arise. As such, a proactive approach would be the best strategy to adopt.

Another similarity in the two countries strategies is that they both emphasize on the protection of three public from cyberattacks as a way of protecting the nation at large. In the UK case, the emphasis is on securing the internet traffic and telecommunications traffic from malicious practices. Thus the monitoring of these channels is essential to ensure both the private and public sectors are protected, at the same time giving them the right information to enable them protect themselves. Similarly, the public space takes center stage with the US cyber defense strategy. However, the US aims to achieve this step by fostering a resilient digital economy that would allow the internet users adopt quickly to changes in the technology. Thus the government in this case leads in ensuring the accomplishment of best innovative practices through the federal system, and institutions, with the benefits eventually trickling down to the common internet users.

Differences

While the strategies adopted by both the UK and the US in combating cybersecurity in their respective domains contain numerous similarities, there are several differences in the manner of execution and delivery. For instance, while the public safety is prioritized in both strategies, the manner of enacting these principles have a lot of difference. In the UK cyber defense strategies, the security apparatus is based on the involvement of multi stakeholder internet governance organization ("United Kingdom's Cyber Strategy," 2016). On the other hand, the US government mainly depends on federal institutions such as the FBI as the main contractors in the delivery of cyber security to the public.

Secondly, while the US government aims at centralizing the management and oversight of civilian cybersecurity through its different agencies, the UK government on the other hand prefers to channel information regarding protection from cyber-attacks to civilians through the dissemination of cybersecurity information and public education. Through this angle, one could argue that the US strategy to attain cybersecurity and contain threats is more intrusive, as it potentially violates the citizens' rights to privacy (Trump, 2018). The UK approach on the other hand while being non-intrusive could potentially expose millions to vulnerability given that domestic cybercrime cannot be ruled out at any instance.

Another difference between the two countries cybersecurity approaches also arises from the nature of information management and targeting. The US for instance gives precedence to combating and reporting of cybercrime incidents through the strengthening of partner nations and their capacity to fight these threats. As such, greater focus is placed on the improvement of international cooperation as a weapon against cyberterrorism targeted on the US. On the other hand, the UK approach is more focused on protecting the internal community as opposed to fostering international cooperation. Through their strategy, the UK government places the utmost precedence on protecting itself and the general community from cyberattacks. As such it largely excludes the external community in their fight against cybercrime. While one could argue that the US approach in this case exposes it to external threats, it would also be sensible to say that the UK approach makes it more vulnerable to internal threats, given the focus on warding off external threats.

Cybersecurity has become a big issues in the modern society, not just in the developed, but also in the developed countries. The risks associated with cyber security and attacks are further heightened by the dynamism of the IT world. The US and the UK have thus designed their own different strategies to combat the vices. As discussed above, both these strategies while being beneficial for their countries, have varying similarities and differences. The success and efficiency of these strategies however is largely dependent on the individual country's dedication as opposed the strategies on paper. As witnessed so far however, both these approaches are beneficial to the respective countries based on their interests.

References

Drum, D., Becker, D. A., & Fish, M. (2013). Technology Adoption in Troubled Times: A Cloud Computing Case Study. Journal of Cases on Information Technology (JCIT), 15(2), 57-71.

Yuan, Chi & Honglei, Yu & Yang, Deli. (2014). Cost comparison between cloud computing and traditional data centre. WIT Transactions on Modelling and Simulation. 60. 733-740. 10.2495/SMTA20140831.

Trump, D. (2018). National Cyber Strategy of the United States of America. Washington, DC.

United Kingdom's Cyber Strategy (2016). Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567242/national_cyber_security_strategy_2016.pdf