Reference no: EM132705211

Discussion 1

From the first time I heard about blockchain technology, it seemed incredible but has appeared to be a lot of hype about the technology. I think being able to use technology in a peer-to-peer network where all data changes or modifications are tracked and can't be deleted is neat but very scary at the same time. Imagine what this means for businesses and individual people. Blockchain can be leveraged to take away all privacy completely. Can you imagine how mainstream and social media would react to this technology? It would mean all the questionable activities they do would leave a trail of evidence. If we look at this from a technical view, I will imagine that blockchain requires created resources to be effective. For any of you that work with log files, think of the gigabits of log files your enterprise captures in a month. If every action of blockchain is recorded and hashed globally, how much resources does that require? From one side, it would revolutionize how businesses manage their records. This could be a huge benefit. However, what happens if HR publishes the wrong documents to the public internet? Once the hashing process starts, the records could not be deleted.

But if we pull back for a moment being able to implement non-repudiation efforts using blockchain would be a great ability for organizations that carry out sensitive functions like courts, polices stations, contracting companies, service level agreements and so forth. Currently, blockchain is just a discussion that will take time to implement, just like TCP/IP, which was introduced in the 1970s but did not for many years to come. Blockchain seems to be in the same situation. It will require profound changes from infrastructure, cost, and new data flow processes that we currently cannot achieve. I just hope the hype does not end up like bitcoin mining. We were told bitcoin was uncrackable, but like anything in technology, it soon fell to vulnerabilities as well.

Discussion 2

Blockchain has many uses, only one of which is the platform in which cryptocurrencies operate. Another use of blockchain is secure ledger record keeping. It is in this role that blockchain can be useful within information governance. Using blockchain for information governance has many advantages. One is that blockchain is secure and therefore, likely to not suffer a breach. The entries cannot be modified once entered into the ledger. This blockchain benefit is one of the reasons the use of blockchain technology could transform information governance.

Another reason is that blockchain technology uses a distributed system, so the information is not stored on one central system. By using a distributed system, blockchain is protected against system failures, hardware failures, power lose and so forth, which result in no access to the data if contained on a single system. By using a distributed system, blockchain can embrace the processing power of global Internet systems.

A third reason is that nothing is ever deleted from the blockchain. This makes it the perfect method for storing information governance policies and procedures. Because nothing is deleted, prior versions of all policies and procedures will always be available. This benefit of blockchain technology is another reason its use will transform information governance. However, the benefit to keep and store all prior version of a policy or procedures also means that it is best to have the document correct before placing it on blockchain. Otherwise, if there are 20 updates to a single document for errors, mistypes, and so forth, then all 20 of those updates will remain within the blockchain technology. This is a benefit, but also a challenge, as having all previous versions may be confusing for those attempting to determine which version was in place at some point in time. To prevent confusion, proper record keeping should be maintained outside the blockchain technology which provides details on specific prior version of policies and procedures were not in place for whatever the reason.

Discussion 3

Information governance refers to managing information by various corporate organizations that entail controlling information as a valuable tool in business and any other organizations. Information governance is a crucial tool in any place and organization as the employer should take care of employees' data and any other information related to the organization.

Information shared through the internet is at risk of being hacked by third parties such as hackers. When confidential information being shared by mail is accessed, it damages the image of the involved organization. Therefore, the organization needs to consider emails as part of its information governance to secure confidential information. Access to anyone's data has been dramatically controlled by email access one's story from the email. One will require an email account and a password to access the information he/she wants about someone. One needs a password and email account to access someone's account. Also, before one can access someone's history, there is a security notification sent to the email owner for attempted login. With these security features that email has, it has made access to other people's personal information hard. Hence, email plays a more significant role in information governance.

Information in the email can be stored for some time, and the data can be retrieved easily from the email whenever one needs the information. The email can store important documents such as academic certificates, title deeds, other crucial details, the scanned state, and the documents safely kept. This has made email an essential component in information governance implementation as any information stored in the email is safely stored.

The email has reduced the costs of storing crucial information about people in organizations. The storage of information is done online, and vast data can be stored in email for a long time. Email reduces the cost the organization will spend on purchasing files to store information and the value for constructing the safes for storage of these files containing the vital information. This has also made email to be a component in the frontline in implementing information governance.

There is legal compliance by email, and its formation was concerning all standard submissions to personal information. The information about people, organizations, or companies' email has is entitled to privacy. The email cannot disclose anyone's personal information or any other organization information without the organization's consent and legal procedures. This has made email a trusted platform for many organizations to store their data, and this has made email become a component in information governance implementation.

Discussion 4

Electronic mail (e-Mail) has established itself as the cornerstone of corporate business communications. In the past, many other communication methods were popularly used to discriminate information, such as company memos, bulletin boards, or even face-to-face meetings. However, in today's corporate environment, e-Mail is used more than any other form of communication. E-Mail has many benefits which make it the most popular form of communication. However, with all the great benefits it affords, it also provides some challenges with regards to information governance.

Some of the goals of information governance are accountability, version control and information protection. The use of e-Mail makes information governance more challenging for many reasons. One is that e-Mail communication that is sent outside an organization is generally unsecured. This means that it could be digitally intercepted. Also, an e-Mail can be forwarded, printed and the information contained within the e-Mail could be distributed to anyone. Once information is contained within and sent in an e-Mail it is no longer private and generally no longer secure.

Additionally, there are concerns with version control of documents sent via e-Mail. Once an employee receives an email with an attached policy or procedure, then if an update is later sent, there is no way to ensure that the updated document is the one referenced by the employee in the future. Accurate information governance relies upon complete and accurate record keeping and proper information management methods, which the use of e-Mail makes a challenge.

The use of e-Mail makes it more of a challenge to maintain compliance with local, state and federal regulations as it is difficult for an organization to monitor all e-Mail communication going into and out of their organization. Thus, an employee could violate a regulation, such as discussing a patient's health concerns via email or by sending a student's grades via email. The organization will not know of the violation until someone points it out or a complaint or litigation is filed against them.

E-Mail is a very important business tool but is also very powerful in assisting a business in its growth or being accidently or intentionally used to violate an organization's information governance policies or procedures. It is critical that all organizations conduct regular training on the proper use of e-Mail and what does or does not constitute a violation of their policies, as well as any local, state or federal policies that govern a particular industry. It is critical that all employees are aware of the implications of the use of e-Mail may have in regard to the areas of information governance pertaining to auditing, risk management, legal concerns and industry compliance to all regulations.