ABSTRACT
Information systems (IS) are a vital organizational resource. They can make the difference between business success and failure and require a substantial budget. The head of the IS department goes by any of several titles, perhaps Director or Vice President of IS. One common title is Chief Information Officer (CIO). The importance an organization attaches to its IS can be seen in where the CIO reports. One way to structure a large organization’s IS function is to put IS personnel in one place. IS offer an excellent career for intelligent, motivated professionals. IS security is ensuring that information resources are available for authorized uses, and only for those. The usual image that comes to mind when one hears “computer security” is criminals trying to steal credit card information from databases or penetrate a bank system to move funds into their own accounts. An organization may have other policies that focus on specific information security areas within the overall policy guidelines.
