As the Internet as become an integral part of companies' business operations, security on the Internet has also become an important issue for companies. It is no longer enough for companies to be concerned only with employee data or customer data that is contained completely within the standalone computers that characterized the corporate world in the 1970s and 1980s. With the rise of the Internet, computer networks are now open to the entire world, and customers, vendors and employees are demanding that companies safeguard their information. This research considers the issues that surround Internet security and how companies are approaching these issues.
Network security must be concerned with protecting the integrity of the data used by the company for its operations. Sales, costs, marketing information, customer information, and similar data must be accurate in order for the company to be able to function at even the most rudimentary level. This means that if the company sells 10 units for $37 per unit, it is recorded accurately as a sale of $370, recorded in accounts receivable appropriately, set up for delivery based on the contract, and have inventory quantities adjusted, as well. This is sometimes referred to as data integrity (Larson et al, 2003).
At the same time, that information must be kept secure from prying eyes, or from individuals with more nefarious purposes. Companies want to keep competitors from learning information about the company's operations, and they have a responsibility to their vendors and their customers to keep that information secure. This is important when companies are dealing with other companies in a business-to-business environment, but can be even more critical when companies are dealing with the public through Internet sales. If a company is unable to protect the security or the privacy of its Internet customers, those customers are likely
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