A good security system for protecting electronic data will employ a number of different products, services, and resources which are customized to an agency's particular needs. Not every system or device is appropriate for all agencies. Those responsible for implementing security systems must weigh the potential costs of suffering a loss. Then, consider the value of each method and develop a complete security system that is tailored for the situation. In order to be successful, computer security has to be an on-going management concern.
Software packages are available to help quantify potential exposure to security breaches.
This is a good starting point in determining your need for and development of a plan of action. Users can be assigned a variety of access privileges, such as read only, remote access, specific file or directory access, and ability to upload or download data from a mainframe or network data base. Passwords can be used to control access to terminals, files, records, or even fields within a record. In a password system, users must enter the appropriate password to gain access to the data for which they have been cleared. Multiple levels of passwords can provide entry to different layers of information in an agency data base.