Benefits Elections Systems

Introduction

The Huffman Trucking Company” made a request to have a new “Benefits Election System” in the organization. The present day benefit packages are medical, vision and dental plans for the employees. For the “Benefit Election System”, the storage and management of the information of employees as well as the benefit packages are carried out on a database system. This can be an electronic file or a hardcopy. Irrespective of the method of storage, security measures are supposed to be implemented in order to ensure that there is protection of the privacy of employees and also to preserve the assets of the company against litigation or theft. This paper is going to describe information security specific controls/requirements, which have to be put into consideration for the “Benefits Elections Systems” by Huffman Trucking Company service Request, SR-HT-001. The controls/requirements shall have to address the application layers, system, and security at the network.

Background

The Huffman Trucking Company was founded in the year 1936, in Cleveland Ohio. Beginning form that time, the company has been growing. This company is privately owned and is currently serving the West coast and East coast of the country, offering the carriers services of the goods to the port. Having all this growth, the company intends to ensure that its employee benefits are given with no any problems. Huffman Trucking is looking for a “benefits election system” which will enable the union as well as non-union employees to engage in choosing the most excellent health care benefit in order to meet the needs they have (Huffman Trucking, 2014). Such fresh information system will make it possible to have better tracking of choices that are made by the company’s employees.

There is need to consider a “Benefit Election System” from different angles; like security as well as risk. Company and employee information have to remain safe in order to protect the company from theft of personal and customer information as well as law suits.

A Benefits Election System is “a system that allows employee to elect their benefits in one central location, such as health insurance, Aflac, or vision” (Huffman Trucking, 2014, p. 1). The system makes it possible for the employee to engage in viewing all the benefits and making a choice without necessarily turning in paperwork but instead, signing up for the benefits using the computer. This system enables the employees to look at their information and subsequently make necessary adjustments on their personal information as well, such as telephone numbers and addresses. The information that is stored within the system may be containing much of the company as well as private information and therefore, information security has to be maintained so that addresses, account information, and names cannot be accessed by other people that don’t need or require such information.

Information Security Specific Controls/Requirements

Making sure that the employee information is secure is very important for any organization. The security disaster can be quite destructive to the organization as well as to the affected company employees. In the Huffman Trucking Company’s case, the information that is stored in the database encompass; the names, as well as the social security number and employee personal information that is used for the “Benefits Election System” (Huffman Trucking , 2014, p. 1). The cost of losing information like this usually brings about the same outcome; the damage to a person’s information or loss of the financial resources. In an attempt to eliminate or reduce such risks, a number of requirements have to be established. Such requirements should include; password protection, firewall protection, and risk management software.

Considering firewall protection, this keeps the computer secure from hackers’ intrusion while being connected to the internet. This is carried out by examining electronic data that is coming into and getting out of the computer. Essentially, a good firewall offers protection from interfering eyes. It stops intruders and thieves from having access to the computer, server or workstation. A firewall prevents transfer of confidential information from being transferred from one’s computer to another with no permission. Such information could be employee personal information, bank details or passwords (“Firewall detection”, 2013).

Considering password protection, the company should ensure the employee personal information is secure by requiring each employee to engage in signing in with an assigned private password and username. It should be suggested that each employee changes the password provided and comes up with his or her own. The password may be numeric or alpha and has to be between six and twelve characters in its length. Each and every employee will sign in with the password and username each time he or she enters the system. This password and username will enable the employee to have access to his or her account from a computer either at home or at the workplace. In case it is felt that there is unauthorized access to the account information; in regard to the password, the employee can make a request to have the password changed in order to enhance information security.

On the part of risk management software, this offers an opportunity of managing and reducing risks in an organization in order to assist in protecting the employees’ well-being and reducing expenses. Utilization of “risk management software” offers an opportunity of managing, reporting and reducing risks in an organization. Such kind of software makes it possible for a company to remain on top of the employees’ well-being. An example of this software can be given of DataPipe. This is a “smart and simple modular risk management software solution for collecting and managing environment, occupational health, safety and industrial hygiene data” (“Benefits of Using Risk Management Software”, 2010, p. 1). This system provides “point-and-click reporting” automated e-mail messaging, data exchange utilities, and ‘complete point-&-click customization’ all through the system; from the global level to individual user level. The system offers automated interfacing with instruments, labs, as well as other external systems which can be used to access “enterprise EH&S information” (“Benefits of Using Risk Management Software”, 2010, p. 1). The running of the software can be carried out on a Windows application or Web, and “it is database independent utilizing Oracle, SQL Server or DB2” (“Benefits of Using Risk Management Software”, 2010, p. 1).

Conclusion

In order to effectively implement the Benefits Election System effectively, Huffman Trucking should consider information security specific controls/requirements, which include password protection, firewall protection, and risk management software. This will play a major role in reducing or eliminating risks that associated with the implementation of Benefits Election System and there will better tracking of choices that are made by the company’s employees. It is important to have information security in any particular organization.

References

Benefits of Using Risk Management Software in Industry, (2010). Retrieved from, http://www.prlog.org/10712329-the-benefits-of-using-risk-management-software-in-industry.html

Firewall detection, (2013). Retrieved from, http://www.bullguard.com/bullguard-security-center/pc-security/computer-security-resources/firewall-protection.aspx

Huffman Trucking , (2014). Retrieved from, http://huffmantrucking.0catch.com/ourcompany/index.html