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Operational and Organizational Security: Policies and Disaster Recovery• Chapter 12 721

Online Resources

With the resources available on a local network, it would be remiss not to include
them in the scheme of providing education and access to documentation. Policies,
procedures, and other documentation should be available through the network, as it
will provide an easy, accessible, and controllable method of disseminating informa-
tion. For example, administrators can make a directory on a server accessible to
everyone through a mapped drive, allowing members of an organization to view
documents at their leisure.A directory that is only accessible to IT staff can also be
used to provide easy access to procedures, which may be referred to when prob-
lems arise. By using network resources this way, members of an organization are
not left searching for information or left unaware of its existence.
Many companies utilize Web technologies internally to provide a corporate
intranet for members of the organization. Sections of the internal Web site may be
dedicated to a variety of purposes, for example, providing read-only copies of poli-
cies, procedures, and other documentation.A section of the site may even provide
access to interactive media, so that users can train themselves by viewing
PowerPoint presentations,AVI and MPEG movies, and other resources for self-
training.
IT staff and support specialists can also benefit from online resources. No one
in the field of computer technology knows about every piece of software or hard-
ware created.There are too many current and legacy systems to understand, so
relying on the expertise of others is important.When in doubt, consulting
resources on the Internet can be essential to solving problems correctly.
Knowledge bases are databases that provide information on the features of var-
ious systems and solutions to problems that others have reported. For example, if a
user were experiencing a problem with Microsoft software, they could visit their
knowledge base at http://support.microsoft.com. If they were experiencing prob-
lems with Novell software, they could visit their knowledge base at http://
support.novell.com. Many software and hardware manufacturers provide support
sites that contain valuable information. Not using these sites when needed is a mis-
take.
Manufacturer’s Web sites are also valuable to the security and effectiveness of a
network and its systems, as they provide service packs and patches. Service packs
and patches are software that fix known problems and security vulnerabilities.
Failing to install these may cause certain features to behave improperly, or leave a
system open to attacks from hackers or viruses.

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