Technical controls are essential to a well-planned information security program, particularly to enforce policy for the many IT functions that are not under direct human control. Networks and computer systems make millions of decisions every second, and they operate in ways and at speeds that people cannot control in real time. Technical control solutions can improve an organizations ability to balance the often-conflicting objectives of making information readily and widely available of preserving the informations confidentiality and integrity. These technical controls must fit with the physical design of the systems and networks.

Interview a network administrator at your workplace to learn about the type of security controls in place on that network. What types of firewalls are used and for what purposes? Are intrusion detection and/or intrusion prevention systems present? Who monitors them? What different methods are used to protect the networks that operate the organizations record keeping systems? Does the security level vary on different network segments? Prepare a 5- to 7-page paper addressing the results of this interview.