George Information Technology, Inc. (GITI) is a fictional multi-national company providing outsourced financial services to a variety of clients across many industries, including commercial and government entities. GITI specializes in billing and invoicing services, in which GITI receives relevant data from its clients and processes the data to produce the invoices, monthly statements, and other billing items that are sent to GITI's clients' customers. GITI employees serve the company's customers both on-site at customer locations and while working in GITI facilities. GITI employees routinely store data related to multiple clients on their company-issued laptops.

GITI's Chief Information Officer, having read of the numerous data breaches reported among commercial and government organizations, has become concerned about the risk to GITI's customers and potentially the company's reputation if GITI were to experience a similar breach. He has tasked you, the Director of Information Security, to create a new corporate policy regarding the protection of client and company confidential data stored on employee computers, particularly including laptops. Respond to each of the following, taking into account material we have studied in this course regarding threats and vulnerabilities. Cite the pertinent sources used in your answer. Be specific and briefly but fully explain and give reasons for your answers.

a. Summarize the primary vulnerabilities and potential threats that exist for GITI related to the practice of storing sensitive data on laptops. Use your answer to clarify the difference between vulnerabilities and threats (if there are any). In your opinion, which of the risks GITI faces are most significant to the company?

b. What measures would you propose to senior management to try to prevent a breach of data held by GITI? Your response should include recommendations for mitigating vulnerabilities identified in part (a).

c. Discuss the key characteristics of a policy statement and write one specifying employee and company responsibilities for protecting client and corporate data, such as the data stored on employee laptops. Be sure to address requirements for protecting the data from theft, and for rendering the data unusable should it be compromised.