IT/CYSE 200T

Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society

Students in IT/CYSE 200T will explore how technology is related to cybersecurity from an interdisciplinary orientation.  Attention is given to the way that technologically-driven cybersecurity issues are connected to cultural, political, legal, ethical, and business domains. The learning outcomes for this course are as follows:

  1. Describe how cyber technology creates opportunities for criminal behavior,
  2. Identify how cultural beliefs interact with technology to impact cybersecurity strategies,
  3. Understand and describe how the components, mechanisms, and functions of cyber systems produce security concerns,
  4. Discuss the impact that cyber technology has on individuals’ experiences with crime and victimization,
  5. Understand and describe ethical dilemmas, both intended and unintended, that cybersecurity efforts, produce for individuals, nations, societies, and the environment,
  6. Describe the costs and benefits of producing secure cyber technologies,
  7. Understand and describe the global nature of cybersecurity and the way that cybersecurity efforts have produced and inhibited global changes,
  8. Describe the role of cybersecurity in defining definitions of appropriate an inappropriate behavior,
  9. Describe how cybersecurity produces ideas of progress and modernism.

Course Material

Students in this course have completed a number of activities including an reflection essay, weekly technology and cybersecurity journal,  and several quizzes and exams.

Example One – Write Up: Components of a Business

In this paper, the component of a business I decided to focus on was legal. In this paper, I will describe the main components of a business, why they are important, other components that are noteworthy, the role of IT within a business, and how IT should be organized within a business.

Main Components of a Business

The main components of a business, other than the CEO, are operations, marketing, sales, and human resources (Bowman, 2024). The operations of a business are “all the actions and systems that work together for a company to generate revenue” (Metcalf, 2025). Marketing is how a business determines where a product would fit, along with its pricing, demand, how to promote it, and finding where its target customers are. Unlike marketing, sales deals with the selling of the product, whether face to face, over the phone, or through a website. Human resources establishes fair hiring practices, manages onboarding for new employees, and can settle disputes between employees. HR also “keeps detailed records of employees for legal purposes” (Cooke, 2025).

Legal

Having a legal department within a business helps to make sure the business is compliant with all laws and regulations. A legal department also “takes action in the event of internal and external conflicts” and can manage legal proceedings (Admin, 2024). Legal departments within a business can ensure compliance in “purchasing, business negotiations, or even standard recruitment contracts” (Admin, 2024).

Where IT Fits in an Organization

Information Technology can fit in multiple aspects of an organization, including marketing. In marketing, information technology can collect customer data and track customer behavior, gauge the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, create interactive customer experiences, “solve complex marketing problems, and streamline processes” (Saunders, 2023).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the main components of a business are marketing, sales, operations, and human resources. Information Technology can be fit into marketing and can be used to track customer behavior and create memorable experiences for customers. Another important component of a business is their legal department, which helps to make sure the business is compliant with all laws and regulations. The legal department also helps to enforce contracts and legal proceedings.

References

Admin. (2024, September 10). What is the Role of the Legal Department Within a Company? DiliTrust. https://www.dilitrust.com/what-is-the-role-of-the-legal-department-within-a-company/
Bowman, C. (2024, September). 200T Mod 02A – Components of a Business [Slide show; Google Slides]. Google Slides. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Kpjb-C8XAqeMJHDfhRARxYOES1S42l0D/edit#slide=id.p5
Cooke, N. (2025, January 28). What does human resources do? (with 12 key functions) | indeed.com. Indeed.com. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-does-human-resources-do
Metcalf, C. (2025, January 28). Business operations: What they are and how to improve them | indeed.com. Indeed.com. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/business-operations
Saunders, M. (2023, May 22). Information Technology in marketing management. Digitlab. https://digitlab.co.za/information-technology-in-marketing-management/

Example Two – Write Up: The CIA Triad

The CIA Triad is an important part of cyber security. The triad makes sure that information shared is secure, accurate, and accessible.

What is The CIA Triad?

The CIA Triad is a model used by organizations to guide policies for information security. The triad represents the three pillars of information security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The CIA Triad covers the “three most important concepts within information security” (Chai, 2022).

Confidentiality

In the triad, confidentiality is equivalent to privacy. Confidentiality measures are designed to “prevent sensitive information from unauthorized access attempts” (Chai, 2022). Implementing a confidentiality plan will preserve “authorized restrictions on information access and disclosure” (Cawthra, 2020). An example of confidentiality would be the two factor authentication used when logging in to view the details of a bank account.

Integrity

In the triad, integrity involves maintaining the accuracy and of the data “over its entire lifecycle” (Chai, 2022). Data can’t be altered through transit, and steps need to be taken to ensure data can’t be altered by unauthorized people. An example of integrity would be digital signatures, which can be used as evidence of a login or a message being sent, meaning that it can’t be denied.

Availability

In the triad, availability means that the data should consistently be available to authorized users. This involves “properly maintaining hardware and technical infrastructure” and systems that can hold or display the information (Chai, 2022).

What is Authentication?

Authentication is “the process of proving that you’re who you say you are” (Cilwerner, 2024). This is achieved through verification of the person’s identity or the identity of their device.

What is Authorization?

Authorization is the process of granting an authenticated person access to something. It specifies what you can access and specifically what you can do with it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the CIA triad protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. Authentication and authorization are two different ways to protect data and still maintain the goals of the triad.

References

Cawthra, J. (2020, December). Data Integrity: Detecting and Responding to Ransomware and Other Destructive Events. NIST SPECIAL PUBLICATION 1800-26A. https://www.nccoe.nist.gov/publication/1800-26/VolA/index.html
Chai, W. (2022, June 28). What is the CIA Triad? Definition, Explanation, Examples. TechTarget.
Cilwerner. (2024, March 20). Authentication vs. Authorization – Microsoft Identity Platform. Microsoft identity platform | Microsoft Learn. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/authentication-vs-authorization

Example Three – Write Up: Cyber Roles & Responsibilities

The cyber security role I chose was the Senior Agency Information Security Officer. I chose this role because of its significance to the cyber security team. In this paper, I will explain the role of the Senior Agency Information Security Officer (SAISO) and how it fits into the cyber security team.

Background & Responsibilities of The SAISO

The Senior Agency Information Security Officer (SAISO) serves as the Chief Information Officer’s (CIO) liaison to “the agency’s authorizing officials, information system owners, and information system security officers” (Saiso – Glossary: CSRC). The SAISO is also responsible for implementing and managing an organization-wide information security program and “assuming the role of authorizing official designated representative or security control assessor” when necessary (Nieles et al., 2017). The SAISO is also responsible for carrying out the chief information security responsibilities under FISMA. In some organizations, the SAISO may be referred to as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

The Importance of The SAISO to The Cyber Security Team

The SAISO, or CISO depending on the organization, is important to a cyber security team because they can protect the organization’s infrastructure and coordinate policies and standards relating to cybersecurity. The Senior Agency Information Security Officer provides “cybersecurity leadership, governance and vision” and “operates on collaboration and cooperation” (New York State Office of Information Technology Services, n.d.).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Senior Agency Information Security Officer is the Chief Information Officer’s liaison to authorizing officials, information system owners, and information system security officers. The Senior Agency Information Security Officer, or in some organizations, the Chief Information Security Officer protects the infrastructure of organizations and coordinates policies relating to cybersecurity, making them a crucial part of any cyber security team.

References

Cybersecurity. Office of Information Technology Services – New York State. (n.d.). https://its.ny.gov/cybersecurity

Nieles, M., Dempsey, K., & Yan Pillitteri, V. (2017, June). An Introduction to Information Security. NIST.
Saiso – Glossary: CSRC. CSRC Content Editor. (n.d.). https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/SAISO