Information Assurance is the current "codeword" for all activity related to computer and network security. Historically, there was just computer security and network security - which makes a lot of sense. You immediately understand what's going on when you see those two descriptions. So why stop using those descriptions and swap it with a mouthful of syllables? There are a number of reasons.
Spending is one reason the term Information Assurance is used. People have to spend twice as much if there are Computer Security and Network Security Experts. However, if you only have an Information Assurance expert, you get twice the capability at half the cost Computer Security and Network Security are very different. One deals with computers exclusively; the other with the networks that the computers are attached. This means that computer security is at risk of being an overloaded term. Computer Security spans many disciplines that deal with forensics, virii, spyware, and many other security issues. Network Security deals with network hardware & software. This includes the usage of devices like Network Firewalls, Monitors, Scanners, Intrusion Detection Systems, and Intrusion Prevention Systems. Certainly there are professionals that specialize in both and, as may be expected, their services are often more costly.
A not so obvious reason Information Assurance is used as a term concerns traditional security companies. Security in business and government parlance really means Physical Security. Physical Security is exactly what it sounds like: guards, padlocks, & alarms. It is anything that secures tangible physical objects.
Another catalyst for Information Assurance is due to the complexity of developing secure and easy-to-use applications. The same guards monitoring building alarms should be monitoring Information Assurance alarms. Imagine the cost-savings if the building security guards could monitor computer and network security devices. Technical limitations in data collection, correlation, and display currently prevent this cost-savings.
This is where Lomin LLC comes in, Information Assurance is really just plain-old security. Lomin LLC specializes in researching and designing tools and techniques to simplify Information Assurance tasks. We want to make Information Assurance as easy as possible. We do this by acting as an information clearance-house and integrating that information into innovative user interfaces.
