Security being a top concern for any organisation, choosing the correct security solutions is of utmost importance. Consider an area of information technology (IT) security, such as, network security, e-mail security, database security and so on. Identify and research three different commercial IT security solutions/products for the chosen security area. The three products must target the same security issues. [Note: Instead of IT security specific products such as antivirus software etc. you may also choose to research the security features of products such as database management systems, operating systems and so on.]

Prepare a report providing categorical feature comparison for the three products in the chosen category and make recommendations about the products to assist purchasing decision.

Your report may include the following sections:

Executive overview.
Introduction.
Product description.
Detailed feature comparison.
Conclusions and recommendations.
Reference list

Appendices (if any)

Length of the report:1500~2000 words, excluding references and appendices.

Rationale

This assessment item is aligned with the following learning outcome of the subject:

be able to justify security goals and the importance of maintaining the secure computing environment against digital threats;

Depending on the IT security area chosen, the assessment item also relates to one or more of the following learning outcomes of the subject:

be able to explain the fundamental concepts of cryptographic algorithms;

be able to examine malicious activities that may affect the security of a computer program and justify the choice of various controls to mitigate threats;

be able to compare and contrast the security mechanisms of a trusted operating system with those used in a general purpose operating system;

be able to investigate and justify the use of the access control mechanisms and user authentication processes;

be able to compare and contrast foundational security policies and models that deal with integrity and confidentiality.

Security being a top concern for any organisation, choosing the correct security solutions is of utmost importance. Consider an area of information technology (IT) security, such as, network security, e-mail security, database security and so on. Identify and research three different commercial IT security solutions/products for the chosen security area. The three products must target the same security issues. [Note: Instead of IT security specific products such as antivirus software etc. you may also choose to research the security features of products such as database management systems, operating systems and so on.]

Prepare a report providing categorical feature comparison for the three products in the chosen category and make recommendations about the products to assist purchasing decision.

Your report may include the following sections:

Executive overview.
Introduction.
Product description.
Detailed feature comparison.
Conclusions and recommendations.
Reference list

Appendices (if any)

Length of the report:1500~2000 words, excluding references and appendices.

Rationale

This assessment item is aligned with the following learning outcome of the subject:

be able to justify security goals and the importance of maintaining the secure computing environment against digital threats;

Depending on the IT security area chosen, the assessment item also relates to one or more of the following learning outcomes of the subject:

be able to explain the fundamental concepts of cryptographic algorithms;

be able to examine malicious activities that may affect the security of a computer program and justify the choice of various controls to mitigate threats;

be able to compare and contrast the security mechanisms of a trusted operating system with those used in a general purpose operating system;

be able to investigate and justify the use of the access control mechanisms and user authentication processes;

be able to compare and contrast foundational security policies and models that deal with integrity and confidentiality.