Comparison of Internet Usage and Threats Faced by Society and Organizations

This report discusses the positive and negative uses of the internet, the threats faced by society and organizations, and measures for security and privacy online. It also compares two unified communication providers.

Individual Report

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
1. Comparison and contrast in between positive as well as negative uses of internet to society
and businesses.............................................................................................................................1
2. Illustrate threats faced by society and organisation while making use of internet. Along
with this, identify measures for security and privacy when services are being used online.......3
3. Carry out comparison in between two unified communication providers with respect to
distinct features referred by them................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Internet refers to global system of interconnected computer network which makes use of
TCP/IP protocol suite for linking devices worldwide. This implies network of network which
involves government, business, academic, public and private networks of local to global scope
which are associated via optical, wireless and electronic networking technologies (Abomhara and
Køien, 2014). They are being used by firms for rendering their services in an appropriate way by
carrying out research in specified domain as well as analyse what is being done by their
competitors and accordingly itr assists within formulation of strategies. To understand the
concept of internet from research to e-commerce, Microsoft is being taken into consideration. It
is a public company which was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
There products comprises of Windows, Office, Visual Studio, mobile, software and many others.
This report involves comparison and between antagonistic & optimistic usage of internet, threats
being faced by firms and unified communication providers.
1. Comparison and contrast in between positive as well as negative uses of internet to society and
businesses.
The global wide area network which is liable for connecting computer systems around
the world is referred to as internet. This involves different high-bandwidth data lines which acts
as backbone of internet (Alrawais and et. Al, 2017). These lines are connected with one other
through hubs, ISPs and web servers. Internet imply the place where different kinds of
information is present and also assist within carrying out communication. Internet offers
enhanced communication, information learning, entertainment, social network and electronic-
commerce. It enables them to have impelling services and acquire knowledge with respect to
this. Internet renders both affirmative and pessimistic impacts on the both firms as well as
organisations. Affirmative uses of internet are illustrated below:
 Easier to do research: Before individuals went to libraries for having access to different
research topics but through utilisation of internet subscription can be made for online
journals or browsing is carried out for having specified information for developing
conceptual framework. More research are being published which leads to generation of
knowledge (Andrea, Chrysostomou, and Hadjichristofi, 2015). Apart from this, it will
render individuals to search for job opportunities, watch TV shows or read something.
1

 Interact with individuals quickly: At present time person can communicate with
anyone through online mediums. For this, services like gmail and Skype can be utilised
for enabling individuals to interact within any part of the globe where internet services
exist (Chasaki and Mansour, 2015). Along with this, face to face, emails and pictures can
be sent which makes it easy for being in contact.
 Possibility for earning from home: Internet enables to earn online by filling up forms,
by clicking on advertisement or writing. Information acts as a valuable asset for which
people are willing to pay. By posting advertisements online, sellers and manufactures
can have higher possibility for selling their products. Like eBay, Amazon, etc.
 Quick business transactions and affordable products: Buyers as well as sellers can
carry out transaction via online paying facilities such as credit cards or Paypal.
Individuals can search online as well as chose products as per their choices. At present
scenario, all the brick & mortar stores have their own website which enables them to buy
products easily and sometimes even without shipping charges.
 Savings on travel cost: Internet enables individuals of Microsoft to opt for
teleconferencing which means that they need not to physically move anywhere its just
talking about matters (Gupta and Jha, 2015). This saves travelling cost in terms of
travelling costs, conference rooms and it becomes easy to communicate around the
world.
The negative uses of internet are specified below:
 Individuals get addicted to online games: This is the worst aspect which is being
rendered by internet as when people get addicted then they spend most of time in this
which could have otherwise utilised within something else.
 Pornography is rampant: Anyone who makes use of internet can upload any kind of
pornographic material either for fun or just for commercial purposes. This will lead to
corrupt minds of young people which are not appropriate for them.
 Loss of human touch: People are addicted to online tend activities that leads them to
forget real world people also exist within their surrounding who have socialisation needs
(Hossain, Fotouhi and Hasan, 2015). This denotes that significance is given to virtual
environment or people rather than real ones. Internet has evolved so much that they even
do not communicate with their family members in an unwanted manner.
2

 Criminal elements use fro malicious intents: Unsuspecting internet users become
victims of criminal activities that meddle them to carry out nasty with debit or credit card
or with emails. Phishing or spooling leads to mislead business transactions that are being
carried out. Each day some news are there with respect to frauds related with stealing and
hacking.
2. Illustrate threats faced by society and organisation while making use of internet. Along with
this, identify measures for security and privacy when services are being used online.
In context of computer security, threat is defined as anything which is liable for causing
serious harms for a system. It is something which may or may not occur but possess potential for
creating a serious damage (Hwang, 2015). While making use of internet there is maximum
probability that attacks may occur if precautions are not being taken. An instance can be taken to
understand this aspect like email can be received by individuals which may seem authentic and
user may click on links provided within by taking it as something important. The credentials may
be asked which will directly go into the email of intruders. The link will seem identical to the
original or related with something important like
http://www.fuizesbooks.com/update/index9.php, which will redirect them Facebook page and
user might enter their details within as an hope to have access to books. Similarly, many other
things can be carried out for having access to systems of users. Thus, employees of Microsoft
need to be careful while making use of internet in terms of what they are clicking on and
viewing. Threats which can be created on services rendered by Microsoft are illustrated below:
Digital divide: The uneven distribution in context of access to, usage of or influence of
ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) among any number of unlike groups. They
might be dependent on geopolitical, geographical or social criteria (Lee and at. Al, 2014). It
denotes the difference in between the one who have access and who do not have to ICT. The
digital divide with respect to future will not only be associated with connectivity but also with
security. In context of society, this has created assortment within community as there exists a
class of person who have access to internet and other class might not have due to certain reasons.
There are certain factors which contributes within digital divide in society like ethnicity, race and
age. This has created rise in new alignments with respect to individuals who have access to
internet services and those who do not have. With respect to organisations such as Facebook,
Instagram and many others are there who allow individuals to carry out communication but there
3

exist a gap as each individual is not having knowledge related with these aspects. With respect to
Microsoft, there exist gap in between the skill levels of workforce, this leads to slow down
within the productivity. An instance can be taken to acknowledge this like if employees are not
able to make use of technology then this gap will increase (Lee and et. Al, 2015). It can be
prevented by management of Microsoft by ensuring that appropriate training is provided to their
employees so that each individual can have skills and competency.
Trojan Horses: A type of software or malicious code which appears to be legitimate but
posses the ability for taking control of computer is referred to as trojan horses. They are
formulated for creating damage, disruption, stealing or carry out other harmful actions on
network or data. It acts like a bona fide file or an application for tricking you which will lead an
individual to load as well as execute the malware within system. For an instance, trojan horse
virus acts as an delivery service for the harm this creates. This is liable for carrying out peculiar
task for which they have been designed and victim will not be aware of threat as it appears as an
legitimate program, friendly & useful but this definitely creates a pessimistic impact on overall
operations of individuals (Mahmoud and et. Al, 2015). In context of its threat on society, black
chain prevailed which imply that systems were attacked as well as damage was suffered by
various people. An instance can be taken like by the usage of Fuyun (Trojan virus) around
10,000 Yuan were stolen in a month. With respect to Microsoft, if trojan horse attack is made
then there is higher probability that victim's computer will be attacked, this might lead to
corruption data and even crash of operating system. This imply that there will be worst impact if
data is stolen. This can be prevented by making use of rigorous anti-malware solutions like
Kaspersky anti-virus which is responsible for detecting as well as preventing attacks.
Backdoor: A method for bypassing encryption or authentication in a system, embedded
device or their embodiment is referred to as backdoor. Basically, it imply methods by which
authorised or unauthorised individuals can get over normal security measures by gaining higher
level user access within the system, application or network. Developers of Microsoft may create
backdoor by which they can access operating system or application for troubleshooting. But
normally attacks are being carried out through their utilisation as an exploit (Nawir and et. Al,
2016). With respect to society, the backdoor are left by vendors and administrators for
supporting users. They are secured but still they acts as an attractive target for intruders for
malicious use as they enables them to gain control to machine remotely. The society will have to
4

face worst impact if someone else gets into their system and same goes for organisations. For an
instance, Microsoft provides cloud services to their system but if any backdoor will be there then
data of their all the clients can be accessed. This will not only impact Microsoft but also their
clients. For preventing this, firewalls can be configured so that any unwanted user do not get
entry within the system along with this remote network monitoring must be encouraged (Prince
and et. Al, 2014).
Zombies: It denotes a system which is connected with internet and has been attacked by
trojan horse, computer virus or hacker fro carrying out harmful tasks one or other under remote
directions. Botnets of such computers are being utilised for sending spam emails as well as
launching denial of service attacks. Here, intruder who aims at creating harm or mischief will
secretly infiltrate victims system and utilise it for carrying out an illegal activity. With respect to
society there will be pessimistic impact as with growing sophistication advantage is being taken
by programs which install themselves secretly and collective power is being utilised for carrying
out internet crimes. If system of Microsoft are attacked then it will hamper their brand image and
their customers will not opt for services that are being rendered by them (Puthal and et. Al,
2016). It is important for individuals as well as society to ensure that they have antivirus
software installed within the system and also they must be activated so that current version is
stored within the system.
3. Carry out comparison in between two unified communication providers with respect to distinct
features referred by them.
The service provider who are liable for transporting information via electronic means like
telecommunication are referred to as communication services provider. This is a broad term that
is being utilised for two-way communication as well as broadcast services (Rahman, Daud and
Mohamad, 2016). The two unified communication providers which can be taken are, Microsoft
and Oracle.
Oracle corporation is headquartered within Redwood Shores, California. It is a public
organisation which was founded in 1977 and they serves worldwide. The products provided by
them include oracle cloud, database, enterprise manager, storage, servers and many others.
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational firm which renders their services within
software development, consumer electronics, computer hardware, social networking services,
5

corporate venture capital, cloud computing and many others. The features provided by them are
illustrated beneath:
Cloud deployment: With respect to Oracle, they provide there customers with two
services, they are PaaS (Platform as a service) which renders firms with database as well as
middleware components which is needed for application and other is IaaS (Infrastructure as a
service) this permit users to request physical infrastructure which is required for running
applications (Roman, Lopez, and Mambo, 2018).
In context of Microsoft, there are different options which are provided by them like
Office 365 is provided by Microsoft and it is a SaaS (Software as a service) which is liable for
providing MS Office suite, Exchange & Lync Server and Share point server. Windows Azure
provides both IaaS and PaaS which enables windows server OS as well as other features are
made available like a service.
Call management: Oracle's click-to-call cloud service furnish personal, fast, interactive
voice assistance to online customers when they require it. If caller is on website when call is
made then they can suggest them to move to specified web page or co-browse site to assist
complete forms as well as carry out transactions (Schiefer, 2015).
Microsoft is providing cloud auto attendants who are liable for creation of menu system
for firm which allows internal as well as external callers to move within the menu system for
locating, placing and transferring calls users or different departments within the organisation.
Office 365 enables users to answer inbound calls by touching as well as placing outbound calls
by dialling entire phone number or clicking name in Skype.
Unified messaging: This denotes a business term that is used for integrating distinct
electronic messaging along with communication media technologies within respective interface
that is accessible from distinct devices. Oracle communications unified suite is messaging as
well as collaborative applications that are set on extensible platform. Oracle renders back-end
software which enables individuals to store, receive as well as manage distinct types of messages
like voice, email, fax, off the shelf, video on one and cost effective system (Zhang, Cho and
Shieh, 2015).
Microsoft exchange server is liable for managing voice mails for distinct environments as
well as act as auto-attendant service. It enables them to have central environment for messages
6

from third-party PBX systems. This leads them to interact directly within online environment
through usage of SIP protocol (Abomhara and Køien, 2014).
Instant messaging: Oracle's communication server renders scalable, secured, rich and
extensible communication as well as collaboration platform. This enables telecommunication
service providers, government agencies, educational institutes and financial service firms to have
a leverage to instant communication for creating highly real time environment for connected
employees, partner communities and customers.
Microsoft via use of instant messaging can keep their team connected and assist them
within fast paced decision making. Along with this, it renders enhanced flexibility, thereby leads
to enhanced productivity of teams of distinct sizes and leads to add value within the business.
Team collaboration: Oracle project collaboration enables team members for
collaborating as well as communicating easily within their efforts for reviewing as well as
completing project work. Through having complete visibility for specified issues, deliverables
and tasks, both external and internal team members can work in an by coordinating in an
effective and secured manner for formulation of quick decisions (Alrawais and et. Al, 2017).
Microsoft teams is collaboration hub which is built near about group chat for fast
growing list of connection for apps which are needed by teams. One to many messages can be
sent for collaborating with external users as well as co-workers.
Cost unified communication: Oracle provides support for carrier grade availability and
reliability which enables enterprises for collaborating at lower cost with respect to competing
solutions which allows service providers for owning to communication experience.
Microsoft makes use of unified communication methods for formulation of quick
decisions instantly by usage of video conferencing, phone calls, messages and many others.
Integration: A unified platform is provided by Oracle in which applications can be
integrated, process can automated, creation of application and analysis of results. This enables
individuals to connect with cloud as well as on-premises applications for having real-time
analytics (Andrea, Chrysostomou, and Hadjichristofi, 2015).
Microsoft's Azure renders integration services for bringing in together API management,
service bus, event grid and logic apps as a scalable & reliable platform for merging cloud based
as well as on-premises applications, data as well as processes around the enterprise.
7

Conclusion
From above it can be concluded that, internet is defined as globally connected network
system that is liable for making use of TCP/IP for transmitting data through different types of
media. This involves network of global exchanges which comprises of government, academic,
business and private network which are connected through distinct technologies. There exist
certain threats which must be identified by organisation to ensure that services are being
rendered in an appropriate manner without any kind of harm from third person. Furthermore,
each service provider renders different services to their consumers as well as employees with
unique features which enables them to render their services in an impelling manner.
8

References
Books & Journals
Abomhara, M. and Køien, G.M., 2014, May. Security and privacy in the Internet of Things:
Current status and open issues. In 2014 international conference on privacy and
security in mobile systems (PRISMS) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
Alrawais, A. and et. al, 2017. Fog computing for the internet of things: Security and privacy
issues. IEEE Internet Computing, 21(2), pp.34-42.
Andrea, I., Chrysostomou, C. and Hadjichristofi, G., 2015, July. Internet of Things: Security
vulnerabilities and challenges. In 2015 IEEE Symposium on Computers and
Communication (ISCC) (pp. 180-187). IEEE.
Chasaki, D. and Mansour, C., 2015. Security challenges in the internet of things. International
Journal of Space-Based and Situated Computing, 5(3), pp.141-149.
Gupta, A. and Jha, R.K., 2015, May. Security threats of wireless networks: A survey.
In International Conference on Computing, Communication & Automation (pp. 389-
395). IEEE.
Hossain, M.M., Fotouhi, M. and Hasan, R., 2015, June. Towards an analysis of security issues,
challenges, and open problems in the internet of things. In 2015 IEEE World Congress
on Services (pp. 21-28). IEEE.
Hwang, Y.H., 2015, April. Iot security & privacy: threats and challenges. In Proceedings of the
1st ACM Workshop on IoT Privacy, Trust, and Security (pp. 1-1). ACM.
Lee, C. and at. al, 2014, October. Securing smart home: Technologies, security challenges, and
security requirements. In 2014 IEEE Conference on Communications and Network
Security (pp. 67-72). IEEE.
Lee, K. and et. al, 2015, September. On security and privacy issues of fog computing supported
Internet of Things environment. In 2015 6th International Conference on the Network of
the Future (NOF)(pp. 1-3). IEEE.
Mahmoud, R. and et. al, 2015, December. Internet of things (IoT) security: Current status,
challenges and prospective measures. In 2015 10th International Conference for
Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST) (pp. 336-341). IEEE.
Nawir, M. and et. al, 2016, August. Internet of Things (IoT): Taxonomy of security attacks.
In 2016 3rd International Conference on Electronic Design (ICED) (pp. 321-326).
IEEE.
Prince, M.B. and et. al, 2014. Validating visitor internet-based security threats. U.S. Patent
8,850,580.
Puthal, D. and et. al, 2016. Threats to networking cloud and edge datacenters in the Internet of
Things. IEEE Cloud Computing, 3(3), pp.64-71.
Rahman, A.F.A., Daud, M. and Mohamad, M.Z., 2016, March. Securing sensor to cloud
ecosystem using internet of things (iot) security framework. In Proceedings of the
International Conference on Internet of things and Cloud Computing (p. 79). ACM.
Roman, R., Lopez, J. and Mambo, M., 2018. Mobile edge computing, fog et al.: A survey and
analysis of security threats and challenges. Future Generation Computer Systems, 78,
pp.680-698.
Schiefer, M., 2015, May. Smart home definition and security threats. In 2015 ninth international
conference on IT security incident management & IT forensics (pp. 114-118). IEEE.
9

Zhang, Z.K., Cho, M.C.Y. and Shieh, S., 2015, April. Emerging security threats and
countermeasures in IoT. In Proceedings of the 10th ACM symposium on information,
computer and communications security (pp. 1-6). ACM.
10