What is information assurance?

“Assurance” in security engineering is defined as the degree of confidence that the security needs of a system are
satisfied.

Information assurance (IA) is the practice of assuring information and managing risks related to the use, processing,
storage and transmission of information. Information assurance includes protection of the integrity, availability,
authenticity, non-repudiation and confidentiality of user data.

Undetected loopholes in the network can lead to unauthorized access, editing, copying or deleting of valuable
information. This is where information assurance plays a key role.

Information Assurance vs. cybersecurity

Information assurance predates the internet, and even though cybersecurity falls under the umbrella of IA, both play
different roles in network security.

Focus

IA focuses on risk management and comes up with guidelines for keeping information secure, whether on physical
(hard drives, PCs, laptops and tablets) or digital (cloud) systems. Cybersecurity focuses on setting up resilient
network architecture to secure digital assets from unwarranted access.

Scope

IA is concerned with the business aspect of information. As a result, the scope is broader. Cybersecurity deals in the
nitty-gritty to protect everything. As a result, the scope is more detailed.

Approach

IA is strategic, dealing with policy creation and deployment to keep information assets secure. It understands how an
organization engages with information, the value of the information and how exposed that information happens to
be. Cybersecurity is technical, dealing with security controls and tools to defend against cyberattacks.

Resources protected

IA protects data and information systems and includes both physical and digital data. Cybersecurity protects all
digital investments, which include information, infrastructures, networks and applications.

Information Assurance vs. Information Security

The NIST defines information security as the process of protection of information and information systems from
unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction in order to provide confidentiality,
integrity and availability.

The differences between information assurance and information security are more than just semantics.

Let’s break it down:

Focus

Information assurance focuses on quality, reliability and restoration of information. Information security focuses on
deploying security solutions, encryption, policies and procedures to secure information.

Approach

IA is not concerned with the specific technology or tools used to protect information. Rather, it is centered around
developing policies and standards. Information security directly deals with tools and technologies used to protect
information. It’s a hands-on approach that safeguards data from cyberthreats.

Scope
IA stresses organizational risk management and overall information quality. As a result, IA has a broad scope.
Information security stresses risk control and agreement. As a result, information security has a detailed scope.

What is the goal of information assurance?

The purpose of IA is to reduce information risks by ensuring the information on which the business makes decisions
is reliable. This purpose is achieved by following:

- Risk management: Businesses face legal fines and penalties if the information in the network is
compromised. IA enables risk assessment to identify vulnerabilities and the potential impact on the business
in terms of compliance, cost and operational continuity. The goal is to mitigate potential threats.
- Encryption at rest and in transit: IA mandates end-to-end encryption to protect privacy by ensuring no
human or computer can read data at rest and in transit except the intended parties. The goal is to help
businesses stay compliant with regulatory requirements and standards.
- Data integrity: Bad business decisions usually stem from bad data. IA focuses on auditing data collection and
tracking process, improving transparency in the organizational process. The goal is to manage data in a way
that a future audit can retrace the process, leading to better decision-making.

Why do we need information assurance?

Adopting good IA best practices provides several benefits:

Operational benefits:

- Resilient business processes

Tactical benefits:

- Easy compliance
- Better understanding of business opportunities
- Commitment from business partners and customers

Strategic benefits:

- Better governance
- Cheaper equity
- More sales
- Lower costs

Organizational benefits:

- Improved shareholder value

How does information assurance work?

Information assurance is a strategic endeavor that extends beyond simply IT. The reality is that the legal and
reputational ramifications that ensue from a data breach affect the entire organization. A proper security framework
helps protect your organization and customers. IA is a work in progress that includes:

- Strategy: Develop Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) readiness by evaluating maturity as compared to
your peers. Utilize key use cases to identify gaps and build roadmaps. Rationalize and prioritize GRC
initiatives by aligning the essential requirements of your information and infrastructure with the
organization’s objectives.
 - Design: Design GRC programs and models to align with organizational policies. Exposures and risks should be
quantified and classified to evaluate defined metrics. Once established, use these findings to define
mitigation steps to manage risk and optimize speed, accuracy and efficiency of resolution.
- Implementation: Implement processes, policies, controls and technology that monitor operations against
key metrics. Measure potential exposures in personnel, processes and technology controls in the context of
IT infrastructure interdependencies.
- Operations: Mitigate exposures through continuous enforcement of policies. Detect violations and measure
outcomes in comparison to your desired state. Use these learnings to continuously improve processes to
maximize synergies and optimize outcomes.

Who is responsible for information assurance?

Conventionally, IA is seen as an incoherent function that is solely exclusive to the IT department. The reality is that
the legal and reputational ramifications that ensue from a data breach affect the entire organization. It is essential to
create a security-centric culture from top to bottom, with a focus on complying with information security
regulations.

What are the five pillars of information assurance?

The CIA triad is considered the first model of information assurance introduced to define effective practices of
assuring information security and integrity. Here are the following five pillars of IA that make information networks
safe against all threats:

- Integrity (protection of information systems and assets)

Integrity

Information sent should always remain in its original state. Integrity means tampering or modification by bad actors
should not occur. Therefore, the primary goal of this pillar is to set up safeguards to deter threats.

Availability

Easy data access helps users seamlessly access important information to perform critical tasks. Availability means
those who need access to information can do so. Therefore, the primary goal of this pillar is to ensure systems
always remain fully functional.

Authenticity

Verify the identity of a user (device) before allowing them to access data with methods like two-factor
authentication, password management, biometrics and other devices. Authenticity means ensuring that those who
have access to information are who they say they are. The primary goal of this pillar is to prevent identity theft.

Confidentiality

Protect private information from getting exposed by any unauthorized users, systems or networks. Confidentiality
means data should be accessed only by those who have proper authorization. Therefore, the primary goal of this
pillar is to avoid IP theft or the compromise of Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of customers.

Non-repudiation

It is important that the information system is able to provide proof of delivery to confirm that the data was properly
transmitted. Non-repudiation means someone with access to your organization’s information system cannot deny
having completed an action within the system, as there should be methods in place to prove that they did make said
action. The primary goal of this pillar is to guarantee that the digital signature is that of the intended party, thereby
granting authorization to the protected information.