Chief Information Security Officer

Assignment 8 Thought Paper 2, Cloud Case Study1

(#8 Thought Paper 2 Cloud)

This is an individual assignment. We can discuss the concept with team members, but each team member conducts their own research and writes their own paper, on their own.

Overviews

This is a thought leadership writing assignment.

Imagine you are the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at a Fortune 500 company. The Chief Information Officer (CIO—usually your supervisor), has just presented her annual report which contains a history of internet-based attacks on the company’s intellectual property. The current architecture is about half based on cloud computing technology and half based on on-premise technology.

The Chief Information Officer (CEO) looks to you with a worried look on her face. She says that she’s unsure about the security of cloud based technology versus that of on-premise, or terrestrial architectures. She does not know whether to continue deploying to the cloud or to pull back from the cloud and go into traditional data centers.

Your assignment is to write a 950-word recommendation for the CEO. This is an executive level assignment; therefore, a high value paper will include the following:

• A short summary of the problem.
• The risks and benefits, in terms of security, of cloud based architectures and terrestrial data centers.
• Qualitative explanation of cost, schedule, and performance parameters.
• Your specific recommendation to the CEO.

Grammar Cautions

1. Please remember it is okay to use simple sentences. Sentence variety (some compound sentences, interspersed with simple sentences) makes writing more interesting. More interesting writing makes a more persuasive argument and is more likely to be ready.

1. Write in the formal register. Avoid idioms and informal expressions that are accepted in verbal speech but have no place in formal writing.

1. Avoid verbosity.

1. Ensure proper number agreement: if a subject is plural the verb should agree.

1. Feel free to refer to Susan Thurman’s The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need2, to improve writing.
2. It is okay to use the GMU Writing Center.
3. It is okay to submit a draft to the instructor for review (1 draft, 1 read) at least 1 week before the assignment is due.
4. Do not plagiarize.

Grading Criteria

• On time delivery
• Persuasive argument
• Appropriate quantitative terminology
• Grammatic and structural perfection

1 This paper assignment was developed by GMU Adjunct Instructor John McLaughlin

2 Susan Summers Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Avon, MA, May 1, 2003 ISBN 1-58062-855-6

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