What are information assets? Examples

Our life is constantly complicated in all areas. New and unprecedented approaches, technologies, and assets are emerging. For modern large enterprises, information assets play a large role. What are they?

general information

Before embarking on the main topic, let's touch on the necessary theoretical minimum. Namely, let's talk about information. It is one of the most important production assets, on which the efficiency of the enterprise and its viability largely depend. This can be either the secret of creating a certain product, or internal financial data. Any more or less large organization has its own information assets, regarding which it is very undesirable that they fall into third parties. Therefore, storage and security issues are acute.

About general concepts

To successfully deal with all the data presented, you need to know a few points:

1. Information Asset. This is the data with the details that allow identification. They are valuable to a particular organization and are at its disposal. Presented on any tangible medium in a form that allows it to be processed, stored, or transferred.
2. Classification of information assets. This is a division of the organization’s existing data into types that correspond to the severity of the resulting consequences as a result of the loss of their important properties.

As you can understand, not only individual numbers and their explanations are important, but also the ability to quickly use them, protection against unauthorized access, and a number of other points. When the information assets of the enterprise are allocated and formed, the question arises of their correct classification with subsequent security. Why so? The fact is that with the help of classification it is possible to draw up key metrics for the information used - its value, power of influence on the enterprise, requirements for provision / maintenance / protection and the like. Largely depends on how the data will be processed and protected. In addition, there are a number of regulatory standards that require a mandatory inventory of information assets of the organization. Although there is no single procedure for this.

A little bit about classification for enterprises

The data approach depends on the conditions and what we are dealing with. Consider information assets as an example of a private enterprise. The classification is carried out in order to provide a differentiated approach to data, taking into account the level of their criticality, which affect the activities, reputation, business partners, employees and customers. This allows you to determine the economic feasibility and priority of various measures for the formation of information security of the enterprise. In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, there are:

1. Publicly available (open) information.
2. Personal Information.
3. Information containing information that constitutes bank secrecy.
4. Data that relates to trade secrets.

How to evaluate their importance? For this, special models are used. Let's take a closer look at them.

Classification models

Most often, two of them are found:

1. One-factor classification. Based on the degree of damage. It's easy here. Consider a small example. Assets of the information system are distributed into four blocks depending on the degree of probable damage caused by data leakage.As an example - minimal, then - medium, high and finally - critical. If an uncertain circle of people knows who the director accepts in his office today, then this can be classified as a minimal type of damage. But if information about the bribery of a state official leaks to the prosecutor’s office, this is a critical situation.
2. Multivariate classification model. Based on three classic parameters. In this case, all information is of interest in terms of confidentiality, accessibility and integrity. For each item requirements are affixed separately - high, medium, low. Together they are evaluated, for example, as critical or basic importance.

About classes

In order to evaluate information assets as efficiently as possible and shifted from quantity to quality, classes can be introduced that will reflect the value of the data and the level of requirements for them. In such cases, usually distinguish:

1. Open class. In this case, there are no restrictions on distribution and use, there is no financial damage from fame.
2. For administrative use. For internal use. No financial damage. But other types of losses may arise for employees of the organization or the entire structure.
3. Confidential. Intended use is provided when working with clients and counterparties. The disclosure will bring financial damage.

About Confidential Data

Such information can conditionally be divided into several categories. The first two are used in commercial structures, the rest, as a rule, exclusively by the state:

1. With restricted access. Intends use by a certain circle of employees of the organization. Financial damage is usually valued at up to a million rubles.
2. Secret Provides for the use of exclusively certain members of the leadership of the organization. Financial damage usually starts at a million rubles.
3. Top Secret. This data is from the military, economic, foreign policy, intelligence, scientific and technical spheres, operational and investigative activities, the disclosure of which may harm the ministry or industry in one or more of these areas.
4. Of particular importance. This data is from the military, economic, foreign policy, intelligence, scientific and technical spheres, operational investigative activities, the disclosure of which can cause significant damage to the Russian Federation in one or more of these areas.

How are information assets handled?

Let's look at one of the possible algorithms:

1. Identified information assets that exist in any form (electronic and paper documents, data streams, flash drives, etc.) that circulate between departments in the organization. All this is collected, specified, and a large scheme is built on which everything is displayed.
2. We are doing the same, but with respect to each individual unit.
3. Information assets are tied to the infrastructure in which they are stored, it is noted through which channels are transmitted, where and in which systems they are contained and the like. There is one important point here! This item provides for work with each individual information asset. For him, the entire environment is drawn (the more detailed, the better, because it will be easier to identify threats). You need to display the transmission ports, channels, and more.
4. We take all the best practices and reclassify them using characteristics such as confidentiality, accessibility, integrity.

Life cycle

This is the way this valuable asset goes before its classification. Believe me, information security plays a significant role, and it should not be neglected. At the same time, considerable attention must be paid to the life cycle.What it is? The life cycle is a set of certain periods after which the importance of the object, as a rule, decreases. Conventionally, we can distinguish the following stages:

1. Information is used in operational mode. This means that she takes part in the production cycle and is constantly in demand.
2. Information is used in archive mode. This means that it does not directly participate in the production cycle, although it is periodically required to carry out analytical or other activities.
3. Information is stored in archive mode.

That’s probably all. What data is stored - an asset information base or something else - is not important. The main thing is to ensure confidentiality, accessibility, integrity. Then you don’t have to worry about the reputation and take the losses.