Understanding Digital Footprints and Digital Risk Management

Internet connectivity has become a large part of nearly everyone’s daily routine. Whether through personal or professional use, this technology has been engrained in our society. With this connectivity, the amount of personal information as well as organisation's traces made available to the public has dramatically increased risk. An approach to digital risk management should begin with an understanding of the organisation’s digital footprint. In this assignment, you are expected to produce 2000 words report where you will explore the concept of digital footprint, analyse what a bad digital footprint looks like? Assess why digital footprints can be dangerous for individuals or an organisation, what could be done to build a good digital footprint or erase a bad one? And finally, critically analyse the digital footprint of an organisation of your choice.

Your report should reflect wide background reading and you should support your critique with appropriate examples from available academic and practitioner literature using the Harvard referencing system.

PLEASE NOTE: In answering this question it is strongly recommended you draw on academic as well as practitioner sources to support your analysis. Several major consulting companies offer very insightful reports which may be relevant. Professional (non-academic) publications such as Computer Weekly may also be useful. Journals in the areas of Information Systems, E-Commerce, Procurement, Economics and General Business and Management will be appropriate to utilise when developing your answer.

Assessment Guidance (more information about expectations)

The report should be in a page numbered report format and include the following:

Your assignment must be word processed and presented in a report format with simple sub-headings. The word count should be 2,000 words +/-10% (tables, diagrams and appendices are excluded from the count), in Arial 11pt, single spaced and with 2-inch margins.

• The quality of your presentation and referencing is important. Please, use the Harvard Referencing System.
• Your tutor will be looking for content that addresses the key elements of the assignment brief.
• Look at the check list as it offers a guide as to how the marks will be distributed.
• Use the percentages as a guide to how to distribute your word count.
• Feedback on assignments for each individual will be provided electronically via TURNITIN.
• A student may request an individual appointment to discuss feedback with the tutor by requesting an appointment at the end of a class or by email.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

• Evaluate, and discriminate between, sources of digital information and data.
• Appraise the concept of the ‘organisational digital footprint’, assessing how this impacts upon an organisation.
• Synthesise different sources of information to produce applied and impactful solutions.

Your grade will depend on the extent to which you meet these learning outcomes in the way relevant for this assessment.