[Solved] iPremier Denial of Service Attack Crisis Management Case Study

iPremier’s DOS Attack and Crisis Management

From the case of iPremier, it’s evident that data security can lead to serious crisis management issues. The Denial of Service (DOS) attack on the e-commerce company came in the middle of the night to shut down its internet services for its customers. In such cases, managers coordinate data protection strategies, and the reactions and attitudes of the workforce play a significant part in determining the outcome of the contingency plans. Similarly, the DOS crisis scenario revealed the incompetence of the company’s technological capacity due to hardware and software shortcomings (Magee, 2010). iPremier proved insufficiently equipped to handle the crisis because the e-retailing company lacked the technical sophistication and crisis management strategy to handle the DOS attack professionally.

How Would you Describe Ipremier as a Company? What Kind Of Businesses Does it do? Is The Company Resourceful?

iPremier operates in the customer service area and offers its customers various services in the e-retailing business. Products offered by the company have a wide range of prices from fifty to thousands of dollars, though their customers mostly purchase items costing between fifty to a few hundred dollars. Since most iPremier customers purchase items with their credit cards, the company holds many financial records that include confidential credit card data. Consequently, iPremier conducted the services of professional data handlers, Qdata, to manage their information from their operations and website. Due to the intricate nature of their technological business, the company’s IT department is at the core of iPremier operations and requires full-time attention from the IT department and Qdata. In this way, the company proves to be resourceful in meeting its clients’ needs 24/7. However, the crisis that meets both these departments’ undermines the ability of the strategies that iPremier set up to meet and protect their clients’ data.

What is Your Impression of Ipremier’s IT? Is it Technically-Sophisticated? Please Name Some Problems That You See in Ipremier.

iPremier’s IT department proves reliable enough to oversee the company’s online operations as Joanne Riley displayed competency in diagnosing the Denial of Service (DOS). However, the hardware provided for the department was a major setback for the company as Joanne needed to visit Qdata’s data centre to comprehend the crisis level. For instance, Leon Ledbetter could not precisely describe the attack iPremier faced when Bob Turley inquired. As such, the company’s IT department lacked the technical sophistication to manage the crisis that emerged internally. Additionally, Tim reveals that the system is not equipped with enough disk space to allow detailed logging to occur, allowing them to understand the nature of the DOS attack. Similarly, the company hesitated to shift its data handling from Qdata to a better facility due to financial considerations. Thus, the financial resources constraints to the IT section prove to be a problem in protecting the company’s operations.

3. How Would You Describe the Following Parties’ Attitudes/Reactions During the Crisis? Have You Seen Any Problematic Behaviors During the Crisis?

A) Bob Turley.

Bob Turley displayed good leadership through his coordination and leadership skills as he calmly coordinated Joanne’s inquiry from Qdata while handling the involved stakeholders’ calls and inquisitions about the issue. Furthermore, he directs Joanne to offer expert advice to prevent the attack from happening again when it’s finally over, which is a wise reaction to a crisis.

B) Leon Ledbetter

Leon Ledbetter is the first to inform Bob of the DOS attack and conveys the message composed and informatively. Leon’s reaction allows Bob to take the necessary procedures to protect the company.

C) Joanne Ripley

Joanne Ripley’s reaction to the DOS attack is timely as she can quickly take the necessary steps to allow iPremier to understand the nature of the attack.

D) Warren Spangler

Warren Spangler displays an unprofessional reaction to the company’s crisis as he offers Bob no useful information or advice during his call. Instead, Warren jumped to the worst-case scenario involving the company’s stock which did not help the team handle the scenario any better.

E) Tim.

Tim proves his competency in IT by offering Bob informed advice not to pull the cables in the company. As such, Tim reacted promptly and wisely in giving Bob useful information to guide his decision-making.

F) Lawyer

The lawyer did not react professionally to the crisis, as he offered advice in areas in which he was not competent. Furthermore, his reaction came only to shield him from any liabilities following the negative consequences of the DOS attack.

G) Jack Samuelson

Jack Samuelson reacted appropriately to the DOS attack by calling Bob and offering his help to manage the situation. Furthermore, Jack’s calm attitude did not put any pressure on Bob, allowing him to handle the situation better. However, the reaction from the entire workforce revealed a lack of coordination as they offered conflicting opinions on the appropriate way forward. Thus, iPremier needed a comprehensive crisis management strategy to guide Bob’s decision-making.

What Should be the Priorities of Ipremier? How About Bob Turley?

iPremier’s priorities should be to acquire sufficient hardware improvements and upgrades to protect their customers’ data and online operations. The sensitive nature of iPremier’s clients’ information calls for up-to-date maintenance of the IT department and top-class data handling services. For instance, studies show that internet security is a leading concern for e-commerce businesses worldwide (Zhao & Sherry, 2012). Therefore, iPremier’s first priority should be protecting its data despite the financial implications of the required measures. Furthermore, Bob Turley should ensure the IT department gets the necessary resources to offer quality services from the company and shield it from fraudulent activities. Additionally, Bob should ensure the company develops and implements proper crisis management procedures to handle such scenarios efficiently. As such, improving iPremier’s data security should be the company’s main concern, and Bob should ensure the initiative gets the proper resources to prevent the crisis from occurring again.

What Were the Choices of the Ipremier During The Attack? Do You Think the Number Of Options Available is Sufficient? If Not, Why?

iPremier’s choices during the DOS attack got narrowed down to pulling the cables and visiting the Qdata centre to find out more about the attack and try to stop it. As a result, Bob chose to wait for Joanne to work from Qdata’s centre since the system would lose valuable data when disconnected abruptly. It’s crucial for managers to evaluate several crisis management options; in this case, for example, Bob was insufficiently equipped to handle the DOS attack (Meggy 25). Furthermore, iPremier’s crisis binder could not be found in the crucial moments leading to a greater risk in decision-making during the DOS attack. Thus, Bob was ill-equipped to make appropriate decisions as he had limited options and lacked the crisis binder to guide him.

How Much Do You Think Ipremier Should Disclose About This Incident?

iPremier should share as much information with its customers as possible without putting the company at any more risk. Disclosing the incident will allow the company to get ahead of the situation while offering an opportunity to assure clients that it’s taking the necessary steps to prevent it from reoccurring. For instance, research shows that a crisis communication policy helps boost the client’s trust in the company even in times of crisis (Ariffin, Noor, & Siti, 2018). As a result, sharing the information about the attack with the public will give a better outcome for the company than if the information got released by another source. Additionally, since the DOS attack came from external sources, iPremier cannot be assured that the attackers will not share this information. Therefore, iPremier should share this information to offer them a better chance to control the public reaction.

iPremier proved insufficiently equipped to handle the crisis because the e-retailing company lacked the technical sophistication and crisis management strategy to handle the DOS attack professionally. The DOS attack exposed the insufficiency of the company’s IT department and Qdata server services to them. Furthermore, the reactions from the lawyer and Warren conveyed the need for a proper protocol in crisis management involving only related professionals. Consequently, iPremier needed to prioritize its data protection due to the sensitive nature of its client’s information. Additionally, revealing the incident to its customers would help rebuild their trust in the company. Data security offers a big risk for businesses and should be at the core of their investments as a business.

References

Ariffin, S. K., Noor N. K. Ali, & Siti N. A. (2018). The influence of crisis management on customer purchase intention toward cosmetic and healthcare products. Global Business and Management Research, 10(1), 12-29.

Magee, K.(2010) Five steps to better crisis management. PR Week, 24-26.

Zhao, J. J., & Sherry Y. Z.(2012). Retail E-commerce security status among fortune 500 corporations. Journal Of Education For Business, 87 (3), 136-144.