Information Tactics For Managing Risk; Building An Internet Centric Intelligence System
Tactical Intelligence can be used to detect or monitor new types of security threats, scams and other developments of concern to merchants, banks and card issuers as well as related organizations. Using free Internet resources a system can easily be created that will alert key individuals to events and trends that may threaten their interests.
A growing number of “automatic systems” are available at certain Internet sites that permit the user to specify specific items of interest (key words or phrases). The systems search 24/7 and when a specified item is found an alert to a cell phone or pager can be generated. Once these automatic systems are set up the user can manage the information using free Internet resources or internal software systems already in place.
An Internet Centric Intelligence System must have a methodology. We have developed the concept of a PROACtive ProcessTM consisting of five steps:
1. Plan
2. Retrieve
3. Organize
4. Analyze
5. Communicate
My presentation will focus on building an Internet Centric Intelligence System using our PROACtive Process and free Internet resources.
Plan
Planning what type of information is required is the first step in building a system to obtain that information. There are many planning tools available but the outline format in a document is simple yet versatile. Using an outline format one can easily list the major categories of required information then use subtopics to be more specific and sub-subtopics to list likely sources of the desired information. Outlines created in most word processing software enable the user to insert hyperlinks. These are used to link to documents or files on a computer or network drive. Hyperlinks also can be used to link elements of the outline to a specific page on a web site. Clicking on a hyperlink embedded in the outline document will open almost any type of file or web address. Linking to another document means that the outline (providing brief phrases or key words) serves as an index. A topic in the index usually has much more detail surrounding it so the topic can be expanded upon in a related linked document. Spreadsheets, presentations and multimedia files can be linked to and opened just as easily. After outlining the specific information a link to an external web site where that information can be found or developed is another step in the planning process. This is used to document the system and it’s sources. The document is saved as a web page (HTML file). It can be opened in an Internet browser and all of the links will work. If the outline and all of its linked elements (documents and files) are kept in one directory on a hard drive then the entire file system can be copied onto a CD-ROM and distributed as needed.
Retrieve
There are many sites where “automatic systems” are available. A notable example is Google’s News Alert capability. One simply performs a news search and is provided results, along with a link that allows the user to obtain new information matching the same search criteria when it is found at a later date. The News Alert is programmed to send the information to an email address “as it happens” or less frequently. Similarly, a Yahoo news search offers RSS capability. RSS stands for “really simple syndication.” Once a news search is performed in Yahoo News the RSS monitoring option is displayed. This enables new articles matching the search criteria to be automatically displayed on a “My Yahoo” page. My Yahoo is a free but highly versatile information management tool that I highly recommend. A My Yahoo user also can set up a “News Clipper.” This differs from News Alerts and RSS because desired articles are automatically found and then saved for up to 30 days. Another key feature of My Yahoo is the ability to set up a mechanism through which specified emails (such as those from a Google News Alert or Yahoo News) can trigger a message to a cell phone notifying the user that monitored information has been received. Other sites may also provide automated retrieval. For example, if a user wanted to be alerted to auctions of “card embossers” on eBay then search criteria can be set up using “My Favorite Searches.” Notification by email can be programmed so the user will be alerted once a day if the specified item is offered at auction on eBay.
Organize
Email folders can be set up and “filters” or email “rules” created. Emails containing specified key words will automatically be routed to a specific folder. Yahoo mail permits simple filters through its email options and such email programs as Outlook and Lotus Notes permit the user to create even more elaborate filters or rules. This enables the user to create numerous automatic systems and manage the resulting information flow. Let’s say that the user has programmed 30 different automated retrievals covering 10 major topics. Ten folders can be created and filters set up so the inbound email is routed to the appropriate topic folder. After the information is reviewed (initially as soon as the situation warrants) it can be saved in a folder for later reference. After a considerable number of individual emails have accumulated the user can employ various search capabilities to find specific items of interest at a given moment. I recommend Google Desktop Search, an extraordinary freeware package from Google.
Analyze
Analysis can be as simple or as complex as a situation warrants. Having original information or data in electronic format makes the job easier. Simple techniques include copying a table of information from a web page and pasting it into a document. Once in the document the information in the table can be sorted for basic analysis. For example, a table containing names and addresses might be presented on the web in alphabetical order by name. If you want to analyze the geographic aspects of the list you can simply sort by Zip Code. More complex analyses also can be performed on Internet-derived information. One example is using specialized “link analysis” software to analyze relationships. Starting at about $1000 these programs enable the user to analyze information gathered from the Internet (as well as other internal information and data files) to determine links among people, places, telephone numbers, organizations, etc. There is a middle ground between simple analysis and more complex methods. Internet derived information can be reconfigured into a type of file that can be imported to spreadsheet and database programs. Using word processor search and replace capabilities a “tab delimited file” .TXT format or .CSV file with comma-separated values can be created. This type of file is easily imported into spreadsheet or database software to analyze the information as in more detail
Commnicate
Information is not intelligence until it is analyzed and communicated. Because all of the information we’ve gathered from the Internet is in electronic form it is easy to incorporate it into reports or presentations. Copyright violations must be avoided and footnotes or endnotes incorporated to document the sources of information. Links in a report can be inserted so the report reader can click on a specific word to open much more detailed information or go to a web site related to the report topic. Links also can be embedded in the footnote or endnote to send the user to the original source information in another file or live on the Internet. Beyond simply creating and distributing reports, newsletters, presentations, etc. the user of an Internet Centric Intelligence system also may wish to create “knowledge centers.” An example of this is a secure Yahoo Group I’ve created for attendees and participants in my seminars and workshops. The DVASEMINAR Yahoo Group is by choice not listed in Yahoo’s directory of groups. An invitation must be received from me by the participant to join. The Group is password protected. It offers a two-way mailing list and folders with files that can be downloaded as well as folders with links to various sites on Internet. Many other functions can be enabled in a Yahoo Group. Large organizations may have an Information Technology staff that can create an internal version of the Yahoo Group for even more security and flexibility. In fact, Lotus Notes (used by many large organizations) has capabilities similar to Yahoo Groups.
Conclusion
Building An Internet Centric Intelligence System using the PROACtive process outlined here provides global tactical intelligence and early warning for any type of user. Management can centralize information for personnel with responsibility for security. This is a major benefit providing due diligence. Also, in many cases, it provides the “heads up” that can assist management in staying ahead of emerging risks.
About the Author
Internet Pioneer David Vine worked as a newspaper reporter, photojournalist and licensed private investigator during the 1970s. He established David Vine Associates in 1981. During the next two decades he conducted programs on “Sources & Methods of Computerized Business Intelligence.” In 2000 he authored “Internet Business Intelligence.” Since 1993 his seminars and workshops have enhanced the skills of more than 6,500 professionals in 47 states.
MAC OS X – Split n Join Files