A laptop left on a train
An adviser leaves a work laptop on a train. It holds the names and money details of forty clients.
Nobody planned for this day. A good support plan names the risks before they happen. It says what will stop them, what will spot them and what will put things right.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can assess the risks to an organisation and suggest measures that prevent, detect and repair.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Risk | something that might go wrong and cause harm |
| Preventive measure | an action that stops a problem from happening |
| Detective measure | an action that notices a problem quickly |
| Corrective measure | an action that repairs the harm after a problem |
| Personal data | facts about a living person, such as a name and address |
| Encryption | scrambling data so only the right key can read it |
| Business continuity | keeping the organisation working after something goes wrong |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Worked example: risks at Larkspur
| Risk | What could happen | Likelihood (1 to 3) | Impact (1 to 3) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop left on a train | Client details are read by a stranger | 2 | 3 | 2 x 3 = 6 |
| Fake email to an adviser | A password is stolen | 3 | 3 | 3 x 3 = 9 |
| Server disk fails | Client records are lost | 1 | 3 | 1 x 3 = 3 |
| Power cut in the office | Work stops for an hour | 2 | 1 | 2 x 1 = 2 |
| A volunteer opens a client file by mistake | Private details are seen by the wrong person | 2 | 2 | 2 x 2 = 4 |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Three kinds of measure
For each big risk, suggest a range of measures, not just one.
A preventive measure stops it happening. A detective measure notices it quickly. A corrective measure puts things right afterwards. Together they give you a safety net.
Worked example: a range of measures
| Risk | Prevent | Detect | Correct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop left on a train | Disk encryption. A rule never to leave a laptop on a seat | A tracking tool that shows where it is | Lock the account from afar and tell the clients, as the law asks for serious breaches |
| Fake email to an adviser | Mail filter. Training on spotting fake emails | A way to report a strange email in one click | Change the password at once and check the account for changes |
| Server disk fails | A spare disk that mirrors the first | An alert when a disk shows a fault | Restore from last night's backup |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.