Computer Science and Information Assurance
Computer science is the scientific study of computers, their machines and algorithms. As a theoretical field, computer science covers a wide range of disciplines from classical studies of algorithms, finite and infinite mathematics to the more practical matters of implementing large-scale computational systems in software and hardware. Although computer science has many subdisciplines, they are grouped into four main areas of concentration.
The first area of computer science is formalism. Formalism in computer science means any technique that produces real objects and models of them. Some of the most common formalisms used in computer science are algebra, lattice theory and combinatorics. Algorithms are a part of formalism and many computer scientists specialize in algorithm design and implementation. Other areas of specialization in the formalism are programming languages and artificial intelligence.
Data structures are part of the second area of computer science. Data structures are a way to arrange data so that their meaningful parts can be retrieved easily. Data structures can be used for storing anything from user preferences to complex programs.
The third area of computer science is information systems. Information systems are methods of storing and communication of information. Software engineers play an important role in information systems design and implementation. Information systems include computer software, networks and storage systems.
The fourth area of computer science is computer applications. Computational science is a branch of computer science that deals mainly with how to solve problems by compiling a program or code using a computer. Many professional issues in the computer science field are concerned with solving computational problems, such as algorithms, hypertext compilation and optimization, algorithm analysis, and programming language.
The fifth area of computer science is language programming. Language programming is concerned with creating computer languages, which can be used to communicate programs and procedures within a network of computers. There are two broad approaches to language programming. One approach is low-level, where the programmer uses low-level languages only, and the other is high-level, using various levels of computer languages, sometimes compiled into high-level languages, for the express purpose of developing large, complex programs. Compiler writers, or programmers who write code for the various programming languages, are known as language programmers.
The final area of computer science is operating systems. The operating system is a complex program that controls the computer hardware, its functions and how it runs. For example, the Windows operating system running on a computer displays menus, generates programs, controls access to stored data and more. Linux, the Unix operating system, is used for web hosting. Unix also controls the command line, printing and other aspects of the user interface. The Windows operating system is generally considered the most popular, but any operating system will do if it is programmed well enough.
Today’s most common platforms for application development include PCs, laptops, smartphones, handheld devices and the Internet. Platform-based development refers to the development of applications and websites on these platforms. Platform-based development includes the use of Java, .NET, Ruby on rails, PHP, Coldfusion, Perl and more. These platforms support distributed computing. Distributed computing means that the computer science concept of servers, storage and memory all work together to deliver large amounts of work via a network of machines. The Internet, for example, can be seen as being made up of distributed servers, and people can visit sites hosted on these servers, not having to download and install anything on their local computer.
Computer science and information systems are closely related, even though information systems was a subset of computer science in the early 1970s. The field of computer science has always been interested in information systems because the field itself was started as a way to reproduce and explore the workings of computers, the computer network and the operating system. In fact, computers and their associated software became so important to the research community that, at one point, entire conferences were held that were focused entirely on either building information systems or software applications. One such conference, held in Washington, D.C. in 1993, involved about 200 scientists and developers from around the country. This was the birth of the hardware market, with manufacturers developing hardware and software to be used by the government, industry and educational institutions to develop information systems.
The field of information assurance, on the other hand, emerged much later. Its beginnings can be traced to the software engineering movement, which happened to be founded at about the same time as computer science began. Software engineering began with the development of platform-based development environments that allowed developers and technicians to easily develop code without having to worry about the underlying hardware. Platform-based development is now a key part of the emerging information security field. Today’s platforms may include digital devices, networks, storage arrays, mainframes and database servers.
Both computer science and information assurance rely heavily on computer code to control processes, with the data being used to build systems and algorithms to govern how the processes work. Today’s computer security experts must also be concerned with issues like trustworthiness, since compromising a system allows an attacker to break into the network and gain access to and control of data as well as programs and files. Thus, security is closely linked to computer science. New methods of computer science and security are continually being developed in order to deal with advancing technologies – and hopefully bring us a step closer to securing the world we live in.
