Introduction

This topic introduces you to using RACF® to administer security on your system.

Over the past several years, it has become much easier to create and access computerized information. No longer is system access limited to a handful of highly skilled programmers; information can now be created and accessed by almost anyone who takes a little time to become familiar with the newer, easier-to-use, high-level inquiry languages. As a result of this improved ease of use, the number of people using computer systems has increased dramatically. More and more people are becoming increasingly dependent on computer systems and the information they store in these systems.

As the general computer literacy and the number of people using computers has increased, the need for data security has taken on a new level of importance. No longer can the installation depend on keeping data secure simply because no one knows how to access the data. Further, making data secure does not mean just making confidential information inaccessible to those who should not see it; it means preventing the inadvertent destruction of files by people who might not even know that they are improperly manipulating data.

As the security administrator, it is your job to ensure that your installation's data is properly protected. RACF can help you do this.