jonathananteza

When I enrolled this subject barely three months ago, I asked myself if it is worth the money, effort, time and stress to go through it as part of the masters program. I admit that I had some negative notion about it, especially so, when we first met our instructor and he discussed to us the details of the program. If not for the pressure that I have to finish my masters in order to be retained to my current job position, I would have opted not to take this subject in the second trimester.

But something in me has changed when I wrote my first blog. I was made to think seriously what is IT’s relationship with me as a professional, as a manager and as a person.  It made me realized that indeed IT has a big role in my professional life as it is in my personal life. It made me understand that in today’s generation, I cannot deny the fact that in order to be relevant, effective and efficient I need to improve my skill in using IT.

With said realization, this subject has become interesting to me. Every session was a discovery and an added knowledge that little by little satisfies my queries and curiosity. The topics such as the role of managers, strategic planning and project management have opened my understanding that IT can contribute a lot in making the life of managers easier. The discussions on the details of business process and IT outsourcing, corporate governance and IT, collaboration tools and wireless networks up to the issues of ethics, privacy and security including use of social media had been a source of massive knowledge that made me appreciate the benefits of this technology.

The laboratory activities were tough challenges because I have an unnoticeable amount of background on it. I do have some basic understanding of the Excel Application but not its advance features. While in database activities I have zero background on it. It even become tougher considering the pace of the laboratory activities. I have planned to do it during my vacant hours in weekdays but the demand of work did not allow me to have substantial time to realize it. But despite all these challenges, the laboratory activities become added knowledge from this technology which increases my desire to pursue in improving my skill so that I will be able to maximize the benefits of its use.

Yes, understanding IT at this point of time of my professional life is not and would not be easy. But after having a serious engagement with this technology in the past few months, I am now convinced that I have to keep on improving in understanding and using it believing that IT did matter a lot in my job, my personal life and my professional development.

Having said my piece, I would like to end this discussion by saying “kudos” to our instructor who did his best to impart to us some important knowledge relative to IT believing that we will greatly benefit from it. Thank you, Sir!

Social media has revolutionized interaction among human beings. It does not only provide us the capacity to communicate to a huge variety of audiences, both known and unknown to us, but it also give us the power to reach these audiences in an unimaginable speed. Through social media people are reconnected to old acquaintances and meet new ones; people with the same interest are brought together; people can express themselves in non-violent way; people can advertise themselves and so on. On the other hand, social media may also bring bad results to people like depriving them of their privacy, causing them some health problems, decrease productivity on their work, get most of their time, etc..

As an individual and responsible user of this media,  there are some things that I can do to use it for my personal development and professional growth. I can use Facebook and other social media sites to interact with people and discuss many things related to my personal development. It can also be used as a venue where I can ask advices not only from friends and other close acquaintances on how to resolve my personal issues but also from professional experts.

Similarly, social media can provide me a venue where I can easily join groups that have the same interest to the professional field I belong. Through it, I might be able to access information on trainings and workshops that will enhance my skill as a professional; or find some opportunities that will improve my experience in my professional field. For example, I can post my profile at LinkedIn in order to be part of the community of professionals. That way, people or groups who are interested with my expertise may easily connect with me for possible professional engagement; or I can also become interested with some individuals or groups that will result to possible professional engagement.

The following are my personal commitment statements on the responsible use of social media:

As a responsible user of social media, from now on, I will only post positive statements that can be seen by all so that they will be inspired; I will limit myself to a maximum of one hour a day use of Facebook and other social media; I will not waste my time reacting to cyber bullies in case I will encounter it; and, I will not “like” or post a comment to the conversation thread or photos of my friend’ friends.

Information Technology has made the world a small place to live in. Aside from  providing this generation access to various and immeasurable information, it also gives capability to users to be able to connect to the rest of the world instantly  even in the comfort of their own  homes.

But like many other commodities, software, one of the components of IT,  is being protected by property rights. Anyone has to purchase it in order to enjoy its benefits. Considering the price of this commodity, e.g. the Microsoft (MS) Office, majority of the people living in developing and economically depressed countries cannot afford to buy it. This issue resulted to the use of pirated software which is illegal. For years, the efforts of Microsoft Company and the government authorities all over the world to combat this problem did not stop people in said countries to continue using pirated software.

In the context of the Philippines, I would not immediately blame someone who uses a pirated copy of the MS Office instead of having an original software that will cost him two months of his salary. Yes. it is an ethical issue but for the middle class workers, the need of this kind of software for their personal consumption is a must in order to survive in this generation.

I believe it is now high time for the software companies to reconsider their previous strategy in combating piracy. Instead of purely using a punitive strategy, I would propose that they review the social responsibility part of their business. Considering that they have already amassed more than enough wealth from this industry, they may consider sharing back some to selected groups in developing and economically depressed countries. For example, individual users that belong from the middle earners downward will be provided with a free software while government  users will pay 50% less than the standard price they are asking from other “can afford”users. In return the government will implement stricter laws to protect the software industry against those that will exploit it for business use.

As a Creationist, it is my belief that the human knowledge has improved tremendously and will keep on improving because we were designed according to the image of the Great Creator who is all knowing. It is no wonder why ideas have become realities because man has the capacity and creativity in discovering ways to realize what people thought was impossible. New discoveries are being enhanced to make it beneficial to a greater number of people. As human knowledge improved and shared to more people, productivity has also increased in an unprecedented manner.

In today’s generation, we call this sharing or transferring of knowledge as Knowledge Management (KM). Wikipedia defined it as the process of capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using organizational knowledge. It refers to a multi-disciplined approach to achieving organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge.

This writer believes that his organization will benefit big time if KM is seriously implemented. The following are only a few of the many ways that the writer’s organization will benefit from KM: first, through increasing awareness; second, speeding collaboration; and, third, exchanging insights.

Pantawid Pamilya, one of the three big ticket programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development serves more than three hundred twenty-five thousand household beneficiaries in Western Visayas. It’s goal is to improved the level of well-being of these households by 2016. Considering this huge number of beneficiaries and the given timeline, program implementers need to exhaust all means in ensuring that appropriate interventions will be provided to these beneficiaries which will result to the improvement of their well-being. Last year, one of the municipalities in the region shared their best practice in providing intervention to beneficiaries that targets several variables in the Social Welfare and Development Indicators (SWDI).Through KM, that best practice has increased the awareness of other program implementers in the region on how to facilitate interventions that have impact when the level of well-being of beneficiaries will be measured through the SWDI. It also provided them ideas how to collaborate with other government agencies and with other external partners in addressing the need of program beneficiaries. They also benefited from the insights of the team that shared the best practice and came up with their own insights how to enhance it for a better outcome.

Implementing KM in Pantawid Pamilya is also a challenge due to these issues: a) expertise of personnel that will handle the process; skill of program personnel to document identified best practices that need to be shared to other implementers; and, c) the massive activities and deliverable of program staff which deprived them of reasonable time to sit down and talk with each other.

“Knowledge is power but knowledge sharing is empowerment.”

If somebody has a knowledge on something which he/she alone knows it, that knowledge becomes a power because other people will be dependent to him/her. All will be under the command of that person and he/she can do anything he/she wants. In general perspective, that person might be viewed as selfish and his/her knowledge on something will become obsolete once he/she will be gone. But if we are talking business, that will be an edge to competitors and will put that person ahead of others.

On the other hand, when a person who possesses a certain knowledge shares that knowledge to others, it gives others the capacity to do the thing that previously he/she alone can do it. Knowledge sharing is multiplying yourself for increased output and insuring that such knowledge will be used even if you are already gone.

With the advent of Information Technology comes the unprecedented opportunity to enhance all kinds of processes that resulted to a more efficient and productive output. This is particularly happening in organizations who mainstreamed IT in their structures and processes and maximize its potentials. One of those potentials is the Business Intelligence which provides better capacity to the organizations in analyzing things for better decision making. Particularly, the BI tools such as the Spreadsheets, Report and Querying, On-line Analytical Processing, etc. provide its users the capability to have  a strategic and accurate data as basis for a more relevant and on-time decisions which will result to better output.

Using the said tools, though, is a tough challenge to many organizations especially in the government. Despite its potentials, the BI tools are not maximized in many government processes due to the following issues: minimal understanding of top management on IT, lack of training of the concerned personnel, fear of displacement of people and the “comfort zone” issue.

So, how can government organizations encourage more effective use of BI tools? This writer believes that raising the pay of government employees based on job performance that would require them to make use of BI applications is the key in making it happen. This strategy is far better than the punitive approach that will force them to use said applications which would probably result to chaos. Raising their pay would also prompt employees to improve their understanding in using BI applications which will eventually bring them to realization that BI tools are like unutilized treasures that can make people enjoy life once it is discovered!

Internet has already done a lot of things to change people’s lives. From work related matters, to playing games and watching movies including shopping of almost everything you wanted, internet has the capability to provide it.

But in what ways can shopping through the internet be more convenient for consumers? A couple of reasons can be sighted why it is more convenient to shop through the internet. First is the issue of wider choices. Considering the availability of shopping sites, internet shopping will provide the consumer a wider universe of goods which he/she can choose from compared to going to the malls. Second, it is less stressful. Can you imagine going through a heavy traffic just to go to the mall only to buy a pair of shoes? Maybe, if you are in a hurry, the stress would be worthwhile. But if you have the luxury of time, it is better to sit down in the comfort of your own home and still get a pair of shoes you wanted without any stress.

On the other hand, internet shopping could be considered less convenient due to these issues: a) quality of products; b) time element; and, c) payment schemes. Looks could be deceiving! A consumer cannot feel or touch the products in the internet. Sometimes, you will get frustrated once the product will be delivered to you because it’s not what you are expected. In some cases, delivery of goods bought from the internet is not on-time and it adds to your stress. At times, the payment schemes are not also favorable to the consumer because the payment center are not accessible.

If I have to buy products from the internet, these are the ones that I will buy without hesitation: airline tickets, travel packages and fast food products. It is because these items do not need further scrutiny of the consumer. Isn’t it obvious? Airline companies are selling their tickets on-line, so why stress yourself going to the ticket outlet when you can have it while lying in the beach? Also, I can always find a legitimate travel agency in the internet who offers cheaper travel packages. And who will question if I go on-line to order food from my favorite fast food chain?

For these following products, I will have to think many times before buying it in the internet. The first is shirt. I am very selective in buying this item. It is because sizes of shirts are not the same. I am also particular to the quality. So before considering buying it, I have to do a lot of queries not only from the shopping sites but also from friends. Second, home appliances. Although it is convenient to buy these stuffs at the internet, I see the issue of safety during the delivery. So, I would weigh it if it’s really practical to pursue buying through the internet or go to the nearest appliances center instead. Third is gadget. Sometimes it is tempting to buy this product through on-line but it will make you hesitant hearing issues of quality during the delivery.

If the above mentioned products can be bought through the internet, the following are those that I will not consider buying through on-line shopping: jewelries, second-hand items and medicines. Jewelries are too expensive and it’s not safe buying it this way. I am not a fan of second-hand things so seeing it from the internet would not even impress me. Of course, medicines are not ordinary products and it’s risky to trust those who are offering it through internet. I would always consider going to a legitimate pharmacy or drug store to buy this stuff rather than risking myself buying a fake one that would jeopardize my health.

With the fast evolution of wireless network technologies comes various opportunities for its users. It created huge business and generated plenty of high paying jobs that are not bound by its geographic location. It provides education to its users by giving access to all almost all information they need. It connects people from around the world without literally traveling from one place to another. It influences and improves almost every aspect of modern life. It makes the life of its users more comfortable and easy.

This author’s organization has benefited a lot from the wireless network technologies. Communicating effectively and efficiently to a large number of personnel within  the region including those at the different regional offices and the national office was a great challenge. But through cellular phones, emails and social networking sites that can be access through a WiFi or a network service provider, we have now a faster and efficient way of communication.  Gathering, transmitting and managing of data was also a tough job for our organization given the huge number of beneficiaries we have. Previously, it would take long hours and days to transmit the data gathered  from the field to the regional office or the national office. Now, through this technology we can collect and transmit our data faster. If there are corrections that need to be done we can easily return it back and get the updated one. It is also easier to manage the data and access it once needed because of this technology.

Although these technologies give advantages to its users, we must also ensure that we are protected from possible attack by hackers and viruses, hence. these standards must be observed: first, ensure that the organization’s system is always protected by a security code so it can’t be easily accessed by hackers; second,  all stored data must have an anti-virus protection; and, third, a back-up file must be created and secured.

In today’s time, any organization will choose to outsource IT security rather than to maintain an in-house team to do it. The first reason for that is financial. It is cheaper for the organization to get the security expertise through outsourcing than hiring a bunch of people to do it. Second, in today’s job market, it would be very difficult to hire security experts. Third, retaining these people would be even harder considering that security monitoring is inherently erratic: six weeks of boredom followed by eight hours of panic, then seven weeks of boredom followed by six hours of panic. Attacks against a single organization don’t happen often enough to keep a team of this caliber engaged

Several issues must be considered when security is turnover to an outside organization: confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.Confidentiality is protecting access to sensitive data from those who don’t have a legitimate need to use it. Integrity is ensuring that information is accurate and reliable and cannot be modified in unexpected ways. The availability of data ensures that it is readily available to those who need to use it (Feinman et. al., 1999).

It is then a must for an organization to ensure that confidentiality, integrity and the availability of data is included in  the service level agreement  with the IT outsourcer so that the organization’s strategic and sensitive data will be protected from being exploited

 

Managing a huge program is tough and achieving its targets needs contribution from all possible sources considering the given timeline in accomplishing it. One of those contributors is the Information System (IS). Managers need to have active participation in making decisions to integrate IS in program implementation.

To effectively participate in IS decisions, it is imperative for the managers to possess these following skills: First is the skill in planning. Managers must be a good if not excellent planners! They should always go back to the basics of planning to come up with better IS decisions. Most of the failures in IS integration to program implementation is the inability of the managers to link said decisions to the implementation plan of the program that will lead to achieving its targets. Second is the skill in organizing. It is a big mistake if a manager integrates IS in program implementation if he has poor organizing skill. Considering that IS includes people, an effective manager must know whom to entrust the different levels of responsibilities in the implementation of IS. Hiring and assigning the right people to the right job is reflective of a manager who has a good organizing skill. Third is the skill in leading. Managers are not passive. They do things proactively because they believe that it is the right thing to do in order to achieve their targets. They lead and rally people behind their cause. IS is very expensive and at times the top management are reluctant to support it. It is then the role of the managers to lead his team in showing to the management the important role of IS in achieving their goals on time.

Having those skills mentioned above, participation of the managers in IS decision would be effective and relevant in whatever goals they have to accomplish!

With the fast-changing world of computers everyone must catch-up to be able to protect themselves from being exploited, abused and cheated by those who are already experts on it. Information Technology is so dominating that any idea of avoiding it is really a big mistake!

Considering that managers are accountable in everything their organizations do, they need to understand all the processes which will lead to the accomplishment of their goals including the crucial role of Information Technology.  Although understanding IT is a tough challenge for the managers, given that not all have background on it, they have no other choice but to keep abreast on it if they want to be more effective.

On the standpoint of this author, having been entrusted to lead a big program that is being implemented by around nine hundred-strong personnel and serves more than three hundred thousand household beneficiaries, IT plays one of the major roles in order to make the implementation a success. From hiring and maintaining program staff, updating of beneficiaries’ information, monitoring of their compliance to the conditionalities of the program, generation of payrolls and conduct of payouts, etc., it would take eternity for the implementers to do all these if IT does not exist. Data management is so crucial in the implementation of big programs such us the author’s and doing it manually is unthinkable. It is in this perspective that author’s desire to improve his understanding and skill in maximizing the benefits of Information Technology rests.