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Information Technology (IT) are tools that capture, store, process, exchange, and use information, including software, hardware, and networks.  Information technology and information systems are powerful and valuable tools that bring important benefits to individuals and organizations.

Information system collects data, classifies and interprets the result thereon in order to provide an integrated series of information for further communication and analysis. Information system plays the role as “enabler and facilitator” that helps managers and workers investigate problems or generate new products or services.

IT increased globalization by bringing the world closer through the internet.  Sharing of information are done quickly and efficiently thus eliminating language barriers and geographic boundaries among countries.

Communication has become easier, cheaper, and faster with the help of IT.  Through the internet, people from all over the world can speak to each other using video conferencing.  Most mobile devices are capable of face to face video communication as well.  Social media facilitates sharing of photos, videos and information to persons who matters to one’s life and makes relationships closer despite the distance.

Information technology computerize the business processes thus streamlining businesses to make them cost effective.   IT is essential in ensuring the smooth functioning of all the departments in a company, such as the human resource, finance, manufacturing, marketing and security, among others.  Through IT, businesses have the ability to view changes in the global markets faster and keep up with the supply and demand chain.  This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions.

Through IT businesses can be open online anytime and anywhere making purchasing in different countries convenient and easier.

IT has a significant role in the management of various organizations. It helps the managers in adapting to the new business processes, and also for predicting the possible impacts of newer technologies. Managers benefit from the efficiently prepared computer packages and the electronically stored confidential information to aid in their decision making.

IT also creates jobs for programmers, systems analyzers, hardware and software developers, and web designers and more jobs is projected to be created in the future.

Information technology is also very important in the educational sector.  It helps the students and the educators learn the course materials easily by enabling faster access to information from across the globe on a number of different topics.  Studying with the help of online libraries and dictionaries have also made grasping and learning more convenient for the students.  The online grading system practiced in many educational systems helps the parents keep track of their children’s performance and progress in school.

Information Technology is very important for individuals and for organizations in making every endeavor convenient, efficient and effective for the furtherance and enrichment of ones life.

Social media are internet-based applications that allow people to create, co-create, modify, share, exchange, or discuss information, ideas, pictures and videos in virtual communities and networks.  It is effective in building social authority by participating in a conversation or group and expecting to achieve a significant influence and building credibility in the process.

Social media and networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, have become increasingly popular venues to post opinions and network with friends and colleagues online. However, just one inappropriate comment, tweet, text, or post could instantly bring a range of legal liabilities and unforeseen consequences for both employees and their employers. These consequences can include a damaged reputation, damaged business relationships, negative publicity, lawsuits, loss of customer trust, loss of business or opportunity loss. An organization’s success relies on all employees understanding these risks and acting with integrity and responsibility when using social media.

Personally, social media such as facebook and instagram helped me reunite with old friends, acquaintances and relatives from all over the world and create new friendships as well.  Twitter are a big help especially during travels to keep updated of weather conditions, flight cancellations and latest news. Work has been easier by sharing experiences or gathering data from co-workers in the branch network through a closed group on facebook or through yahoo messenger.  It also provided an easy venue to further learning as informations and learning materials in my masteral classes are being shared by my classmates and professors through social media.  Doing research has been easier using information developed through crowdsourcing such as the wikipedia and materials published by experts in platforms such as slideshare, podcast and the like.  Web blogging developed my writing skills and motivated me to explore other sources of information in the internet.

It is my personal commitment to use social media responsibly being a person with accountability who wanted to protect the reputation of my children, my family, the school I am enrolled, and the company I am working with.  My personal commitment statements are:

1.  Access social media applications only during free time or breaks when at work.

2.  Post photos, comments or informations that inspire or encourage the reader.

3.  Follow pages that are informative and inspirational.

Social networking through the use of various social media applications affects our lives in many ways, including our communication, self- expression, friendships, and even our very own sense of humanity.

Software piracy is a generic term for the illicit duplication of copyrighted computer software. It has three distinct categories: 1) commercial piracy; 2) corporate piracy; and 3) softlifting.  Commercial piracy is the illicit duplication of software for the purpose of distribution and sale.  Corporate piracy refers to both casual copying and distribution among companies, educational institutions, government entities and other group of individuals who do not strictly monitor the number of software licenses they install and do not acquire enough licenses to cover their software installations.  Softlifting is the software equivalent of shoplifting when one copies a friend’s software package, or brings a backup copy home from work for personal use, or borrows a program from the library and makes a copy of it.

Software piracy results to a significant drain on the resources of the highly competitive software industry, making it harder for publishers and manufacturers to recover their research, development and production costs.  It also translates into fewer jobs and lost revenue to local, national and international economies.

Software companies should consider the following to combat piracy:

1. Legislate – Establish a clear and consistent legal framework.

2. Enforce – Apply legislation with dedicated resources.

3. Educate – Increase public education and awareness.  Train and make staff aware of software use and security procedures which reduce likelihood of software piracy.

4.  Collaborate – Cooperate at domestic and international levels.

5.  Lead – Show the way by direct example.  Permit only authorized users to install software.

Software companies have initiated measures to combat piracy.  Programs like Microsoft Office are migrating from the desktop to the cloud, where software piracy will be harder to pull off. Although anything can be stolen and cloud-based software services like Office 365 can be hacked with false accounts and passwords, hacked accounts into paid services are easier to police than bootlegged CDs floating around the neighborhood vendors. The availability of free software services like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides will also prove disruptive to piracy as you cannot steal what is already freely given. Microsoft also works to combat software piracy through end-user education, legal enforcement and lobbying for public policy.

Knowledge management generally consists in creating, passing and storing tacit knowledge which may be at the level of an organization or the individual. In decoding tacit knowledge we deal with organizational theories at the organizational level and psychology at the individual level. At the individual level, knowledge management provides employees opportunities to enhance skills and experience by working together and sharing other people’s knowledge and learning from one another, thereby improving personal performance, which leads to better career advancement. At the organizational level, knowledge management provides two major benefits for an organization: first by improving the organization’s performance through increased efficiency, productivity, quality and innovation; and second by increasing the financial value of the organization by treating people’s knowledge as an asset.  Knowledge is the only input that can help in coping the radical changes and take corrective measures before it is too late. Knowledge can also accelerate product innovation and boost revenues.  Effective knowledge sharing of past successes, failures, projects, initiatives enables better decisions creating more economic value for the organization.

Knowledge management is very important in the banking industry and our organization in particular because of the growing need for customer focus, develop new products, evolving new competition, changes in the regulatory and economic environment, new technologies, cost pressures on automation vs. staffing, among others.

The biggest barriers to the implementation of knowledge management in our organization is the reluctance to share knowledge resulting from the persons desire to build competitive advantage on the basis of possessed knowledge.  Another is the unwillingness to delegate authority since sharing and spreading of knowledge loses confidentiality of information.

“Knowledge is power but knowledge sharing is empowerment.” Knowledge as a combination of data, information, experience and individual interpretation has the ability to make things happen.  Sharing knowledge along with some appropriate rewards and a certain degree of authority and accountability motivates a person to take his initiative and make decisions to be able to solve problems and improve ones performance and competence.

The role of the Chief Information Officer in the organization has evolved from just overseeing IT infrastructure and ensuring that systems are running, to transforming the organization in a more strategic way through the use of Business Intelligence.

Business Intelligence (BI) is defined as a wide range of applications, practices and technologies for the extraction, translation, integration, analysis and presentation of data to support improved decision making (Reynolds 2010).  It is designed to assist the organization in managing costs and improve operational efficiency, effectiveness, and overall business strategies.  Some of the benefits that BI provides are as follows:

• More timely answers to business questions.
• Easier cross-data analysis to reveal new revenue opportunities.
• Improved cost visibility.
• Better risk management.
• Increased competitive advantage by better exploitation of the benefits of enterprise BI.

To be able to encourage more effective use of BI, organizations must monitor and communicate to its employees the benefits of BI.  Regular meetings of key executives, IT support group, and the heads of the different business units should be conducted so that implementation is aligned with the overall business objectives.

Likewise, a pay raise which is based on key performance indicators set for each employee or business unit, will encourage them to conscientiously use the BI applications of the company knowing that they have a share in every improvement in revenues.

On the part of the customers, the rewards system such as the one employed by SM (SM Advantage Card or SM Prestige Card) and Robinsons (Robinson Rewards Card) creates willingness to participate in the use of BI.  However, to collect for a membership fee is not appropriate and discourages more participation.  These organizations should realize that their perks and bonuses are very minimal as compared to the improved bottom line figures to be derived from a well-participated enterprise BI.

Shopping on the internet can be very convenient.  It can be done in the comforts of your home, office, or any other location for as long as you have access to a personal computer, laptop, netbook, tablet, or smartphone that is connected to the internet. It can be done at any time of the day convenient, rather than having to take time to go out to local stores with specific hours of operation. The are more options available online as compared to displays in local stores which depends on local market demand, past sales experience and shelf-space constraints.

Online shopping saves time, travel cost and energy in going from one store to the other when the products being needed are not available in just one location.  You will enjoy the freedom of price flexibility and variety in the range of products. Normal shopping would take more time and energy. It also spares you from having to fall in long lines waiting to pay the bill. There are also some products which you would not want to buy publicly like weird ornaments, sexy lingerie, adult toys and others that can be a bit embarrassing when seen by other people.  In an online webstore, you can buy any kind of product as online transactions are basically done privately.

However, online shopping also have inconveniences like shipping charges and shipping delays.  Shipping adds to the cost. What looks like a bargain might not be when the shipping and handling charges are added to the total cost. Also, sometimes it is better to have an item instantly, than to wait for it for many days since it already diminishes instant satisfaction. There are also instances that the description of the product might be different than the actual product and as a result you might end up with inferior quality.

Moreover, returns can be costly.  Majority of the online webstore do not pay return shipping cost, cost of return postage or the original shipping charge if you need to send it back.  Sometimes, it can cost you nearly as much to return an item or to just keep the merchandise.

Considering the above conveniences and inconveniences in online shopping, the top three products I have no hesitations to buy through online webstore are as follows:  1) books and other reading materials because there is minimal risk in handling;  2) bags for handling reasons also for as long as the authenticity is guaranteed by choosing the right web store, 3) beauty products for the same reasons and also because it has long shelf life.

There are also products that I might think about before buying like clothing apparel since it is hard to gauge the quality without seeing the product.  Also, there is a possibility that it might not fit well or look good in me.  Shoes is another item I have hesitations buying online since I am very particular with comfort.  It might look good but I might feel uncomfortable wearing it.  Lastly, gadgets because of warranty issues as many electronic items are sold without international warranty.  Also because of delivery risk such as failure to deliver the original product or delivers a damaged or inferior product due to shipping problems.

Perishable goods for having short shelf-life and breakable products like glasswares and chinawares are some of the products I would never consider buying in the internet for handling or shipping reasons.  Besides, availability in local stores of these products is not a problem.  Medicines especially those in vials or injectables are also very risky to ship especially those with temperature requirements, hence, are not on my online shopping list.

Online shopping is continuously becoming more popular, however, we have to consider our options very carefully so we can be sure that we are making wise and informed purchase decisions that will satisfactorily meet our needs.

Wireless network falls under the Network IT along with other tools that improve communication support collaboration among members in a work group. Wireless network enables communication between employees, customers and business partners. It also allows easy access to important business data and applications. Popular collaboration tools such as wikis, instant messaging, web conferencing and podcasts are employed in a wireless environment.

Wireless network offers a myriad of opportunities especially for businesses. These include:

1. Increased Mobility

Increased mobility is considered as one of the biggest attraction that wireless networking offers for most businesses. Being able to sit at any terminal, anywhere in the building and access the server is a powerful opportunity. The advantage of being able to work anywhere within range of the wireless network signal not only means that employees can access information from the server, wherever they are in the premises, but it also enables colleagues to collaborate and share information especially in cases where meetings are held outside office premises. Total mobility offers convenience and ease for facilitating business transactions.

2. Enabling BYOD

A wireless network also facilitates the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon, which more and more businesses are now taking advantage of. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones that belong to individual employees are now being brought into the workplace and are being given access rights to the wireless network. Aside from making it more convenient for employees to carry out their tasks, BYOD also represents a potential cost saving, as businesses no longer have to fund the hardware cost of the devices themselves.

3. Increased Productivity

Increased mobility also promotes increased productivity by allowing employees to collaborate where and when they need to. It brings freedom of operation and speeds up the working process since employees can take home their devices with them and can work, (as many do), in their own convenient time.

4. Use of Public Wi-Fi Hotspots

Wireless networking has also gone into the public domain, with Wi-Fi hotspots available in many public places like coffee shops, hotels, railway stations, airports, universities, hospitals, etc. It enables people to use the internet while away from the office or from home. People can access their emails, both social and business, or can connect into the business network remotely, if the company allows.

5. Scalability

With wireless network, it is easier, faster and more convenient to add new users, issue a new password, or update the server accordingly.  No additional cabling required and rerouting of existing cables which can be disruptive and costly. It also means that offices can be easily relocated within the building, furniture can be readily moved around, and employees can work anywhere when they need to.

6. Guest Use

Having a wireless network also means that a business can provide a secured network access to visiting colleagues from other sites within the organization or to visiting customers and suppliers.  It’s an add-on facility of the business that also serves as a come on to clients.

7. Using VoIP

Making telephone calls using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) are often free, depending on the country and the device being used.  Monthly subscription, if any, is considerably cheaper than using the conventional technology in making international calls.

8. Wi-Fi is Cost Effective

Using wireless technology is more cost effective than the hard wired network.  The larger the network, both in terms of area and users, the more expensive it is.  Once a wireless network is in place, maintenance costs are lower, and there are normally no additional costs involved in scaling up, unless the signal needs to be boosted.

9. Safety

The potential risk of tripping over any trailing cables in wired connectivity can be avoided in a wireless network.

How can organization take advantage of wireless network opportunities?

In DBP, wireless network can power up collaboration between employees and the interaction with bank clients.

1. Clients
   1. Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals operates in a wireless network environment to facilitate payment for goods or services.
   2. DBP Website – access to information on the bank’s products and services, acquired assets for sale, bankwide newsletter on financing efforts, customer support such as account balance inquiry, fund transfers, bills payment, etc.

2. Employees
   1. Credit Committee Presentation – use of web conferencing or teleconferencing in presenting loan recommendations to the bank’s credit committee for approval saves time and bank resources.
   2. Monday Forum – use of web conferencing in the conduct of the weekly tertulia wherein topics on corporate culture are discussed, new products are launched and announcements on personnel movement, new hires and other matters are made.
   3. Review of Loan Recommendation – use of instant messaging by Account Officers in-charge in reviewing loan recommendations at the regional level to feedback to fellow Account Officers at the branch level the needed revisions for a better package.
   4. Troubleshooting of Bank’s Systems – use of desktop sharing in troubleshooting system errors especially for urgent repairs in areas critical in the day-to-day banking operations.
   5. Wi-Fi hotspots are being provided in specific areas in the workplace particularly in the lobby for personal or official use of the employees as well as clients.

Standards and guidelines to ensure safe usage of wireless networks:

Along with the enumerated opportunities, comes the need for rethinking security and privacy issues in operating under a wireless network. Businesses utilizing this technology can minimize the risks by ensuring secure connections, free from access by unauthorized persons or devices, continuous and uninterrupted service, and use of applications that support business needs that can be relied upon “anywhere and anytime”. These characteristics and standards must be embodied in company policies and procedures. It is also critical for the management and  employees to cooperate, coordinate and provide support to ensure that safety standards are implemented as planned.

IT security services includes security risk management, identity and access management, application security and infrastructure security.  IT security is very important and critical to the company’s operation and for me it is not supposed to be outsourced from a third-party service provider, an outsider unfamiliar to the organization.   However, IT security experts are limited and are very expensive to maintain, hence, it will be best to outsource some portion of the security functions to be able to save on cost and at the same time mitigate security risks.

Outsourcing at least a part of an organization’s IT security functions which are beyond the capability of its in-house IT specialists cannot be avoided especially with the increasing cyber crimes and online real-time malware-infested business environment.  Because of this, top management and IT managers must carefully formulate stipulations in the service contract with the third-party service provider that ensure confidentiality and privacy of company information; and provide protection of the integrity and availability of the company’s information.

According to George W. Reynolds in his book Information Technology Management, a manager has three important responsibilities to be able to capture the real benefits from IT.  First, identifying appropriate opportunities to apply IT; second, smoothing the way for its successful introduction and adoption; and third, mitigating its associated risks.

In line with this, the three most important leadership skills that a manager should have to be able to participate in Information System decisions are: strategic thinking, communication and motivation skills.

• Strategic Thinking Skills

This is the most important skill that is required in the workplace to be able to lead effectively.  It enables a leader to critically analyze, bring forward the relevant facts and information, draw out a plan and finally, take a strategic move.  The manager needs this skill in identifying the appropriate opportunities to apply IT that is in line with the organizations vision and mission, the current business needs, and the strategies being implemented.  This visionary capabilities or foresight will also help him mitigate the risks associated with IT implementation.

• Communication Skills

This is the second most important skill of a leader that includes listening, informing, persuading, and facilitating.  It is integral to everything leaders do, because if you don’t communicate effectively, you will not be able to influence your subordinates achieve the company’s goals.

To be able to gain acceptance of the IT system to be introduced and adopted, a manager must be able to communicate to the recipients or users the benefits that can be derived from the new system and how it can help in the realization of the organization’s objectives.  For only a well-informed and dedicated team can attain success.

• Motivation Skills

It is the power to influence a group of people to be able to maintain teamwork, implement IT with open mind and work together effectively and efficiently.  Older workers tend to have resistance to the introduction of new IT systems and look at younger ones as threat in the workplace, being the ones that are more adept with technology.  However, with the right motivation, a good manager can maintain teamwork and be able to implement the new system successfully.

Being born in a time before the birth of modern technology (early 80’s to be specific), IT or Information Technology did not have such a big role in the normal life of a person. Research was done in libraries, with the information coming from books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc. All data were stored on paper and organized into files. It has been years of following this system of data storage and retrieval and anyone would either be apprehensive or excited with the introduction of IT.

My first encounter with IT was during my on-the-job training at the Development Bank of the Philippines in 1993.  The personal computer that I first used was an IBM brand and the software then was Wordstar and Lotus 123.  Learning these things all by myself was not easy, more so that my educational background is Agriculture with three (3) units in Typing and twelve (12) units in Accounting, but anyone can manage for as long as you are willing to learn.

My exposure to IT was further enhanced when I was absorbed by the bank as a regular employee.  I learned the hard way as I did not undergo any formal training, but because of my enthusiasm to learn and make my work easier, I was able to handle some of the systems of the Bank such as the ITKTS (for making accounting entries) when I was still a Bank Teller in 1995 and the LGUSS (Local Government Unit Salary Loan System) when I was tasked to handle the updating of this system in our DBP Kalibo Branch in 2004.  That was when I was assigned as Account Officer of Salary Loans that in my desire to have easy monitoring of my portfolio, I accepted the challenge to update the system which was supposed to be the tasked of our Accounting Unit, that due to personnel constraints has been in backlog for quite sometime.

As an Account Officer since 1996 to the present I was exposed to financial spreadsheets, a tool which aids in the analysis of the borrower’s financial capability through the ratios generated after spreading their financial statements in the worksheets and making financial projections based on validated assumptions of the borrower-applicant. Data processing is present so there is no need for manual computations, just a template worksheet with various formulas typed into it.

I also learned how to use the internet to access different sites for data on various industries to support my write-up in recommending a loan for approval of higher management.  I was also forced to learn Powerpoint when all Account Officers were required to report individual performance through a powerpoint presentation.

Also, DBP being in a network of many branches, transmitting data from one branch to the other is now simple and fast.  In 1993, the Radio Operator had a hard time creating connections to the various departments of the bank and transmission of reports has been time consuming. With improved IT, data presentation is so much easier and convenient. Not only are the data presented, the connection and relationship of these data can also be viewed without difficulty, through pies and charts and many others.

I learned a lot of firsts in IT on the job and now through the help of my two (2) daughters who are lucky enough to have exposures on IT even during their elementary years.

IT has greatly improved the methods of data gathering, storage, retrieval, processing, transmission, and presentation. Considering my almost twenty (20) years in DBP, since I started using Wordstar and Lotus 123 to Microsoft Excel, Word, Powerpoint and other softwares, I can say that IT has made work faster, easier and more efficient over the years.