Striving to survive daily challenges is a given. Tapping into innovations of information technology somehow gives ease to our endeavor. 

     One distinctive aide of information technology comes in the form of computer. A computer is a machine that is composed of several disposable parts called hardware. Computer hardware communicates in a language way too hard for us to decipher and to help us understand its language we need a computer software in the form of drivers and applications.

     One of the famous software application used is the MS Office where almost 98% worldwide recognizes it. Although helpful and handy, purchasing a genuine copy is very expensive to even cost as much as a couple months of your income. However, there is a copy of this software in the internet where you can download it with no fee at all, completely free of charge and you can also buy at in an affordable price in shopping malls. These products are pirated copies.

     Piracy is an ill act. Having a pirated copy of a software is punishable by law. I cannot stand that there is good in doing piracy for even I have one and am one of those who do piracy of many applications.

     If I am part of a software producing company and I’d like to prevent my products to be pirated, I’d consider the method used by the programmers behind Joomla. It is a Content Management System software that makes you delete the installation set-up at the end of your installation. This method may prevent others from having a copy of your product.

     There are many possible ways to prevent piracy. At the end of the day, it all just comes down to the programmer’s ability and skills and the user’s conscience.

     An Organization is composed of a group of individuals or members who have a common goal. Although they may have different perception, motivation and understandings, they are still driven with a single vision and mission. An organization’s best asset is/are its members or sometimes referred to as employees. Having employees with knowledge and know how things do and processes come up can already be considered an edge compared to others.

     Knowledge can be divided into tacit and explicit. Tacit knowledge is the talent of an individual to be well-versed or expert to a task or procedure without him or her going into any formal education and training. On the other hand, explicit knowledge are those being handed down from a latter in a form of a formal education like in school setting. We may also refer individuals with tacit knowledge as those who have an in-born expertise and explicit knowledge as those with the guidance of scientific studies.

     For an organization with employees having either or both tacit and explicit knowledge inclined progress is assured. If that organization is the Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center Extension Hospital, it will surely be on the top list of government hospital and the aim of acquiring an ISO accreditation is just a step away.

     However there are also barriers for an individual in implementing knowledge management. For one, if the top management doesn’t recognize the ideas and if the management has  a mind set of depriving the opportunity of sharing the thoughts, thinking and being afraid that you could pose a threat to their aim for a higher position.

    “Knowledge is power but knowledge sharing is empowerment”, this phrase speaks for itself. The organization with employees having knowledge is a benefit but only until that employee is functioning, however having individuals share their knowledge is an assurance that the organization reputation and name will stay on the pedestal.

Change is Constant and People always want more than what they have; these are the facts that we know given. Change in Information Technology has given us a wide variety of privileges that aide us in most that we do. On the other hand, people still crave for something they don’t have want, something they want. Then there came e-business, a good idea of people who are eager enough to extend the functions and potential of IT through the World Wide Web, which complemented the innovations in IT and the people who has that insatiable hunger for the things they want. E-business gives people more opportunity to gain profit over the internet and at the same time stretch the boundaries of delivering a variety of products and services with just a click away.

With the internet, consumers can now choose many different goods not just from your own society but also from all over the globe. It cuts off geological limitations with prompt response to the sellers wherever they are. Just like a credit card, consumers can review the goods they have ordered and the status of its shipment or delivery, just like in Fed-ex. However, there are also disadvantages like the issue of security which could give off important and sensitive information about you and your available account. Because of the worldwide trend of e-business another concern is the issue in cultural differences where some racist people tend to ignore or sometimes insult the other party. Sometimes the goods and products that we receive are somehow different from what we’re expecting it to be or look like. Most of all, for me, the greatest issue is trust; we cannot just give off our confidence to someone whom we’ve just met.

If I were to shop over the net, there are products or services that I wouldn’t have hesitation buying like; a mouse pad, which are cheap and I wouldn’t mind misplacing. E-Ticket for official travel purposes (of course I will have a refund as long as there’s an official receipt, hehehe….nice). Lastly, if my siblings wanted me to buy them things like a headphone (with a money-back guaranteed), I wouldn’t mind giving it to them. There are things we won’t have hesitation buying over the net as long as it or they have seals, official receipts, and are refundable.

There are goods that I would think twice before buying. For example, books that I would need but because of the price I’d say “let’s check the local bookstore before clicking this”. Another one is a car accessory; you would say “let’s check the other offers before deciding. Third are games, apps which are exciting and popular.

Then there are products I would never consider buying. For one are t-shirts; I mean come on, do you really think they would sell those shirts without wearing it themselves first? Next on my list are medicines, I wouldn’t entrust my health through something that isn’t clinically proven. Third are sanitary necessities like underarm roll-on; hey I don’t want any body odor. Next is toothbrush, all I can say is: “nevahh!”

E-Business gives us opportunity not just as a consumer but also as a seller. Let us enjoy the innovations today’s that benefits our generation. Choose and click wisely!

“Failing to plan is planning to fail”

“An effective plan makes 50% of the work done”

In life, there are always things that are inevitable; things that comes unexpected and things that are foreseen. People tend to plan and sort out the things necessary to be prepared for the upcomings. We should come up with a possible applicable plan to be prepared for what is there to come. Why do we need to be prepared for the upcomings? One main reason is for us to be secured. Security comes in various forms and ways, some invest and others hire people who could provide that ease and peace they need.

Information technology (IT) nowadays has come up with an efficient and effective way of providing us with innovations to equip people the security they need. It comes though anti-virus to prevent our important files from corrupting, anti-hack programs to prevent other individuals from viewing and getting their hands into important informations from us. Then there are closed circuit television or cctv to monitor our sorroundings on what is happening and prevent bad things that might result, equipped with playback, view and zooming feature makes security even more reliable.

IT security has become a trend for advance countries and even here in the Philippines. However, as we all know, these advancements in IT security also comes with a cost and an expensive one. For an uprising company to avail these innovations, one option is to outsource. There are things one must consider when outsourcing IT security. Some of its advantage is that it’s cheaper to outsource your security. If you do not have to keep someone on staff who runs your IT security, you are likely to pay a lot less for it. This is no small thing because IT specialists of any kind are not cheap. They are generally among the higher paid professionals in the workplace. Another advantage is that if you are outsourcing, you are likely to have someone available 24/7 without having to pay overtime. Again, this is no small thing. If you have a security breach while your IT specialist is on vacation or just away from the office, you will need to call that person in immediately. On the other hand, if you have security problems and you are dealing with a company that you are outsourcing to, someone will always be available to take calls and to fix the problems.

There are also disadvanteges in outsourcing IT security, nonetheless. One of the disadvantages is that you don’t always know who has access to your network. While it’s true most employees at IT security companies are carefully screened, there is always that one that slips through the cracks and just hasn’t been caught yet. Of course, this can be a problem if you are the one doing the hiring as well, but at least if it is your employee, you will know exactly who it is and be able to do something about it. Another disadvantage is that sometimes you do not even know the location of the people who are taking care of your network security. This can be a problem for a couple of reasons. One is that in today’s economy, it is really helpful to have your security specialists close to home. Another is that there may sometimes be a language barrier. Even someone who speaks English may be difficult to understand if it is not his/her first language. When you are trying to secure your network, understanding the person you are speaking to is vital.

Security is essential to overcome the challenges life has to bring. Planning it beforehand gives us an edge to secure our survival to stay on track of our dreams and goals.

Technology has given a significant influence in people’s trend, well-being and their way of lifestyle. Compare to how we were before, I could say that there really is a definite change that technology advancement has given us. Through technology, there have been many privileges and opportunities we could avail and hold on to.

When the statement technology comes, the most noticeable of this broad term is the revolutionary innovation in the field of Information Technology or popularly termed as IT. We may Information technology (IT) as the application of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. Information Technology is also associated with computer hardware, software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment, and computer services.

IT has affected many of us -how we work, how we enjoy our spare time, etc. As for me, IT has given me a base or foundation to perform better at work. Understanding that there should be a system -just like the computer does, makes finishing a task or job with ease and of course with efficiency. Working is the field of information technology has its own pack of challenges, like the pressure of expectations and other people comparing me to those who are also on the field of IT. However, I am just doing what I am assigned and am just enjoying every bit of it. I have the privilege to work in Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center Extension Hospital –a medical institution in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo. I am now one of the IT staff and the System Administrator for systems used in the hospitals to deliver an effective and efficient health care need. Some of these systems are; Integrated Hospital Operations and Information System (iHOMIS), Unified Registry Systems for Non-communicable Diseases (URSNCD), and Electronic National Government Accounting System (eNGAS). I know the title “System Administrator” would really ring a bell and may sound big but I don’t think I have done enough. With this, I still need to improve my skill and knowledge on the said field.

Information Technology is not just a simple field where you can go and announce to everyone that you are one, even if you have studied it in tertiary, you still have to prove it. This is a field where constant and thorough update is needed. So let’s go, enjoy the benefits of Information Technology and keep ourselves updated…

Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!