IT's simply DHELicious

Information Technology, particularly the internet has revolutionized the way we do our daily routines such as paying our bills, ordering food, shopping, etc. More people these days prefer buying things or shop online because of the many advantages and benefits compared to the conventional way of going to malls or establishments.  Just recently, I have asked some of my friends to give their notion about internet shopping and most of their responses were very positive, based on their experiences.  The top reason for this is the benefit of convenience (24/7).  Online shopping gives the opportunity of purchasing without time constraint. One is able to finish in just a few minutes, simply by clicking. The absence of long queues when paying the bill which is very usual in every establishment is one benefit of convenience that most people prefer.

The rapid increase of this type of shopping gives you a leeway to choose so many things because of the variety of offers, cheap deals or packages that are available online.  It also gives you the power to choose, compare and assess the goods or services that you wanted because the information is shared, by means of reviews of other shoppers who have firsthand experience of an item. Furthermore, being able to purchase without leaving your home or when you are at the office is absolutely fantastic.

With all the benefits stated above, Internet shopping have its downside too! Replacing damaged items takes a lot of effort, the going back and forth of the item will take some time because they have to check if the same item is still available. If not, sometimes you would end up getting a different one because you have no choice.  Although a refund can be possible, however, only a few companies would allow them.

Items that I have no hesitation on shopping for over the Internet are clothes, shoes, purses, make-up or other accessories.  It’s easy to find your sizes, the color that you prefer and also the brand that you feel that you can rely on.  The styles too of these items are most likely unique and you would easily fall in love! These items may not cost that much and there are many reviews and several sites such as lazada.com, amazon.com, zalora.com, OLX Philippines that are the currently the best online shopping sites. Also, if something goes wrong, it easier to accept and will not break your heart!

I think electronics and gadgets are great to purchase on the web because of the many brands that are proven durable for centuries, but it will make me think many times because I cannot see them physically or touch which is very important for girl’s standpoint. Based on experience, I once purchased a cute Japanese mobile phone that I have seen on TV, I bought it because the site was also reliable. It was pricey for me but I went to buy it anyway. I found out that the material was made of “light plastic” that would break easily. I end up very frustrated, but glad that I was able to return the item because they have no available for replacement.

Moreover, the items that I would never consider purchasing over the internet are cars, expensive jewelry, animals, and houses and because these are items that I would want to see them in person or have a cursory look before purchasing. The risk is too high and it would cause a lot of drama once you get problems with your purchase of the item.

Finally, online shopping is continuously becoming more popular and improving every single day. The choice to patronize this would depend in every person because, at the end of the day, the responsibility and risk would depend on both parties, this I may say that you have to always be on the lookout for possible solution that is best for you by doing more research to increase your knowledge about this matter. Having said all these, I hope I was able to shed some light to possible shoppers in the future.

 

The existence of wireless network technologies has changed the way we live. From our day to day routine; it has also had an enormous impact in the workplace, improving communication, increasing efficiency and introducing new ways of performing many different business tasks.

In every organization every second matter. Having a  wireless network in place will help to boost productivity and convenient way for information sharing. It gives the power of flexibility for everybody within the organization with its untethered access to documents, emails, applications and other network resources, employees can exploit its capabilities. They can roam where they need to and have constant access to the tools required to do their jobs.

Other opportunities are also manifested by the technology such as it increases mobility and collaboration within the organization making them work in various areas without having the need to worry about losing connection and each team members from other departments can work more effectively. It Improves responsiveness, as customers want a quicker response to queries and concerns. A wireless network can improve customer service by connecting staff to the information they need. At the same time, it allows a business to bring network access to areas that would be difficult to connect to a wired network.

Easier network expansion. Companies that need to add employees or reconfigure offices frequently will immediately benefit from the flexibility wireless LANs provide. Desks can be moved and new employees can be added to the network without the effort and cost required to run cables and wires.

Moreover, it enhanced guest access. The technology allows business to provide secure wireless access to the Internet for guests such as customers or business partners. It gives businesses a unique value-added service to its customers, partners, or third party vendors.

Solutions. (2016, December 20). Five reasons to go wireless. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/resource-center/work-anywhere/why-go-wireless.html

The benefits of having these technologies within our organizations are incredible, however, it also entails risks. Companies have to put some security measures on how to protect themselves from possible theft, data and integrity issues which can result in company losses and lawsuits resulting from these breaches.  To name a few, these are the common acceptable standards and guidelines that have to be incorporated or adopted within every organization.

Standards & Guidelines

Computer and Network Policy applies to all users and usage of organization-owned computers and data and voice networks.

1. The policy applies apply to all host computer systems, personal computers, software, set of data and other resources which may be accessed by users of the organization data.
2. All network users, including organizations’ stakeholders, staff, contractors or other parties are expected to comply as was agreed by their signature on the application for a network/e-mail account.
3. By logging in to the network, a user consents to these guidelines and all other IT policies and procedures implemented in the Computer and Network Policy.
4. Limited personal use of computer and network resources is allowed, but priority is given to usage for business and other learning pursuits.
5. Users of computer and network resources will abide by community decency standards, copyright restrictions and other legal requirements.
6. Users may not modify the organization network wiring or configuration.
7. Users may not engage in activities which degrade network performance or which interfere with other users’ access to a computer and network resources.
8. Users must respect institutional data confidentiality and others’ privacy.
9. Users are responsible for all actions initiated from their login ID(s). Each user is assigned a personal login ID with a unique name associated with their organization or employee records. Users should not share access to their personal login ID with others.

Merritt, S. (2017). Wireless network usage guidelines. Retrieved February 17, 2017, from http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/information_technology/wireless_network_usage

These are just some of the standards and guidelines that are put into play in every organizations’ IT concerns.  It’s best to safeguard its interest from its conception to implementation phase to ensure safe and secure usage of these technologies. Furthermore, bringing peace of mind to everyone; making life easier and manageable.

 

 

 

 

 

In the modern world of business, outsourcing has stemmed into popularity in the late part of 1990’s and from then on, it has taken control center stage attention and has been the focus of entrepreneurs, politicians, employers as well as workers. The benefits of it seem very obvious, touted by many experts across numerous industries as the answer to cutting costs for business functions ranging from human resources, accounting and marketing; it seems possible that you could run an entire company without even hiring an employee. Truth be told, outsourcing has increased productivity and competitiveness of multinational companies across the globe as evidenced by continous growth of these industries in the past years, up to the present time.  But why outsourcing, fuels the drive of stakeholders? Aside from cutting costs, it gives the organization put its focus on its core competencies when they choose to outsource their other business functions and upgrade its capabilities.

Should an organization outsource IT security? Security, in general, has always been one guarded possession of almost everyone.  Under Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Motivational Theory, it places second on the level of people’s need.  It means, safety needs – can be protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear, is something innate amongst ourselves and in every aspect of the word,  we will strive harder to obtain it.

From an IT security perspective, I think it would be best to outsource if the organization is too complex and large to have its own IT security. However, I strongly favor of having this set-up internally, as this should be part of the organization’s top priority considering how fast technology can change and people now are more adept with the systems being used within their organization that sometimes may lead to security breaches if controls are not in place.  It’s true that organizations may acquire benefits of outsourcing, but these gains do not come without problems, the areas of risk include quality problems, exposure to legal liabilities, impact on business partner/customer relationships and satisfaction, and potential data security issues. (Reynolds, G. (2009). Information Technology for Managers, 5th Edition).  There had been several cases reported on these issues around the world that cost billions for some firms and the challenge for revisiting its internal controls posted many problems as well.

Several organizations experience data security and integrity issues despite having compliance and controls internally.  Like in the movie Thor: The Dark World, Asgard has become powerless when the force field that protects them inside the city was penetrated and destroyed. Having this picture in mind, seem to give me an animosity for outsourcing IT security outside of the organization.  Moreover, I am convinced that it will be a great risk and very costly to do that – as the famous line from Hunger Games: Catching Fire, goes “There’s always a flaw in the system”, which is obviously true.

If to outsource IT security outside is a corporate requirement, then it’s imperative to set controls. A thorough research has to be done like to study the important factors to consider in choosing an outsourcing partner – a company that reflects the same values or mirror your organization’s confidentiality requirements. There should be the presence of blueprint and process flow to ensure specifications were captured; an audit trail report that would pinpoint some variances or changes in the data or to trap any irregularities and detailed work instruction (DWI) on what steps to do when a security breach occur. These are just some stipulations that must be indicated in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between an IT security outsourcer just to ensure that no exploitation of data will happen specifically to any sensitive information within the organization.

Putting limitations on additional outsourcing and subcontracting to maintain data security and integrity and safeguard it against security lapses should be specified in the SLA. Also, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements with employees of the outsourcing firm must be required to protect an intellectual property of the organization. Furthermore, stipulations on penalties and fines in the event that IT outsourcing company fails to deliver what is expected in reference with the service level agreement and related performance metrics or when negligence to sign-off process flows and compliance procedures are violated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In every organization or business, manager plays an important role across all phases and areas within it.  We could not stand a chance as we know it today nor improve without a steady stream of managers to plan, organize, lead, control, its people and the organization toward goal accomplishment. Performing these roles is the basis of a manager’s job, be in sales, business, medicine, IT, politics, etc. shares the same formula to be able to put things in perspective.

To be effective at these roles, a manager must have a complete notion of the business, by understanding its strategies and operational responsibilities. In addition, they should possess the required managerial skills to be able to transition itself in whatever platform; to foray into the fields that they set their hearts on.  But how do managers develop these skills?  Throughout the decade, many books have been written and published about managerial skills and traits that tailor fit for this responsibilities. This can be helpful in a way but personally, I think it’s more than that, these skills are acquired through learning and practical experiences and only few can really possess or understand the complex role of leadership. Managers will need skills that will help them to decision making, manage people and technology to ensure an effective and efficient realization of their working tasks.

Social psychologist *Robert L. Katz in 1974, in his article,” Skills of an Effective Administrator“ in Harvard Business thought about the relationship of managerial skills (competencies) and hierarchical management levels. The result was the setting of the three areas of managerial skills and determination, for which level they are characterized as Technical, Conceptual and Human or interpersonal management skills.

Technical skills are the job-specific knowledge and techniques needed to perform specific tasks proficiently. Having these skills will help one to apply practical knowledge and abilities to perform in a specific discipline and it is often known as a typical hard skill – meaning it can be learned, defined, evaluated, and measured. I may say that, in an IS point of view, where there is a strong drive to perfection and the thirst for learning new strategies and the obsession for new technology is insatiable, the absence of the skill will somehow put you in a bad light because you need to translate specific knowledge and techniques across your organization. The use of these technologies will effectively and efficiently help in achieving the realization of the company’s goals and objectives. You see, the communication between non-technical and technical people has been a pressing problem in an organization. As a manager, you want to bridge that gap so that every decision is clearly defined making it more effective.

Conceptual skills in management use to think and to conceptualize about abstract and complex situations in a larger scale. You see your organization as a whole, and you recognize how various functions rely on one another.  Hand in hand, the organization and its people as (both end users), uses technology to improve and streamline its processes. Managers give valuable inputs or contribution on what the specification of its preferred databases as part of their corporate requirement, by all means, analyzing it ” IS current state”. The success of any decision depends on the conceptual skill of the manager who makes the decision and who put it into action and get predictable results.

Human or interpersonal skills involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group. They are what we call soft skills.  In a complex world of IT, its infrastructure involves people and procedures but truth be told, the former is one of the most important management tasks to handle. Every day in the organization, managers have to interact and work with its people. This makes him or her to understand, communicate, lead, and motivate them and to develop unity within them respectively.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned skills are very essential in day to day life of managers. But what is more important is that, every manager should be able to deliver all expectations or results in whatever endeavor that he was assigned to, with the support of its strong team behind they make all the difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Katz, R. L. (1974, September 1). Skills of an effective administrator. Retrieved January 29, 2017, from Leadership development, https://hbr.org/1974/09/skills-of-an-effective-administrator

 

 

 

 

In this day in age, the rise and development of IT have become part of our daily lives because of the many benefits it has brought us.  Way back then, life is more complicated due to some inadequacies, with the technologies pertaining to our daily routines in general.  Most of the time you have to do things manually and they relatively require many steps before you can actually get an output. Innovations such as television, the internet, radio, cellular phones, etc., have influenced the way we perceive things surrounding us, the way we make choices, the way we maintain ourselves informed, and also the way we view almost everything today. For someone as busy, like myself (juggling between family responsibilities, work, school, etc.), IT has become my loyal BFF (“best friend forever”); PA (“personal assistant”) and unbeatable “one-stop shop”. Who would not want them? It gives me the convenience of time, simplifies my daily activities, moreover, it’s like a driving force making things possible for you 24/7.

I wake up every day to the beep of my electronic alarm, a cup of coffee (freshly brewed) to satisfy my craving for caffeine in the morning and nonetheless, my laptop which sets and organizes my priorities within the day.  These routines would not be made possible without the convenience of what IT is all about.

I mentioned previously, I am a very busy person and my typical day, is not typical L due to the diverse role I play both in personal life and at work.  Before leaving home for work, I have to ensure that my schedule for would fit throughout the day.  My calendar of activities comprises both aspects and has been carefully planned a few days prior for them to take place. I set alarms, notification ahead as to not forget any single detail. IT plays a vital role for me stay on top of my game. One of the few examples of these is the internet access. It makes possible for me to perform various tasks without leaving the office or sometimes, home. With the rapid and incredible development of IT, I am able to make inquiries by phone, instead of traveling long distances which can be very exhausting.

IT has certainly made a big part of my life simpler, with the extensive usage of computers and other related gadgets so to speak, some of the tedious and dreary activities can be simplified or can even be eliminated. Unlike before, you have to allot heaps of time for a certain activity and still end up not being able to accomplish anything within the day. Thus, 8 working hours a day is not enough to finish your task and you have no choice but to render an overtime, which can strain personal relationships in the long run.

The advancement of technologies encourages flexibility and expedites processes at my convenience. The use of emails, mobile phones, instant messaging, social networking applications or video conferencing has also simplified the way I communicate to my clients, family, and friends and it’s relatively cheaper – very ideal for business operations and maintaining social relationships too! Also, online shopping gives me the convenient of not going to the mall to purchase something or online express payment makes me beat deadlines which prevent us in paying late dues.

Overall the impact of IT both inspires simplicity, efficiency and productivity at any endeavor I am in, as it enables me to multi-task.  It’s like having tentacles that could stretch as far as it can without hassle. Hence, the genie is out in the bottle.  IT helps me learn, date, eat, socialize, and so much more. It changed the way I perceive reality; both my professional and personal life are now dependent and it is integrated within me that going without them will cause severe anxiety for sure – it’s not hard to see why. IT has indeed taken over and we must be in control of it, moreover, there are no signs that the development of technologies is slowing down.  I am proud that I have lived this day to witness such discoveries and actually had the opportunity to take advantage of its uses.  Life is simply amazing because of them. Don’t you think so?

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