Sunday, December 13, 2009

Hmmn imagining myself 10 years from now makes me feel a bit excited and nervous. Probably I’m 31 years old that time and have a family on my own. I’m a graduate of BSIT and definitely reached the stage of being a professional. That’s also the time wherein I can pay back all the hard works my
parents did for a couple of years I stayed in the university. Right after graduation, I’ll be part of the corporate and prestigious world of IT environment wherein I can contribute the knowledge I had which is a big help to the company I’ll be engaging in. I’ll be an IT Analyst, a Web Designer or maybe owns a big company hopefully. Well with regards to my profession that time, I guess I’m worthy to be called as an IT professional. With so much effort and strategies I made, well it wouldn’t hard for me to achieve my desired goals in life.


What would be the strategies I made in order to achieve the goals I set in? First, I may not able to have a work if I didn’t study for a couple of years in the university. That really requires so much patience and determination. It really involves planning. Proper plans to set so that I had a path to follow and basically end up with good result. As I reached the time where I’m engaging to the work environment I choose, planning is definitely plays an important role. I may have a set of workloads to be made on that day and for the rest of years I stayed in the company. There would be some steps I will follow to accomplish the task I had. Planning is not only the strategy I may have. Yeah there is a plan but I think planning would not be successful alone if I don’t possess the traits of being a good employee. I must be competitive enough in the workplace since I’ll be dealing with different people and somehow had a different idea with my colleagues. One of the greatest strengths I may possess is taking the initiative to do something when no one else will. When I see that something needs to be done, even if that part was not my task I must simply do it. I must be flexible enough in the workplace. Moreover, a communication skill is one of the traits I must bare in mind since there are some differences of ideas between employees. Proper communication in the workplace will lead to a successful work and can help the organization achieve their goals. I cannot able I must be updated of the latest trend since technology nowadays is fast moving and is adaptable to changes. That really needs the strategic planning a company must take into. Well being part of the company, I will play an important role in making the organization go in the flow.

Another strategy I may have is that knowing my strengths and weaknesses. Learning to follow your bliss is a critical component in managing a career and I guess that’s the greatest strength I may possess. Nailing down the self-knowledge that leads to career fulfillment comes from a process of exploring interests, skills, personality, learning style, and values. With regards to the weaknesses, I must know and consider those areas in the work field where I could improve. An evaluation from the employer is a big help to improve the weakest side of me and with that I’ll be motivated to show some improvements.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Nowadays, the rise of information technology plays a vital role in every organization and major businesses. Competition is indeed a mere challenge to all organizations. The use of the so-called technology brings life to them not just because they need to have one but also by showing to others what they’ve got. The fast growing technology ruled over the world and influenced the industry level of businesses. Information technology is a powerful tool for meeting environmental objectives and promoting sustainable development. Information technologies are unique not just because of their growing use in decision-making and knowledge management systems, important as that is. Their use has also yielded significant improvements in the efficiency of energy and materials used by certain companies. This has contributed to economic expansion without the increases in environmental impacts that would have resulted had the efficiency improvements not occurred.

Advances in information technology are likely to continue to provide opportunities for the development of improved and new products and services offered by some organizations. The advances of technology nowadays certainly help in building a skilled workforce within the organization that definitely makes the company grow and produced quality services to customers.

Due to the rapid development of technology, information is acquired anytime, anywhere and everywhere. Likewise, all medium to large organizations depend on Information technology for their continued survival. Information systems were developed simply to improve the efficiency of specific business functions. More recently information systems have been viewed as tools for obtaining
competitive advantage.

An information systems environment is an area in which professionals make use of the systems developed within the environment of the organization. An environment that doesn’t focused on one field but instead represents an ecosystem where information systems are employed and then used. The environment that both information systems and workforce work together to build a competitive and progressive organization they aim to have.

As an aspiring IT professional, soon I’ll be a part of the corporate world and prestigious IT environment or organization equipped with many knowledge. I take up IT because I want to be a part of the IT environment that is nowadays-latest trend. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish this course. The time I finished this course, I want to work in a big company such as Davao Light and Power Company, Ayala Group of Companies, PLDT, Philippine Airlines and San Miguel Corporations. The mentioned companies surely have the best job suited for me, I guess. I really dreamed of becoming a business analyst of one of the said companies. I want to become an Information Technology Business Analyst. IT business analyst plays a vital role in their organizations' technological direction. IT business analysis responsibilities can reside in various corporate functions and departments, such as operations, product development, information systems and finance. No matter what organization or title owns the function, the business analyst's primary responsibilities are gathering requirements for designing business information systems, modifying systems to improve production or workflow, deploying new applications or expanding systems to serve new purposes. The bottom line for business analysts is to help make the companies more efficient, effective and profitable. Being an IT business analyst soon, I must able to think logically and should probably work with many ideas since the work is dealing with number of tasks simultaneously. That’s really a challenging one, I guess. Another thing is that analyst often work independently since there are some cases that the work is done with a team for large projects. I must be able to communicate with technical personnel such as programmers, managers and clients who don’t have enough background with computers. My job is really important in the company. As what I’ve heard, IT business analyst is the brain of the company since the business relies on the technology.

Upon working in a company, there are lots of things to consider since we are not working alone. We will work and deal with different kinds of people, which is a means in creating a special workforce in a company that would surely help the organization. The time I’ll be working, I must also consider the ideas of my colleagues since we are the brain of the company. Doing that role requires great passion. The work is quiet challenging since it will be done under pressure. There are lots of challenges I may face in performing my role in that company. Managing the time, balance the work and the competition within the organization. That challenged me so much because that would probably an aid for me in becoming competent and effective personnel. Another thing is that the technology nowadays is fast moving and with that I must able to formulate some ideas that surely fit to what the technology had that moment of time. Facing those challenges would simply means that I have to be strong and competitive enough so that the role I’m portraying fit to what the organization wishes me to portray.

For now since I’m just a student, I would probably make sure that all my dreams will be come true. Though the pressure is there still I have to manage myself well so that the time I graduate, those I’ve mentioned will surely happen. Hopefully and in God’ time.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Information is the lifeblood of any organization. Damaged or lost data can cause disruptions in normal business activities leading to financial losses and lawsuits. Information systems, which comprise hardware, software, data, applications, communication and people, help an organization to better manage and secure its critical corporate, customer and employee data. Information systems also improve integration and work processes.

The role of information system in an organization is to monitor and document the operations of systems, which are called target systems. An information system owes its existence to the target system. For example, production activities would be the target system for a production scheduling information system; human resources would be the target system of a human resource information system. It could be that every reactive system may have a subsystem that can be considered as an information system whose objective is to monitor and control such a system. The main functions of an information system may be input, processing, output, storage and control.

Outsourcing vs. Insourcing:

Outsourcing began in the early eighties when organizations started delegating their non-core functions to an external organization that was specialized in providing a particular service, function or product. In outsourcing, the external organization would take on the management of the outsourced function.

Most organizations choose outsourcing because outsourcing offers a lot of advantages. When organizations outsource to countries like India, they benefit from lower costs and high-quality services. Moreover organizations can concentrate more on core functions once they outsource their non-core functions. Outsourcing can also help organizations make better use of their resources, time and infrastructure.

In outsourcing, the outsourcer and the outsourcing partner have a greater relationship when compared to the relationship between a buyer and a seller. In outsourcing, the outsourcer trusts the outsourcing partner with vital information. Outsourcing is no longer confined to the outsourcing of IT services. Most organizations are opting to outsource because outsourcing enables organizations to access intellectual capital, focus on core competencies, shorten the delivery cycle time and reduce costs significantly. Organizations feel outsourcing is an effective business strategy to help improve their business.

The opposite of outsourcing can be defined as Insourcing. When an organization delegates its work to another entity, which is internal yet not a part of the organization, it is termed as insourcing. The internal entity will usually have a specialized team who will be proficient in the providing the required services. Organizations sometimes opt for insourcing because it enables them to maintain a better control of what they outsource. Insourcing has also come to be defined as transferring work from one organization to another organization which is located within the same country. Insourcing can also mean an organization building a new business centre or facility which would specialize in a particular service or product.

Organizations involved in production usually opt for insourcing in order to cut down the cost of labor and taxes amongst others. Organizations who have been dissatisfied with outsourcing have moved towards insourcing. Some organizations feel that they can have better customer support and better control over the work outsourced by insourcing their work rather than outsourcing it. According to recent studies, there is more wok insourced than outsourced in the U.S and U.K. These countries are currently the largest outsourcers in the world. The U.S and U.K outsource and insource work equally.

If an organization has a number of non-core processes which are taking plenty of time, effort and resources to perform in-house, it would be wise to outsource these non-core functions. Outsourcing in this case, would help save on time, effort, and manpower and would also be aid in making quicker deliveries to customers. For reducing costs and making faster deliverables, outsourcing is again a good option.

If the work involves production, then it would be more ideal for the organization opt for insourcing, as it can save on transportation costs and exercise a better control over your project.

If given a chance to point out my opinion regarding outsourcing or insourcing in our university,I may choose to have it insource. We all know that the university is a public institution. Money is kinda a big issue when it comes to some implementations. Since outsourcing cost much, it would be a lot better if the university had an insource system since it lessens cost. . The university has good programmers that can do all the systems needed by the university. Why not give them the responsibility to do such system that definitely helps the university. They are competent enough and thus have enough knowledge when it comes in making and maintaining the Information Systems. They are definitely familiar with the flow of the system they come up with. So when problem arise, they can easily solve it since they are the ones who made it. They can always do better and develop their ideas. We all know that in outsourcing the time the system’s down, security and data integrity is then lost. Since the one using that system doesn’t have the knowledge to solve the problem, then it’s a hassle on their part because they cannot solve it alone. With in sourcing of course they surely deal with the problems easily and can secure the data thoroughly.


Reference:
http://www.outsource2india.com/why_india/articles/outsourcing-versus-insourcing.asp

SONA 2009..


Last July 27, 2009 during the 2ndRegular Session of the 14th Congress, one lady declared her SONA (State of the Nation Address) that is something she had to stand for till the end. She is our incumbent president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Getting a country up and running requires years and money resources, including large sums of more from the international community. The basic structure of a country is the same: political, economic, taxation and judicial systems, infrastructure, cultural, educational and medical institutions, and more are one of the issues our president stated. Because these are interconnected, fitting them together into unified, organic whole is a complex undertaking.

She stated in her SONA some of her achievements this year. The vision of putting people first in her priorities is one key points.

In relation with ICT, she mentioned some areas about it.. These are the following:

Telecommunications


  • The president addressed to Telecommunications Commission to take charge of the problems concerning dropped calls and unreasonable cell phone load vanishings. That concern must b properly solved since we the consumers are the ones affected about it. Telecommunication companies must be responsible enough about the issue. They wont come up to what they are now if we the consumers didn't patronize their services.
Developing the BPO

  • BPO is a form ofoutsourcing that involves the contracting the operations and responsibilities of a business functions. The president stated that electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy but BPO remains resilient. With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competitiveness and productivity. BPO's advantage is that it helps any company increase their flexibility in terms of their fields. Since the company is flexible enough,then it only means that they will able to focus on their core competencies which in the end be a great help in the progress of the company and the country as well.
Automated Elections

  • 2010 national elections is fast approaching. There are certain advantages arises on this automation. It provides efficient way for voting with less hassle. Of course its beneficial on our part as voters since we can vote easily. The use of the technology on the said automation was indeed a good one. We make use of the technology properly at the same time it can produce good output to us as well as our country. lol!
Reference:
http://jlp-law.com/blog/state-of-the-nation-address-sona-2009/

As an IT Consultant..

Internet has been perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history of mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages. But usually, greater magnitude of advantages outweighs its disadvantages. Internet Today internet has brought a globe in a single room. Right from news across the corner of the world, wealth of knowledge to shopping, purchasing the tickets of your favorite movie-everything is at your finger tips. Internet has great potential and lot to offer. With that, its
really part of our daily lives. The foremost target of internet has always been the communication. And internet has excelled beyond the expectations .Still, innovations are going on to make it faster, more reliable. By the advent of computer’s Internet, our earth has reduced and has attained the form of a global village. By just clicking the mouse, we can now communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. With the so-called emails and chat, we can get in touch with our loved ones. Another great advantage of internet is that it provides us the information we need in our daily lives. The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, yahoo is at your service on the Internet. You can almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for. There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject need to be searched. Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use the Internet for research for the purpose of gathering resources. Teachers have started giving assignments that require research on the Internet. It’s really an advantage to us students because it’s easy for us to find the information we need in our studies. On other way round, entertainment is another popular reason why people love to surf the internet. Games, chat, some networking sites are those popular demands of the users. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attention by game lovers. Chat rooms are popular because users can meet new and interesting people. In fact, the Internet has been successfully used by people to find life long partners. When people surf the Web, there are numerous things that can be found. Music, hobbies, news and more can be found and shared on the Internet.

Slow internet connection problems are becoming more common. The speed of internet connection is based on several factors. If those factors are hampered, the internet connection will slows down.One of the major causes of slowdown on the net is spyware. So before you begin tweaking your setting. Make sure that your computer is free of spyware and other nasty.

If I’m hired as an IT consultant of the university, I would suggest to have a good infrastructure in order to improve the internet connection. We are all aware that the slow internet connection in our university is one of the problem our university has. Students keep on complaining on the slow internet connection. As an IT consultant, I do have lots of suggestions to improve the internet connectivity.
These are the following:

1. Broadband Router Settings

As the centerpiece of a network, a broadband router can be responsible for slow Internet connections if configured improperly. For example, the MTU setting of your router will lead to
performance issues if set too high or too low. Ensure your router's settings are all consistent with the manufacturer's and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) recommendations. Carefully record any changes you make to your router's configuration so that you can undo them later if necessary.

2. Wireless Signal Interference

Wi-Fi and other types of wireless connections may perform poorly due to signal interference, which requires computers to continually resend messages to overcome signal issues. To avoid slow Internet connections due to signal interference, reposition your router for better performance and change your Wi-Fi channel number.

3. Internet Worms

An Internet worm is a malicious software program that spreads through computer networks. If any of your computers are infected by an Internet worm, they may begin spontaneously generating network traffic without your knowledge, causing your Internet connection to appear slow. Run antivirus software regularly to diagnose and remove these worms from your computers.

4. Running Background Applications

Some software applications you install on a computer run in the background, quietly consuming network resources. Unlike worms, these are programs designed to do useful work. Peer to
peer (P2P) programs in particular can heavily utilize your network and cause connections to appear slow. It's easy to forget these applications are running. Always check computers for any programs running in the background when troubleshooting a slow network.

5. Faulty Network Equipment

When routers, modems or cables fail, they typically won't support connections. Certain technical glitches in network equipment, however, adversely affect performance even though connections are maintained. To troubleshoot potentially faulty equipment, temporarily re-arrange and re-configure your gear while experimenting with different configurations. Try bypassing the router, swapping cables and changing network adapters to isolate the slow performance to a specific
component of the system.

6. Service Provider Issues

Internet speed ultimately depends on the service provider. Your ISP may change their network's configuration, or suffer technical difficulties, that inadvertently cause your Internet connection to run slow. ISPs may also intentionally install filters or controls on the network that can lower your performance. Don't hesitate to contact your service provider if you suspect they are responsible for a slow Internet connection.

7. Reduce the Web Cache

The task here is to make your web cache as small as possible. The less disk space your reserve for your temporary files is less data that your computer needs to search through. This action can easily award you a faster connection on the net.

8. Clear Temp Files

Deleting web cache is a good way to speed up a slow internet connection. These files take up valuable resources that could be used to for a better net surfing experience. When we are online web cache are active. Cookies are loaded in your browsers and constantly update themselves.
Here how to delete your temporary internet files.

Manual steps to erase your temporary internet files.
1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser
2. Click Start, click Control Panel and then double-click Internet Options.
3. On the General tab, click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.
4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the Delete all offline content check box , and then click OK.
5. Click OK.

9. Speed Up Web Pages

When you log on to a web page, your computer is assaulted with data it needs to organize and present in an orderly manner. This information takes time to load. So, the more information the longer it takes to load. However you tweak a number of settings to decrease the time it takes to load a web page. By reducing the amount of animation and scripts.

10. Control Your AntiVirus

When your antivirus performs a scan. It produces a log. This log can be up to 100 megabytes of information each. The registry holds all this info. The addition of the info is not the major problem. Its that the information is placed in many places in your registry. This causes fragmentation of files. Your computer's operating system must search through the massive files in the registry constantly. If the registry is error-filled, fragmented, or bloated with unnecessary and duplicate files, you will have major slowdown. Organize and keep it maintained, the problem will most likely be solved.

Those mentioned suggestions is a great help not just to the students but all also to the faculty and staff of the university because they can make use of the internet properly without hassles. However, it would be a lot better if both students and staff cooperate in making the internet connection faster. It's not just for the good of oneself but also for the good of the institution. lol!


Refernces:
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/speedtests/tp/slow-network-connections.htm
http://www.delete-computer-history.com/slow-internet-connection.html

Barriers in IT/IS Implementation

Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of IT we are not only able to streamline our business processes but we are also able to get constant information up to the minute and up to date.

The significance of IT can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives from business to leisure and even the society. Today personal computers, cell phones, fax machines, email and internet have all not only become an integral part of our very culture but also play an essential role in our day to day activities as well.

Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well.

As we all know, all business processing units nowadays make use of the so-called technology we had now. It brings a lot of advantages for the company since it is an aid in achieving the company’s goal and to become globally competitive in so many ways. With information technology, computerize business process helped those companies in streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity that ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less tough working conditions. IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 x7 all over the globe. This means that a business can be open anytime anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. It simply means money is always coming. Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT.

There are some barriers encountered when Information Technology or Information Systems is involved. Certain companies do have some systems that they use for the overall operation of the business. If we say computerized systems it means work is done easily but how about its disadvantages.

In our adopted company, which is the Davao International Airport, the barrier they stated is described as “Garbage in, Garbage out”. What does it mean? It is used primarily to call attention to the fact that computers will automatically process the most nonsensical of input data and produce nonsensical output. It was most popular in the early days of computing, but applies even more today, when powerful computers can spew out mountains of erroneous information in a short time.

Another barrier stated by the manager is the Budget Constraints and Ignorance.
We all know that Davao International Airport is a big company but then in terms of the maintainance of their facilities they do lack of budget. They cannot come up to have a good information system since
money is barely involved. Ignorance on the other hand in a way that they dont have good facilities that are on the trend since they used the old versions of computer.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_In,_Garbage_Out

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

What is Green Campus Computing?

Green Campus Computing is a practice of using computer resources efficiently. The growing use of computers on campus has caused a dramatic increase in energy consumption. Most personal desktop computers are not being used the majority of the time they are running and many personal computers nationwide are needlessly left on continuously. Every time we leave computers or lights on we waste electricity. Burning fossil fuels generates most of our electricity and it also emits pollutants, sulfur, and carbon dioxide into the air. These emissions can cause respiratory disease, smog, acid rain and global climate change.

Here are some ways to reduced energy consumption:


  • Eliminate Screen Savers
  • Turn off computers when not in use
  • Printers must be used only when needed
  • Avoid use laser printers because it consume more energy
  • Unplug Cellphone chargers when you're not charging
When you're not using your computer, you can save energy by putting it to "sleep." When your computer is in sleep, it's turned on but in a low power mode. It takes less time for a computer to wake up from sleep than it does for the computer to start up after being turned off. You can also choose to put the computer to sleep automatically when your computer has been inactive for a specified amount of time. You can also set only the display to sleep. If your computer is in the middle of a task that you want to let finish while you are away you should set only the display to sleep.

To implement this idea on my school, University of Southeastern Philppines, it would be much better if we are responsible enough to help in conserving energy. All the administrative staff as well as students must be aware of the environmental issues that computers bring unto us since we are the primary users of those devices. We have to be vigilant of the effects of those issues since we are responsible on it. The idea of turning off the computers when not in used is a big help. Avoid using screen savers since images that appear on monitor within 5 minutes means wasting of energy. We must understand the concepts of green campus computing, its advantages and effects in many aspects of life. If we students as well as the staff in our school is properly oriented with the purpose of green campus computing, then it would be very easy for us to get involved in conserving energy and protecting the environment. Cooperation is badly needed to achieve the goal of saving the environment. Likewise, it would be a lot better if the faculty will imposed strict implementation inside our computer laboratories so that students will definitely follow. It is also good if the school administration will have further study in using the technology efficient and effectively to fit the current computing lifestyle of our university. Moreover, we students must follow those simple implementation so that we can help in conserving and saving energy at the same time in protecting our environment. The benefit of having a good environment is not only for our own good but also to those in our future generation.

References:
http://ecenter.colorado.edu/energy/projects/green_computing.html
http://greencampus.winserve.org/greencampus/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=7&Itemid=39
http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/mgk3k/enwr/ccs.html

Monday, July 13, 2009

A COMDAPP experience..

Get to know COMDDAP..

COMDDAP is an association of the country's top information technolgy businesses. Its primary objective is to promote the sustainable development of the of the country's information technology industry through voluntary collaboration of its member companies. COMDDAP’s goal is to be able to provide its members general views and updates from different sectors - private and government, and highly regarded individuals to further uplift the morale and knowledge of its organization.

The vision of promoting and elevating the standards of Information technology (IT) in the Philippines fueled a group of prominent computer companies to form the Computer Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines or COMDDAP. Its initial member-companies represent the world's leading makers and providers of computer products, solutions and peripherals.

COMDDAP’s objective was to promote the use of information technology, make computers affordable, and supply the market with quality products at reasonable prices. With that, they held an annual event to encourage students, young professionals or even those interested in technology to take part on their event as they launch their products and services as well as hold seminars with a variety of topics in the areas of technology, trends, applications, and information management. The said event was held at the grand ballroom of the Apo View Hotel, Davao City.

Insights..

I was there around 1:00pm together with my classmates and friends. As we enter the ballroom portal, I was then stunned of those booth displayed. Latest technology was present. We get to know of the latest trend.The exhibit is really amazing. We had a chance to get closer to those latest technologies, which eventually can be a great help to all of us in terms of our studies. Actually the said event was a good activity especially to us students since the whole thing on the said event is informative. We learned something beneficial in our part as students at the same time were having fun. The seminar started late because the first session ended late that morning. At first its quite boring but as time goes by I already enjoyed it.

The first presenter is Mr. Celmer Santos from Jupiter Systems Inc. He discussed about DMS (Deale Management System). It is a system used in car dealership and sales transactions. It is a 24-year-old software company and is one of the pioneers of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in the Philippines. They’re not jus operating here in the Philippines but also across the Asia Pacific. Dealer Management System is also a complete end-to-end solution for Auto Management. He discussed about Dealer Management System Coverage, which includes Customer Relationship Management, Vehicle Sales and Administration, Service Management and Parts Inventory.

The second part of the seminar is about Thin Client. I consider the topic as a good and exciting one since all of us can barely relate. Mr. Leonard then discussed it. What is HP Thin Clients? It is computing device without a hard drive, which displays data and applications from remotely located servers, blade PC’s or virtual desktop. It can be used independently, as a task specific computing
device with a minimal set of applications installed. Most ideal platform is also used.

The benefits of using HP Thin Clients:

  • Hardware Embedded OS
  • Free Management Tools
  • ¼ the Failure
  • 10x higher MTBF
  • Solid state, no noise
  • Longer life
  • ONSITE, whole unit replacement
  • Up to 80% lower power
  • Save savings (less than 1/15 vol)
  • Minimal heat generated
  • Lower initial hardware cost and overall TCO
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience on that event. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any freebies but still I have fun at the same time I learned something new. Good thing that theres a kind of event that will make each and every one of us aware of the latest technology. Thanks to COMDAPP. lol!



References:
http://www.comddap.org/aboutus.htm

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Automated Election..

2010 election is fast approaching. Newly elected officials both from the national and local levels will take charge in the next few years of their reign. Part of our tradition is having an election that will choose who among those qualified leaders can be the best ruler of our country. Throughout the history of Philippine elections, never-ending issues on disqualification appeals, cheating scandals and unjustified campaign schemes are always brought under the table.

From the local to the national level, from the lowest to the highest position, results on election returns are always questioned. Come to think of it, was there ever an election that passed where everyone was satisfied? There’s actually none. Political campaigns have always been colorfully dramatic. We always see in some advertisements in television those aspiring candidates seriously knocking every voter’s heart for them to be chosen.

Great caution must be observed upon examining those promises they had for our country. It’s saddening when people only see the immediate advantage but not the long-term improvement. The mentality of the people has been blinded by poverty. Poverty that is caused by long generations of conflict, lack of income resource and unwise governance. People always
blame the government. But it is the people who put them on top of the ladder in the first place. When the undeserving is one step ahead, there is no else to blame.

We are all aware about the automated election in 2010, which was then planned to be implemented. Advantages and disadvantages arise when this automated system for election is implemented. It provides efficient way for voting with less hassle. Voters cannot prolong the process of voting and lined up in a crowd. Its very convenient since we can get the tally immediately rather than to count it by hands. But then it could be the cause to worsen political situation. Possibilities for the candidates can hire computer experts to hack the system and manipulate the entire votes. Unless if the system is fully secured.

There comes an election automation contract to Smartmatic and TIM (Total Information Management). Smartmatic is a multinational company that designs and deploys technological solutions aimed at helping governments fulfill, in the most efficient way, their commitments with
their citizens. It is one of the largest cutting-edge technology suppliers, with a wide and proven experience in the United States, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Smartmatic also aims to help societies become more efficient and transparent, through technological innovations and it is responsible for several top and advanced innovations available in the market around three business areas: electronic auditable voting systems, intelligent and integrated security platforms, and advanced solutions for people registration and authentication for a wide range of government applications. Likewise, it is one of the service providers of the more expensive direct recording electronic system, or touch-screen technology.

Lately, local information technology provider Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) had backed out of a joint venture for election automation, fearing the deal gave its foreign partner unbridled power that could lead to potential abuse, according to an industry source close to TIM. Under the contract between Smartmatic International Corporation and TIM, Commission on Elections would have paid the providers P7.19 billion for the lease of goods and purchase of services. TIM opposes several key provisions in the joint venture agreement as well as in the contract on the 2010 automated election system. Local partners were concerned that TIM had no say on the counting software development, despite being the technical partner, and would be a lame duck if electronic cheating were to occur. There’s a provision in the proposed contract with Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM joint venture which states that: “The providers shall be liable for all their obligations under this project and the performance of portions thereof by other persons or entities not parties to this contract shall not relieve the providers of said obligations and concomitant liabilities.” Since Smartmatic is the provider of great track record in automated elections, it was their responsibility to take charge of the technical aspects of the counting and canvassing, software and hardware, including transmission configuration and system integration.

In the senate hearing, the head of the Filipino partner in the consortium that won the bid for next year’s computerized elections conceded that Smartmatic International would do the bulk of the automation. According to Jose Mari Antuñez, head of local IT provider Total Information Management Corporation, in accordance with an agreement on Friday the joint venture company to be formed with Smartmatic was on a 60-40 basis in favor of TIM. Smartmatic and TIM officials told the Senate that that they had patched up their differences and that they had agreed to a “neutral arbiter”—a Singaporean arbitration court—that would help resolve their conflict should they have another conflict.

If ever the automated election will take place, it is or responsibility to make sure that we used the technology properly. Likewise, it is very much important to have a good decision in terms of choosing a leader. We are definitely responsible for our own future. Our decisions affect the growth of our economy and our actions determine the fate of this country. There is hope for better tomorrow. We must begin by helping ourselves. Doing what is right will help us win this fight. The fight that determines who is going to lead this country to the shore of productivity.
Think. Evaluate. Vote wisely. Make a smart choice as 2010 elections knocks on every Filipino’s door.


References:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090707-214221/Smartmatic-TIM-assure-Senate-problem-settled
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Monday, July 6, 2009

IT/IS change..

Since globe telecom decline us as we visit to their company to conduct some interview, we decided to go to LDS (Latter Day Saint Employment Resource Services) to have an interview with regards to our second assignment which is to identify the risk associated with IT/IS change in a certain organization.

Nowadays, the use of technology is fast as easy. The common work environment today is totally
dependent on computers. All our work related applications are now completely automated, that is what the IT sector influenced us. IT professionals are people involved in essential management of sensitive data. In such ways, IT influenced the industry-level of the business as well as ruled the world in many aspects. With IT, some of the systems help those organizations to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The use of technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker. Computerized, IT-based business processes have made many businesses turn to the Internet for increased productivity and greater profitability. Because of the IT industry, people from diverse cultures are able to personally communicate and exchange valuable ideas. This has greatly reduced prejudice and thus increased sensitivity. Information Technology made some influences with regards to business aspects. Specialist in this field like programmers, analyzers and developers, come up to an application that improve business processes simultaneously. For larger operations, IT provides number of low-cost
business options to tap higher productivity and a special category for the larger operations as well. Many businessmen have enabled updates in terms of the technology they are using to increase productivity and identify a market niche that would never have been possible without the connectivity. People do not only connect faster with the help of information technology, but they are also able to identify like-minded individuals and extend help, while strengthening ties. With the use of the so-called technologies in a certain organization, business transactions are automated and thus require little or no human intervention after all. With that, job levels in the workplace have minimized, repetitions of task are eliminated and there would be no loss due to human error. The development of information technology will surely help each organization to achieve their certain goals and become globally competitive.

As much as IT is concerned, there comes the Information System, which is then designed to help certain organizations to have system of people, data records, activities that is processed and some organization’s manual and automated processes. Through Information System and Technologies, an organization utilizes flexible, and efficient data solutions to gain immediate access to critical tracking, management, and systematic information modified to their industry-specific needs.

Company Visited: LDS Employment Resource Service

The LDS Employment Resource Service (ERS) is non-profit service supported by The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been in existence for over (10) years now in the Philippines. Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Thousands of job seekers and hundreds of companies have benefited from free services of the ERS worldwide. Their objective is to help people economically self-reliant through employment, education and self-employment. We had an interview with Mr. Philip Tan, Area Manager for Employment in LDS. He stated some advantage and disadvantage of Information System in their company. One of these advantage is that with IS, it is useful for them to serve their clients since they have computerized systems for financial track keeping expenses and real time recording of expenses. Moreover, the disadvantage he states is that when they are so IT/IS dependent, the time the Internet or the systems becomes down all those files saved will vanish if there would be no backup initiated.

LDS offers free services to those employees and job seekers as well. For employees, they do have free advertisements of manpower requirements, free access to their website and free use of the facility to conduct interviews or recruitment events such as job fairs. For job seekers they have business center that they can access facilities such as computers and the Internet. They also have training and resource center that will help clients build their business ideas and resources. The center maintained a computerized system of applicants and employers. This system allows the center to generate a list of qualified applicants for a given job vacancy. They use excel and database software to store some data.

Mr. Tan also states the best IT practices their company has. They make use of the technology to lessened men hours to produce reports. They use people soft in accounting purposes. They also try not to use company cards, which is connected in their accounting system. They do also have localized network that is beneficial on their part since they can access some data through file sharing over a shared network.

What are those risks in IT/IS change?

According to Mr. Tan, the risks that they will encounter when IT/IS change is that they will lose the data stored and with that they cannot keep in touch with the client. Their company IT structure already provides them with necessary benefits, with changes there would be negative and positive impact on their part. He also said that if there is a change in their information system, it also mean that they have to find more skilled persons to operate the new technology the company will had. If there were a need to improve the facilities they had, then it would mean more expenses for the company. On the positive side of view, having the IT/IS change will give best results when it is properly planned and organized. Having great IT/IS in the organization, it simply means that their work would be done simpler and not time consuming. bounce

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

  • Globe Telecommunications bounce
One of the local organization i've searched that practices IT/IS in their company is Globe Telecommunications.

Globe Telecom is the leading provider of wireless communications,wire-line voice communications, data transmission, and domestic and international long distance communication service for the
Philippines.

It also aims to be an organization that anticipates and responds to global market trends in telecommunications, while still remaining focused on customer satisfaction.They believed that their strategy will allow the company to grow and prosper. To strengthen this strategy and increase its competitive advantage,they empower its workforce with state-of-the-art IT tools and networking applications. Because of the increasing growth of globe's employees, it somewhat reflects their growth in business volumes and market shares. With that,new applications will be applied soon such as Integrated Billing System, Imaging Help Desk, HR applications, and videoconferencing that will surely help Globe's goal of using technology, especially for a high performance network as a foundation to achieving high growth and return on investment.

The new developments were the driving factors for Globe to design and upgrade its existing network. This upgrade is meant to address the anticipated increase in network traffic and the rise of network utilization. Globe's business processes become more dependent on its enterprise network. Because of that, Globe's MIS (Management Information System) saw the need to evolve their current network into a scalable, future-proof, fault-tolerant and high-performance Intranet. Globe was able to transform its existing network without disturbing the work and productivity of its existing users.

Globe's Internet data center (IDC) contains many Cisco hardware devices including high-end Internet routers and Cisco Catalyst® 6500 and 3550 Series switches. The new IDC will support some 400 end users, and there are plans to add two similar data centers to support future growth. They evaluated many options and asked WeSolv Open Computing Inc., the networking subsidiary of FPI, to design, supply and implement a solution based on Cisco's Catalyst 5500 Layer 3 switches and Fast EtherChannel technology. WeSolv's proposed network equipment is highly scalable which means that Globe's new network can handle the anticipated growth rate oper year and the anticipated growth in the number of users as well as the applications to be rolled out. WeSolv's network is designed to be fault-tolerant which is prepared to tolerate a number of hardware failures and still continue to operate. With WeSolv, Globe Telecom will be able to transform its existing network without disturbing the work and productivity of its existing users. The network was also future-proof to easily support ATM, Gigabit Ethernet and Gigabit EtherChannel to speed up exchange of information. Aside from allowing Globe employees to utilize existing applications as well as new bandwidth - intensive ones, the new network will help speed up the exchange of vital information to all levels with in the company.

Globe Telecom recognized the need to strengthen its customer service strategy by means of implementing an effective Call Center using proven IVR (Interactive Voice Response) technology that will help them retain and win more loyal customers which for me is their best practice. This is in line with Globe Telecom's mission of not just delivering phone lines but also providing first-class quality and personalized service driven by excellence and innovation. Globe Telecom needed a system that is very flexible to manage at any given time.

These Systems mentioned above are the following:
  • Automated Billing Inquiry- allows the customers instant access to their current and
    previous balance that will be spoken to them upon validation of certain information.
  • Fax on Demand- provides the client an option to receive a fax of their
    billing information right after requesting it and not several days after the request.
  • Change of Easy Access Code
  • Automated PIN Unblocking Key (PUK)
  • Audiotext- allows the customer access to information about Globe Telecom's other products and services.
  • Transfer to a live Customer Service Representative
With this systems, Globe Telecom automatically added number of agents that could handle those simple inquiries without adding addtional manpower. This frees up the Customer Service Representatives to entertain more complex and demanding cases. With the IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System), customer support is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. This translates to better customer service levels at minimal cost. Through IVRS, Globe Telecom hopes to provide more automated services, such as activation/deactivation of subscription features such as SMS (text messaging), voice mail, IDD, NDD, automated requests for change of subscription plan, credit limit, or number.

Networking is indeed one of the best foundation in today's IT industry. It's really a big help to those organizations from small to a large corporations in achieving their certain goals. flower

www.cisco.com
www.globe.com.ph
http://www.fujitsu.com/ph/casestudies/globe-telecom-3.html
http://www.fujitsu.com/ph/casestudies/globe-telecom-4.html

Monday, June 22, 2009

A Reflection..

First day of class with Sir Randy will always be fun. No dull moments afterall.. hehe! lol!

Learning MIS will gives us much information that will help us in our future acts. Will soon to be the captain of our own ship. We'll soon manage our own company and with that MIS will take place. Management involves planning,directing,organizing and controlling. In relation with a certain company, the employees must'nt controlled but then led or guided by the manager since people are not robots.

Most of the time we will explore the outside world. Lots of company visit and an interview with a management personnel. We'll be having fun at the same time we'll learn something. bounce

An Introduction..

Hi I'm Vanessa May Caneda. A BSIT-4 student currently enrolled in IT-313 (Management Information System). I guess this sem would be so exciting and fun knowing that Sir Randy will give us lots of exercises the same way we had before during Human Resource
Management days.. lol!

The best thing I've learned from Sir Randy is that the learnings we had
will not only limit on the four corners of the room but exploring the outside world. With this subject, I do expect that everything will goes smoothly. We will learn some things which we can apply on our future career at the same time we're having fun so Good Luck to all of us..
hehe! bounce

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