The first semester of school year 2009 - 2010 has gone. Semestral break has started but I honestly can not feel it. Why? because it's already our enrollment and I feel like there is no break at all. I'm just happy that my first semester during this school year turned out quite well and now I wonder what's in stock for the second semester. Well I hope its all good and I hope I can still cope up. Note: This blog will now be used for subjects for the second semester particularly Management Information System 2.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Assignment 1: Companies
(What was I thinking? I forgot to put this post in my blog. I hope it's not too late.)
Here are the organizations/companies that I have searched in the internet and some of the organizations/companies that I will identify here are the ones I saw personally.
LBC
ATM Bilis Padala
One of LBC's IT practices is their ATM Bilis Padala, it is the first and the fastest money delivery by LBC. ATM Bilis Padala can be used to withdraw from over 7000 ATM's all over the country and can be used as retail outlets nationwide such as SM, Makro etc. By using ATM Bilis Padala, money is directly transmitted to the recipient's ATM card, allowing them to withdraw remitted funds in just 15 seconds from the time it was sent. LBC has integrate new technology in their line of business. What used to take a long time to process in delivering money to other persons in far places now takes 15 seconds. The set-up takes about one to three days. The pin number will be mailed to the sender within one to three days if the application is accepted online. If application is done at the branch, pin number will be given at the branch on the same day when application was recieved. Another practice of LBC which is simillar to ATM Bilis Padala is their Instant Peso Padala, where you can send money to your loved ones to any place in the Philippines.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT)
Online Recruitment and Service Application
PLDT also widen their assets by hiring and accepting future manpower assets through their website. Through this, the company can widen its scope in finding interested applicants to apply in their company without using a lot of company resources. This strategy is practical because it does not only provide applicants quick access in applying to the company it also gives applicants the luxury of applying for a position without even going the company in person. Also, interested customers can also process an application for the services that PLDT provides which is also convenient to interested customers.
PLDT Telepresence (Virtual Meetings Made Real)
PLDT has made a solution for a face to face, in person conferencing experience by developing a collaborative high definition video and audio communication. PLDT Telepresence is a collaborative high-definition video and audio communication and immersive room solution for a face to face, in person conferencing experience that offers enhanced business productivity and enables quick-to-market opportunities, with rapid decision making and reduced travel cost. Unlike collaboration thru travel, video conferencing and other conference solutions, it brings a life-like conferencing without the pains and costs of conventional business travel.
BIR
Online Service Appliaction
The Bureau of Internal Revenue have expanded their walls in their business to optimize transactions in their respective business. Now, companies and other organizations are able to access and download forms from the BIR which was originally only acquired by going to their office. This provides people with easy access to documents instead of acquiring it by going to office. You could also submit records of documents like anual inventory list to their website and email and you could also remit through their website. Recently they have developed a program that is integrated with IT in which records are stored and saved properly through a database. Companies nowadays would send their records in the AlphaList file type which were usually saved in an excel file. This could provide security to the records of the companies and organizations that the BIR has transactions with.
Sources:
Bureau of Internal Revenue Website: http://www.bir.gov.ph
PLDT: http://www.mypad.net/jobsdb_classified.aspx
Here are the organizations/companies that I have searched in the internet and some of the organizations/companies that I will identify here are the ones I saw personally.
LBC
ATM Bilis Padala
One of LBC's IT practices is their ATM Bilis Padala, it is the first and the fastest money delivery by LBC. ATM Bilis Padala can be used to withdraw from over 7000 ATM's all over the country and can be used as retail outlets nationwide such as SM, Makro etc. By using ATM Bilis Padala, money is directly transmitted to the recipient's ATM card, allowing them to withdraw remitted funds in just 15 seconds from the time it was sent. LBC has integrate new technology in their line of business. What used to take a long time to process in delivering money to other persons in far places now takes 15 seconds. The set-up takes about one to three days. The pin number will be mailed to the sender within one to three days if the application is accepted online. If application is done at the branch, pin number will be given at the branch on the same day when application was recieved. Another practice of LBC which is simillar to ATM Bilis Padala is their Instant Peso Padala, where you can send money to your loved ones to any place in the Philippines.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT)
Online Recruitment and Service Application
PLDT also widen their assets by hiring and accepting future manpower assets through their website. Through this, the company can widen its scope in finding interested applicants to apply in their company without using a lot of company resources. This strategy is practical because it does not only provide applicants quick access in applying to the company it also gives applicants the luxury of applying for a position without even going the company in person. Also, interested customers can also process an application for the services that PLDT provides which is also convenient to interested customers.
PLDT Telepresence (Virtual Meetings Made Real)
PLDT has made a solution for a face to face, in person conferencing experience by developing a collaborative high definition video and audio communication. PLDT Telepresence is a collaborative high-definition video and audio communication and immersive room solution for a face to face, in person conferencing experience that offers enhanced business productivity and enables quick-to-market opportunities, with rapid decision making and reduced travel cost. Unlike collaboration thru travel, video conferencing and other conference solutions, it brings a life-like conferencing without the pains and costs of conventional business travel.
BIR
Online Service Appliaction
The Bureau of Internal Revenue have expanded their walls in their business to optimize transactions in their respective business. Now, companies and other organizations are able to access and download forms from the BIR which was originally only acquired by going to their office. This provides people with easy access to documents instead of acquiring it by going to office. You could also submit records of documents like anual inventory list to their website and email and you could also remit through their website. Recently they have developed a program that is integrated with IT in which records are stored and saved properly through a database. Companies nowadays would send their records in the AlphaList file type which were usually saved in an excel file. This could provide security to the records of the companies and organizations that the BIR has transactions with.
Sources:
Bureau of Internal Revenue Website: http://www.bir.gov.ph
PLDT: http://www.mypad.net/jobsdb_classified.aspx
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Assignment 9: Information Environment Essay
When I read the assignment in Sir RSG’s forum I actually thought that I was going to compose an essay about environment, environmental issues and the like. I was really confused and decided not to compose anything yet. So before I wrote anything I took time to ask other people about the assignment and thanks to them I was enlightened. The assignment was to write an essay about an information environment, and then the thing that popped out of my mind is a place where people could acquire and share information. There were two things that I thought about when I thought about information environment it was the school where I spend most of my time aside being home and the World Wide Web. These two environments are both environments where people could acquire and share information with other people who are also in these environments.
SCHOOL
Let’s talk about the first environment that I thought about which is the school. Almost all people like me acquire information and learning from school. The school is a place that is conducive to learning. It the second home of a child one he or she gets out of his/her house. Education is very important especially in a person’s growth, without it a man is empty. Although the school is not only place where we can learn but it is the most basic next to our home.
WORLD WIDE WEB
The World Wide Web is the network of all networks. Here you can find various and lots of information that you want to find. Almost all people have already encountered the World Wide Web especially those people who are constantly in touch with social networking web sites such as face book, friendster, twitter and the like. The internet is one of the strong medium for sharing and acquiring information and it is widely used as of today by people who want to share information or acquire information. School and the World Wide Web, the two environments are the two things that popped in mind but what really is an information environment?
INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
What is an information environment? An information environment is a physical environment in general like a school. It can also mean or specifically mean our natural resources like lakes, streams, land and the like. There are also environment that contribute or has specific purpose such as a sports complex or a gym where you can do stuffs such as playing. An environment may also political aside from being physical or is not a physical environment. However in this case, the kind of environment that is being pointed out in this topic is the kind of environment that is both physical and political at the same time. It is an environment where ‘we’ the people in this environment can learn through acquiring information and the information that we get greatly impacts our lives.
I also got to get information about information environment from someone in school. An anonymous tipster told me that an information environment is an environment or an area where people like us or should I say IT professionals use and apply managements system and technology in a certain organization. An information environment represents an entire environment in which information systems are employed.
When I heard the definition of information environment I was really curious about it. Although I know in my mind that one day I will be able to be in an environment such as an information environment. To be honest this is the first time that I heard the term “Information Environment” and I am curious about it because I did not know that this kind of environment exists in an organization. If it really does then I want to see it.
As an Information Technology (IT) student the things that I could get involved at that are related to my course is being a programmer in a company, I could be a web administrator or a database administrator, a web developer, etc. all of these things come into my mind when I think about graduating and having a job, although I am currently influenced by music and I have to say that I am very, sophisticatedly and undoubtedly into it, I know someday I will still be able to utilize and make use of my knowledge in information technology. I have many interests pertaining to my course and there many possibilities that are available if I focus and get to it (hard and fast.)
My role in this environment is (I think) crucial because I hold or have the capacity to shift and make the information right or wrong or use it for good or bad. Although there is nothing to worry because I am a good hearted person and I would certainly use my knowledge for good and not use it to cause trouble or destroy anything. Information is important especially to those who would need it. I think my role or should “our” role because I am not the only information technology student being talked about here, is very important as to give the right information. Not just give the right information but also real information. The reason why I think that my role in this kind of environment is important is because I give or share the wrong information then the people who will acquire the information that I shared will surely get the wrong information. Would it be good if the people get the wrong information? I’m sure it is not.
We, the people who are responsible for giving the right information should be able organize information for the community. There should also be tools designed to support the organization or the community of knowledge. Providing a network which will facilitate an efficient access of information and documents is also one of the things that we must do. Knowledge really needs to be organized for a certain organization or else there will be chaos. Just imagine people who will be needing information for their task happen to get the wrong information or the inappropriate one I am sure there will be trouble. False and misleading information pose great threat to a company.
In coming up with this task we would surely encounter problems and challenges along the way. Challenges and problems are the axiom in performing a task. Challenges like maintaining the integrity of the information so that the information that will be shared is reliable and true. Another thing is the confidentiality of information. These challenges need to be addressed. As a person bearing the responsibility to address these challenges I will begin with my self. I will discipline my self to keep the information true and keep it confidential whenever it is needed. Starting from one’s self can be a determining act that could make a change. There will always be people who will try to mess up things and there will always be people who would do everything to fix it. This post will be cut short, this topic is really new to me and there are still a lot of things to be learned. I will update this post in the near future if I find something interesting and related to this topic.
SCHOOL
Let’s talk about the first environment that I thought about which is the school. Almost all people like me acquire information and learning from school. The school is a place that is conducive to learning. It the second home of a child one he or she gets out of his/her house. Education is very important especially in a person’s growth, without it a man is empty. Although the school is not only place where we can learn but it is the most basic next to our home.
WORLD WIDE WEB
The World Wide Web is the network of all networks. Here you can find various and lots of information that you want to find. Almost all people have already encountered the World Wide Web especially those people who are constantly in touch with social networking web sites such as face book, friendster, twitter and the like. The internet is one of the strong medium for sharing and acquiring information and it is widely used as of today by people who want to share information or acquire information. School and the World Wide Web, the two environments are the two things that popped in mind but what really is an information environment?
INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
What is an information environment? An information environment is a physical environment in general like a school. It can also mean or specifically mean our natural resources like lakes, streams, land and the like. There are also environment that contribute or has specific purpose such as a sports complex or a gym where you can do stuffs such as playing. An environment may also political aside from being physical or is not a physical environment. However in this case, the kind of environment that is being pointed out in this topic is the kind of environment that is both physical and political at the same time. It is an environment where ‘we’ the people in this environment can learn through acquiring information and the information that we get greatly impacts our lives.
I also got to get information about information environment from someone in school. An anonymous tipster told me that an information environment is an environment or an area where people like us or should I say IT professionals use and apply managements system and technology in a certain organization. An information environment represents an entire environment in which information systems are employed.
When I heard the definition of information environment I was really curious about it. Although I know in my mind that one day I will be able to be in an environment such as an information environment. To be honest this is the first time that I heard the term “Information Environment” and I am curious about it because I did not know that this kind of environment exists in an organization. If it really does then I want to see it.
As an Information Technology (IT) student the things that I could get involved at that are related to my course is being a programmer in a company, I could be a web administrator or a database administrator, a web developer, etc. all of these things come into my mind when I think about graduating and having a job, although I am currently influenced by music and I have to say that I am very, sophisticatedly and undoubtedly into it, I know someday I will still be able to utilize and make use of my knowledge in information technology. I have many interests pertaining to my course and there many possibilities that are available if I focus and get to it (hard and fast.)
My role in this environment is (I think) crucial because I hold or have the capacity to shift and make the information right or wrong or use it for good or bad. Although there is nothing to worry because I am a good hearted person and I would certainly use my knowledge for good and not use it to cause trouble or destroy anything. Information is important especially to those who would need it. I think my role or should “our” role because I am not the only information technology student being talked about here, is very important as to give the right information. Not just give the right information but also real information. The reason why I think that my role in this kind of environment is important is because I give or share the wrong information then the people who will acquire the information that I shared will surely get the wrong information. Would it be good if the people get the wrong information? I’m sure it is not.
We, the people who are responsible for giving the right information should be able organize information for the community. There should also be tools designed to support the organization or the community of knowledge. Providing a network which will facilitate an efficient access of information and documents is also one of the things that we must do. Knowledge really needs to be organized for a certain organization or else there will be chaos. Just imagine people who will be needing information for their task happen to get the wrong information or the inappropriate one I am sure there will be trouble. False and misleading information pose great threat to a company.
In coming up with this task we would surely encounter problems and challenges along the way. Challenges and problems are the axiom in performing a task. Challenges like maintaining the integrity of the information so that the information that will be shared is reliable and true. Another thing is the confidentiality of information. These challenges need to be addressed. As a person bearing the responsibility to address these challenges I will begin with my self. I will discipline my self to keep the information true and keep it confidential whenever it is needed. Starting from one’s self can be a determining act that could make a change. There will always be people who will try to mess up things and there will always be people who would do everything to fix it. This post will be cut short, this topic is really new to me and there are still a lot of things to be learned. I will update this post in the near future if I find something interesting and related to this topic.
Major Paper Update
WhOooOoo! We have already submitted our major paper. I hope the grade increases though and I hope that our hard work really pays off. Good Evening
First and foremost, if I were invited by the Dean of the Institute of Computing to attend a seminar – workshop on information systems planning together with some of the faculty of the Institute of Computing I would consider it as a big privilege and I would do my best to give my evaluation regarding the current information system of the school which was once outsourced and now shifted to in-house.
(Before I start I would like to define the terms involved in this post so that the ones who do not know may also know)
IN-SOURCE OR IN-SOURCING
From what I’ve posted in my personal blog in-house or in-sourcing refers to the business practice of using a company’s or organization’s own personnel, staff, funds and resources to produce a commodity or service for the company or the organization. This is in contrast to the production being outsourced or contracted out to another company. Organizations involved in production usually opt for in-sourcing in order to cut down the cost of labor and taxes because they would not to hire workers or outside service providers. This trend has increased since the year two thousand six (2006). Some organizations that shift or employ in-source are usually those who have been to outsource and was not satisfied with it. Some also think that through in-source they can have better people support and better control over the work outsourced by in-sourcing their work rather than outsourcing it.
OUTSOURCE OR OUTSOURCING
Outsourcing on the other hand is the agreement between two companies in which one company would provide its services to the other company that has usually provided in-house. Outsourcing has become a trend that is common in Information Technology and other industries wherein in some cases the entire information management of a company is outsourced. Organizations that choose outsourcing think that they could acquire a lot of advantages from it. Some organizations choose outsourcing because they get high reliability, less costs and high-quality services.
(Going on to my stand, by the way I choose In-sourcing for the university.)
Looking at the present situation of the information system of the school which has been shifted from outsource to in-source it would imply that the school was not contented of the outsourced system or the outsourced information system did not meet the needs of the school or maybe the outsourced information system was too expensive to maintain. Anyway, after reflecting about the current issue and after the sessions and sharing we had during our previous meetings in Management Information System 1 subject, I will take the position of in-sourcing. I have posted something about in-sourcing and outsourcing in my personal blog and I remember writing there that the decision of school to shift to in-sourced information system was not a good decision because they decided to shift abruptly. However, this time I would take my stand in in-sourcing the information system of the University of Southeastern Philippines. Why? Because this time we have time to evaluate the current information system of the university and since the current trend of the school is in-source. My decision to choose the side of in-sourcing is not solely because the current trend of the university but because this is a time to rethink. What if this is the first time that the school would acquire an information system, would it be in-sourced or outsourced?
I choose the side of in-sourcing considering the current situation of the school plus it gives a lot advantages like confidentiality of data, less cost, etc. However, I would like to imply that information systems planning takes time and I mean a long time to conjure something complex like an information system considering that there are steps or procedures that needs to be taken into account to be able to come up with an effective information system.
Why in-source? Let us first take into account the current situation of the university (University of Southeastern Philippines). The university lacks the budget to maintain funding an outsourced information system which was the trend of the university before. The university also has in-house staff, capable in-house staff that can be tapped to plan and create the information system of the school. Plus they already know the school’s system which makes them more adept. In-source or outsource has advantages and disadvantages and it matters on the situation of the organization or the company.
ADVANTAGES OF INSOURCING
I have identified advantages of in-sourcing, some of it came from me and some were searched through the internet.
Lessen Cost
I think that one of the big reasons why the university shifted to in-source is to be able to lessen the cost. Lessen the cost of hiring new personnel to administer the new information system. If the information system is in-sourced the people that would administer the information system are those who made the system. Plus the university would need to hire people who will train the personnel who will be in touch with the information system or the ones who will be using the information system because the staff that will create the system is already acquainted with it and he/she can also be utilized to train the other personnel without involving a big deal of money. Compared to outsourcing an information system you will need to hire a resource person who will train your personnel if ever the information system that you will be outsourcing is new to them, meaning they are not yet acquainted with the system. If it was in the case of a company or organization that is involved in producing certain products, in-sourcing will be a great advantage because these kind of business needs a big workforce and if they have the workforce they wouldn’t need to hire laborers from other companies and the like.
Better People Support and Control
In-house staff could train the personnel to be acquainted with the information system so there would be no need to hire a resource person who will be training the personnel in the university. On the time that the system will be implemented and deployed there will be times that the personnel using the information system will encounter problems that have not been encountered before. In this case in-house staff can quickly look into the information system to find out what is wrong and can also possibly fix it pronto. By this there will less time that the information system will be in idle state if ever it encounters problems compared to relying on the support from outsource companies which may not have a twenty-four hour available support for their information system if it encounters problems. Again this could also lessen cost of hiring someone who will check and maintain the functionality of the system and lessen the cost of maintenance. Control is one of the advantages of in-sourcing an information system because the ones who created the system will know how fix any problem that will be encountered in the information system. It is very important because without the ability to control, a lot of things will be affected including the performance and work of the personnel in the university. In the case of a business oriented organization or company the inability to control their own information system will greatly affect their business considering that their business relies on their system. If it so happened that they will encounter problems in their information system they would not know how to remedy it leaving the company idle and thus affecting their income too.
Confidentiality of Data
Because in-house staffs will be tapped to make the information system of the university there is a great reliability that the information or the data that will be used or involved in the system are kept within the school and maintained confidential. There may be a risk on the confidentiality of the data when you choose to outsource a certain information system because you may need to hand the data to them so they can transfer the data into the system that you or an organization purchased from the outsourcing company. In the case of a business oriented company or organization the confidentiality of data is a very important factor. Their data is considered as a vital element in their information system and if it falls in the wrong hands it could be the downfall of their company.
Promotes Direct Management
Most organizations would prefer direct management because they want to have hands-on control over their development in all aspects on their business. It is important because you compared to any other person or company is the one who really understands the business and flows within you company. It is much better compared to relinquishing or I may say hand over the control to an outsourcing company or firm who does not fully understand your business. In-sourcing allows you or the company to direct themselves and let their knowledge and direction guide the company to a more effective impact development process.
Timeliness
If you’re working on a tight schedule and you want you work to be done, you could just call your staff and have meeting regarding an urgent matter, a project perhaps. Then you could discuss timelines and because they are your employees they will surely abide the timeline. Plus you have an overview or update on the task that is being done and you will know what is happening, what is lacking and what is needed to be done. There are many scenarios where timeliness is involved.
There are many advantages and disadvantages in in-sourcing and even in outsourcing. My stand is based on the current situation of the university. This issue of in-sourcing and outsourcing has become a hot topic is forums and blogs. There had been many debates about this issue though it has been said that the choice between in-source and outsource depends on the current situation of a company or organization. I have a post similar to this one in my personal blog. The link to my personal blog can be found below. This post is open for criticism and I’m looking forward to add more information in this post.
Mus' Box: http://mus08.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-house-or-outsource-which-is-better.html
(Before I start I would like to define the terms involved in this post so that the ones who do not know may also know)
IN-SOURCE OR IN-SOURCING
From what I’ve posted in my personal blog in-house or in-sourcing refers to the business practice of using a company’s or organization’s own personnel, staff, funds and resources to produce a commodity or service for the company or the organization. This is in contrast to the production being outsourced or contracted out to another company. Organizations involved in production usually opt for in-sourcing in order to cut down the cost of labor and taxes because they would not to hire workers or outside service providers. This trend has increased since the year two thousand six (2006). Some organizations that shift or employ in-source are usually those who have been to outsource and was not satisfied with it. Some also think that through in-source they can have better people support and better control over the work outsourced by in-sourcing their work rather than outsourcing it.
OUTSOURCE OR OUTSOURCING
Outsourcing on the other hand is the agreement between two companies in which one company would provide its services to the other company that has usually provided in-house. Outsourcing has become a trend that is common in Information Technology and other industries wherein in some cases the entire information management of a company is outsourced. Organizations that choose outsourcing think that they could acquire a lot of advantages from it. Some organizations choose outsourcing because they get high reliability, less costs and high-quality services.
(Going on to my stand, by the way I choose In-sourcing for the university.)
Looking at the present situation of the information system of the school which has been shifted from outsource to in-source it would imply that the school was not contented of the outsourced system or the outsourced information system did not meet the needs of the school or maybe the outsourced information system was too expensive to maintain. Anyway, after reflecting about the current issue and after the sessions and sharing we had during our previous meetings in Management Information System 1 subject, I will take the position of in-sourcing. I have posted something about in-sourcing and outsourcing in my personal blog and I remember writing there that the decision of school to shift to in-sourced information system was not a good decision because they decided to shift abruptly. However, this time I would take my stand in in-sourcing the information system of the University of Southeastern Philippines. Why? Because this time we have time to evaluate the current information system of the university and since the current trend of the school is in-source. My decision to choose the side of in-sourcing is not solely because the current trend of the university but because this is a time to rethink. What if this is the first time that the school would acquire an information system, would it be in-sourced or outsourced?
I choose the side of in-sourcing considering the current situation of the school plus it gives a lot advantages like confidentiality of data, less cost, etc. However, I would like to imply that information systems planning takes time and I mean a long time to conjure something complex like an information system considering that there are steps or procedures that needs to be taken into account to be able to come up with an effective information system.
Why in-source? Let us first take into account the current situation of the university (University of Southeastern Philippines). The university lacks the budget to maintain funding an outsourced information system which was the trend of the university before. The university also has in-house staff, capable in-house staff that can be tapped to plan and create the information system of the school. Plus they already know the school’s system which makes them more adept. In-source or outsource has advantages and disadvantages and it matters on the situation of the organization or the company.
ADVANTAGES OF INSOURCING
I have identified advantages of in-sourcing, some of it came from me and some were searched through the internet.
Lessen Cost
I think that one of the big reasons why the university shifted to in-source is to be able to lessen the cost. Lessen the cost of hiring new personnel to administer the new information system. If the information system is in-sourced the people that would administer the information system are those who made the system. Plus the university would need to hire people who will train the personnel who will be in touch with the information system or the ones who will be using the information system because the staff that will create the system is already acquainted with it and he/she can also be utilized to train the other personnel without involving a big deal of money. Compared to outsourcing an information system you will need to hire a resource person who will train your personnel if ever the information system that you will be outsourcing is new to them, meaning they are not yet acquainted with the system. If it was in the case of a company or organization that is involved in producing certain products, in-sourcing will be a great advantage because these kind of business needs a big workforce and if they have the workforce they wouldn’t need to hire laborers from other companies and the like.
Better People Support and Control
In-house staff could train the personnel to be acquainted with the information system so there would be no need to hire a resource person who will be training the personnel in the university. On the time that the system will be implemented and deployed there will be times that the personnel using the information system will encounter problems that have not been encountered before. In this case in-house staff can quickly look into the information system to find out what is wrong and can also possibly fix it pronto. By this there will less time that the information system will be in idle state if ever it encounters problems compared to relying on the support from outsource companies which may not have a twenty-four hour available support for their information system if it encounters problems. Again this could also lessen cost of hiring someone who will check and maintain the functionality of the system and lessen the cost of maintenance. Control is one of the advantages of in-sourcing an information system because the ones who created the system will know how fix any problem that will be encountered in the information system. It is very important because without the ability to control, a lot of things will be affected including the performance and work of the personnel in the university. In the case of a business oriented organization or company the inability to control their own information system will greatly affect their business considering that their business relies on their system. If it so happened that they will encounter problems in their information system they would not know how to remedy it leaving the company idle and thus affecting their income too.
Confidentiality of Data
Because in-house staffs will be tapped to make the information system of the university there is a great reliability that the information or the data that will be used or involved in the system are kept within the school and maintained confidential. There may be a risk on the confidentiality of the data when you choose to outsource a certain information system because you may need to hand the data to them so they can transfer the data into the system that you or an organization purchased from the outsourcing company. In the case of a business oriented company or organization the confidentiality of data is a very important factor. Their data is considered as a vital element in their information system and if it falls in the wrong hands it could be the downfall of their company.
Promotes Direct Management
Most organizations would prefer direct management because they want to have hands-on control over their development in all aspects on their business. It is important because you compared to any other person or company is the one who really understands the business and flows within you company. It is much better compared to relinquishing or I may say hand over the control to an outsourcing company or firm who does not fully understand your business. In-sourcing allows you or the company to direct themselves and let their knowledge and direction guide the company to a more effective impact development process.
Timeliness
If you’re working on a tight schedule and you want you work to be done, you could just call your staff and have meeting regarding an urgent matter, a project perhaps. Then you could discuss timelines and because they are your employees they will surely abide the timeline. Plus you have an overview or update on the task that is being done and you will know what is happening, what is lacking and what is needed to be done. There are many scenarios where timeliness is involved.
There are many advantages and disadvantages in in-sourcing and even in outsourcing. My stand is based on the current situation of the university. This issue of in-sourcing and outsourcing has become a hot topic is forums and blogs. There had been many debates about this issue though it has been said that the choice between in-source and outsource depends on the current situation of a company or organization. I have a post similar to this one in my personal blog. The link to my personal blog can be found below. This post is open for criticism and I’m looking forward to add more information in this post.
Mus' Box: http://mus08.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-house-or-outsource-which-is-better.html
Assignment 6: Improvement of the Internet Connectivity in University of Southeastern Philippines
Supposing that I am an IT (Information Technology) consultant or let’s say that I am already an IT consultant and I am hired by the university president to give my insights, idea, or suggestions to improve the internet connectivity of the school first, I would remind them of the importance of the internet, not only to the students but to the teachers and staffs as well. The internet has become a very strong medium of information and undoubtedly it has helped people, especially students, in increasing their knowledge. You can find all kinds of stuffs in the internet searching the world wide web, some say that the internet is pure truth compared to what people read in the newspapers and televisions because the news is manipulated by corporate guys to keep people living in fear (I actually got this from a couple of movies, a part of me tells me this is true and another part tells me it is not). Anyway, I just wanted to point out how important the internet is.
Before giving my suggestions on how to improve the internet connectivity of the school the first thing I would like to point out is that the internet would be made available and accessible in the whole school campus. What I mean is that the whole school campus would be provided internet connection through wifi. I do know that at the event when I give this suggestion the first thing that would pop out is the money issue or the budget. Setting a wifi connection in the whole campus would mean money, but considering the fact that there are many wifi connections strewn across the school campus, and I mean many, and these are not made available to everyone, especially the students of the school. What is the purpose of putting wireless networks scattered across the school campus but locking it by setting access codes so that the students couldn’t use it? Why not make it available to everyone where everyone can benefit from it because I do not think that the cost would increase by just removing the access codes.
USING HIGH END COMPUTERS
On to my suggestions (by the way I do not have much knowledge about improving internet connectivity, what I will be saying are those that I know of and those that I heard and researched.) My first suggestion would be to use high-end computers which also have high processing speed because sometimes it’s not just because the internet connection is low but the processing is slow. No matter how fast or how large your internet bandwidth is, the performance will still be poor. This solution could help improve the performance of the computers and to fully benefit the internet connection in the university. However, this solution is not practical because purchasing high-end computers would mean spending a lot of money, considering that a computer set costs a lot, this solution is not practical for the university to be implemented because honestly the university lacks the budget to purchase new sets of computers or is saving its budget for a more important cause. I only suggested this solution because it can also be a solution for the improvement of the internet connectivity.
REMOVING THE FILTERS
I have not actually proven that this is true but I want to put it because it does have some point. I have read something in the internet that the filters or the blocking of URL’s or websites can slow or degrade the internet connectivity. You can see it in the site that I included below. The article states that enabling web blocking can degrade internet connectivity up to fifty percent (50%). This has been happening especially in internet cafes because some are mandated to put filters so that the customers or users can not access pornographic sites. However in our case, the university blocks not only pornographic sites but also including web sites like download sites or social networking sites. I know that the purpose of the computer laboratories like the Nodal in the Institute of Computing and the computer laboratory in the university library is dedicated for academic use but we must not forget that the students do pay to be able to use these computers and the internet service. I also think it would be unfair or rather foul because even sites that do not have explicit content are also blocked. If the goal of the university is to prevent students from accessing sites that contain explicit contents the university could very well utilize servers like in internet cafes. I saw this kind of server where the one operating or administering the server can detect if a certain user is accessing web sites which contain explicit content because the programs or web sites being accessed from a certain computer can be seen in the server. The university could use this which will improve the internet connectivity and at the same time prevent students from accessing prohibited web sites by denying them access of the computer if ever a user accesses one. By this the internet bandwidth can be properly utilized and will not be put to waste. This could be a solution to improve internet connectivity in the university without spending a lot of money.
REEVALUATE AND REDO
The third suggestion would be reevaluate all factors concerning “internet connectivity”. There are many factors that affect how fast or how slow an internet connection is. These factors can be the network topology, hardware and software used, threats, etc. Network topology is the physical interconnections of the elements of a computer network. I have first encountered the term network topology during our data communications subject and from it I learned that the topology of a certain computer network could also affect the internet connectivity. Determining the proper topology for a certain computer network could improve and utilize of its element’s capacity. By means of determining the best topology for the computer network of the university it could improve the internet connectivity of the school. Hardware and software are also determining factors that affect internet connectivity. I think the school is currently using UTP and fiber optic cables which I may say are the proper cables to be used because it reduces noise (I also learned this from our data communications subject by the way). On the software side, the university could also use softwares that could speed up internet connectivity like WEBROCKET and SpeedConnect Internet Accelerator which I think was just released in the internet. Using these kinds of softwares offers advantages and disadvantages. These software speeds up your internet connection by maximizing your connection to its maximum potential because it adapts your modem to its maximum potential. However its advantage is that it reduces or rather degrades the quality of the interface which in the case of the students is still a good choice because I think the students would rather prefer good internet connectivity rather than good interface. There are also programs or applications that when used could slow the processing of the computer because it eats up the memory of the computer and when most of the memory is being used the tendency is that when a certain user opens a web browser the processing is slow and so the performance is also slow. Threats, these factors greatly affect computer performance. Threats like viruses, worms and malwares, programs that are written and made to destroy or spread havoc in computers. Since I was in first year college, whenever I use the internet service in the nodal I always encounter viruses and I always get to bring home viruses, worms and malwares whenever I save something in the flash drive. Now I’m in my fourth year in this university although my standing is still three and half years, I still encounter viruses and the like. Well it seems that suppressing the entry of viruses into your computer cannot be helped especially when you have internet connection but as long as it can be controlled it would put your computer to a safer state. In the case of the university where the budget is limited, they could always resort to practical solution to these threats such as maintaining an updated antivirus which could block and destroy virus and the like. This way, the performance of the computers would not be affected and the internet connectivity would be utilized to its utmost potential.
INCREASING BANDWITH
I actually forgot the current bandwidth that the university is currently employing and I would not fully recommend this suggestion but because it can also improve the internet connectivity of the university this suggestion still has a “say”. Increasing bandwidth could really improve the internet connectivity but at the same time it also has a great deal of money. However, if the university manages to increase its bandwidth but is unable to manage to change its computers to a high-speed computer the internet connection would still not be used in its maximum potential. The laboratories in the Institute of Computing has been currently upgraded but still it encounters the same problems as before but at least the processing does not take as long as before.
CHANGING INTERNET PROVIDER
If all else fails I think the last solution would be to change the internet provider. In choosing a good internet provider you would need to consider some things. The first thing you would need to consider is the bandwidth and the cost because the bigger the bandwidth the bigger the price. Bandwidth is the amount of data that downloaded by you using the connection. You would also need to know the appropriate bandwidth needed for your computer network. Second is the download speed, you would also need to consider determining the download speed that you need because the download speed depends on the location of your computer network. Third thing you need to consider is the contracts, you should be aware of it. One thing to look for is the insurance or the money back guarantee because you may want to ask your money back if you are not contented with the internet service. The last thing to consider is the freebies I think this is the most important thing to be considered. Customers must read other customer reviews of the internet provider that you might want. Reading reviews will give you insights about the internet provider and always remember that reading one customer review will not be enough.
Reference:
Web Blocking/Filtering
Before giving my suggestions on how to improve the internet connectivity of the school the first thing I would like to point out is that the internet would be made available and accessible in the whole school campus. What I mean is that the whole school campus would be provided internet connection through wifi. I do know that at the event when I give this suggestion the first thing that would pop out is the money issue or the budget. Setting a wifi connection in the whole campus would mean money, but considering the fact that there are many wifi connections strewn across the school campus, and I mean many, and these are not made available to everyone, especially the students of the school. What is the purpose of putting wireless networks scattered across the school campus but locking it by setting access codes so that the students couldn’t use it? Why not make it available to everyone where everyone can benefit from it because I do not think that the cost would increase by just removing the access codes.
USING HIGH END COMPUTERS
On to my suggestions (by the way I do not have much knowledge about improving internet connectivity, what I will be saying are those that I know of and those that I heard and researched.) My first suggestion would be to use high-end computers which also have high processing speed because sometimes it’s not just because the internet connection is low but the processing is slow. No matter how fast or how large your internet bandwidth is, the performance will still be poor. This solution could help improve the performance of the computers and to fully benefit the internet connection in the university. However, this solution is not practical because purchasing high-end computers would mean spending a lot of money, considering that a computer set costs a lot, this solution is not practical for the university to be implemented because honestly the university lacks the budget to purchase new sets of computers or is saving its budget for a more important cause. I only suggested this solution because it can also be a solution for the improvement of the internet connectivity.
REMOVING THE FILTERS
I have not actually proven that this is true but I want to put it because it does have some point. I have read something in the internet that the filters or the blocking of URL’s or websites can slow or degrade the internet connectivity. You can see it in the site that I included below. The article states that enabling web blocking can degrade internet connectivity up to fifty percent (50%). This has been happening especially in internet cafes because some are mandated to put filters so that the customers or users can not access pornographic sites. However in our case, the university blocks not only pornographic sites but also including web sites like download sites or social networking sites. I know that the purpose of the computer laboratories like the Nodal in the Institute of Computing and the computer laboratory in the university library is dedicated for academic use but we must not forget that the students do pay to be able to use these computers and the internet service. I also think it would be unfair or rather foul because even sites that do not have explicit content are also blocked. If the goal of the university is to prevent students from accessing sites that contain explicit contents the university could very well utilize servers like in internet cafes. I saw this kind of server where the one operating or administering the server can detect if a certain user is accessing web sites which contain explicit content because the programs or web sites being accessed from a certain computer can be seen in the server. The university could use this which will improve the internet connectivity and at the same time prevent students from accessing prohibited web sites by denying them access of the computer if ever a user accesses one. By this the internet bandwidth can be properly utilized and will not be put to waste. This could be a solution to improve internet connectivity in the university without spending a lot of money.
REEVALUATE AND REDO
The third suggestion would be reevaluate all factors concerning “internet connectivity”. There are many factors that affect how fast or how slow an internet connection is. These factors can be the network topology, hardware and software used, threats, etc. Network topology is the physical interconnections of the elements of a computer network. I have first encountered the term network topology during our data communications subject and from it I learned that the topology of a certain computer network could also affect the internet connectivity. Determining the proper topology for a certain computer network could improve and utilize of its element’s capacity. By means of determining the best topology for the computer network of the university it could improve the internet connectivity of the school. Hardware and software are also determining factors that affect internet connectivity. I think the school is currently using UTP and fiber optic cables which I may say are the proper cables to be used because it reduces noise (I also learned this from our data communications subject by the way). On the software side, the university could also use softwares that could speed up internet connectivity like WEBROCKET and SpeedConnect Internet Accelerator which I think was just released in the internet. Using these kinds of softwares offers advantages and disadvantages. These software speeds up your internet connection by maximizing your connection to its maximum potential because it adapts your modem to its maximum potential. However its advantage is that it reduces or rather degrades the quality of the interface which in the case of the students is still a good choice because I think the students would rather prefer good internet connectivity rather than good interface. There are also programs or applications that when used could slow the processing of the computer because it eats up the memory of the computer and when most of the memory is being used the tendency is that when a certain user opens a web browser the processing is slow and so the performance is also slow. Threats, these factors greatly affect computer performance. Threats like viruses, worms and malwares, programs that are written and made to destroy or spread havoc in computers. Since I was in first year college, whenever I use the internet service in the nodal I always encounter viruses and I always get to bring home viruses, worms and malwares whenever I save something in the flash drive. Now I’m in my fourth year in this university although my standing is still three and half years, I still encounter viruses and the like. Well it seems that suppressing the entry of viruses into your computer cannot be helped especially when you have internet connection but as long as it can be controlled it would put your computer to a safer state. In the case of the university where the budget is limited, they could always resort to practical solution to these threats such as maintaining an updated antivirus which could block and destroy virus and the like. This way, the performance of the computers would not be affected and the internet connectivity would be utilized to its utmost potential.
INCREASING BANDWITH
I actually forgot the current bandwidth that the university is currently employing and I would not fully recommend this suggestion but because it can also improve the internet connectivity of the university this suggestion still has a “say”. Increasing bandwidth could really improve the internet connectivity but at the same time it also has a great deal of money. However, if the university manages to increase its bandwidth but is unable to manage to change its computers to a high-speed computer the internet connection would still not be used in its maximum potential. The laboratories in the Institute of Computing has been currently upgraded but still it encounters the same problems as before but at least the processing does not take as long as before.
CHANGING INTERNET PROVIDER
If all else fails I think the last solution would be to change the internet provider. In choosing a good internet provider you would need to consider some things. The first thing you would need to consider is the bandwidth and the cost because the bigger the bandwidth the bigger the price. Bandwidth is the amount of data that downloaded by you using the connection. You would also need to know the appropriate bandwidth needed for your computer network. Second is the download speed, you would also need to consider determining the download speed that you need because the download speed depends on the location of your computer network. Third thing you need to consider is the contracts, you should be aware of it. One thing to look for is the insurance or the money back guarantee because you may want to ask your money back if you are not contented with the internet service. The last thing to consider is the freebies I think this is the most important thing to be considered. Customers must read other customer reviews of the internet provider that you might want. Reading reviews will give you insights about the internet provider and always remember that reading one customer review will not be enough.
Reference:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)