Assignment 9: Infornation Environment

Before I begin my discussion about the type of information environment that I want to be in, let me first define the three terms involved:

> Information

> Environment

> Information Environment

Giving and getting information has become a big part of our daily lives. We get information in any forms like asking our peers about some things, reading books, studying, watching television, listening to the radio and even browsing the internet. We give information when we share about the things we know just by talking to others or by using any type of media for communication. But what does the word information means?

I took a definition of the word information from wikipedia that information is a term with many meanings depending on context, but is as a rule closely related to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. Simply stated, information is a message received and understood. In terms of data, it can be defined as a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn. There are many other aspects of information since it is the knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction. But overall, information is the result of processing, manipulating and organizing data in a way that adds to the knowledge of the person receiving it.

Information is the state of a system of interest. Message is the information materialized.

Information can also be defined as facts, data or intelligence that a person has acquired or disseminated through experience, study, it could also be in any form of inquiry or communication media that can be thought of.

Environment, on the other hand, is what I define as a total condition or circumstance that surrounding an individual or group.


By summing up the terms, we will get the term “Information Environment”. Information environment as what the site answers.com define as the aggregate of individuals, organizations, or systems that collect, process, or disseminate information; also included is the information itself.

Information environment may be found in any organizations and may come in different forms. One of the duties and responsibilities of the group of people or individuals who are involved in the information environment is to disseminate any data, facts or knowledge which they have acquired from their experience, from their inquiry or from their thorough study to the company or any organization that they are working with. The information can somehow be connected to information systems or information technology.

Database Programmer

Let me first define the word database. Database is an application that is capable of handling large amounts of data about a certain person, thing, or company. One type of application that is designed to handle or manage the databases in the relational database management systems or (RDBMS), is the SQL or structured query language. Other people do pronounce it as “sequel” or SQL itself. Structured Query Language or SQL has the capability of creating, inserting, updating, and deleting a database or record/records in the database. Furthermore, Structured Query Language or SQL can also be connected to a computer programming language like Java or Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP that makes the database programming possible for the web – based approach.

The term database which was also defined in the site http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/, “…in the world of computers, a database usually refers to a collection of related pieces of information stored electronically. Aside from the ability to store data, a database also provides a way for other computer programs to quickly retrieve and update desired pieces of data.”

Another site also defined the word database as a “collection of data or information organized for rapid search and retrieval, especially by a computer. Databases are structured to facilitate storage, retrieval, modification, and deletion of data in conjunction with various data-processing operations. A database consists of a file or set of files that can be broken down into records, each of which consists of one or more fields. Fields are the basic units of data storage. Users retrieve database information primarily through queries. Using keywords and sorting commands, users can rapidly search, rearrange, group, and select the field in many records to retrieve or create reports on particular aggregates of data according to the rules of the database management system being used.”

Database Programmer

The database programmer is responsible for designing and developing web – based applications for databases. Database programmers are also responsible for writing reports to support business practices or activities. They are also responsible for creating pa code that will help the end users of a company to have an easy access or interaction that can be a web – based application with the computer when creating, updating, inserting or deleting a recorded or records from the database.

The challenges that are facing me in performing the role of a database programmer in an information environment or organization are first, the lack of support from the company or management. Next is the disagreement of ideas by my peers. This is very usual most especially if you are working in a teamed project for the reason that people have different ego and ideas that might be different from them. The third challenge is the time pressure. This happens when there is difficulty in meeting the deadlines that you yourself or the company had imposed for a particular project. The last challenge that I can think of is the demand of the end users or company for the reason that in developing a system, as a database programmer, you must be sensitive to the needs of those who will use your system. In creating a system, it is important to develop a system that is user - friendly and maintain the security or confidentiality of the data.

To address these challenges, it would be best that if I am going to work on a teamed project, proper discussion, inquiry and brainstorming must be done to avoid disagreements that the project team might encounter due to the differences in ideas that each individual from the teamed project has. When it comes to addressing the problem of time pressure, it would be better if the company/management will allot sufficient time frame to the project team. Furthermore, the company/management must be sensitive to the needs of the database programmer or the project team like allotting sufficient budget for their project, necessary tools to be used, dedicated and competent staff members or database programmer who will develop the project.


References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information

http://www.answers.com/topic/information-environment

http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/definition/database.asp

Improving the internet connectivity of USEP

To begin with, let me first define the word "Internet". Internet is an infrastructure that provides connectivity for computers worldwide which refers to both hardware and software components. It is a network of networks and is composed of the different types of connections both local and global. It uses different types of internetworking medium like fiber optic cables, UTP cables, wireless connections and other types of media and uses the standardized Internet Protocol Suite. In this age of information technology, the internet has become one of the most reliable sources of information. The Internet has the capability of simultaneous delivery of large amount of information worldwide. Through the use of the internet, the end users will be able to access information from the books located in different libraries all over the world, pay bills, receive salaries, watch videos and know the current events in a particular country.

If the president of the University of Southeastern Philippines would hire me as an IT consultant and would ask for my suggestions on how to improve the university's internet connectivity I would consider the following factors:

Hardware

Type of connection

Spy ware, trojans and viruses

Steps or techniques in improving the internet connection

One way to improve the University of Southeastern Philippines' internet connectivity is to upgrade each computer unit or workstation's random access memory up to 1GB or higher with an Intel Pentium D processor. In this way, you will be able to speed up the workstation. When it comes to the memory of the server, it would be best if you upgrade it up to 2GB depending on the number of workstations that the university is using. Moreover, the server's hard drive should be at least 60GB or higher considering the amount of space that the database will occupy. It would be better if the university will use at least two servers simultaneously first is to reduce the damages and data losses during system crashes. Secondly, it can be used for daily back up purposes. For cables, I would like to recommend the use of category 5 shielded twisted pair cables or if possible, use fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables are human hair - like thin glass fibers that uses light as signals. This type of cable is capable of transmitting large amount of information from the server to the end user and vice versa in long distances at a higher rate of bandwidth. Moreover, fiber optic cables are more immune to any interference like crosstalk and electromagnetic interference and are wire tapping resistant.

After having the workstations, the server and the cables upgraded, the next thing to consider in order in improving the university’s internet connectivity is the type of internet connection that will be used, the cost and the speed of the internet connection. There are of ISP or internet service providers that offer various types of internet connections, examples are dial - up, DSL and wireless connections with different speeds. I would suggest that the university will use DSL or digital subscriber line. DSL or digital subscriber line internet connection is more expensive compared to dial – up internet connections. However, if we are going to take a closer look at the capabilities of digital subscriber line internet connection, it will show that the price is very reasonable. Compared to dial –up internet connections, digital subscriber line is less susceptible to signal losses and interference.

Moreover, the DSL or digital subscriber line internet connection allows the user to use the internet and the phone line simultaneously unlike in dial – up internet connections that makes the user disconnect the phone line and connect it to the computer in order to use the internet or vice versa. Dial – up internet connections are somewhat slower compared to digital subscriber line or DSL internet connections. With digital subscriber line internet connections, the connection can reach up to 20 MBPS unlike the dial – up connections that only handles 56 KBPS and below.

I would also like to recommend the use of two connections from different ISP or internet service providers like globe telecom and smart. In this way, data losses and internet disconnection can be reduced. Also, this will allow the university to have a spare connection when one internet service provider crashes down. In this way, the University of Southeastern Philippines’ operations will not be hampered because of unwanted disconnections.

The problem with using too much bandwidth is that it makes the internet connection speed slower. One example of an application that increases the use of bandwidth is video streaming. The university must implement site restrictions that the students can access like video streaming sites to decrease the use of too much bandwidth. Doing this will help increase the size of bandwidth.

The next thing to consider in improving the internet connection of the University of Southeastern Philippines is the transmission of computer viruses, spy wares, mal wares and trojans. Such unwanted programs can become a factor that may slow down your computer or your internet connection. The workstations can be infected with such unwanted programs not only because of USB flash drive or other removable media such as Compact Discs or Digital Video Discs that are infected with viruses, spy wares, mal wares and Trojans. Moreover, the workstations can also be contaminated with viruses, spy wares, mal wares and trojans that are coming from the internet via the electronic mails or sites that are infected with viruses.

To address this problem, it would be best to protect each workstation and keep it more immune to viruses, spy wares, mal wares and trojans by installing virus and security protection softwares available in the market. Not all types of infections can be cured or detected by some certain antivirus software, though. But it somehow, installing one will be able to save the university and the students from headaches due to data losses or damages done by these unwanted softwares. There are antivirus softwares that can be used simultaneously so, would recommend the use of two antivirus softwares like using Twister antivirus and Avira at the same time. Other than that, I would also like to suggest the use of two anti - mal wares or anti – spy wares programs. In this way, protection of each workstations can be ensured. Giving full protection to the workstations will help the university save money from computer repairs or replacements due to the damages that viruses, spy wares, mal wares and trojans do.

According to the article “Why is my Internet connection so slow?” from www.windows.com, “computer viruses can also cause poor Internet performance. When a virus infects a computer, it installs computer code which will attempt to propagate itself, usually by sending copies of itself through e mail. Some viruses can multiply at the rate of hundreds of e mail messages per minute, which leaves little computing power and Internet connection bandwidth for anything else.”

The last thing to consider in improving the University of Southeastern Philippines’’ internet connectivity is to clean up the local hard drives. In doing this, history, recent and temporary files can be deleted. These kinds of files increase the use space in the workstation’s hard drive and slowing the computer and your internet connectivity. Furthermore, it is important to conduct a regular registry clean up on your hard drive because unused and damaged registries can slow down the computer. There are a lot of registry cleaners available in the market right now. I would like to recommend that the management will use tune up utility softwares that has the capability of cleaning and correcting the registry; deleting unnecessary restore points and unused temporary internet files, history lists and cookies.


References:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Why-is-my-Internet-connection-so-slow

Barriers of IT/IS implementation

Unfortunately, we were not able to interview the MIS officer of our adopted company, Holcim Philippines located in Bo. Ilang Davao City for this topic because their MIS officer was too busy doing his office work. So, to be able for me to answer the question on this assignment, I took reference from Dole, Philippines which remote office is located in Lanang, Davao City. Dole Philippines has been our adopted company for the Management Information System 1 module presentation.

Before I discuss to you the barriers in implementing the information technology or information system in our adopted organization or company, let me first define the following words:

>Barrier
>Implementation
>Information Technology
>Information System

To begin with, let me first define the word "barrier"

Barrier is something that impedes or obstructs the movement of a subject or something that blocks or hinders something from moving forward. It is also referred to as a limit.

Let me now define the word implementation. Implementation is classified as the execution or the carrying out of a plan. The word implementation is also defined as the action that must follow any preliminary thinking in order for something to actually happen. In an information technology context, implementation encompasses all the processes involved in getting new software or hardware operating properly in its environment, including installation, configuration, running, testing, and making necessary changes.

Information technology is composed of the hardware and the software. It has the capacity to handle large amounts of information, these information in return are being processed, for example, handed over to the end users. It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses.

Information system, on the other hand, is the combination of the components of information technology plus the people. Information System allows the company to handle large amounts of data or information. Handling large amount of information are done by the Information Technology components - hardware and software and these information technology components are being managed by the people in the company mainly by the management information systems department or information technology department of a certain company.


After having four terms defined, I will now discuss the barriers of implementing the information technology or information systems in an organization.

Dole Philippines is one of the largest producers - marketer of packaged fruits and vegetables. We interviewed a management information systems programmer from Dole Philippines, Davao remote office. According to her, the end users should be involved in the implementation of the project of the company. She described critical barriers that can somehow affect the information technology or information systems project implementation. These are inexperienced staff, lack of defined IS/IT implementation methodology, lack of IS/IT implementation awareness, lack of support, lack of resources, organizational politics, and time pressure.

Inexperienced Staff

According to dole Philippines' management information system programmer, inexperienced staff needs trainings and seminars to upgrade their knowledge about the new system. Moreover, with the help of these trainings and seminars, the employees and staff will be able to improve their performance in doing their tasks for the company. With the help of trainings and seminars, the inexperienced staff will have mastery of the uses of the system.

One of the reasons of unsuccessful implementation for information technology or information system is the technical director and staff's lack of knowledge on a particular system. Due to this reason, they will have difficulty in understanding the uses, the purposes and the benefits of existing softwares.

Next is the involvement of the experienced staff on the implementation of information systems or information technology in the company because they are the ones who have the knowledge and the experience about the implementation of the system. If the staff have a thorough understanding about the process of the information system or information technology, there will be improvements and better resolution for the said systems

A training policy for Information System or Information Technology must be established to meet the training needs. Responsibilities should be assigned to each staff member regarding IS/IT implementation activities (e.g., process design, process testing, and process deployment). A mechanism that will monitor the progress of each staff member, collect and analyze the feedback from each member and to extract the lessons learned should also be established by the organization.

Lack of IS/IT implementation awareness

According top the Dole Philippines’ management information systems programmer, the involvement of the end user during the development or change of the information technology or information system is very important. For this reason, all the employees involved will have awareness about the matters and solutions.

Moreover, the implementation of information technology or information system is very expensive and is the process of adopting new practices, it is very important that the organization should give or conduct awareness activities for the stakeholders. Information technology or information system implementation is not as beneficial without sufficient awareness of its benefits which must also be promoted. The users and the staff should be able to know their duties and responsibilities within the time of the implementation or upgrading of the system. The staff must plan to organize and to make the information system a part of their organization. Other than that, they must be aware how much investment does the implementation or change of the system needs.

If the staff or the end users will not be given enough awareness about the implementation or change of the information technology or information system, that will cause low performance among the employees and might affect the operations of the company. Moreover, they will have enough knowledge about the benefits, importance and the use of such system which would somehow mean incompetence among the end users.

Lack of Support

Another barrier in the implementation of the information technology or information system is the lack of support by the company or organization for the said project or plan. Lack of support may happen due to the reason that the certain company or organization would give an insufficient to no importance for the project. This might also be because of the reason of what was discussed earlier - the lack of awareness by the heads, by the stakeholders and by the employees of the company. Another reason for the lack of support is that the company or organization does not know or is unaware of the benefits or advantages that the company may get from the said information technology or information system implementation and in the failure of making it part of the company. The last is when the management or the company itself disagrees with the information technology or information system implementation.

Therefore, the management should set up rules or project plans and strongly support the information technology or information system implementation and give high importance for the said project.

Lack of Resources

The result of the company or organization’s lack of support for the implementation of the information technology or information system in the company is the lack of resources which in turn becomes a barrier for the implementation of such system. Without any investment by the company for such project, the implementation would be very impossible. Therefore, the management must have sufficient awareness with regards to the full details and benefits of information technology or information system from the planning of the project to the time frame and finally, to the cost of the implementation up to the time when the new system will be implemented in the company. The management should also provide or hire competent and knowledgeable or experienced staff in order for the company to get the best results and to enjoy the benefits of such system.
Proper planning must be done in order to provide all the required resources for the implementation of the information technology or information system. The company must be able to provide rules for the information technology or information system plan and that includes the time frame of the project. The information technology or information system plan must also be composed of experienced staff who will be working for the project. Moreover, they must make a thorough study about the information technology or information system project and the best ways on how it must be implemented to help improve the business operations of the company, to make the best out of end users and for them to be able to improve their performance for not only for their own but also for the company itself.

Organizational Politics

Another major information technology or information system implementation barrier mentioned is the Organizational Politics. It affects the implementation of the information technology or information system in such a way and as what I had mentioned or discussed earlier is when other people within the company or that the company itself disagrees with the information technology or information system implementation for the reason that they might not have sufficient awareness or knowledge about such system and how important is such for the company. This disagreement also happens due to the difference of one group’s or individual’s perspective, belief, plans, capabilities and time pressures.

Therefore, in order to make the information technology or information system and to make it a part of the company or organization’s culture a success, proper planning must be done and that includes trainings and seminars which tackles about the benefits, needs, purposes and the proper use of the system that are thoroughly organized or studied before the seminar or training will be handed over to the end users

Time Pressure

Another information technology or information system implementation barrier is the time pressure. Time pressure happens when the people or the staff who are developing the information technology or information system implementation is having difficulty in finishing the project within the marked deadline due to the shortness of time.

To address this barrier, the development staff should be committed in doing the project and should be given sufficient time to complete the information technology or information system implementation. In this way, time pressure may somehow be avoided and the project can be finished as planned.


Lack of Defined Information Technology or Information System Implementation Methodology:

The last but not the least barrier in implementing information technology or information system is the lack of defined information technology or information system implementation methodology. There is a need to design a good implementation methodology that contains the competent and committed staff with their duties and responsibilities. Also, it must contain the rules in implementing the project, the time frame of the project and the cost of developing and implementing the project. Furthermore, it should be stated in the implementation methodology the trainings and seminars together with the topics that will be tackled in the trainings and seminars that the end users will undergo and will be learned before the new system will be implemented or will be handed over to the company.


References:


http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/implementation

http://www.techterms.com/definition/it

Insourcing or Outsourcing USEP Information System

If I were invited by the university of southeastern Philippines dean of the Institute of Computing to attend a seminar-workshop on information systems planning with some faculty members regarding the outsourcing of the university's information system.

Let us first define the following:

o Information system

o Outsourcing

o Insourcing


Information system is composed of hardware, software and people. These components can be found in different business operations. Information system is different from information technology because the former has a component that interacts with information technology components. Information technology components help the people handle things that are beyond the capability of a human person like handling large amounts of data.

Having your Information System or any business operations insourced or outsourced is one of the major critical decisions that your company has to undergo. Before you choose one, you have to know the benefits you get in opting for one of the two processes or choosing both. Also, you have to know how much you are going to spend in one or both the processes.

Outsourcing is when one company does information technology or information systems services to another company. Also, outsourcing is a contracted business process. It can be any costumer - related services or any other business - related operations.

Insourcing is a business process that has no contracts since the company is assigning a specific job to someone within their own company. One example is hiring someone within the company to develop a Human Resource Information System for the company. Reasons for insourcing could happen when the company had had enough with the products or services they had outsourced.

Insourcing VS Outsourcing

Insourcing as defined, is the non - contract process of assigning an employee within the company to do a specific job, in this way, information technology people will be able to maintain or keep their jobs. It can also earn the development staff more incentives in creating the insourced system. Insourcing is a business process or information system that will somehow take away your worries about competitions in the hardware and software products that are available in the market. Furthermore, insourcing will save you from abiding with what is in the market trend since you will be using your own resources and employees to do the job for you. Other than that, having your company to insource a business process, you will be able to maintain 100% of the confidentiality of your databases.

Outsourcing, on the other hand, is the contracted business process. This is where you pay for the services or tasks that the other outsourcing company will do for you. Usually, the companies who opt for outsourcing are those companies that do not have their own resources, capabilities and/or time to do a specific task for their respective organization. When you outsource your business process and other information technology or information systems services, you will be given up to date products available in the market. They usually pay the outsourcing company while at the same time abiding by the contract that both companies made. Database security, however, can be a question for the reason that if you are dealing with an outsource company, most specially when you are just renting your business process or information technology or information system service, the outsourcing company will have access to the records in your database or any confidential information regarding your corporation. Other than that, you might be having other services that you might not need in what you had purchased or outsourced from them.

Advantages and disadvantages of insourcing and outsourcing:

Chapter 7: Insourcing/Outsourcing by Bozart and Handfield:

“Insourcing gives a company a high degree of control over its operations, which is particularly desirable if the company owns proprietary designs or processes. Insourcing can also lower manufacturing costs, but only if a company enjoys the business volume necessary to achieve economies of scale.”

“Outsourcing typically increases a firm's flexibility and access to state-of-the-art products and processes. As markets or technologies change, many firms find changing supply chain partners easier than changing internal processes. In addition to increasing a firm's strategic flexibility and access to new technologies, outsourcing improves its cash flow. With outsourcing, less investment is required up front in the resources needed to provide a product or service. The benefits can be significant.”

“Control is also an issue in outsourcing. Buying firms may need to create costly safeguards to regulate the quality, availability, confidentiality, or performance of outsourced goods or services. At the extreme, they may lose key skills and technologies that are part of their core competencies. To counteract such threats, many companies oversee key design, operations, and supply chain activities and keep current on what customers want and how their products or services meet those demands9.”

Effects of Insourcing
As I was browsing the internet regarding the effects of insourcing process in the Philippines, I have read a paragraph on an article posted posted 3 Mar 2008 in Volume 10 Issue 9, titled THE COMPELLING CASE FOR INSOURCING in Managing Partner regarding the Philippines. It was written, “GSM work is done to a consistently high standard of quality. The Philippines has a large pool of highly educated, well trained and ambitious young professionals, fluent in English and highly motivated to
be part a large international firm. So it’s no surprise that the work output we see from GSM is world class in every sense.” GSM, by the way, stands for Global Services Manila. The entry on the article increased my sense of pride as a Filipino. It also showed the good side of insourcing in the Philippines that the Filipino’s are very competent in the business world. Going back to the effects of insourcing, insourcing a business process can help increase the number of jobs in the country. Moreover, you will be able to know more about the capabilities and enhance their skills of your employees. The downside of insourcing is that this can demote job growth most especially to the outsourcing companies.
Effects of Outsourcing:
The outsourcing in the Philippines has made the economy strong amidst the global financial crisis that the international community is suffering. There has been an increase in employment in the country especially in those places where business process outsourcing companies are located.
According to the article written by Mary Thomas in her article titled Effects of Outsourcing Jobs - The Positive and Negative, “The positive effects of outsourcing jobs are now being experienced by those who were bold and innovative enough to hire individuals from other countries for certain jobs.
“There are many positive effects of outsourcing, the most obvious of which is getting cheap labor and saving money in the process.
“One of the best ways to save money is to outsource some of the task required in your business to individuals from other countries such as Philippines, China and India. You will be surprised about the professionalism of the workers in these countries. More surprising is how you can have them work for you for a very affordable price.”
Now, in the case of the University of Southeastern Philippines, Institute of Computing, we all know that we have the best and the most competent faculty members and staff in the institute. They are equipped with different knowledge in computer programming and computer networking which is undoubtedly true. However, considering the number of faculty members, we really are short in manpower. If the university president will hire one or two faculty members to develop a system, there is always the possibility of having the number of active teaching staff decreased. Just like what happened before in the institute when the university decided to develop their own enrollment system, our professor resigned and we were turned over to another professor and it happened twice.

That is one of the reasons why I would opt for the outsourcing of the University of Southeastern Philippines’ Information System. Through outsourcing, the University of Southeastern Philippines will be able to save not only manpower and time but also, it will spare the Institute of Computing students from hampering the learnings on a particular subject. Other than that, the University of Southeastern Philippines and most specially, the Institute of Computing will be able to focus on the core functions and education of the students in the university.

It was written in the article titled Outsourcing vs. Insourcing: What's best for your Organization,
“If your 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 you save on time, effort, manpower and would also aid you in making quicker deliveries to your customers.
“If you require expertise services in areas which do not fall under your core competency, then outsourcing will be a good option as you can get access to expertise services. For reducing costs and making faster deliverables, outsourcing is again a good option.
“If your work involves production, then it would be more ideal for your organization to opt for insourcing, as you can save on transportation costs and exercise a better control over your project.
“It is not necessary to choose outsourcing over insourcing or vice versa. Your organization can outsource and insource at the same time. By outsourcing and insourcing simultaneously, you can have the best of what both offers and your business can get a competitive advantage!”
It is up to the company to decide whether they are going to opt for outsourced or insourced information system or any business operations because they are the ones who really know the capabilities and the needs of their organization.

References:
http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/internet-marketing/definition-of-outsourcing.html

http://www.mpmagazine.com/xq/asp/txtSearch.Information+Technology/exactphrase.1/sid.0/articleid.0EE11681-6505-4BF0-892C-B2A060BB54BE/qx/display.htm

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080825111913AAVigRJ

http://ezinearticles.com/?Effects-of-Outsourcing-Jobs---The-Positive-and-Negative&id=2616295

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

2010 SONA

On the assumption that you heard/read the SONA of the President last month, (July 2000), identify at least 3 areas related to ICT and identify how these areas can improve our quality of life.

From what I had seen on the last State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo just last July 2010, she stated the usual accomplishments of her governance, what she thinks about her critics and her never ending promises that I know only less than half of it is true. It was stated on her State of the Nation Address how the investments coming from the business industries especially those coming from the Business Process Outsourcing Companies helped the economy, that is very much true. Talking about Business Process Outsourcing, what is good about President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address is that she pointed out how the Philippine Government will create profit from the Business Process Outsourcing industry.

The three areas of Information and Communication Technology in which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo mentioned in her State of the Nation Address are:

• Creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth.

• Department of ICT.

• Automated Election.


On the first point, just here in Davao City, there are so many call center companies that are already established and some are still developing. In fact, just this year, Davao City is among the 30 cities of the world that has been recognized as a potential city for the Business Process Outsourcing industry. Other than that, our city officials had been working hard and creating measures in making Davao City as Information Technology Hub.

Amidst the global financial crisis that the international community is experiencing, the Information Technology industry is one of the sectors that stayed strong. Having the government allow BPO investors to do business in the country will provide more jobs for the people not only in the customer – related services but also in other Information Technology – related jobs and creating more profit from the BPO industry will give more financial budget for government projects such as health and education.

The second point is about the development of the ICT or Information and Communication Technology Department. In this way, Information Technology will gain recognition and importance. Other than that, having an ICT department will develop computerized business processes, time and cost efficiency, communication and most importantly, this will mean more jobs for the people.

The last one is about the May 2010 automated elections which went through a lot of controversies. Looking at the bright side, it is a good step for our country since it is not hard nowadays to upgrade into automation. Moreover, automating the election is a time saver, cost efficient and will somehow minimize if not eradicate election problems.

Green Campus Computing

Global warming has been a major concern for decades now but only few nations take the problem seriously. There are many factors that worsen global warming which is now felt in the different parts of the world, these factors are deforestation and carbon dioxide emitted by cars, aviation industry and power plants. My biggest concern now is the excessive use of computers that consumes electricity and gives out heat energy in the earth’s atmosphere. One example are the fast-growing Business Process Outsourcing companies that spend long hours using their computers for them to operate.

To attend to this problem, there are universities and colleges from the different parts of the world that adopted the concept of Green Campus Computing. Below are the list of their sites where they publish articles and tips about the proper usage of computing materials in their campuses without adding up to the environmental problems:

http://greencampus.winserve.org/greencampus/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=7&Itemid=39
http://www.uoguelph.ca/atguelph/07-02-14/newscomputing.shtml
http://inews.berkeley.edu/articles/Spring2009/green-computing

The University can adopt the concept of Green Campus Computing by simply following these steps:
• Shut down the units in the computer laboratory when not in use. In this way, the heat generated and the electricity consumed will be reduced.
• Prefer using laptop computers than desktop computers.
• Put the pc on standby or hibernation than using screensavers.
• Read books than e-books.
• Dispose damaged hardware components properly.
• Print only the needed douments to reduce the excessive use of bond papers and ink and electricity.
• Educate students and teachers about global warming and green campus computing.


We must remember to start practicing these steps within ourselves and in our community. Global warming is now a worldwide concern and there is no way to stop this problem. All we can do now is to help in slowing down the effects of global warming in order to prolong Earth’s life and to prepare ourselves for its major effects in the future.

COMDDAP Exhibit Reflections

Our facilitator invited us to register and join an IT Exhibit in Apo View Hotel Davao which was held last July 2-4 2009. I registered at the Nexus Group’s website and checked all the events for July 2, 2009 from morning ‘til afternoon though the morning events are just the same in the afternoon. So, I and my classmates went to Apo View Hotel Grand Ballroom Hall to attend the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines Exhibit or COMDDAP Exhibit. At the Ballroom hall, I saw a lot of exhibit booths from Smart, Neo, Cannon, HP and other IT Companies. There they displayed their latest technologies like internet services, laptop computers, cameras, printers and so much more.

COMDDAP and Its Objectives

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. It is the goal of COMDDAP 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.

In 1997, the manufacturing sector - represented by industry leaders Hewlett Packard, Epson and Compaq, among others - was integrated into the COMDDAP membership, making the association a more diverse representation of the IT sector and thus the new name, COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES.

• Promote the use of information technology and elevate its standards in the Philippines;
• Make computers affordable and available to the masses;
• Provide and create opportunities for users to develop themselves to their fullest potentials;
• Supply the market with quality products at reasonable prices with good after-sales support;
• To work closely with the government, the private sector and international entities in promoting the use of information technology;
• Provide a forum of discussion on matters relating to the compute industry; and
• Foster and cultivate harmony, cordiality and camaraderie among the members so that they can work together as one for the benefit of the industry.


Apart from its exhibits, the organization holds COMDDAP Leaning Center Project and Training the Trainors program. This is part of the civic and social responsibility programs
that the association has vowed to pursue. The project provides public high school students and public school teachers the opportunity to learn basic computer theories, get hands-on experience, and become familiar with computers.

HP Thin Client

The HP Company showed one of their latest technologies – the HP Thin Client. This is a device which is suitable for large corporations including the Business Process Outsourcing Companies. For me, it is an all in one device because thin clients are used not only in networking but it can be used as a substitute for a desktop computer’s system unit. I somehow found a whole lot of HP thin client's advantages. First, it costs less than a standard desktop computer’s system unit because it is a networking device that is connected to a server where the computer processes done including storing of files and computer settings. Second, thin client servers do not have a hard drive installed in it and since all the processing, storing and backing up of data are done in the server, thin clients are free from hard drive crashes that causes lost of user data files and could somehow prevent data theft. Even if someone would try to steal the thin client to retrieve a certain file, that person will not be able to retrieve the file he/she needed because nothing is stored in the device. Moreover, this makes thin clients more secured and less vulnerable to viruses and bugs. Third, it is highly environmental because it consumes less power than a desktop computer does because it does not have fans and other movable devices found in a standard system unit that increase the consumption of electricity. Because thin clients help save energy consumption, it produces less heat and has a longer lifespan than a system unit.

Other than that, thin clients are very compact that you can even place it anywhere and helps you save space in your workstation. It is even easy to install and to connect in other computer devices.

The fun part was that after the product presentation, they gave us a set of questions to be answered and as prices for answering their questions correctly; they gave USB flash drives and t-shirts. Most answers to the questions given are none of the above.

Open Source for Business Applications by Spinweb Productions, Inc.

Spinweb Productions Inc. is an online media agency that provides competitive technology solutions customized for your business needs. Established in March 2000, we are pioneers in strengthening brands and streamlining corporate processes through our medium of specialization, the World Wide Web.
They presented the Open Source Software that is compatible with both MAC and Windows XP operating systems. Popular Open Source Softwares widely used are Open Office is an office application, Mozilla Firefox a free browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite, and Limewire which is a downloader. Most Open Source Softwares are license – free which makes the product suitable for students because of the lower cost.

The exhibit really made me learn new things not only in terms of new gadgets but also, on choosing the best software for you to manage your business, maximize sales and profits and to serve the customers better. Moreover, the exhibit even gave me and ideas about the open source softwares.

References:
http://www.comddap.org/aboutus.htm
http://www.spinweb.ph/v5/about-us.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_firefox

The Philippine Automated Elections

In my own definition, election is an act of choosing competent individuals to serve and not to rule in formal office. The May 2010 elections will be one of the critical yet historical events in the Philippines simply because this said event will bring a major change in our country for the reason that this will end not all but some of the corrupt incumbent officials’ regime in the government. It was Senator Richard Gordon who crafted the Republic Act 9369 or the amended Automated Elections System Law which begun on July 24, 2006.

I took this statement from philippinestoday.net posted on July 14, 2006:

“The cheating happens when people are tired from watching the vote, and when the count slows down. By automating the process, the counting will be instantaneous and the results transmitted immediately at the end of the voting day, straight from the precinct to the world. This is how we will stop the cheating and protect our democracy,” Gordon said.

I took another statement of Senator Gordon from the Senate of The Philippines press release in August 11, 2008:

"We have worked hard for the Automated Elections Law. We had hoped it would be tested last 2007 elections, but it didn't happen. Now, we're just a few hours away from witnessing a new system of elections. This is not just a historical event for our country, but a crucial one. Isinulong ko ang batas na ito para sa susunod na eleksyon sa 2010, patas na ang laban. Wala na ang dayaan at dahas. Wala na ang mga dagdag-bawas at cash-unduan. Elected officials can now hold their head up high because they know they are the true leaders chosen by the people. The populace will have confidence in their leaders because they were voted through a credible system of elections," Gordon said.

The technologies that will be used in the system are Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machine and Optical Mark Reader (OMR). The Optical Mark Reader is a machine that reads and documents the poll results. The Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machine records the votes by use of a ballot image and is being activated by the user. The results will then be stored in two ways: as a data in the memory and as a printed copy of the tabulation. This type of technology will be able to produce the results faster than the usual manual elections that the Philippines have and this voting machine will help you minimize time and cost in ballot printing and transporting. The very first automated election happened last August 11, 2008 on the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The election served as a test for a much bigger event – full automation of the 2010 Presidential elections.

Here is a bit of news I read about the lessons learned from the ARMM automated elections from Lesson for the ARMM polls: New problems accompany election automation written by By DAVID DIZON/abs-cbnNEWS.com | 08/07/2008 4:02 PM:

Roberto Verzola, secretary-general of election watchdog Halalang Marangal, said the use of optical mark readers (OMR) and direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines in the ARMM election does not guarantee an error-free electoral exercise.

"Everyone thinks that if we automate the elections, then all our problems will go away. However, if you look at the experience of the United States and other countries who have automated their elections, the old problems still persist and new problems crop up," he said during a forum at the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement headquarters in Quezon City.

I agree to Mr. Roberto Verzola’s statement regarding the inaccuracy of optical mark readers (OMR) and direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines. These types of machines cannot totally eradicate the election fraud. When I heard the news about automated election in the Philippines, two words came into my mind, “inside job”, in contrast to what Senator Gordon stated. That is because, I have this impression that I live in the country of political thieves and we have a lot of public officials who easily fool the people and stage-manage the situations as if nothing controversial has ever happened, not to mention President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo and her cronies. When it comes to automated election issues, we never know, source codes are being manipulated by the people in position. There may be transparencies in the development of the code, but it does not actually mean that what they will be showing the public is the truth. In the technical side, computers are not always “bug” free and that it could always have a system malfunction and procedural miscalculation no matter how many times it underwent error checking and testing before being implemented. Simple things like these can somehow affect the results of the poll.

I cited some issues or problems that the COMELEC or let us just say, the Philippines will have to overcome before the elections or might have to undergo during this critical event. First, there are some rural or urban areas in some or most of the provinces in the Philippines are up until now, do not have access to electricity. Second, we have what we call illiteracy and third, we have the safe transportation of the machines to the voting precincts. Even though an election is automated, still, some old problems will occur. We have corruption, vote-buying, fly voting and the worst of all, violence.

Senator Richard Gordon’s statements show his pride on this automated election system which would somehow make the people confident in using the modern technology in the coming 2010 Presidential elections. I doubt that what he stated, “…patas na ang laban. Wala na ang dayaan at dahas. Wala na ang mga dagdag-bawas at cash-unduan.”, will really happen in the coming election. I, as a Filipino citizen, do not go against the automated election system. The real world problem is not actually the machine or the software to be used but it is in each and every one of us. It may somehow lessen the probability of cheating, vote buying and fly voting, but the best thing for us to do is to become vigilant and be honest to have a 100% faster, fair and honest elections!

References:
http://bayan-natin.blogspot.com/2009/06/whats-worry-over-a
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/10/09/two-former-justices-refined-automation-contract
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/09/07/01/html_output/xmlhtml/20090630-213069-xml.html
http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2008/0811_gordon1.asp
http://bayan-natin.blogspot.com/2009/06/philippine-automated-election-update.html
http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2008/0811_gordon1.asp
http://www.philippinestoday.net/index.php?module=article&view=47
http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2009/0311_gordon1.asp
http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2007/ra_9369_2007.html
http://www.mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=41&Itemid=301
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080513-136300/Computer-group-assesses-planned-ARMM-automated-elections
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080513-136300/Computer-group-assesses-planned-ARMM-automated-elections
http://www.votetrustusa.org/pdfs/CRSDREReport.pdf
http://www.ifes.org/publication/de870bce4b39339d89a3469c8de3a0a0/1%20IFES%20Challenging%20Election%20Norms%20and%20Standards%20WP%20ELVOT.pdf
http://microlab.uwyo.edu/Documentation/OMR/default.htm
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/04/09/tim-president-ended-cool-smartmatic-save-firm
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/08/07/08/lesson-armm-polls-new-problems-accompany-election-automation

Major Paper Update

July 8, 2009
3:15pm

I and my groupmate Joan Rose P. Dandoy went to Holcim Cement Inc. located at Bo. Ilang, Davao City and gave our letter of approval addressed to their HR Manager for our MIS Assessment project. Luckily, the company approved our letter signifying that we are now allowed to adopt their company for our MIS assessment project.
Thank God!

Assignment 2

Based on the organization(s) that you visited, what do you think are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change? (1000 words)

The answer to my second assignment is just a continuation of the interview which we conducted last June 25, 2009, Thursday. The company we visited was the remote office of Dole Philippines located in Lanang, Davao City and we interviewed a company MIS Programmer.

The risks associated with business and Information Systems or Information Technology change will be discussed below.

One of the risks associated with business and Information System or Information Technology change is the user. If you are going to create a system, you will have to inform the user about the new system so that the user will be prepared and will know what type of system will be created, how the system flows, and what will be its purpose. The MIS Programmer also mentioned that you really have to consider the user especially id the user is already used to the environment of the system, and it also depends to the user because some users would want to use the older system.

I agree with what the MIS Programmer said about having the user considered before changing the system. If the user will be informed about the system change or system upgrade, they will be able to get a chance to say what kind of system they would like to use, they will be able to have a bird’s eye view and somehow be prepared or trained to use the new system.

However, if the users will not be informed about the system change or upgrade, the users might have some difficulties in using the new system. They might think that they will train again for another type of system which they might not like or which seems not a comprehensible program. Moreover, they might think that they will undergo another training when they are already comfortable using the old one.

There are other risks associated with business or things to be considered before changing Information Systems or Information Technology. According to the MIS Programmer whom we interviewed, you have to plan what type of system you are going to change. Is it the database? Are you going to upgrade the system, what type of language will be used for the new system? Or are you going to change the system from a desktop or web application.

The MIS Programmer also mentioned that if it is only the database that you want to change, you have to verify some things like looking at the data, seeing if you can upgrade it, and knowing if it would still synchronize with other versions before changing such system. Moreover, when it comes to the type of language you are going to use, you have to check if there is really a need to change from one type of language to another type of language or to switch from desktop application to a web application depending on the need. The MIS Programmer mentioned further that the desktop application is user side while the web is not. Once you browse the internet explorer or the mozilla firefox, you will already see the system. The desktop application on the other hand, you will have to install the application because it has its own executable file. According to the MIS Programmer, these are the things you need to consider before changing the system because it is like creating a new system. The MIS Programmer also mentioned about system failure.

Finally, on the business perspective, the risk associated with business on Information Technology or Information System or a thing to be considered before changing the system is the data. The MIS Programmer said that whatever the data is before, it will be the same data that the users will be able to see or to access.

I agree with what the MIS programmer said that if you want to change the database, you have to look at the data for the reason that if you overlooked or lost important data, it would cause a very big problem for your company. There must also be compatibility with other versions so that the end users will not find it hard use the system in any types of application.

Aside from the compatibility on changing the database, you also risk security and confidentiality of the data. You have to maintain or improve its security and confidentiality when developing the system. If not, your database will be vulnerable against system hackers or system thieves.

When it comes to switching from web application to desktop application or vice versa, you really have to consider the type of users who will be using your system. A web application, I think is very suitable for what the MIS Programmer said about mobile users while the desktop application on the other hand will be very suitable for users who are non-mobile.

The MIS Programmer mentioned about system failure. It is true that when changing your system, you will not be free from system failures during implementation. System failures may come any time but somehow, it can be prevented. To avoid such, newly developed systems must undergo a series of tests before being implemented. Moreover, System failures can cause communications to breakdown, lost of profit and delay of reports. Moreover, it can cause massive lost of data that might become a big problem for the company.

I think you also have to consider the cost of the system, because if you do not have enough budgets for the new program, it will be impossible to change or upgrade such system unless the programmers will do the job for free. Moreover, you should also consider the amount of money that you will be able to save by the time the new system will be implemented and compare it with your savings using the old one. If you are purchasing your program from in IT outsourcing company, you should consider the cost of buying such program. If you have an Internal IT department, you should also know the cost of such program so that you will be able to decide whether to buy a new program or just create a program.

Evidences are recorded

Identifying a local organization(s) and some of their best practices in IT/IS

Before I discuss some of our chosen local organization’s best practices in Information Technology/Information System, I would like to share a little bit of what we experienced before we finally conducted our interview for this assignment. Our first choice was really the Department of Social And Welfare Development or DSWD. However, Sir Randy did not approve our letter because he wants us to go to private companies for some reasons. So, we considered our last option which is the AMA Computer College because we already arranged a meeting with the school’s IT personnel before we asked Sir Randy to sign our letter for DSWD. Unfortunately, he had an emergency which caused the cancellation of the interview. That is why, we went to the remote office of Dole Philippines, Davao in Lanang and there we interviewed a company Management Information System Programmer. What happened was an ambush interview and that the programmer was really on leave and that she only went to the office just for us to be able to conduct an interview. BEST PRACTICES:Inform The UserIt was mentioned in the interview that in making or changing a system, some things must also be considered like the user. I agree with what the programmer has mentioned and as for me, if you are going to create a system, you will have to inform the user about the new system so that the user will be prepared and will know what type of system will be created, how the system flows, what will be its purposes and what will be its uses.Systems AnalysisThe programmer mentioned that in systems analysis, you have to analyze what kind of system is needed and that there is budgeting. I agree with what the programmer said and in my opinion, during systems analysis, the developers must know first the needs of the user, the type of system they will develop, the time frame of the project and the cost of the project.DevelopmentFor me, after careful system analysis, that will be the time that the system will be developed. TestingIn my opinion, before the system will be implemented, it must be first tested for any errors that might occur.ImplementationIn my own opinion, after the development of the system has reached its perfection, that will be the time to implement the new system.IT Outsourcing and Internal ITAside from the five protocols or practices mentioned, the programmer also discussed the difference between IT outsourcing and having an Internal IT in the company. According to the MIS Programmer, IT outsourcing needs to be updated but the IT company does not have to be because it is their own system. In IT outsourcing, they sell the system and follow whatever is the trend or if not, they will be left behind due to the competition. But the Internal IT does not have to follow the trend because they do not sell the system and that there is no competition between the IT department besides, their clients are the departments which are within the company unlike in the outsourcing whose clients are the external companies. Moreover, the programmer mentioned that the outsourcing must follow whatever is the market standard, because if not, they will not be able to sell their product to the companies. Not like in the Internal IT, whatever is requested from them or whatever system can be offered to the company, it will be the system that the company will adopt - that will be the system that they will produce for them. The advantage of having an Internal IT as what the Management Information System Programmer said that if you look on the IT perspective, the Internal IT is advantageous than IT outsourcing because you create the system, you maintain the system and the overhead cost is cheaper in the long run and the only downside is when the IT personnel will leave. That is why everything must be documented. The programmer also added that in the business perspective, it would be most advantageous if you use IT outsourcing for the reason that the business will stand whether you have an internal IT or not because you will have a contract outside the company. So the IT outsourcing company will be consulted whenever a problem will occur. If one personnel of that IT outsourcing company will leave, it will be the outsourcing company’s problem. In terms of security, internal IT is more secured than IT outsourcing. Within the internal IT they it is already the bylaws or it is already mandated by the mother company that this is the IT protocol or this will be the protocol to be followed. The latter is also acceptable because security is also a part of the service contract. At the same time, IT outsourcing also a disadvantage because they are outside the company unlike in the internal IT which is held by the company.If I am a company owner, I will want to have an internal IT department because having one is cheaper than purchasing products from IT outsourcing companies. If I have one, I will be able to request systems which have functions that I specify according to my needs. Moreover, an internal IT department, knows more about the needs of my company in terms of database security and system flows. Annual TrainingAccording to the programmer, the company also conducts an annual training which is budgeted to keep their personnel updated and that in IT, it is their only advancement for their personnel. They also adapt whatever was trained to them.System SecurityIn terms of their system security, the programmer said that they have not experienced hacking and that their security is verified by verisign who checks the security of the company. She added that verisign is a company who checks if the site is vulnerable. They also have firewalls that they use to protect their system.MIS and ICTAccording to the programmer, the new name of Management Information System or MIS is Information and Communication Technology or ICT because Management Information System is usually under the finance but once you are called Information and Communication Technology or ICT, you will be detached from the finance. It is not part of any other department in the company but is solely a separate department.Definition of IT/IS Finally, the programmer defined Information System or IS. IT is called the brain of the company because the IT holds all the information which is used for business. These information are used as basis as to what must be done.The interview was recorded....

Introduction to MIS-1

Good day everyone! I'm Jerusalem M. Alvaira, 4th year BSIT student. I expect that I will learn a lot not only from this subject but also from Sir Randy...

Reflections

Our first meeting with Sir Randy Gamboa was fun... As expected, there will be group projects, presentations and more company visits. He introduced the subject Management Information Systems 1 or MIS 1 starting with the word Management with its keys: PLANNING DIRECTING ORGANIZING CONTROLLING. Sir Randy also discussed about the components of Information System - Hardware, Software and Peopleware. I agree with what Sir Randy said about the subject that it should be named Leadership and Management Information System because if we talk about Management Information System and learning about its components, it means for me, that even people has to be managed when in fact, the only things that should be managed are the hardware and the software components of Information System. On the other hand, the people are not supposed to be managed or controlled but to be guided or to be led in every responsibility that they have.For your comments, click here