MIS

The Journal

2009-10-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

My journey towards completion of our major paper in MIS 1 subject

August 17, 2009- The company approval

Our adviser approved our letter for Comfac Global Groups this day! Right then, we sent theletter to the company.

August 18, 2009- Module Review

We reviewed the modules and gathered data to get ready for the interview at Comfac Global Groups.

August 19, 2009- Think of questions

This day, the group formulated possible questions for our first interview at Comfac.

August 22, 2009- First Company Visit

This day was supposed to be our first interview to the Comfac IT personnel but unfortunately, its “Kadayawan festival” and got nothing to the visit.

August 29, 2009- Our second scheduled Visit

We went to the Comfac Global groups but, unfortunately they were to busy with several project, so the interview (supposed to be) canceled the interview. Instead we exchanged mobile number for the re-scheduling the interview.

September 02, 2009- Surprised Visit

Out of desperation, we visited Comfac to at least lift-up our hopes because we can't reach them at phone. But, the personnel said that we should wait for them to contact us. To be a bit productive, we gave them the questions, possible topics to be tackled.

September 20, 2009- Interview PLEASE......

Today, we asked our interviewee to at least gave us on-line interview or even answer to the questions we have given. But again, the interviewee could not s pare his time even a minute.

September 25, 2009- HUNT!

We decided to hunt another possible companies.

September 29, 2009- Approval of our new letter

At last! Our adviser approved our letter for NekenFab, INC.

September 29, 2009- First Company Visit to the new adopted Company

That same day, after the approval of our letter, we headed to NekenFab, Inc., at Maa, Davao City, Philippines. And conducted an interview with Eng. Ardel G. Satorre, the Manager of the company.

September 30, 2009- Hectic day/ Second Interviewee

Despite the pressure of our other projects, we then again visited Eng. Satorre for some follow-up questions.

September 30, 2009- Paper documentation

Right after the interview, we then continued to our paper works. And wasted no time to meet at least the minimum requirement of our major paper.

October 01, 2009- First paper Consultation

This day is super sleepy day... because we did not sleep last night just to finished the said paper. We went early to school and waited to our professor. The first consultation was done. There are some errors on our paper that we need to revised.

October 14, 2009- Second Paper Consultation

October 16, 2009- Third Paper Consultation

October 17, 2009- Finish at last!

This day is the final passing of major paper to our professor.

Information Environment

2009-10-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Information Environment

There is now a critical mass of digital information resources that can be used to support researchers, learners, teachers and administrators in their work and study. The production of information is on the increase and ways to deal with this effectively are required. There is the need to ensure that quality information isn’t lost amongst the masses of digital data created everyday. If we can continue to improve the management, interrogation and serving of ‘quality’ information there is huge potential to enhance knowledge creation across learning and research communities. The aim of the Information Environment is to help provide convenient access to resources for research and learning through the use of resource discovery and resource management tools and the development of better services and practice. The Information Environment aims to allow discovery, access and use of resources for research and learning irrespective of their location.

What does the term 'Information Environment' mean?
The Information Environment (IE) is a term used to refer to the organization’s work to develop and provide services which enable people to find and manage information efficiently and effectively in their learning, teaching or research.
The information resources which people need are very varied - books, journals, research papers, teaching resources, videos, maps and more - and while they might be in any format they are increasingly in digital.

The Information Environment of my Choice

E-Commerce
E-commerce, (electronic commerce), is online commerce verses real-world commerce. E-commerce includes retail shopping, banking, stocks and bonds trading, auctions, real estate transactions, airline booking, movie rentals—nearly anything you can imagine in the real world. Even personal services such as hair and nail salons can benefit from e-commerce by providing a website for the sale of related health and beauty products, normally available to local customers exclusively. While e-commerce once required an expensive interface and personal security certificate, this is no longer the case. Virtual storefronts are offered by a variety of hosting services and large Internet presences such as eBay and Yahoo!, which offer turnkey solutions to vendors with little or no online experience. Tools for running successful e-commerce websites are built into the hosting servers, eliminating the need for the individual merchant to redesign the wheel. These tools include benefits like shopping carts, inventory and sales logs, and the ability to accept a variety of payment options including secure credit card transactions.

Though early e-commerce was stunted by security fears, improved technology has made millions of people worldwide feel comfortable buying online. Seeing the vast potential in e-commerce, most credit card companies helped allay fears by guaranteeing cardholders would not be held responsible for fraudulent charges as a result of online shopping. All of these factors have helped e-commerce become the booming industry it is today.
The growing popularity of e-commerce is understandable considering the time and hassle involved in running from store to store, searching for an item in the real world. It not only takes valuable time and energy, but gasoline. With today’s crowded cities and high gas prices, shopping online whenever the mood strikes—even in the middle of the night—has unarguable, unbeatable advantages. Not only is it convenient to shop at a myriad of vendors from the comfort of your computer chair, it’s also a snap to find the best deal by allowing sites like PriceGrabber and Fro ogle sift through hundreds of sellers for you.

E-commerce also has other advantages. Employee overhead is virtually nonexistent, and the yearly fee for an e-commerce website is nominal. Compare this to rental of storefront property, particularly in a busy mall. To top it off, most transactions are handled by software processes, never requiring a real person until the item is ready to be packed and shipped. This translates into real savings to the customer. As a result, real world businesses often cannot compete with their e-commerce counterparts, though one does have to watch for inflated shipping fees that might negate savings.

The Role within the E-Commerce

ECommerce Website Designer
Every website designer or website designer has their own specific roles. The main roles of a website designer (graphics artist) are to plan, analyze and then design a visual answer to a communication problem. Meaning they will create and illustrate in a form of graphics to deliver information or messages through visual form.
There are many ways the website designer or graphics artist can deliver the messages. Normally, they will decide the best format that can be done to deliver the news. It is up to them how they get the message across, and it can either be through the use of print, film or some form of electronic media using various different methods. The methods that they will use in order to convey this message will be through the use of type, photography, animation, illustration, color and certain print and layout methods. In today trends, website is one of the best and easiest methods to deliver company messages or information to the world.
Every website designer or website designer has their own specific roles. The main roles of a website designer (graphics artist) are to plan, analyze and then design a visual answer to a communication problem. Meaning they will create and illustrate in a form of graphics to deliver information or messages through visual form.
There are many ways the website designer or graphics artist can deliver the messages. Normally, they will decide the best format that can be done to deliver the news. It is up to them how they get the message across, and it can either be through the use of print, film or some form of electronic media using various different methods. The methods that they will use in order to convey this message will be through the use of type, photography, animation, illustration, color and certain print and layout methods. In today trends, website is one of the best and easiest methods to deliver company messages or information to the world.

There are few processes involves when designing and developing a website design. When developing a design for their clients, a website designer will look at several different factors in order to plan and execute their design at their target audience. The factors that they will take into consideration in order to achieve this include the following:-
1.Cognitive
2. Cultural
3. Physical
4. Social
Many website designers today will now use a wide range of graphics and layout software in order to help them produce their designs. Certainly, when it comes to producing designs for web pages or other forms of interactive media, then this website designer will use computer animation and programming packages in order to develop and produce a design for their clients.

What are the challenges facing you in performing the role?
• Identification of the origin of the visitor is required.
Identification of the Origin of the Visitor Web is the most anonymous thing on the earth and the web site visitors want to be anonymous. It is a great challenge to discover the personalities of these anonymous visitors based on their behavior during the time they interact with your web site, and capturing enough information to do so without infringing into their privacy.

• Calculation of the “Dwell” time for a content page.
The time spent by the visitor on a particular page provides a good measure showing the interests of the visitor. Direct ways are not available to calculate the dwell time of a visitor on a page.

• Identification of a User-Session.
A visitor can be characterized by studying his browsing behavior in a session, which is a collection of web based transactions related by time. Computing the start and end of a session is a complex process.

• Managing E-commerce Website Structure Information:
Information Web sites may serve static or dynamic pages or a combination of both and each page served may contain or have links to different types of files or documents, images, multimedia, embedded scripts, etc. Pages can be static html documents or can just consist of a template and an Application Server can serve the content for the different components of the template. The type of files served may change frequently. Many new pages can be added on a daily or weekly basis and the old pages may be superseded. According to its purpose, the files may have a classification like Company information, Product catalogue, Technical support, Ordering page, etc. Content pages may have page titles, which will be required for analysis and it should be extracted and loaded to page dimensions.

How will you address these challenges?

Challenge 1:
Identification of the Origin of the Visitor Web is the most anonymous thing on the earth and the web site visitors want to be anonymous. It is a great challenge to discover the personalities of these anonymous visitors based on their behavior during the time they interact with your web site, and capturing enough information to do so without infringing into their privacy. There are four levels in which a user can be identified.

o Based on Visitor's IP Address

o A persistent identifier for that session only

o A persistent identifier that lets you know the same web browser on a particular computer has returned for a repeat session

o A persistent identifier that lets know the particular human being has returned to our web site
Based on the Visitor's IP address gets the country rather than the person name.
It is better to know at least the country of the visitor instead of anonymity. Knowing the country of the visitor provides with opportunities to personalize the web site for his needs as well in gaining the browsing behavior of the person with respect to the local time of the user.

The IP addresses are allocated dynamically by the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to their customers. The IP address is not the unique way to identify a web site visitor. There are databases maintained for each part of the globe which gives the country, contact person of the ISP, his mail-id, phone number, fax number, IP address allocating authority and the route to the IP address etc. This helps to identify the part of the globe from which the visitor is originating.

A persistent identifier for that session only can be passed through URLs, hidden fields or session identifiers. This will help avoid the problem of proxy servers. But only current session can be recorded No way of tracking repeat visits and the browser Caching. Clicking of the back button is not recorded in the web server log. This makes it impossible to have a complete map of user’s actions. A possible solution for this could be the use of No-Cache tags in the HTML content

A persistent identifier that lets know the same web browser on a particular computer has returned for a repeat session can be implemented through persistent cookies stored on the client machine. The cookie is a record placed on a user's PC by a web browser in response to a request from a web server. The cookie contents are specified by the web server and can only be read from the domain that has specified the cookie. This provides a way to identify the machine from which the user is accessing the net and not the user. The problems with cookies are that the user might have disabled the cookies. Even if the cookies are enabled the user may delete it at any point of time.
A persistent identifier that lets know the particular human being has returned to the web site is normally implemented via access through user/password. Online forms like registration or preferences for customization are an excellent source to link customers to clicks generated by them. By far, it is the most effective method of gathering visitor information. Online forms also have problems. It is believed that when asked for their name on an Internet form, men will enter a pseudonym 50 percent of the time, and women will use a pseudonym 80 percent of the time. It is not preferable to ask the user to fill in the form while he is visiting the site for the first time, as it can be repulsive.

Challenge 2:
Calculation of Dwell Time Dwell time is the time spent by the visitor on a content page. It is an important measure of the relevance of the content for the user and effectiveness of the page in attracting the visitor. The dwell time can be calculated by finding the difference between the 2 content page requests and subtracting the time required to load the content page and the ancillary files from the value. But the time required to load streaming media files like real audio and mpeg may not be considered for the dwell time computation. In this case, the dwell time is to be computed using the beginning of the streaming media download regardless of whether the rest of the content if fully downloaded.

Challenge 3:
Identification of User Session The start and end of a user session is to be identified in order to analyze the user behavior in a session as well as for measuring the effectiveness of the design of the web site in keeping the visitor for more time in the site. This also helps in identifying the various entry pages through which a visitor enters the web site.
These pages by providing links to other pages and putting appropriate ad-banners in the pages depending upon the context. Any page in a web site can be the entry page for a visitor as key word search in search engines can lead the visitor to any page in the web site. The identification of a session also helps in identifying the most popular exit pages, which could be the session killers. Identifying the session killers and effectively redesigning them may keep the users in the web site for more time. But there is no direct way to identify the start and the end of a user session.

Challenge 4:
Managing E-commerce Website Structure
Information Web sites may serve static or dynamic pages or a combination of both and each page served may contain or have links to different types of files or documents, images, multimedia, embedded scripts, etc. Pages can be static html documents or can just consist of a template and an Application Server can serve the content for the different components of the template. The type of files served may change frequently. Many new pages can be added on a daily or weekly basis and the old pages may be superseded. According to its purpose, the files may have a classification like Company information, Product catalogue, Technical support, Ordering page, etc. Content pages may have page titles, which will be required for analysis and it should be extracted and loaded to page dimensions.

Dynamic pages
Pages can be generated and served dynamically based on the parameters given by the visitor in a previous page. A dynamic page can consist of a template with different components and the content for each component can be generated dynamically based on a given set of parameters. The page used will be the same but the content served will be different at different instances of time. Storing all the instances of the dynamic page will drastically increase the size of the page dimension.

Main Challenges
Building a successful data warehouse itself is a challenging task and building a data mining model on the data poses lots of challenges, starting from the understanding of the business problem, data preparation to the building and deploying the mining model. Web poses specific challenges in terms of cleaning, transforming and loading the data for the purpose of analysis, as normally 90% of the click-stream data is of not much importance from analytic perspective.

References:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-e-commerce.htm
http://www.ecommercewebdesign.ca/understand-the-role-of-the-website-designer.html
http://www.abbacustechnologies.co.uk/website-designer-manchester-uk-e-commerce-solution/

Barriers on IS/IT implementation

2009-10-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

Barriers on IS/IT implementation

A barrier is an obstacle that prevents the coming-into-force of a particular measure, or causes delays in its implementation. Barriers can be rigid or flexible, the latter being able to be overcome given sufficient time or resources. Land use measures tend to face more rigid barriers than, say, management or information measures.

Barriers can be either positive or negative. A positive barrier arises when one of the objectives of the strategy restricts the ability of a measure to achieve other objectives. Environmental constraints are examples, and their imposition could well improve the measure or its performance. By contrast, a negative barrier, such as inadequate legislation, may cause delays and excess costs in the implementation of the measure.

In NekenFab Incorporated, as our adopted Company, since they are in construction field, they are not totally focus on their information system. In fact, the one who made the company’s system is the owner of the company which is not a programmer graduate or any related programming course. The one who made their system is a civil engineer. But, our interviewee said that the system they used now is useful in the company even it’s not so good in performance. I can tell that that their system is not so good in performance because there back-up files in case there system will crash is still on the print out paper. They need to re-encode all the data that the company’s file. Aside from that, when they send their data or files to other offices, they used flash through mailing address, or there is a person who bring those flash drive to the other office. In this case, there is a big possibility that they lost the data that they need, in just a blink. Or maybe the person who bring those things, change all the data that encoded on the file.

The following are the barriers on implementing information system.

Implementing IS/IT costs money and is expensive.

When implementing new Information system, the company needs to buy the software and also need to hire someone who can manage the system.

Organizational Culture Barriers
• Culture of physical/paper records

Workflow is designed for paper.

Paper provides provider a sense of security.

Paper provides proof of action.

Paper provides proof of ownership.

Paper is readily available (cheap).
• Culture of ownership of data and not sharing it

Exchange of information between organizations is not universally accepted as appropriate.

Negative repercussions are feared if organization becomes more transparent by sharing information.

A negative impact on “bottom line” is feared if organization shares information.

Data of patients from underrepresented facilities/groups may be used inappropriately.
• Culture of actions based on risk aversion/comfort rather than standards

Exchange of information between organizations is not universally accepted as appropriate.

A negative impact on “bottom line” is feared if organizations shares information based on network standards rather than internal risk assessment.
• Culture of market competition

A negative impact on “bottom line” is feared if organization shares information based on network standards rather than market analysis.

An open exchange of information may reduce competitive edge between providers and/or facilities.
• Culture of organization type, with variations due to public vs. private.

Protections to sensitive situations and information vary from organization type to organization type.

Protections against stigmas or other negative repercussions on patients vary from organization type to organization type.

Populations served vary from organization type to organization type.
• Culture of diminished value of staff continuing education

Staff education lacks priority in organizational plans.

Cheaper staff can be hired (recent grads); reduces organization obligation.
Technology and Standards Barriers
• There is a technical challenge to assure user authentication and successful use of system

There are many different technical methods available to authenticate users. A universal standard would have to be adopted in order to ensure interoperability between sites and users.

The different technical methods that exist to handle user authentication can be difficult to implement for health care providers with limited IT resources.

Current methods for strong authentication are difficult for consumers to use. Strong passwords are difficult for consumers but encryption keys are even more challenging.

The interface for retrieving records would have to be standardized so that providers would not be trying to learn each individual system.

The electronic signature for an information system can be a problem.

There are far more users of information system than there are technical assistants available to address technical issues.

Technical documentation for information system is usually long and not user friendly.

Staff may occasionally use other log-on ID’s for information system.

Staff may not sign out of information system properly.

Staff may not receive proper training in user authentication and system use.
•There are no national requirements for information system interoperability

This lack of an enforced standard has driven the complexity of creating and maintaining interfaces up. Most providers do not have the IT resources available and rely solely on the vendors for this service. This has driven the cost of interfaces up substantially and can render them financially impractical.

The electronic health record is still new.

Technology advancements are much greater than the speed of learners for many of the users.

New systems will be as disconnected as current systems.
•There are insufficient standards for data elements

There are currently multiple standard sets, with some variation in definitions.

There are emerging data elements (new items needed).
•There is no standardization in security protocols and interfaces

There are numerous standards for secure communication but one will need to be selected for the specific purpose of security protocols and interfaces.

There are delays from security/standards groups.

There is competition among software vendors.

There is massive data in huge legacy systems that must be considered.
•Organizations lack adequate infrastructure and role delineation for the development and enforcement of security, privacy, and information management policies and
procedures.

Security, Privacy, Policy, and Procedures are interrelated.

There is no consistency of how security and privacy management should be handled in an institution (power issue).
Knowledge about the new IS/IT
•There is a lack of ways to share educational materials

Some educational materials may be proprietary.

There are ways of sharing educational material, but a lack of information/leadership to execute.
•There is a lack of standardized educational materials that have been developed for sufficient evaluation of effectiveness

Educational needs vary by organization, individuals, geographic, and available resources.

No specific group has been identified as the industry authority to consult regarding educational material for health information management.

Those who have developed educational material for health information management have not been asked to share information with others.

There is resistance to use information for education in health information management that is developed by others.
In-house Resources for Information Management Barriers
•There are variations between shifts in both practices and available resources

Shift variation in practice is related to the educational barrier listed previously. All staff needs to be educated on appropriateness of information, procedures for access and security of the records.

The majority of healthcare resources are on the first shift, consistent with normal business hours.
•There are insufficient resources for language diversity to assure provision of information, and comprehension of information given
•There are variations in resource availability from organization to organization

Providers without the appropriate resources will not be able to participate in the shared record. These resources could be defined as monetary or technical.

There is a lack of funds and/or resources in some organizations.

Resources are limited in rural areas.

Resources are limited in poor communities.
•There are variations in information technology development from organization to organization

Some organizations do not have any form of electronic data in which to interface.

There is a lack of funds for across the board information technology development.

Some organizations lack the ability to attract professional resources due to geographic.
Global Market Barriers
•Competitive market forces in software development complicate standardized information exchange solutions

Competitive market forces in software development will add costs to the participation of the provider in the electronic record

reference
www.idph.state.il.us/hispc2/resources/Appendix8-Barriers.pdf

MIS EXPECTATIONS

2009-10-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

In my subjects in MIS, everything is new. It's just like I'm starting from the beginning....(HUHUHU). Especially in terms of having a blog...(AW?nagpait man gud ko.). But in contrast, I learned something new...(hehehe). And one thing that difficult for me is in every assignments or questions needs to explain in ONE THOUSAND WORDS!(patay!). But then again, I look on the positive side..(hahaha). I practice my English Grammar...(TOINKS!....).

In this subjects, maybe its hard but I NEED to enjoy it.(hahaha).

To my professor, I know that He is so strict in all aspect...Maybe He does not tolerate the mistake or the wrong act of a Students...(huhuhu again.). But when we, a students, follow all his instructions, everything will be fine..(hehehe )...

In-sourcing or Outsourcing?

2009-10-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

In-sourcing or Outsourcing?
There’s a big deal today what are you prefer for? In-source or outsource? In my assignment, our professor was given us a task to take in a position in outsourcing or in-sourcing. But before I choose what the best is for me, I will have some resources to identify what is outsourcing and what is in-sourcing.

What is in-sourcing?
In-sourcing is a business practice in which work that would otherwise have been contracted out is performed in house.
In-sourcing often involves bringing in specialists to fill temporary needs or training existing personnel to perform tasks that would otherwise have been outsourced. An example is the use of in-house engineers to write technical manuals for equipment they have designed, rather than sending the work to an outside technical writing firm. In this example, the engineers might have to take technical writing courses at a local college, university, or trade school before being able to complete the task successfully. Other challenges of in-sourcing include the possible purchase of additional hardware and/or software that is scalable and energy-efficient enough to deliver an adequate return on investment (ROI).
In-sourcing can be viewed as outsourcing as seen from the opposite side. For example, a company based in Japan might open a plant in the United States for the purpose of employing American workers to manufacture Japanese products. From the Japanese perspective this is outsourcing, but from the American perspective it is in-sourcing. Nissan, a Japanese automobile manufacturer, has in fact done this.
The opposite of outsourcing can be defined as in-sourcing. When an organization delegates its work to another entity, which is internal yet not a part of the organization, it is termed as in-sourcing. The internal entity will usually have a specialized team who will be proficient in the providing the required services. Organizations sometimes opt for in-sourcing because it enables them to maintain a better control of what they outsource. In-sourcing has also come to be defined as transferring work from one organization to another organization which is located within the same country. In-sourcing can also mean an organization building a new business centre or facility which would specialize in a particular service or product.
Organizations involved in production usually opt for in-sourcing in order to cut down the cost of labor and taxes amongst others. The trend towards in-sourcing has increased since the year 2006. Organizations who have been dissatisfied with outsourcing have moved towards in-sourcing. Some organizations feel that they can have better customer support and better control over the work outsourced by in-sourcing their work rather than outsourcing it. According to recent studies, there is more wok in-sourced than outsourced in the U.S and U.K. These countries are currently the largest outsourcers in the world. The U.S and U.K outsource and in-source work equally.

What is outsourcing?
Outsourcing is an arrangement in which one company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. Outsourcing is a trend that is becoming more common in information technology and other industries for services that have usually been regarded as intrinsic to managing a business. In some cases, the entire information management of a company is outsourced, including planning and business analysis as well as the installation, management, and servicing of the network and workstations. Outsourcing can range from the large contract in which a company like IBM manages IT services for a company like Xerox to the practice of hiring contractors and temporary office workers on an individual basis.
Outsourcing began in the early eighties when organizations started delegating their non-core functions to an external organization that was specialized in providing a particular service, function or product. In outsourcing, the external organization would take on the management of the outsourced function.
Most organizations choose outsourcing because outsourcing offers a lot of advantages. When organizations outsource to countries like India, they benefit from lower costs and high-quality services. Moreover organizations can concentrate more on core functions once they outsource their non-core functions. Outsourcing can also help organizations make better use of their resources, time and infrastructure.
In outsourcing, the outsourcer and the outsourcing partner have a greater relationship when compared to the relationship between a buyer and a seller. In outsourcing, the outsourcer trusts the outsourcing partner with vital information. Outsourcing is no longer confined to the outsourcing of IT services. Outsourcers in the US and UK now outsource financial services, engineering services, creative services, data entry services and much more.
Most organizations are opting to outsource because outsourcing enables organizations to access intellectual capital, focus on core competencies, shorten the delivery cycle time and reduce costs significantly. Organizations feel outsourcing is an effective business strategy to help improve their business.

Why In-sourcing is my choice?
In-sourcing because outsourcing has gone wrong is a mistake. If you are thinking of taking a business function back in-house because of failings either in your supplier or, indeed, because of failings of your own, then just pause for a minute. There is one good reason to in-source, to which we will come, but the myriad of technical issues, operational difficulties and relationship problems that can cause you to despair of ever having uttered the ‘o’ word are not it. In-sourcing for the sake of it merely compounds your troubles. You might be forgiven for thinking that insourcing was the latest outsourcing trend, according to some recent media reports. But what is really happening on the ground is far harder to discern and so far more complex.

One thing is for sure: outsourcing is growing and for the most part people are happy with the deals they construct. One independent statistic – a recent Gallup survey –showed that 57 percent of companies surveyed believe that outsourcing has delivered 100 percent of the expected benefits. This is a good success rate by any measure. So where does the comment on insourcing, with its suggestion that outsourcing is riddled with shortcomings, originate?

Right choices
Having said that, insourcing is an option that many are likely to consider at some point, whether it is for what we believe are the negative reasons of supplier factors (complacency, overselling, rising costs, and the like) or client factors (poor rationale, poor sourcing, poor internal management, and so on). However, the reason why insourcing can compound troubles in these cases is twofold.
First, insourcing can be as problematic as outsourcing was in the first place. In particular, in-house skills and systems that have been reduced or removed have to be returned, a process that carries risk and cost. Second, and more profoundly, insourcing for these reasons will only store up problems for the future.
The issue here is that provided outsourcing as an option has been reviewed alongside other sourcing options, then in the vast majority of cases outsourcing is usually right in terms of the decision but, if it struggles to realise benefits, goes wrong in the execution. Execution issues can, with time and application, be put right. But if the fundamental reasons for outsourcing still hold – reasons such as wanting to drive through efficiency, effectiveness and transformational changes – then to go back on the decision represents an opportunity cost for the business. When added to the cost of in-sourcing itself, the total might be very detrimental indeed.

One good reason
There is, we think, one good reason to consider insourcing. That is when external factors are such that the situation in which the organisation finds itself has so changed that it becomes not only attractive but right.
This does happen and there are well-publicised examples to illustrate. For example, when JP Morgan merged with Bank One the economies-of-scale that it had sought by outsourcing with IBM were suddenly realisable internally. Alternatively, when Cable & Wireless decided to in-source, again from a deal with IBM, the reasons were good: finding itself in a trading position where it wanted to exercise the kind of control over costs that could only be gained by in-sourcing.
These, though, are seismic changes. They are extraordinary, just as the insourcing that accompanies them should be as well.
In fact, the real outsourcing story is far more positive. The industry is maturing. We are seeing sourcing decisions and governance improving, as companies become savvier both in terms of what they want and in terms of what they ask from providers. Moreover, providers are rising to the challenge too. They realise that it is in the interests of all concerned to have deals that allow clients and providers alike to flourish. These are, after all, partnerships.
But remember, insourcing because outsourcing has gone wrong is a mistake. Far better is to get outsourcing right in the first place.

Why not Outsourcing?

Outsourcing risks
However, while companies can benefit from the technology resources at their outsourcer, not having any internal network skills can be risky. Companies might find it difficult to assess whether they are getting the best value for money and that services are fit for purpose, for instance.
Of course, lacking the skills to deploy new technology does not necessarily mean companies should outsource all ownership and management. The majority of networking kit is sold through the channel, which means companies can call on the implementation skills of third parties if they want to deploy new technology. They will however need to train or acquire staff that can manage the new network.

Is it cheaper?
Outsourcing has long been a popular choice for enterprises looking to save money. Outsourcers are able to offer the benefit of scale because they can centralize the key IT and network functions and service multiple accounts at the same time. This allows them to offer the same service as the internal team but at a lower cost of delivery.
The experience outsourcers have with network management also means they should also have more effective processes based on established best practices to deal with the most common networking issues.
Network outsourcers can make the total cost of ownership (TCO) equation look even more attractive as they are able to source equipment from suppliers at a substantially cheaper rate. Adrian Lau, IT services manager at ST Mary's NHS Trust, says: "We buy our network equipment through Damovo. We use open-book costing where Damovo puts five per cent on the list price. This is cheaper than buying through a traditional distributor."
Open-book costing is becoming more common throughout the network outsourcing industry. Richard Mahony, principal analyst at Ovum, says: "Contract pricing is becoming more transparent. However, companies that do sign up to open-book pricing, need to be aware of exactly what it covers, as outsourcers will always try and hide some margin somewhere."

Barriers
Smaller businesses are likely to benefit most from network outsourcing but are often the most reluctant to take the plunge. At the most basic level they typically find it difficult to calculate the cost of managing their IT, and often lump it together with general administration costs. This makes it hard for them to understand the savings they could make from outsourcing.
But perhaps the principal barrier for enterprises thinking about network outsourcing is nervousness over security. Enterprises now need to be compliant with multiple regulations and laws, nearly all of which mandate a high level of data security. Any company choosing an outsourcer will need to be doubly sure that it will actually improve on the existing security processes.
Outsourcing for many companies has traditionally meant job losses, which made it an extremely hard sell to employees. However, far from making IT staff redundant, outsourcing the network and support infrastructure should free up IT staff to work on the company's strategic business applications.

References:
http://www.outsource2india.com/why_india/articles/outsourcing-versus-insourcing.asp
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1185946,00.html
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1185946,00.html

It I were.....

2009-10-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

When the time comes that I will be hired as an IT consultant of the university and they want my suggestion about the internet connection be improve, hmmmm…..

Infrastructure
Telecommunication infrastructure remains one of the major issues affecting technology deployment required for growth and development. There has however, been massive improvement in infrastructure over the past few years. Telecommunications and Network Services (TNS) and Facilities Planning has been upgrading the campus telecommunications (voice, data) infrastructure. The project, known as Telecommunications Infrastructure Project, or TIP.

Technology
As the world becomes increasingly dependent on instantaneous, on-demand global communication, opportunity calls for those who can keep the lines open and messages flowing.
From the transfer of voice, video and data for immediate communication to the use of satellite transmissions for video conferencing and the infrastructure for the Internet and other distance learning capabilities, telecommunications technology keeps the world connected.
The Telecommunications Technology (TEL) department at Texas State Technical College provides superior instruction on the latest industry-standard Telecommunications skills and equipment.
Once thought of as only telephone wiring and switching, this technology encompasses electronics, computers, fiber optics, broadband transmission and new compression technologies. It includes popular alternatives to traditional telephone service, such as cellular telephones and paging services.

Faster connection and download with ISDN
An ISDN connection works in the same way as a standard dial-up, but you need a digital (ISDN) line (marketed by BT as Business or Home Highway) and an ISDN card, external ‘modem’ (terminal adapter), pbx or router.
ISDN will give you a faster and more stable connection - a few seconds to connect rather than the 20-30 seconds experienced with an analogue modem - and faster downloads. Web pages should appear about 30-50% faster. And ISDN is nearly twice as fast as the best modem connection for uploading data, so sending e-mail and uploading to a website will be quicker too.
An ISDN line gives you two channels, which can be used as two separate phone lines. Call costs per minute and per channel are the same as for an analogue line, while line rental for a business line is about twice as much as for one analogue line (after inclusive calls and discounts).
In addition, there is an initial installation fee and the cost of the new ISDN "modem", but since you have the usability of two analogue lines it doesn't cost any more to run than two analogue lines.

Unmetered means inclusive call costs - not always-on
You pay a monthly or annual subscription to an ISP and they give you a freephone (0800 or similar number) to connect with. Packages with inclusive call costs, known as unmetered Internet access, are available by agreement between BT (which owns most of the local wiring infrastructure), the other telcos and the ISPs.
This depends on BT giving the others freephone numbers at a fixed cost per subscriber, rather than for timed or data traffic usage, but there is more to this than money. If many people were to subscribe to these services and stay connected for much longer periods - or even all day - then exchanges and trunk lines could become overloaded, resulting in many more engaged tones. For this reason many ISPs automatically disconnect dormant connections after a certain period of inactivity.

"Always-on" cable and ADSL connections are becoming more widely available
These give you a permanent connection and much faster data speeds. For ADSL you need a standard BT telephone line, and pay for a connection through an ISP which provides an ADSL “modem" as part of the installation cost. BT replaces the standard socket with a '"splitter" box, which gives you a normal phone socket as well as the ADSL socket. There is now a self-installed option at lower cost for a residential account but not yet for business accounts.
The ADSL modem or router connects your standalone PC or network to the ADSL network. You can use the standard socket for analogue voice calls at the same time as the ADSL line is being used for your Internet connection, but there could be some problems or limitations using it with an analogue modem or fax machine.
Connections from a single computer to the modem could be by USB or by Ethernet card and cable, in the same way as for a LAN. There are business and residential services with different contention ratios, service levels and costs, there are single and multi-user connections, and there are three different download speeds.
Some ISPs will give you one or more fixed IP addresses, so you can run a server over ADSL, although as the service has no Quality of Service guarantee it would be unwise to run a business-critical server application over an ADSL line.
Similar considerations apply to cable connections, which differ slightly according to the cableco involved.

Mobile ‘on the move’ and wireless ‘on the pause’ connectivity
The latest mobile phones offer Internet access on the move using WAP (wireless application protocol) and GPRS, and ‘3’ now offer third generation UMTS over a growing network. Connection may be made through a laptop using an appropriate card or via a mobile phone handset using a cable, infrared or ‘Bluetooth’ connection.
WiFi (802.11 standard) ‘hotspots’ are springing up in airports, railway stations, hotels, coffee shops etc. where local wireless network connections are available if you have a wireless card in your laptop and a subscription to the relevant service.

Satellite could bring always-on downloads or broadcast Internet channels
A mass market satellite connection means having a dish on the exterior of the building for download and a normal telephone or some other connection for upload. Download speeds can be similar to ADSL or Cable modem but upload is limited to the dial-up speed. Two-way broadband satellite is now available across the UK but installation and running costs are relatively expensive when compared to ADSL or Cable.
The mass market is for Internet through a TV whether by satellite or other form of digital link. But home usage is likely to be different from business usage, and services may develop accordingly.

Leased lines for permanent connection with Quality of Service guarantees
This is the way corporate and specialist service or heavy user companies connect. They run servers that require high or guaranteed upload capacity, serving applications which are core or critical to their businesses. For most small businesses it is more economical to have servers co-located, or server applications hosted and possibly maintained by specialist companies. Remotely located servers can have operating systems and applications administered by you or your staff using a more economical Internet connection. An economical alternative to the traditional Leased Line could be an SDSL (Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) connection, operating at 2Mbps in each direction, although these are likely to be limited by technological limitations and commercial viability to a radius of around 3km from major city centre exchanges.

Steps/processes
Use of the Internet enabled an order of magnitude improvement in the auto insurance coverage change business process cited above. Similarly, there are a number of other technologies that help in process improvement efforts like the Internet. Here are 10 of those technologies and examples that show how they are helping Lean improvement:
1. The Internet: Web portals have enabled organizations business processes from order entry to logistics to customer service to be performed from anywhere, anytime by their employees. In some cases, these organizations are making these portals available even for their end-customers on an around-the-clock basis, making it very convenient. It used to take a week or more for an application for a new credit card to be approved or rejected by a credit card company. Now, a consumer can apply for a credit card online and get an decision in seconds. A good question to ask in any Lean process improvement effort is: "Is there a way, the Internet can increase the process cycle efficiency for this business process?"
2. Wireless Connectivity: Many property and casualty insurance companies have rolled out wireless connectivity to claims adjusters that are on the road, especially in case of catastrophic events like the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In the absence of wireless connectivity, information about claims may be sent by paper back to a central office where someone enters the same information into a claims software system. Wireless connectivity has the potential of having the claims adjusters entering the information directly into the claims software system remotely, cutting days from the business process.
3. Automated Workflow Systems: Automated workflow systems cut down the time, work items wait in a queue for processing. Many business processes suffer from wasteful physical movement of paper from desk to desk. When a piece of paper reaches the next destination, it waits behind other work items that arrived before it. Automated workflow systems can keep the work items moving, raising alerts if work items have been waiting for too long a time, re-routing themselves to others if someone is busy, etc. They also provide visibility into exactly where the bottlenecks may be in a business process, enabling sane Lean process improvement efforts to smooth these out.
4. Scanning and Digitization: Computing and computer storage have become so inexpensive that many organizations scan and digitize most official documents that come in as paper. These may be legal documents or invoices from vendors of services, supplies, or raw material. Thereafter, it enables the circulation of these digital versions of these documents rather than wasteful movement of physical paper across the company. Digitization also enables processes to move geographically long distances effortlessly, enabling employees from geographically dispersed office locations to participate in the same workflow, for example.
5. Service-Oriented Architectures: If an organization is using the most up-to-date transportation companies to handle its shipping needs, it can initiate a delivery from it own corporate applications seamlessly. These shipping companies have made their backend software systems accessible to any organizations' software systems using service-oriented architectures (SOA). The SOA technology enables software systems in the same or disparate organizations talk to each other and exchange information automatically, without any human intervention. Many large corporations have realized enormous gains in process cycle efficiency in their supply chain business processes by allowing suppliers' and customers' software talk to their backend software systems using SOA. By enabling automatic exchange of data between organizations' computers in an electronic form, SOA eliminates wasteful and time-consuming exchange of paper and redundant entry of data in to multiple computer applications.
6. Document Management Systems: Document management systems allow an organization to execute business processes that require collaboration across geographies, and even continents. They allow two people in different cities or countries to work collaboratively on a business process by making sure the changes they make are done in an orderly fashion and nothing is lost during the collaboration. Document management systems allow the check-out of documents for editing and require checking them back in once they are done. Thus changes made by different people on the same document are not lost. In many business processes, this has the potential of eliminating waste due to motion and most importantly the quality of the collaboration involved. In the absence of such systems, more time may be expended in sending documents back and forth by e-mail and coordinating changes made to the same documents by different people.
7. Business Process Monitoring and Measurement: Lean process improvement efforts are usually highly targeted at certain steps of a business process. Pareto's principle applies to business processes also: 80 percent of the bottlenecks and improvement usually comes from 20 percent of the steps in a business process. Business process monitoring and measurement solutions may provide a good idea of where these bottlenecks are, and – more importantly – make sure that service levels needed by individual process steps are met fully so that the whole process works as required.
8. Business Process Management Systems: Business process management systems (BPMS) enable streamline and integrate different software systems that may be involved in a business process. By providing an overall framework for the business process, BPMS systems enable smooth flow of business processes across different departments, functions and backend software systems. They also provide monitoring and reports that can help a Lean process improvement effort with measurement before and after improvement efforts.
9. Business Rules Systems: Business rules systems enable the automation of wasteful manual activities in many business processes. For example, automobile insurance underwriters may have this simple business rule: "If the applicant is a male under 21 years of age and the car is a convertible, set the application apart for manual underwriting." Those cases that are not cover by this rule – or other rules which the company might institute – can automatically be approved or rejected by an automated system. The business rule system in this case enables the automation of an otherwise, wasteful and time-consuming, manual business process.
10. Online CRM Systems/Self-Service FAQ Systems: Many organizations have placed customer relationship management (CRM) systems online as part of their web site. A customer can login and create a trouble ticket online for a support or service request instead of talking to a customer support representative on the telephone. Many organizations are using self-service frequently asked questions (FAQ) sections on their web sites where customers can see if their problem has been faced by other customers, and what the solution was, in those cases. These systems enable the speed up of customer service and support processes. FAQ sections on company web sites may even eliminate service or support calls if they answered their questions or solved their service or support problem. They are convenient for end customers since they are available on the Internet, around the clock, providing even better service than when done manually by telephone.
Lean process improvement efforts have the goal of increasing process velocity and improving PCE. A number of new information technologies offer the promise of achieving these goals by their judicious and appropriate use. In some cases, these technologies have the potential of improving process velocity and efficiency by orders of magnitude. They do this by significantly cutting down waste in the form of unnecessary transportation, waiting and manual data entr

References
http://www.waco.tstc.edu/tel/tel_aas/index.php
http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c061211a.asp

SONA 2009

2009-10-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

1. Communication Services

The Administration also improved the country’s competitive advantage in information and communications technology (ICT), which resulted to the robust economic activities in the ICT industry with gross revenue of US$17.934 Billion and total employment for 371,965 individuals from 2004 to 2008. Notably, it was during the Arroyo Administration that this significant growth in the ICT industry was realized. (Annexes D and E)
��Centers of information technology and business processing outsourcing (IT-BPO) services all around the country have been connected. Aside from Metro Manila and Metro Cebu which have already been considered as “ICT Centers of Excellence”, the Administration has been promoting the top 10 “Next Wave Cities” to be the destinations of ICT industry outside Metro Manila and Metro Cebu:3
• Metro Laguna (Sta. Rosa, Calamba, Los Banos, San Pablo)
• Metro Cavite (Dasmarinas, Bacoor, Imus, Cavite City)
• Iloilo City
• Davao City
• Bacolod City
• Pampanga Central (Angeles/Clark, Mabalacat, Dau)
• Bulacan Central (Baliuag, Marilao, Meycauyan)
• Cagayan de Oro City
• Bulacan South (Malolos, Calumpit)
• Lipa City

 Policies were implemented promoting systematic and accelerated ICT advancement.

• Removed barriers and allow full competition in the provision of high-speed networks and connectivity. This resulted in the reduction of cost of local internet connections from PhP30 per hour in 2000 to PhP15 per hour in 2008.
• Allocated radio frequencies to allow broadband wireless access network.
•
• Liberalized the telecommunications environment/ industry to allow the entry of more players, ie, the telecommunication operators (TelCos).
•
• Authorized the retail-pricing for local telephone lines by allowing local exchange carriers to design price packages.

2. Cyber Corridor

The Cyber Corridor, which aims to create an information and technology-based knowledge economy through facilities that enhance interconnectivity and research and development initiatives, traverses all four geographic super regions from Baguio to Cebu to Davao.
The Cyber Corridor is being developed through public and private investments in the areas of ICT, education, and training.
The pilot-testing of a major ICT project, the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) Revenue Watch Dashboard prototype system, was completed in May 2009. This web-enabled revenue monitoring tool aims to provide real time collection figures from the national level down to the Revenue District Office level.
Aside from the priority infrastructure projects in the Cyber Corridor, the Government also pursued other Information and Communication Technology-related projects that supported the development theme of the Cyber Corridor. The Government has established public calling stations, telecenters and community e-centers to address the uneven distribution of fixed telephone lines in the regions.
By 2008, the Administration has installed facilities to areas without communication channels yet, such as 875 telegraph stations for telegraphic transfer and social telegram; digital telephone exchanges in 103 localities; 538 public calling stations which serves people who cannot afford to subscribe telephone services and areas not covered by fixed line facilities; 1,422 Telepono sa Barangay (TSB) stations; and a Regional Government Telephone Service in Cauayan, Isabela.

3. Utilizing ICT for Education. With aggressive support from private and other government and non-government partners, around 4,019 public high schools already have computer laboratories as of April 2009, more than half of which were already connected to the internet. The government targets to provide all 6,650 public high schools nationwide with computers and internet connectivity by the end of the year. Provision of computers and internet connectivity in elementary will begin next year. For 2010, the planned curriculum refinements include the heavy use of ICT in the teaching and learning process for all levels of basic education.

Reference
http://www.gov.ph/sona/sona2009/2009_SONA_TECHNICAL_REPORT.pdf

The Risks that are associated with business and IS/IT change:

2009-10-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Risks that are associated with business and IS/IT change:
NEW CITY COMMERCIAL CORPORATION

NCCC are all about people: their associates, customers, business partners and community. Since starting out as a textile store in 1952 they continue to grow, expanding to different retail businesses and locations to serve more people.
The Company strives to offer Service from the Heart first of all to our associates. NCCC also maintain solid relationships with their business partners to provide a wide assortment of basic and unique merchandise that offers
They are proud of our journey and we continue to pay tribute to our founders and history by living up to our core values of humility, caring, hard work, excellence and fun. We live for our vision to be A Leader Who Cares.
On June 4, 2009, we schedule to interview with there IT personnel about the risk of their IS/IT change in the organization. The following are some of the risk that the company experience.
The challenge that their department might encounter are the changes or switching of their system and their security. As technology arises, the company must adopt to the fast changing environment in order for the company to be competitive and updated. The personnel said that it is not easy for them to shift into another system because the company’s transactions might be delay. Aside from that, they have many aspect that they considered, like the end users, the people involve in the company. The following list describes some considerations related to the control environment and IT
- IT is often mistakenly regarded as a separate organization of the business and thus a separate control environment.
- IT is complex, not only with regard to its technical components but also in how those components integrate into the organization’s overall system of internal control.
- IT can introduce additional or increased risks that require new or enhanced control activities to mitigate successfully.
- IT requires specialized skills that may be in short supply.
- IT may require reliance on third parties where significant processes or IT components are outsourced.
- Ownership of IT controls may be unclear, especially for application controls.

They considered risk in the company when they have to shift into new Information system or Information technology is how the company adopts those changes. Their personnel also considered the end user of the system, if it is difficult for them to use it. It should be a user’s friendly systems that can also be satisfy the needs of the company.

While early IT implementations clearly focused on automation of clerical and repetitive tasks, in today’s highly competitive business environment, effective and innovative use of information technology (IT) has the potential to transform businesses and drive stakeholder value According to the recent ITGI-PricewaterhouseCoopers study results, IT is quite to very important to delivery of the corporate strategy and vision .
On the other hand, poorly managed IT investment or badly implemented IT projects will lead to value erosion and competitive disadvantage. A number of or company–level studies and analyses show that IT contributes substantially to company's productivity growth. This contribution is by all means strong where IT strategy is linked with business strategy, thus IT can initiate major changes in organization structure, business processes and overall activities.
In one study, Brynjolfsson and Hitt concluded 'that while computers make a positive contribution to productivity growth at the firm level, the greatest benefit of computers appears to be realized when computer investment is coupled with other complementary investments; new strategies, new business processes, and new organizations all appear to be important.'
The technology itself has no inherent value and that IT is unlikely to be source of sustainable competitive advantage. The business value derived from IT investments only emerges through business changes and innovations, whether they are product/service innovation, new business models, or process change.
Therefore, successful organizations that manage to derive business value out of IT investments also IT risks are risks associated with intensive use of IT to support and improve business processes and business as a whole. They are related to threats and dangers that the intensive use of IT may cause undesired or unexpected damages, misuses and losses in whole business model and its environment.
Conscience about the systematic IT risk management should be present at all managerial level in organizations whose business is in any way related to the functioning of modern information systems (IS), no matter if they are used only for the purpose of business automation, or some vital business process are performed electronically. Since the efficiency, effectiveness and in a great deal the successfulness of all business activities depend on the functioning of the IT and IS, a sound risk management process should not only include technical or operational issues but also executive management’ frameworks such as IT Governance and IT Audit.
Therefore, successful organizations that manage to derive business value out of IT investments also understand the importance of IT control environment and manage the associated risks, such as increasing regulatory compliance and critical dependence of many business processes on IT. This in particular means that they manage the risks associated with growing IT opportunities. The risks associated with business processes conducted through IT support are not only any more marginal or ‘technical’ problems and become more and more a key ‘business problem’.

COMDDAP Davao 2009

2009-07-23T01:34:00.000-07:00

COMDDAP REFLECTIONS/LEARININGS
Computer Manufacturers, Distributors, and Dealers Association of the Philippines (Comddap)

EXPERIENING THE COMDDAP SEMINARS AND EXHIBIT

GOING to the venue:

We are going to APO VIEW HOTEL at 1:00 pm. As we go there we are very excited for the things that we want to experience. We have a lot of expectation on what we saw on that day. We expect for more hi-technology.

ARRIVAL:

As we arrived, they had a booth for the students who are participated for the said event. And also they had a booth for none students who attended the COMDDAP seminars and exhibit. There are also in charge for the counting of the participant of that day. The facilitator gives as a sticker. Those the said sticker is our identification that we are a students.

EXHIBIT:

As we come in to the exhibit area, there are lots of technologies that we saw. There are so many to be mentioned. Aside from the hi-technologies, some of the companies including smart gives freebies who fill-up there computerized form. I don’t know for what those form is, because we haven’t fill-up those one for the line is so long. They also give fliers for the promotion of there product. The Computer Manufacturers, Distributors, and Dealers Association of the Philippines (Comddap) has gathered over 20 technology companies: Exhibitor companies include Astech Pengson Distributors, Inc., ATP Peripherals/Achieva, Axis Global Technologies, Inc., Brother International Phils., Corp., Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc., Chase Technologies Corporation, Epson Philippines Corp., Hitachi-Glee Electronics, MDR Microware Sales, MSI-ECS Philippines, Inc., Microwarehouse, Inc., Millennium Computer Technologies Corp., Neo-Glee Electronics, PLDTmyDSL, RASI Computers, Inc., Redwood Ventures, Sanyo Philippines, Inc., Trinity Marketing, Inc., and Wordtext Systems, Inc.
The participating companies was offered visitors special rates, trade-in promotions and bundled deals on desktops and peripherals, network equipment, multimedia projectors and accessories, office automation equipment, digital video and film cameras, imaging tools, papers and chemicals, servers, printers, scanners, plasma monitors, audio systems, broadband equipment and other related gadgets. The participating companies also was gives a discounted price for there costumers who brought there products during the COMDDAP event. Example for this is CANON, they are loads of freebies, promos, and discounts await Canon customers at the said events.

SEMINARS:

When we are tired, we decided join a seminars in the function area. We attended three (3) kinds of topics.

Here are the interesting topics that we were able to attend:

Enterprise Resource Information and Control (ERIC-DMS)

Mr. Celmer L. Santos from Jupiter Systems, Incorporated was the speaker of ERIC-DMS. He talked about the Brilliant Dealer Management System that widely used by Car Businesses. Anyway, Jupiter Systems, Inc. is a 24- year old software company and one of the members of the ERP systems of the Philippines. Their clients include Mitsubishi, Honda, Mazda, Volvo, and Nissan. Their Database Management Systems flow starts with the pre-sales, then vehicle sales and last is the after sales.

The Jupiter Systems’ has also Service Management General Features which are the following:

=>Advance bookings or Customer appointments
=>Operation maintenance or FLAT rates
=>Repair orders
=>Repair Estimates
=>Customer Service History
=>Technician Time-in or Time-out
=>Parts requisitioning and picking
=>Service invoicing
=>Warranty claims and processing
=>Field Service Actions (Campaigns)

The HP Company

Mr. Leonard Zapa, Market Deveopment Manager of HP Company is there speaker. He started with talking about Linux, CE, and XPe.

He also mentioned the following topics about Data security, reliability, Management, Remote PC alternatives, Virtualization, Lower TCO, Broadband and related.

He also introduced the widely used HP Thin Client. This is a computing device without a hard drive and can be used independently.

=>With its some features;
=>Enhanced security
=>Easy manageability
=>High reliability
=>Environment – friendly
=>Lower overall costs

At the end of the discussion, the participant of this seminar becomes more alive because the HP COMPANY gives some tokens. They have a question related to there topics and those who first answer there question can have a USD, some are T-SHIRT, the other is Optical MOUSE, or they’ve got two tokens.

Open Source for Business Applications

Open Source topic is one of the topics that I liked most. The speaker asked the audience of what is their definition about Open source. Some shared the following understanding: source code, free, open, contributor, no license, etc. There is a person besides us who really participate for the said topics. He is an IT Professional here in Davao.
The speaker gives us some of the Open Source Website. Some of those are joomlapolis.com, joomla.org.ph, and openwp.org. There are also an Open Source Software. One of those is PHP.

We have lots of learning in this topic. The speaker tells us about the benefits of an Open Source. He said Open source is reliable widely used, highly scalable and proven performance. But along the discussion there are person who come in to the discussion that makes us listen more attentively. It’s just like he contradicts the open source. He said that we need to examine the reliability level of a software.And I never forget his last sentence. He said, “Open source- have it today but pay later while proprietary software- pay it today and we have the full help later.”

"Campus Green Computing"

2009-07-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

"Campus Green Computing"

1.) http://www.p2000.umich.edu/energy_conservation/ec7.htm

**** University of Michigan (U-M)

Green Computing Practice

Electrical Conservation Tips:

Turn the computer off overnight and on weekends;
Wait until ready to use the PC before turning it on;
If the computer is going to be inactive for more than 16 minutes, consider turning it off. After this time, the energy needed to run the computer outweighs the start-up energy;
Do not turn on the printer until ready to print, even an idle printer consumes energy;
Try to schedule computer-related activities to do them all at once, keeping the computer off at other times;
If spending a large amount of time at the computer, consider reducing the light level in your office. This may improve cathode ray tube screen visibility as well as save energy.

Paper Conservation Tips:

Use "paperless" methods of communication such as electronic mail (e-mail) and fax modems. Also, do not print out copies of e-mail messages unless necessary;
Use smaller font sizes and decrease the spacing between lines, or reformat to keep the document to as few pages as possible;
Review documents on the screen instead of printing a draft. If you must print a draft, use the blank back side of used sheets;
Use a printer that can print double-sided documents. When making copies, use double-sided copying;
The U-M buys and uses recycled-content paper when possible. Look for papers with 50 - 100 percent post-consumer waste and non-chlorine bleached. Also, recycle paper when done.
Store information on diskettes rather than in "hard copy" format. A single high-density 3.5 inch floppy disk can hold the equivalent of 750 sheets of paper, about one and a half reams. Also, be sure to reuse disks that contain outdated information.

Purchasing and Use of Equipment:

Printer toner cartridges can be refilled, rebuilt and reused. Many manufacturers will take a spent cartridge, refurbish it, refill it, and return it for about half the price of buying a new one;
Determine whether you can upgrade your existing equipment rather than purchasing new equipment;
Donate an old computer to a school or charity; if it is permanently out of order, give it to a computer recycling facility instead of discarding in a landfill;
Only buy a monitor as large as you really need; a 17 inch monitor uses 40 percent more energy than a 14-inch monitor. Also, the higher the resolution, the more energy it needs;
Consider purchasing an ink jet printer instead of a laser printer. Although they are a little slower, they use 80-90 percent less energy;
Request recycled or recyclable packaging from your vendor;
Buy soy or non-petroleum based inks. These printer inks are made from renewable resources, require fewer hazardous solvents, which translates to fewer air emissions, and in many cases produce brighter, cleaner colors;
Try to buy energy efficient products such as those bearing the Energy Star Logo. The Energy Star Program was started by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage the production and use of energy-efficient equipment. In accordance with the EPA's voluntary guidelines, leading computer manufacturers are now producing equipment that can automatically power down to a "sleep mode" to save energy when not in use. They also use up to 30 percent less energy when running than conventional equipment. These added capabilities do not increase price or decrease performance.

2.) http://ecenter.colorado.edu/energy/projects/green_computing.html

*** The University of Colorado

Green Computing Practice

· Reducing Paper Waste- Minimize the number of hard copies and paper drafts you make. Instead of printing, save information to disks.

· Recycle waste paper- Buy and use recycled paper in your printers and copiers.

· Reusing and recycling- CU generates thousands of spent printer toner and ink jet cartridges and batteries a year. Instead of tossing these in the garbage, they can be recycled, saving resources and reducing pollution and solid waste.

· Purchasing recommendations -Environmentally responsible computer use implies not buying new equipment unless there is a demonstrated need

· Network and share printers- Consider leasing equipment as an alternative to purchasing. Leased equipment is typically refurbished or recycled, and packaging is reduced.

3.) http://www.wesleyan.edu/newsletter/campus/2008/0208greencomputing.html

*** Westlayan University

Green Computing Practice

· Reduce carbon emissions by simply turning off their monitors, or shutting down their computer when they are away.

· always better to shut the computer off if the plan not to use it for a stretch of time

· Night-time remote backup service, a process that would eliminate the need to leave machines overnight.

· Power the Printer off after office hours, or whenever they are not in use.

· Automated power supplies, which work on an electric timer and shut down computers and printers when students’ computer labs are closed.

In order to adopt the concept of “Campus Green Computing”, maybe the school should conduct seminars to the faculty and students. Although each one knows about it, they did not always apply it to themselves. To those who know it already, he/she can also give advice to his/her friends. So, when everyone knows about how important the concepts of “Campus Green Computing” everyone can apply to it.

ELECTION ON 2010

2009-07-08T02:03:00.000-07:00

ELECTION ON 2010

This up-coming election 2010 has new system implemented. For the past years, we manually voted and also counted our votes manually. Maybe this kind of system has much risk. There are more chances that the Officials can cheat the country. So, in this situation, our government has a program to convert manual election into automated election.

“In the automated system, where both voting and canvass is done through a printed ballot fed into a machine, voters will need to shade an oval space beside the printed names of each of the candidates of each of these positions. So the ballot will contain some 300 names of persons or parties”, said the editorial of website Technograph of the Philippines.

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) en banc was bid and awarded the election automation contract to Total Information Management (TIM)/Smartmatic. Smartmatic was one of the service providers of the more expensive direct recording electronic system, or touch-screen technology, for the ARMM elections. TIM/Smartmatic was the only bidder left after six others were disqualified by the special bids and awards committee for failing to provide some documents. The bidding, which began over a month ago, originally had seven bidders. Smartmatic provided all documents and was the only company to demonstrate precinct count optical scan machines. The company is based in the United States but has offices in Venezuela, Spain, Taiwan and the Philippines. And the bidding of Smartmatic was P7.2 billion for 82,000 machines covering nation wide.

The calls came at the time TIM was stalling in signing the incorporation papers for the registration of its joint venture partnership with Barbados-based Smartmatic with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), told Technograph Technology in the Philippines in one of there website.

But is the Philippines ready for an Automated Election System (AES)? There are some comments about it. There are some facts in Automated Election (AES) especially in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The 2003 functional literacy survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed ARMM as having the lowest basic literacy rate in the country, with 30 percent of its people aged 10-64 years old considered illiterate.
On a national level, one in 10 Filipinos can not read and write, according to the survey.
Ustadz Esmael Ibrahim of the Assembly of Darul Ifta of the Philippines said illiteracy in the ARMM is worst in Sulu, with 40 percent of its people unlearned.

“We are ready. There will be full automation nationwide,” Melo said at a press briefing Thursday after the Senate passed the House-approved P11.3-billion supplemental budget for the automation of the elections on May 10, 2010.

But weeks ago, there is shocking news about this Automated Election system. Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) has pulled out of its partnership with Smartmatic Corp., putting the P11.3-billion poll automation project next year in jeopardy.

“Mr. Jose Antunez (President of TIM) came to my office and told me they are withdrawing from the project citing their irreconcilable differences (with Smartmatic)," Elections Chairman Jose Melo told reporters on different news, without mentioning the nature of the feud. But word has leaked that the breakup was caused by corporate issues between Smartmatic and TIM ranging from the chairmanship of the board to funding disputes.

Earlier in the day, Melo suspended the contract negotiations with Smartmatic-TIM due to its failure to submit its joint venture incorporation papers. With the Smartmatic-TIM breakup, Melo said this will leave the Comelec with the following options:

1. A second bidding
2. A negotiated contract
3. Partial automation
4. Revert to manual elections

Cesar Flores, Smartmatic’s international sales director and spokesman, blamed their partner TIM for the delay, saying Smartmatic officers signed the incorporation registration papers last week. Sinse according to the law, the Netherlands-based firm Smartmatic cannot operate without a local joint venture partner, TIM in this case.

A visibly upset Melo said the Comelec is set to look into the names behind TIM to see if these people may have been influenced by groups who are against automated elections.

Melo said that though they have enough time to prepare for manual voting and counting, the main goal of eradicating poll fraud will be difficult to achieve if the elections are not automated.

For joint venture partnerships, the law allows foreigners to bid for projects provided they have local partners representing 60 per cent of the project.

The bidding rules also prohibit Smartmatic from getting a replacement local partner to push through with the P11.3 billion poll automation.

The poll chief said it is frustrating to know that TIM is seemingly putting “personal interests" ahead of a matter of national importance.

Comelec director Ferdinand Rafanan, head of the Special Bids and Awards Committee, said TIM could be charged criminally, civil and administratively.

He added that they are similarly forfeiting the P350 million performance security bond posted by TIM and the group will also be barred for one year from joining any bidding of the Comelec.

- With a report from Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV

Machine vulnerability

Poll automation feeds the wrong impression to the public that elections will be clean and credible. Because it is a machine, it is powerless against any fraud that takes place before, during, and after the elections. And, because it is just a machine, it is vulnerable to human intervention such as software attack, glitches, and other technical problems that could result in wholesale electronic cheating. (See www.cenpeg.org for papers and powerpoints on election automation.) The high stakes in the 2010 elections, including choosing a new president, administration attempts to make sure that the next president is friendly to Gloria M. Arroyo, as well as the 17,000 national and local seats up for grabs by some 90,000 candidates will make fraud machineries sabotage the whole electoral process using both the traditional and modern technology.

Given the expected operations of fraud machineries in the coming elections, one way by which the present Comelec can at least minimize cheating is to make poll automation open, transparent, credible, and participatory. It does not make sense that the poll body has chosen the OMR which makes counting and canvassing of votes invisible to the eye with Comelec perhaps hoping that the poll officials, machines, vendors, software developers, electronic transmission systems, and other technical services can be trusted.

References:

http://www.pinoypress.net/

http://www.smartmatic.com/

http://www.technogra.ph/

My First Assignment in MIS

2009-06-26T02:10:00.000-07:00

For assignment one, our group is so depressed of finding a company to be going to interview. There are lots of companies but we don’t know what we are going first.

The Companies that we have chosen are:

Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Incorporation

The Company’s profile

Company Profile: Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Incorporation

Major Industry: Oil, Gas, Coal & Related Services

Sub Industry: Liquefied Petroleum Gas Distributors

Country: PHILIPPINES

Business Description

The Group's principal activity is trading refined petroleum products, lubricants and other chemical products. Its products and services are distributed under the PHOENIX Fuels Life trademark through a network of 33 retail service stations. The Group also provides terminaling and hauling services which involved in operating a terminal depot, hauling and into-plane services in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos City and Cotabato City.

Phoenix Petroleum Foundation Inc., led by President Cherylyn C. Uy, lives up to its core value of stewardship through projects in service of the community. As stewards, we nurture our resources responsibly. By giving back, we contribute to elevating the quality of life of the people we help, because we believe that life comes first.

The foundation’s primary purpose is to engage, support and or participate in social activities and functions geared towards the development, protection, alleviation, education and or empowerment of the needy, depressed and miserable members of the society.

eTelecare Global Solutions

eTelecare Global Solutions has become a leading contact center outsourcer as a direct result of core competencies that meet our client's business needs for today and tomorrow.
eTelecare Global Solutions addresses your challenges with:

• Unique strategic insights that streamline operations;
• Strong, data-driven connections to your customers; and
• Powerful continuous improvement strategies.

The other company that we are planning to have an interview,

Assumption College of Davao (ACD)

The Assumption College of Davao is a Catholic school owned and managed by the Missionaries of the Assumption (m.a.) promoting education with a social conscience.

As an academic institution, it is inspired and guided by the charism of the m.a. and committed to the challenges posed by realities that beset the society. It espouses integral formation, character development and community building of all its stakeholders consistent with the social orientation mandate of ACD’s option for the poor.

ACD as a learning community is dedicated towards empowering students to lead, animate and contribute in changing lives to the full.

For the continuation of this topic click the link below

http://www.usep-ic.forumsmotions.com/mis-1-f5/assignment-1-due-june-25-2009-before-0100pm-t5-20.htm

References

http://www.davaochamber.com/

http://www.phoenixphilippines.com/view_stations.php?xval=92

http://www.phoenixphilippines.com/company_mission.php

http://jobs-in-davao.blogspot.com/2007/10/etelecare-global-solutions-inc.html

http://www.assumptiondavao.edu.ph/

Reflections/Learnings

2009-06-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

On the first day of class in MIS almost everything is new except for the teacher. There are many things that I need to adjust. Like for example, all the updates in this subject are in Blog so we need to open our Blog time to time and blogging is new to me. (Yahoo groups lang man gud to amoa sauna...hehehe). But I'm happy in this term, I learned something new! (hahaha..)
And one thing that difficult for me is in every assignments or questions needs to explain in ONE THOUSAND WORDS! (patay!). But then again, I look on the positive side... (hahaha).
I practice my English Grammar...(TOINKS!....)

When the class has not yet started, I am really confused what MIS means, what its all about and what are the topics to be discussed... But when Sir Gamboa explained it to the class, it gives me an overview what MIS is about.

Now I know that "You cannot manage a person, but you can lead them."
So for me, MIS is wrong, instead you can make it LIS (Lead Information System)..... (hahaha)