Week Fourteen: Clear

This week is the last week in ISM3004, and I'm not sure if it's because of the project or because of finals coming up, but this week was a little bit harder to retain. But I did understand the information, and found it to be useful since it can not only help to save money, but to save space and your data! 

From RAID storage systems, to virtualization, to thin client computing, each has its own price range and its different abilities to help save and store data. I thought the idea of RAID storage systems were quite interesting since its purpose is to contain multiple drives into one. There are multiple RAID systems, two work differently from each other, RAID 1 and RAID 0, while RAID 5 and 6 help to combine the two, but each work at different speeds with other slight differences. I also found this article that helps to explain RAID as well:http://compreviews.about.com/od/storage/l/aaRAIDPage1.htm.

This week we also discussed virtualization and thin client computing. Virtualization seems nifty because it allows the user to run multiple virtual computers within one actual computer. Such as being able to run both Windows and Linux while running the Mac OS, all at the same time on a Mac. This not only saves space, but it also greatly increases productivity. Just as Professor Olson states in the lecture, the T.A.C assistants greatly benefit from using this because they have the ability to help users who have any of the platforms instead of being restricted to only Windows, only Linux, or only Mac OS. Thin client computing (as pictured above) is also a great space saver as well as information saver because it allows all the data to be sent to a central system instead of having a hard drive within the computer itself. 

Secure Email Project

I actually really liked this project. At first I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was, especially with all the frantic posts I was reading on the discussion board. But besides waiting for the emails back from Dr. Means, I think the hardest part was finding an article "about businesses that have used or should have used secure email or other security measures to protect data." Especially since many of the articles are from several years ago. The article I found (linked below) is about the FBI's private information being leaked, and how a man used encrypted emails to leak this information.
Article: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2001/tc20010829_039.htm
The aforementioned article, titled Digital Trail Leads to Accused Spy, is about Brian P. Regan giving out information that included pictures from the FBI's private informations to another country. The country, which was referred to as 'Country A' in the files, was identified as Libya by a Washington Post report. Regan was using a free email account through which he sent encrypted emails that were supposed to be unreadable by the US government. Naturally, the FBI was able to decrypt the messages and discovered that Regan had sent "a set of overhead satellite photos, as well as a CIA intelligence report, two pages from a classified CIA newsletter, and other documents" (Poulson, 1). The article then goes on to explain that Regan was accused of passing this private information through Intelink, which is "a classified global intranet that links the thirteen U.S. intelligence agencies to each other, and to their 'customers' in the White House, Congress, the Pentagon and other government agencies," according to the article. Since Intelink is only supposed allowed to be used by certain people, there was concern for the information that was available. People feared that there might be information available that others shouldn't know, which almost resulted in Intelink's shut down. Fortunately, those in charge were able to tweak people's access to Intelink, so that you would need a certain digital certificate, or have to be cleared in order to access certain things. Albeit the potential troubles that could be caused by having access to Intelink, as was seen in the case with Regan, the system is also what allowed FBI agents to investigate his case and to eventually catch him in the act.   

Week Thirteen: Clear

This week's topic was computer security and safety, ethics and privacy. Although this topic was briefly discussed earlier in the course, this week went more in depth with the topic. From describing the people who commit cybercrimes, to ways to protect your computer from harmful software, to how much information one should consider giving out over the web. According to the text, Discovering Computers 2010, there are seven basic categories of those who commit cybercrimes. They are: hackers, crackers, script kiddies, corporate spies, unethical employees, cyberextortionists, and cyberterrorists. Each of the people who commit cybercrimes do it for their own personal reasons, whether it be personal gain, because they can, or to "teach a company/person a lesson about their security."

All of the computer risks mentioned can involve the people mentioned above, except for system failure, generally. Internet and network attacks, unauthorized access and use, hardware theft, software theft, and information theft are usually committed by a person, or people, whereas system failure is usually attributed to a power surge, or any kind of natural disaster. All of these computer risks can be experienced by both an individual or a company/corporation. 
Although I was aware that cybercriminals try to use e-mail as a way for infecting a computer, by sending spam, I didn't realize that they can also copy real companies' emails, request information through there, and commit their crime. This is both problematic for the company and the individual alike, because not only does the individual risk getting a virus, a worm, or the like, but they also could experience information theft (i.e. identity theft). The company could then be blamed if something like this happens, or they could potentially lose their customers' trust. 
Therefore, computer users must always beware of not only the e-mails they receive, but the attachments, and the webpages linked within the e-mail. Ways in which computer users can help to keep their computers safe, since their is no way to completely keep a computer safe from computer crimes, are by installing anti-virus software, continually backing up their data, staying informed about recent virus alerts, as well as installing firewalls into their computer. 
For more information, I found this website useful: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/  

Week Twelve: Clear

I found this week's lesson about information system development to be understandable and enjoyable in a way since it is more relate-able. What I mean by the topic being more relate-able is that even though not everyone may be a system analyst, a programmer, or a project manager, most people have had to complete some kind of group project that required them to use some of the same skills that project managers user. The idea of planning a project can be a strenuous process, but having to be in charge of a group of people as well can be a difficult task. 
Even though not every project requires a large amount of work, nor does it demand too many hours, the stages of planning are similar to those mentioned in the text for the system development life cycle (SDLC). The stages are: 1) planning, 2) analysis, 3) design, 4) implementation, and 5) operation, support, and security. Granted, not all real world projects are going to go into that much detail for some stages, if they are even a part of the project, but in the world of information systems, they are very important. Each of the stages is constantly going through a rotation because that is the only way to make the system run smoothly and efficiently. The system will usually be dealt with through a project team, which is assigned a project manager. It is the manager's duty to keep on top of the project and make sure that everything is going as planned, and that the project will be done on time. 
One of the ways that the project manager can create an organized system for their team is by using a project management software such as the one pictured above, a Gantt chart, which was developed by Henry L. Gantt. This chart is used to show the activities that need to be done for the project and the times which they need to be done. Another tool, which is pictured in the textbook (Figure 12-3), is a PERT chart, short for Program Evaluation and Review Technique. This chart was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, and is used to "analyze the time required to complete a task and identifies the minimum time required for and entire project" (Discovering Computers 2010, 624). The role of being a project manager doesn't end there, they must always be watching the budget of the project and the company, how the team is managing their time, and if there are any setbacks, such as additional steps that they did not foresee. The link below did a good job in explaining more on being a project manager. 
http://management.about.com/cs/projectmanagement/a/PM101.htm

Database Project

After working on the database project, I learned a wide range of new skills since I have never used Microsoft Access before. Although the project had its tough points, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was originally going to be. I found Access to actually be an interesting new tool for preparing reports and forms. I like how it allows users to create a multitude of information and store it all together. It is also useful for when a user only needs/wants to display or report certain information about a customer, for example. Microsoft Access allows the user to still keep the data within the database, but to hide it so that other users who don't need the information, won't be able to see it. The designs also make Access a little more fun and quirky, so that the forms and reports aren't just plain and white like any other document. All of the features of Access were new to me, so the fact that you could build new data off of older data was also really interesting. It also helps that Access allows for an easy way to import and export data.
Although I really enjoyed using Microsoft Access, and many of its parts were fairly simple and straight forward for the most part, there were some confusing points. Since there are so many features and ways to tweak the forms, queries, reports and tables, it can get a bit overwhelming, not to mention difficult to find certain things. For example, when completing the report activity portion of the project, the last step of putting the footer was a little bit difficult since there is a text box option and a label option as well. Not only that, but since there were about twenty little buttons in the group, it made it a little bit difficult to find. I also thought that the import function was wonderful, but a little confusing the first couple of times around, especially trying to append the imported information to the already existing information. Other than those minor setbacks, I liked trying out Microsoft Access and now view it as a potentially useful tool in the future. 

Extra Credit: Avatar

I used the TizMe avatar created to create my avatar featured above. The tools were really fun to use because the site offered a wide variety of clothes, hairstyles, and accessories to personalize your avatar. I enjoyed going though the different tops and bottoms of the clothes, mixing and matching the styles. I ended up going with a white top and gray sweatpants because it is more my style, and it was one of the more conservative options. I chose a dog as one of my accessories because even though I don't have a dog, I love dogs. I also chose an iPod because I love listening to music on my iPod. Overall, I really liked this avatar creation program.

Week Eleven: Clear

This week we learned about database management. Although most of this information seems fairly straight forward (along with the face that I haven't yet completed the Database project), it just seemed like there was an overwhelming amount of information. Especially since there are different models of database management systems (DBMS). 
The general concept of what a database does is simple to understand, since it is basically the storing of information with the ability to modify, add and delete certain entries. As I was reading the textbook, databases did seem quite similar to the functions of Excel. But after reading the FAQ 10-2 box "When should I use a database instead of a spreadsheet?" I understood the difference between the two programs. Basically, databases, such as Microsoft Access should be used when information needs to be manipulated in a quick manner, such as updating, adding, modifying, or deleting. Whereas Microsoft Excel's spreadsheets should be used when information needs to be manipulated as far as the user having to do calculations with the data, create charts, or review any of the statistics given. 
I also never realized how prevalent databases are in our society. They are used to store student information for schools, in doctor's offices to store records, and even as a way for marketers to find a target market for their product. Although databases, for the most part seem to be fairly simple to manipulate as far as creating certain fields depending on the database, and entering information about users, not everything should be done be an individual; unless of course, they are a computer programmer. A computer programmer should be used for such instances as sharing data from multiple files so as to create one file.