Week 3 Graded Essay
I am starting with Week 4 through Week 8, and then I'll post all of my grades thus far below.
| Week 4 DQ 1 |
Due Day 3
List three potential concerns related to privacy raised by using information systems. What would you do to address these concerns?
My response:
Privacy Threats
One potential concern to a user's privacy is a key logger. When I played World of Warcraft on my friend's laptop, my account got hacked. This was my first experience personal with a key logger. Key loggers record the user's keystrokes and sends them to the culprit to steal information from the client computer (Haag & Cummings, 2008, p. 345).
Another concern is identity theft (Haag & Cummings, 2008, p. 346). A person's identity can be stolen if someone applies for and steals a credit card and/or loan. There are also several ways that someone can steal this information through insecure data being transferred over the internet. An example of this can happen through a shopping cart that the user might be using that is not secure.
A third way is through phishing or spam emails (Haag & Cummings, 2008, p. 351). When a user responds to an email with private information, that information can be stolen and abused.
One potential concern to a user's privacy is a key logger. When I played World of Warcraft on my friend's laptop, my account got hacked. This was my first experience personal with a key logger. Key loggers record the user's keystrokes and sends them to the culprit to steal information from the client computer (Haag & Cummings, 2008, p. 345).
Another concern is identity theft (Haag & Cummings, 2008, p. 346). A person's identity can be stolen if someone applies for and steals a credit card and/or loan. There are also several ways that someone can steal this information through insecure data being transferred over the internet. An example of this can happen through a shopping cart that the user might be using that is not secure.
A third way is through phishing or spam emails (Haag & Cummings, 2008, p. 351). When a user responds to an email with private information, that information can be stolen and abused.
There are several ways to prevent these concerns from getting onto computer. Through an awareness of what is out there, through anti-malware, anti-spyware, and anti-virus programs, the computer can be proactively protected.
| Week 4 DQ 2 |
Due Day 5
Identify four roles that must be filled in an information system. Describe each role, and assess whether hardware, software, or a person would best fill the role. How would an information system perform without any computers? How would an information system perform without any people? What presents the greater challenge in managing an information system—computers or people?
My response:
Identify four roles that must be filled in an information system.
Four roles that must be filled in an information system are (1) data or information, (2) business requirements, (3) administration, and (4) equipment. Describe each role, and assess whether hardware, software, or a person would best fill the role.
In Benyoucef and Forzley (2007), a framework used for a business continuity information system requires understanding the risk or information involved the disruptions that may arise in a system. The information used for this type of system can best be filled by a person who understands what may occur if a disruption of service appears. Business requirements are necessary to develop a preventative plan "to reduce the chances of supply chain disruptions and reduce their impact" (Benyoucef & Forzley, 2007, p. 20) and is also maintained by a person. This type of system also needs an administration to maintain, develop, and create such a system and the role would need to be a person. The equipment is also required to develop and create the system and that role is based on the software that is developed.
How would an information system perform without any computers? Parts of an information system needs to be managed by people. An information system that can function without computers is customer service. A retail chain might have customer service that have the knowledge of the product already.
How would an information system perform without any people? Parts of an information system needs to be managed by computers. Computers help to collect data and information through certain software and hardware functions without the assistance of a person. If the logic of a computer is to maintain system updates, this can be done automatically without the assistance from a person.
What presents the greater challenge in managing an information system—computers or people?
Challenges can come from computers or people equally. People may not always know the answers to certain issues and neither will a computer. The technical and human aspects go hand-in-hand for managing an information system.
Benyoucef, M., & Forzley, S. (2007). Business continuity planning and supply chain management. Supply Chain Forum: International Journal, 8(2), 14.
Week 4 Reflection
Implications and Conclusions
My response:
This week I learned a few things. I learned that there are so many different types of threats out there. I admit I knew most of them but definitely not all of them or the preventative measures that one needs to go through. For example, I did not know that a virtual keyboard can prevent some key loggers. I also learned that they cannot prevent all key loggers from an attack but this is very interesting news to me. I also learned that everyone has different ideas or views of what roles must be filled in an information system. I think that this is something that is possible because information systems are vast and may require many different things. I also learned that CIO, although not always available in all organizations, they are becoming popular. This is interesting to me as I am in the IT industry. Lastly, I think that is it difficult to have technology without humans and vice versa: maintenance, upgrades, interactions in retail, etc. all require people. Although some people can survive without technology, others cannot.
| Week 5 DQ 1 |
Due Day 3
The network design selected by an organization is often reflective of the type of industry. Looking at your organization, how does your network design reflect your industry?
My response:
In the company I work for, the network design is as follows:
- The top most level is the Internet which comes from an ISP.
- The next level is the router with a gateway so that we can be identified on the internet with an IP address.
- We have a firewall to protect the network from intrusions and a VPN to remote into our computers from anywhere.
This is both hardware- and software-based. - There is a hub/switch that directs the internet to and from the workstations.
- The workstation and device level contains all the computers that people use plus any other devices, such as a printer, scanner, and fax machine. We do have some servers at this level as well, however, we have an alternative location called a "data center" where all of the websites are actually hosted.
Week 5 DQ 2
Class....
Weird. Because of the late day I am removing the DQ requirement; everyone will get full credit for DQ2. I cannot, however, remove the participation requirement so make sure you follow the University policies. Just keep responding to the DQ 1 thread.
Weird. Because of the late day I am removing the DQ requirement; everyone will get full credit for DQ2. I cannot, however, remove the participation requirement so make sure you follow the University policies. Just keep responding to the DQ 1 thread.
Week 5 Reflection
Implications and Conclusions
My response:
During this week, I learned about network designs and how it can be meaningful to the assessment of an infrastructure. By analyzing an organization's architecture, we can assess where the improvements need to be made and what can remain the same. This is also a cost effective approach towards analyzing an organization's technology and see where the weaknesses and strengths are located so that the organization can fix or be aware of any issues.
| Week 6 DQ 1 |
Due Day 3
Electronic commerce has changed consumer retailing behavior and business-to-business transactions. What are the challenges posed by electronic business and electronic commerce? How can we prepare managers for managing within this new paradigm?
My response:
Electronic business and electronic commerce can have several challenges. Security, adhering to rules (ie. tax law), server stability, (Baltzan & Phillips, 2009)and even development/technical issues on the user or front-end side.
The organization I work for just implemented some e-commerce elements into their current website (www.frontdoor.com). So, not only do we show real estate listings on our websites, but now brokers or agents can purchase credits to make their listings a "featured listing" or "showstopper" and other things to enhance their properties. This enhancement took us months to implement because there were several legal and technical factors. We also had to make sure we had a secure website (protocol https) for the transactions because the website user's credit card information was being used.
Managers need some sort of training or preparation to manage this paradigm. In prior experiences in the same company, the clients have requested that we make a website or page for them and legally they cannot publish the content. We, as a technology company, need to be aware of this because the development time conflicts with the legal matters. In the position I am in, I need to know these things but I keep myself up-to-date on these types of issues. However, managers should get some training or do research before any contracts are agreed upon and the development time is wasted.
Reference: Baltzan, P., & Phillips, A. (2009). Essentials of business driven information systems Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
| Week 6 DQ 2 |
Due Day 5
What are two of the business-to-business or business-to-consumer challenges present in organizations engaged in e-commerce? Describe both challenges and offer a potential solution to each.
My response:
One challenge in the Business-to-business (B2B) model requires higher security because of the payments from one business to another. Adapting a secure protocol (such as https) and up-to-date secure server maintenance will remedy this challenge.
Another challenge in the B2B model is to “increase market efficiency” (Baltzan & Phillips, 2009) as it requires always having the most up-to-date information to provide to other businesses and survive against their competitors. Marketing and sales departments as well as research analysts will provide the organization with the most up-to-date information as a potential solution to remain competitive and marketable.
Week 6 Reflection
Implications and Conclusions
My response:
E-business and e-commerce has gone a long way but can still use improvements from the challenges consistently appear. Security, law, and technical issues are all challenges that might come into play. I've learned from other students that people are loosing that face-to-face communication when they purchase things online as well. Also, keeping a competitive edge in B2B or B2C is important. Keeping up to date with the latest and greatest is challenging in both technology and the industry businesses are selling in.
| Week 7 DQ 1 |
Due Day 3
What is data mining? Why is data mining an important tool for management?
My response:
In game development, some people will try to expose certain parts of game code to try and see what the game code is hiding from the user. These people are often called data miners and often find a lot of hidden information that gamers want to know about. In a business environment, data mining is when someone analyzes data that can be used for marketing purposes. This data might be demographics and this information is invaluable to the marketer. This type of information tells the business about its consumers so that the product can be molded to satisfy the customer (Baltzan & Phillips, 2009).
Reference: Baltzan, P., & Phillips, A. (2009). Essentials of business driven information systems.Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
| Week 7 DQ 2 |
Due Day 5
What is intellectual property? Why is this topic an important concern for management?
My response:
Intellectual Properties (IP) means "intangible creative work that is embodied in physical form" (Baltzan & Phillips, 2009). Video games are also known as intangible works and have often had many disputes over a game's content and ideas. One concern with IP involves possible infringement of properties and copyrights, and if these properties are stolen or plagiarized.
Baltzan, P., & Phillips, A. (2009). Essentials of business driven information systems Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Week 7 Reflection
Implications and Conclusions
Each week, please post comments regarding implications and conclusions that you have drawn from your readings and class dialogues. Just select this note, and click Reply.
My response:
In this week's reflection, I have learned what some of the concerns are for intellectual property (IP)and management. Much of what is important to management is with the security and protection of the IP. When that IP is stolen or reused, that causes management to not only be upset but also to potentially loose profits from something that was originally created by their organization. I have also learned that there are several reasons for data mining that can be beneficial to an organization. Data mining can be beneficial for an organization to gather information about its customers and users. For example, demographic information can help an organization cater to their clientele.
| Week 8 DQ 1 |
Due Day 3
Describe two or three current best practices in information systems development. Select an organization with which you are familiar, recommend one of these best practices for the organization to adopt, and describe the advantages you see for the organization in using this approach.
My response:
Best practices:
1. Backup plan: to back up servers or data at another remote location.
2. Secure services: to ensure protection against network viruses and hackers.
3. Analyze infrastructure: to promote stability and access problem areas of the business.
Recommended best practices for Gabriels Technology Solutions (the organization I work for):
· Adopting and maintaining an analytical infrastructure
· Advantages in adopting an analytical infrastructure help to organize and pinpoint problem areas of the business’s processes and architecture. Using an analytical infrastructure technique is also something that needs to be maintained and evaluated. For this company, analyzing the infrastructure should be evaluated every time a significant change or new project is about to surface. For example, when new servers are requested, the business should analyze the current infrastructure to look at the risk, need, and requirements of the new servers.
| Week 8 DQ 2 |
Due Day 5
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of procuring off-the-shelf software, contracting with another organization to create custom software, and developing software within the organization.
My response:
Advantages of
1. Procuring off-the-shelf software: software that has already been created may be more popular in the industry and will be beneficial to organizations for compatibility purposes as well as cost effective. For example, Microsoft Word is a popular product and fairly inexpensive product to own. It is also used in many organizations, so this would be beneficial to have as many organizations would have the ability to read Word documents.
2. Contracting with another organization to create custom software or outsourcing also has its benefits. When an organization outsources, it has the possibility of costing less than in-house development,
3. Developing software within the organization or in-house software: software that is developed in-house is beneficial to an organization in that they have the flexibility to manipulate the software product when and where they see fit. In my organization, we have proprietary web-based software and if the client needs an additional function added to it, we can meet his or her needs.
Disadvantages of
1. Procuring off-the-shelf software: there is little flexibility with the off-the-shelf type of software as well as the possibility of poor technical support. Bug fixes may not occur or only occur when the organization that produces the software wants to update the software.
2. Contracting with another organization to create custom software can have hidden costs and less flexibility than if the product is made in-house. In our organization, we are an outsourcing company and when the clients want an additional feature to our product, they have to pay for the additional costs.
3. Developing software within the organization can have hidden costs as well. To hire staff to create that software takes time and money. The longer it takes to create the software, the more money is spent during that search.
Week 8 Reflection
Implications and ConclusionsMy response:
In this final week, I have learned several different perspectives from everyone in class. I have learned that although there are many best practices that can be used, organizations may not always have the ability to use them for several reasons. The organization may feel the change is too risky, too expensive, or just not good enough for their goals. Additionally, I have learned that research is a key element in many different things in life and not just scholarly work. If making decisions for an organization is necessary, one cannot simply make a choice on a whim. Much research should be applied before anything is considered.
Week 8 Essay (This essay is over 2500 words)
Week 8 Reflection (This one I skimped on but the max is 1050)
Still waiting on Week 8 grades.
Grade Report: IST/710
Grade Summary (Week 1-Week 7) | ||
| Total Percentage: | 88.87% | |
| Your Total Score: | 63.1 | |
| Total Possible Score: | 71 | |
Week 7 | ||
| Possible Score | Your Score | |
| Weekly Reflection | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment: | ||
| Discussion and Participation | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment:
You met the requirements as specified in the syllabus for DQ post 1. APA and
English mechanics were without significant error. You did not meet the participation requirements. | ||
| Week 7 Subtotal : | 4 | 2 |
| Cumulative Week 7 Subtotal : | 71 | 63.1 |
| Week 7 Feedback: | ||
Week 6 | ||
| Possible Score | Your Score | |
| Weekly Reflection | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment:
Your implications and conclusions met the standards outlined in the syllabus and
relfected the area of discussion this week. | ||
| Discussion and Participation | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Comment:
You met the requirements as specified in the syllabus for your DQ posts. APA
and English mechanics were without significant error. You did not meet the participation requirement. | ||
| Information Systems Paper | 15.0 | 14.7 |
| Comment:
See the attached marked paper and grading form.
| ||
| Week 6 Subtotal : | 19 | 17.7 |
| Cumulative Week 6 Subtotal : | 67 | 61.1 |
| Week 6 Feedback: | ||
Week 5 | ||
| Possible Score | Your Score | |
| Weekly Reflection | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment:
Your implications and conclusions met the standards outlined in the syllabus and
relfected the area of discussion this week. | ||
| Discussion and Participation | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Comment:
You met the requirements as specified in the syllabus for your DQ posts. APA
and English mechanics were without significant error. You did not met the participation requirements. | ||
| Huffman Trucking Infrastructure | 15.0 | 14.1 |
| Comment:
See the attached grading form and marked paper for more information.
| ||
| Week 5 Subtotal : | 19 | 17.1 |
| Cumulative Week 5 Subtotal : | 48 | 43.4 |
| Week 5 Feedback: | ||
Week 4 | ||
| Possible Score | Your Score | |
| Weekly Reflection | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment:
Your implications and conclusions met the standards outlined in the syllabus and
relfected the area of discussion this week. | ||
| Discussion and Participation | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Comment:
You met the requirements as specified in the syllabus for your DQ posts. APA
and English mechanics were without significant error. You did not meet the participation requirements. | ||
| Organizational Roles Paper | 10.0 | 9.3 |
| Comment:
See the marked paper and grading form for more information.
| ||
| Week 4 Subtotal : | 14 | 12.3 |
| Cumulative Week 4 Subtotal : | 29 | 26.3 |
| Week 4 Feedback: | ||
Week 3 | ||
| Possible Score | Your Score | |
| Weekly Reflection | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment:
Your implications and conclusions met the standards outlined in the syllabus and
relfected the area of discussion this week. | ||
| Discussion and Participation | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Comment:
You met the requirements as specified in the syllabus for your DQ posts. APA
and English mechanics were without significant error. You did not meet the participation requirements. | ||
| Brainstorming Reflection | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Comment:
Please see the attached marked file for any specific APA / formatting issues
found on this assignment. | ||
| Week 3 Subtotal : | 14 | 13 |
| Cumulative Week 3 Subtotal : | 15 | 14 |
| Week 3 Feedback: | ||
Week 2 | ||
| Possible Score | Your Score | |
| Weekly Reflection | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Comment:
Your implications and conclusions met the standards outlined in the syllabus and
relfected the area of discussion this week. | ||
| Week 2 Subtotal : | 1 | 1 |
| Cumulative Week 2 Subtotal : | 1 | 1 |
| Week 2 Feedback: | ||
relfected the area of discussion this week.