technology and basic skills

Well readers, although this has been great fun discussing the pros and cons of technology in the businesses, it is time to wrap it all up and bid farewell.  But before I go, I want to provide you with one more issue.

As I said in the very first blog, there has been an enormous increase in the use of computers, not only in their personal lives, but also in the business world. But it was the personal use of the computer that opened the door to the different companies interested in the different affects that the computer could have on their business. Also with the increase in the number of home computers, came more computer owners developing entrepreneurship in many varied fields. Without this growth of technology, routine tasks would probably have taken an enormous amount of time and skills. And it is without a doubt, that the computer can represent the top technology that has been developed in the last century, as it relates to businesses today, no matter what the size. And this advance in the field of technology has presented a large number of opportunities for businesses.

Back in 2003, after a U.S. Small Business Administration produced a survey, which established that more than 75% of small businesses owned computers and had heavily invested in the new technology.  Why is this a fact? Well small businesses found that the computers were useful for their efficiency, speed, cost, and most importantly the capability to handle multiple tasks with less chance of errors.  Businesses also found that it was now possible for business functions to operate on a thing called “autopilot,” which opened new opportunities; Opportunities for software development companies and business consultants to do business.  

But although there are great reasons for technology use in the business world, is it making us humans stupid in the personal world? This does not only apply to the internet or computer software for businesses. A perfect example is this: during this weekend, my parents went to Lowes. The salesperson didn’t know her times tables, at least not without a calculator. I work in retail, and you might be surprised at how many people don’t know how to do percentages. I am often asked if an item is 105% off, because it is already 65% off and you get an extra 40% off when you use a coupon. Come on now, really think about it, that would mean that we would pay you to take an item off our hands. These examples have to do with calculators, which nowadays can be seen as a somewhat pocket sized computer. You can play games and write messages to other people using these special “scientific” calculators. Why learn basic Mathematics?

Another example: right now I am typing this blog on Microsoft Word and then I will copy and paste onto the “bloggers. Com” website. As I am writing, different words are presented with a green squiggly line underneath the word, meaning wrong kind of sentence, but what it doesn’t know is that I wrote the sentence for a reason. This allows people to type in incorrect sentence structures without worrying about it ending up incorrect. The document will correct itself. So why learn English?

So, I ask for the millionth time: is technology ruining the world? It is definitely taking many basic skills and making them unnecessary. How scary is that?

Here are a few different videos on some of the basic skills one should learn:

Percentages:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR8crYu0HiU&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVlm72hDVq8

Sentence Structure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR8crYu0HiU&feature=channel

It has truly been a pleasure to entertain you for the last couple of months,
Elizabeth King


This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business or personal advice

HTTPS

“Going forward in 2011,” he says, “we are concentrating on some of the other technologies that will be a growing part of the payment-card industry, including point-to-point encryption, mobile-pay systems, and payment cards that have integrated chips.

In my previous blog, I talked about how unsafe it may be to provide personal information on the internet. But now, it is safer depending on what web site you go to. You want to look for “https” in the website. This is the use of a Secure Socket Layer or a Transport Layer Security. It was developed by Netscape to protect people from those people who like to steal personal information by “eavesdropping” on a person’s transactions that requires personal information be provided.

It has become a requirement for merchants who accept credit cards,
 online or offline, no matter how big or small their business is, to comply with the PCI Data Security standards. The reason being that there is nothing more important than keeping the customer’s information  private, this mostly applies to keeping the payment data secure. However, the compliance requirements may vary a little bit based on the size of the
 business. The PCI Security Standards Council was formed in 2006 by MasterCard, Visa, and other networks to manage the evolution of the payment-card industry.

In 2011, things will change a little bit when it comes to the use of credit and debit cards. Restaurants and other businesses who capture and store the customer’s credit and debit card data in their system will be required to meet the updated security standards. Unfortunately the update information is not provided yet. It will be discussed on November 16, 2010 (Tuesday). The latest standards were developed in response to thousands of comments from merchants, banks, processors, and others, and after a pair of community meetings in the U.S. and Europe.

If you are interested in learning more, visit:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7130470471741831613#

https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/

“Today, if you are not PCI-compliant, you are considered to be backward”

Until Next week,
Elizabeth

This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business or personal advice 

One of the biggest things that merchants, including restaurants,

need to understand is where the cardholder data is on their

network.”

Lies in technology

Have you ever felt that the information posted online may be lies? Of that the information is posted to get you to open something that can make your information less safe? If not, you should really rethink that. Information is not always correct on the internet.  Just think about it. Anyone can make a website and put any information on the site that he or she wants. There is nothing to protect you from the lies. But you also have to worry about the people who know how to hack into your websites and place information on your website that would ruin your reputation as well as cause mountains of trouble.

A great example of how these hackers can destroy everything you work for is Mr. James Udohs story. Mr. Udoh started a small scale online marketing business in which he sold information products and help his clients in the advertising of their blogs, products and services for a specific fee. But his business was hurt when someone hacked into his website and began posting negative information about his clients for the public to view. Mr. Udoh swears that he had never given out his password to a third party before. Some of his clients went so far as to threaten to take him to court over this offending information that was published on his website. He lost all of the clients.

Since it began, the internet has transformed from being just a scientific network into a global platform that enables all types of businesses to reach their customers with just the click of a few buttons. Although these businesses are helped by this new invention, these same businesses are facing the increasing threat of hackers who have gained the knowledge to access the important information. Their intention is to defraud. But one thing that hackers can do that may not only destroy your reputation or business but also you computer are viruses. There are currently an estimated 58,000 computer viruses that exist worldwide. But there are approximately 500 new viruses born each month.

According to an ICT Security and Risk Management expert, there has been a 65% increase in the security threats to information systems within the last few years.

You may ask how hackers can break into a company’s system, but they are usually very thorough in their investigation. They may call looking for advice, offering flattery in the attempt to gain the employees' trust. They use this connection to talk their way into getting information about the security and programs your company has in place. They sometimes prey on the employee's confidence in the network in order to gain some of the specific details and shortcomings about your system operations. By using social engineering to obtain even small amounts of information about how your system operates and what programs you use, the hackers can run software on their end that will not only give them greater detail on your system, it can show them how to get inside. manipulating an individual isn't the only social engineering method hacker’s may use. Some hackers are far more direct.


who would have thought that getting access to a  company's system could be so easy, but it can and does happen. Using these tricks are actually quite common.

If you want to read more about this subject you should go to:
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2010042816731

I hope you enjoyed this blog!
Until next week,
Elizabeth.

This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business or personal advice