Week 14: Clear

Welcome back! This week I want to talk to you about Enterprise Storage and the ways large corporations with countless terabytes (possibly even petabytes) of information record, store, maintain, and organize their data.

To start off, most large business use something called a Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) system that takes all of their data, stores it, maintains it and organizes it for them. It does this in a number of ways. It can take old files that aren’t used and put them into less expensive storage, freeing up the more expensive storage (which is usually faster) for information that is more readily needed for the day-to-day business transactions, it can backup important data so that it won’t be lost in the event of a crash, and it can, in the long-run, SAVE YOUR BUSINESS MONEY when used correctly and efficiently to reduce the costs involved with the loss of information.

Also, to add to this vast amount of data businesses can use Storage Area Networks (SANs) to share storage. These SANs are dedicated high-speed networks, detached from general network bandwidth, used to move information between the users and the storage resource. Information that was previously shared across conventional SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) connections, can now be shared across high-speed fiber channels instantaneously! While SANs are most likely not going to replace HSMs they will absolutely aid in the way your HSM works; and how proficiently it works at that. SANs can lower total storage management costs, provide greater data security and create a faster access to higher priority data.

In general it doesn’t matter how you look at it, you wouldn’t want to be in charge of running a large corporation’s data without first learning the basics of how HSM/SANs work and their direct correlation to the running of a successful business.

Secure Email Project

NSA Whistleblower Indicted for Leaking Classified Information to Reporter

http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_59399.shtml

The article above is a great demonstration of the power secure email has and why someone would need to encrypted emails. However, that doesn’t mean you should use it to send things not deemed acceptable. Thomas A. Drake, a National Security Agency (NSA) met with in-person and emailed hundreds of encrypted emails to an unnamed newspaper reporter about “the inner workings of the super-secret spy agency. Drake set up a free email account and then paid for a premium Hushmail account that allowed users to exchange secure emails without disclosing the sender or recipient’s identity.” He is currently being charged with 10 felonies!!!

Now, after learning how to send encrypted emails and how well they work I can see why he thought he might be able to get away with what he was doing; but that doesn’t make it right! I’m sure Mr. Drake was very well trained on the art of stealthy emails, being that he was an NSA agent, so maybe now he’ll have plenty of time to re-think ways of making his emails more secure while he sits in prison.

Database Project

First I want to start off by saying; this was a very difficult project and I ran into many problems throughout. On the other hand, I did learn A LOT about Access and see how it can be helpful in a business world. The options you have are pretty much endless and it gives you so many options for organizing, analyzing, and reviewing. Another thing I learned is that you could use this software for more than just business. It would also work for workout routines, calorie counting, and even establishing an agenda for school.

My ABSOLUTE biggest problem with using Access was the no “undo” feature. I created over five different databases in the beginning because I kept messing small things up and could not fix them. I finally started using “copy XYZ” and editing it that way so I could make a mistake and still be alright. That is the one thing I would change about the databases functionality. It may be something that after some time using the software you could adjust to it, but right off the bat it gave me problems non-stop.

Week 12: Clear

For this week’s blog I will be discussing the System Development Cycle (SDC) and the effect it can have on you as a business person. To begin, the system development cycle consists of five individual stages: (1.)Planning, (2.)Analysis, (3.)Design, (4.)Implementation, (5.)Operation, Support and Security.

In the Planning Stage of the SDC the whole object is to prioritize, organize, and establish what projects you should or should not take. You need to look at the problem from a third perspective and define what if your business needs to undertake it or not. Next is where the analysis phase comes into play. This is where you decide if the cost of taking on the project is going to be worth it through doing a preliminary analysis. If it doesn’t seem feasible or the project requires more inputs than you’ll receive in outputs, you’d abandon the project. However, if it does seem feasible you would move onto the design stage. This is the stage where you figure out how to implement the features and make your final reviews; although it takes a lot of time to do, it is well worth it. Following this is your actual implementation stage. This is where the action takes place. The four major activities in this stage are: Develop programs and documentation, install and test, train, and convert. Now once the ball has started rolling you run into the last stage; operation, support and security. This is where you maintain the project, support your employees through the change and monitor performance. And there you go, an overview of how System Development Cycles work in the business world.

Week 11: Clear

Well howdy, welcome back to my blog. Today I would like to do an overview of databases and their general functions/purposes to you as a business person.

Primarily there are two types of databases that you should be aware of. The first one is the actual database itself; this organizes information and allows you to manipulate it a variety of ways to better help you analyze what is in front of you. The second type of database is a Database Management System (DBMS); this is not necessarily a database, so to speak, but is a way of controlling the databases you have already created.

A database can be used to analyze data in a countless number of ways, whether that be comparing you to the competition, organizing the purchasing patterns of your customers, determining the market segment to sell your product to, or keeping a record of your company’s money allocations, it works off the same idea. Take a bulk of “useless” information and put it into a legible, user friendly, useful analytical form. Moreover, a database can be just as simple as an email inbox or a pharmacy’s inventory.

Now, onto the second type of database; the Database Management System. This is essentially a requirement when working with databases for large corporations or industry giants. The DBMS is used to control and maintain the databases you’ve previously developed. This software helps you to integrate and collect data that would otherwise be independent of each other. For example, imagine if all hospitals were to use one single database. All the information from each patient, their sickness, recovery methods and results from treatment could be accessed with the click of a button, giving doctors a comprehensive view of what techniques work best, what medicines may have killed someone, or how long each person took to recovery from “X” accident.

Without the use of databases and DBMS’s you wouldn’t even be able to use a search engine. Not only do databases help organize information but they are an indispensible utility to all businesspeople, doctors, teachers and the like.

Excel Project

Throughout completing the Excel project I used a few previously known concepts, however, I also learned some new important features Excel has to offer.

First off, when I started this project I had no idea the range of formulas was so vast; it really made calculations a daunting task at first. The more I looked at them and "tinkered" with them the more comfortable I got. The "if" formula, for example, was my favorite. You can saw, if X happens, then make "NO" appear, but if Y happens, make "YES" appear. It's a great feature for having your numbers turned into a form thats easier to read and analyze.

Moreover, there are also pivot table features that I didn't even know existed! Pivot tables are a great way to set up a very sophisticated, easy to use table that analyzes the data from your Excel worksheet. As you can see in the cut-out picture above it allows you to either type in your data or choose from a drop down menu.

The following project was no where near as simple a I thought it would be, but it turned out to be a great learning experience. Not only did I learn some of the more embedded features Excel had to offer, I also gained a better understanding of how Excel works and why it is so important for business owners.

Week 9: Clear

For this week’s blog I will be focusing on Excel and its many uses in the business world. Version 1 of Excel was originally released for a Macintosh in 1985, followed by a windows version in 1987. Excel is a spreadsheet application that can function in many ways, such as, a simple day-to-day planner or meticulous in depth business analysis tool with graphs, tables, and complex formulas. Before the introduction of this application, accountants, bankers, investors, and any other person, from students to corporate lords, had to write all of their numerical data on paper. Imagine if there were a calculation error or a missed entry in a multi-thousand cell excel sheet; you would have to flip page-by-page laboriously searching for the error. However, since the introduction of Microsoft Excel, you can now search an entire document instantaneously just by hitting CTRL+F (find), your calculations will be perfectly computed, and your graphs and charts (once hand written and inaccurate) will now be colorful and free of errors. Excel not only changed the way business was done, it revolutionized it by making data more accurate, easily sharable/accessible and did so in a user friendly, aesthetically pleasing format.

One of my teachers, Eric Olson, said: “To me, Excel is the Swiss Army knife of the software world. I cannot imagine having a computer without it!” I couldn’t agree more with this statement; so I decided to make a fun image below to visually illustrate the capabilities that have been jammed inside the Excel application.

Week 6: Clear

This week I'm going to describe what a dual-core processor does and how it works. A dual-core processor is just want it says, two separate processor cores working as one. This breakthrough technology allows your computer to work MUCH more efficiently than a computer with a single chip of the same speed. This processor, however, is different than a multi-core processor, a single chip with two+ separate processors. This processor doesn't necessarily double the processing speed, rather it makes multi-tasking an absolute breeze. You can run tons of programs at once with this processor without having many drawbacks.

From this description I'm pretty sure it's self-explanatory on how this is useful in a business setting. For example, if you are running a dual-core processor and your boss demands 4 process-intensive things (i.e. download a company PowerPoint, render all the photos and videos for the meeting, research all relevant information about your competitor and do it while scanning the computer for viruses and spyware) you will have nothing to worry about. This type of processor is nearly a requirement for anyone needing to multi-task and get more than one thing done at a time.

Here is a website with some extremely descriptive information on dual-processors:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-dual-core-processor.htm

• Web 2.0 Project • Mediterranean Cruise •

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

For my video I used a website called “One True Media”, which was very easy to use, especially being that this was my first time attempting anything like this. It was a step-by-step procedure making each part of the project as easy as possible. The interaction method I used is called a poll. It allows users that visit your site to make a choice (i.e. a,b,c,d options) to give you their input.

Throughout the process of designing my Web 2.0 story I learned many useful techniques that I can take from this experience and translate into my business life. This Web 2.0 way of presenting media would be an astoundingly successful way to get images, products, services and information about your company out to the general public. Not only are the programs free, but they are extremely accessible to anyone with the internet. I consider myself technologically advanced but this project did give me some trouble; I’m glad I got to work through it though because it gave me an entirely new skill to add to my “resume”.

Week 5: Clear

Flash storage is the new "hot" way to save your important data, and with good reason. Flash is much faster, smaller, less noisy (noiseless actually), uses less energy, and thus, is far supperior to the tradional disk storage on all fronts. If you think you haven't used flash, think again. You touch a device with flash storage at least once a day (if not consistently throughout the whole day). Items using flash include PDAs, laptops, iPod, digital cameras, mobile phones and video game hardware. This software is so dynamic that you can have up to 128GBs of information stored on a single portable USB Flash Drive!! That's more than double the memory a lot of people even have on their home computers. Flash is becoming more and more ingrained in our lives, and we should embrace this technology with open arms... Very wide, open arms.

-Nick

Week 3: Clear

Howdy,

This week I’m going to be talking to you about the importance of the Internet and the way it has literally turned the business world upside down. Prior to the Internet, if you were an entrepreneur trying to start a small business you would have to compete with industry giants who had all the money and resources necessary to sell their products cheaper and move them from warehouses quicker than a single person, or small team of people, running a mom-and-pop style business could ever do. Well once the internet emerged, this all changed.

The emergence of the Internet brought a World Wide audience of customers to a single marketspace. Now anyone with a computer and items to sell or services to be offered could be a World Wide contender from the comfort of their own home.

In order to surf the web, however, you need a web browser. A web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome) is an application software that allows users to access and view web pages. Each web page is unique and is contained within its own web site, a collection of web pages related to a specific topic.

These web sites can be used for any subject, can be accessed at anytime, and can be viewed anywhere in the world. This is what Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, saw and knew that his business could flourish in this digital environment. By making his store accessible through online access only, he skipped running a traditional brick-and-mortar store and made his rent $0 a month… Not a bad amount to pay each month, huh? This left him thousands of dollars more to spend on advertising, web site design, customer service and shipping costs leapfrogging his company to the forefront of the book selling industry.

Now-a-days the Internet can be used for literally everything imaginable, from finding movie times, lawn mowing companies, a wife or husband, to digitally designing a $1 million+ yacht and having it delivered and waiting a year later in your preferred harbor.

Without the Internet there is no telling where we’d be in the world today, but one thing is for sure, the opportunities the Internet has offered us has made life easier, more customer driven, and made reaching the other side of the world as easy as clicking open an Internet Browser.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/internet/the-emergence-of-internet.html

Until next week,

-Nicolas Wolfson

Week 1: Clear

Hello,

My name is Nicolas Wolfson and this is will be my first blog. Today I will be discussing the topic of “Information Searching” and how you can more accurately, effectively and efficiently search for the topic at hand while avoiding all the clutter and irrelevant search results normally involved.

To begin, I’d like to directly illustrate the dire importance of knowing how to search and how to conduct that search successfully and swiftly. For example, if you are working for a boss who needs you to find information on your product (let’s say its computer parts) do you know where to look? Do you even know how to correctly type what you’re searching for? Well there are many ways to improve your searching skills and many reasons you would need to do so.

If you have a limited time, lets say 2 hours, you’re going to need to know how to get the information and where to get it from. If you just type computer parts and hit search you are going to get A LOT of information that is most likely irrelevant to your company or the situation you're dealing with. Things that may help you out could be as follows:

Computer ~parts	Computer info for both the word parts and its synonyms: chip, component, piece, etc…
Computer +parts	Only the word parts, and not the plural or any tenses or synonyms will be shown
define:computer parts	Definitions of the word computer parts from around the web will be displayed
[#]…[#] [150]...[300]	This technique will search for Computer Parts between $150 and $300
“Computer Parts”	The search engine will ONLY search for the words “computer parts”

The more familiar you get with searching and the more you “practice” your searching techniques, the quicker and more efficient things will go. Being an effective researcher begins with being a proactive gatherer. You must use all the tools available to you; whether that be learning the basics of how to search more quickly or perfecting the techniques you already have.

Furthermore, it’s not just about getting the information; it’s about getting the information that is CORRECT. There are plenty of websites out there offering all sorts of “facts” and “information” but how do you tell what is accurate/correct and what is erroneous. The following web site offers good tips on things you should look for, including: accuracy, appropriateness, scope, navigation and presentation.

http://www.evalutech.sreb.org/criteria/web.asp

Well hopefully this has helped you if you have been struggling with search engines and getting the results you need. I’ll leave you with what I personally think are the four most important search components you can utilize for correct and successful search results:

1. Searching with the correct tools (+ , ~, “ ”, etc..).
2. Checking to see that your results you retrieve match with the objective(s) at hand.
3. Finding info that backs up those results.
4. Use the experience you gain while searching to your advantage so that future searches are more fluid and carried out expeditiously.

-Nicolas Wolfson