E-Shopping

Internet shopping refers to shopping by browsing websites and by purchasing things online. Shopping through the internet can be fun and convenient to customers who are always busy with work or at home. Spending time on selecting a wide variety of products from the internet without the cost and hassle of going to the grocery store therefore spends less on energy and gas. You can always look for products that best suited your needs at the lowest price available. The catch of it is you will never wait in line over the counter.

Although a few downturns of e-shopping would be the quality of products you have chosen may be compromised for the reason that you don’t have the feel of it. So as a rule of thumb, try to buy those products with trusted brands and manufacturer. Other things you might want to consider would be the dependability or integrity of the supplier which might only want to know your credit card number and not the value of their product.

The products that I might want to buy using the internet would be children’s toys that’s easy to handle and less likely to be broken. Other things such as reference books and novels would be very practical since some they might not be locally available. Airline ticket nowadays would be very convenient to buy online and in almost all government offices do this.

Gadgets such as cell phones and laptops would the least are considered to be bought since they would be very fragile and might be broken during handling and besides they are very expensive as well strict government taxes are imposed on them.

Although it had not occurred to me to buy things online other than airline tickets, e-shopping has its own advantage and disadvantages, the only thing that comes between them would be our choices. Try to weigh out things before purchasing online. 

Outsourcing IT Security

For organizations that involve the use of computer and web-based application systems especially in their daily transactions, IT security is of utmost importance. In the age where information technology is rapidly changing and in a fast pace, threats to security in information also have a high risk. Wikipedia defines IT security as the practice of defending information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording and in worst cases destruction. With a risk for data destruction from hacking/viruses and the vulnerability of your data from emerging threats, the organization will require a great deal of protection.

Hiring and installing an IT security specialist and provision of the required hardwares may be expensive but this would ensure the security of valued data. Security specialist are responsible for keeping all information of the organizations protected from malicious cyber-attacks such as hacking, viruses and some cases pilferage and manipulation/piracy. But before engaging in this lucrative endeavor, the organization must also consider the cost-benefit components and look into other alternative resources that result in the same quality of output. Such alternative consideration is to outsource IT security. It can be considered to be the most practical and time-saving way of ensuring the organization valued data and information are protected.

However, some critical issues that arise from outsourcing IT security would involve natural disasters that can cause computer/server malfunction, theft, or in some instance where data is completely lost. To mitigate these risks, the organizations have to consider the method of backing up vital information and data. Another disadvantage of outsourcing IT security is the lack of personal connectivity of the service provider and long term commitment with the organization.

IT security outsourcing also has the risk with the service provider in terms of the openness and degree of familiarity with your organization. It is best to forge a legal agreement to protect confidential data or information of the organization. 

IT and Me

I first encountered the term computer when I was about to graduate in high school. That was summer of 1993. In rural areas we are fond of making school reports using the conventional type writer, or at the very least a hand written report is acceptable. It was during the second semester of my first year in college when I first learned to use the computer, MSDOS was popular back then and disk drives are a lot bigger. Those were the times when we were contented with playing “Diablo”. The “internet” as far as I can remember was introduced to us by late 1995 and data were downloaded for quite some time. It’s amazing to think how innovations in technology are rapidly changing and constantly improving. Now, almost every home has its own personal computers and other gadgets. Even cellular phones are capable of being used as a computer. Knowledge in information technology is given as a requirement in government and business environment nowadays, thus being proficient in using the computer and its softwares is a necessity for us to compete in work. The social media and such other applications has become a convenient venue for us to communicate with friends and co-workers and share our ideas to the world. It’s like life is not complete without turning the computer on and surfing the internet. Although for me it has its own opportunities and threats and it is up to us to discover and make it useful for our own good.