Employers Monitoring Employees Internet Usage

A hot topic in careers is should employers be able to see exactly what their employees are doing online during the work hours.  Many organizations agree that when new and innovative technologies are introduced many people can abuse the affects of internet use and have horrible consequences.  One of the more fascinating ideas I have come across is that their are several programs that have been developed through Information Technology that can help businesses and managers monitor their employees internet usage by measuring the bandwidths of their companies.  Many employers become frustrated when they see that money and time from the company is being wasted for employees to surf the web and work on their personal projects instead of the tasks at hand.

Many employees argue however that it is an invasion of their privacy in the workplace and that as long as the job is getting done then they should be able to do whatever they wish as long as they are meeting deadlines.  This argument is one that will continue to go back and forth for years to come.  A recommendation is that employers not be too harsh on employees when addressing this subject either.

What about you? Do you think that companies should monitor their employees internet usage?

Or do you feel as though it is an invasion of privacy to install programs that monitor internet use?

Sources:

 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/internetprivacy/2006-02-20-internet-abuse_x.htm

http://eerelationship.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

Disadvantages of IT

          Although there are many IT advantages there are also disadvantages including privacy and lack of job security.  First, according to the small business article, there is too much information flowing around that can cause privacy issue;  from a cell phone interception to email hacking.  People should be worry about their personal information becoming public knowledge.  We should be careful about what kind of web site we use or information we are putting out there because there are hacker out there that can hack our information.

          Secondly, technology is always changing, therefore, one has to be in a constant learning mode to keep his/her job secure.  We are human being so we often get comfortable when we get use to a technology and by changing the techonology it might be a problem for us.  If one don't get use to the new technology quick he/she could lose their job.  The company could rehired someone who know how to use the new technology.  Because of the lack of job security one need to be in a constant learning mode if they wishes to keep their job.

Source:  http://www.smallbusinessbible.org/advan_disadvan_informationtechnology.html

             http://www.wannagotothemovies.com/i-15-h4ck1ng-y0ur-c0mpu73r-m41nfr4m3-top-5-movie hackers/

             http://www2.ca.uky.edu/learningservices/

     

Internet

          The internet has change the way we communicate and share information.  People communicate through the email, web caming, and chat lines.  This makes it all easier to send a message through the internet than wait for it to send through mail.  According to Rob "It allows one to stay in touch inexpensively with family, friends and acquaintances next door, in the next town, in the next state, in the next country and so on."  Facebook would be an example where people communitcate with their family and friends.

          Internet is a place for sharing information because like google and other search engine you could search for all sorts of information that you need.  According to Rob "Schoolchildren can receive help with homework, investors can keep track of stocks, sports scores and statistics are just a click away for fans."  Many students including myself when I need a clearification of something like a homework I don't understand I would search on google for help.   Also people use to always go to the gas station to get newspapers about what going on in the world and now it is much easier due to the internet because you can just pull up information quickly without having to drive to get those newspapers.  "Avid proponents of the Internet claim it could feasibly replace print media. The cost of publishing a newspaper or magazine online is far less than the cost of printing one."  This also mean that you can save money.  The internet has change the way we communicate and share information, but there are more stuff that the internet has to offer.   

Source: http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/
            http://www.websocialimpact.com/89/academic-research-and-the-internet.php

Factors that affect employment

It jobs are now on high demand. However, because the term  ”IT jobs” is very general  which relates so many different occupations. To better picture the jobs future prospective, it is important to look specifically at the job you are interested in and be updated. Here is some information that may be useful for you.

Recent IT employment patterns have varied by occupation. This variation is a result of several factors, including demand for certain IT services, increasing efficiency in particular fields, and different susceptibilities to offshoring. For example, employment of database administrators, computer and information systems managers, and computer software engineers all grew by 22 percent or more between 2001 and 2007.

Computer scientists and systems analysts, network and computer systems administrators, and network and data communications analysts also saw employment growth, with increases between 8 and 16 percent over the same period. Employment in some occupations did fall, however. Computer programmers and computer support specialists, for example, both saw job losses of more than 6 percent. These two occupations are more susceptible to offshoring than other IT occupations, according to BLS, because their tasks are routine, can be done by telephone or over the Internet, require little interaction with other types of workers, and require little familiarity with the cultural practices of customers.

Although offshoring may have contributed to job losses in those occupations, it is likely that other factors also played a part in their employment declines. For example, some programming and support functions that were previously performed by IT workers have been automated. This automation has lowered demand for workers in these occupations, resulting in job losses. Apart from those two occupations, offshoring’s impact on technology jobs has probably been limited. A report by the Association for Computing Machinery states that in previous years, IT jobs in which workers need comparatively lower levels of skill—such as programmers and support specialists—were the primary focus of offshoring efforts; meanwhile, other occupations that require higher level skills were largely unaffected. Furthermore, the same factors that allow U.S. firms to move work to other countries allow foreign businesses to hire workers in the United States, thus creating jobs.

Source: http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2009/spring/art04.pdf

Careers in Information Technology

In a field that is expected to grow by 32% by 2018 it is very important to know what benefits and responsibilities come with a career within Information Technology.  Climbing to the top as an Information Technology program manager can pay off very well with an average salary of $94,800 and can lead to an even higher salary when working for top name developers like Java and Microsoft.  Being able to work creatively and develop new concepts and ideas can be extremely important when wanting to progress and work towards a position of high importance.

Having a solid education in Information Technology can have substantial rewards and very promising careers.  One of the best careers a student could hope to go straight into is to be an Applications Architect.  Applications Architects use IT to develop different apps for certain companies.  Especially with the rate of innovation applications for social media use and smartphones, Application Architects are one of the top highest paid positions available for new graduates starting around a median of $87,000.

Information Technology is also used in the development of websites and depending on which companies and organizations you work for depends on the salary and benefits.  Web site development has become a more effective and efficient way for companies and businesses to branch out and reach all types of consumers.

Would you be interested in a career using Information Technology?
Do you know of anyone that has a similar career to the ones stated above?



Sources:
http://s2b.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel_id=technology&source_page=home&article_id=article_1203699431751

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704358904575478133397664058.html

How IT is used in the Gambling Industry

In many of the major hotels and resorts in Las Vegas, gambling is not just a special feature, it is a major, and I mean major source of revenue for the hotel.  The Gambling Commission reports that the top six hotels on the strip made at least 2.58 million dollars a day during July 2007 to the 30^th of June 2008.  You might be asking yourself, what has this got to do with anything with information technology?  Without a doubt, information technology has a lot to do with the many different ways hotels keep track of their most prosperous customers. 

            Over the last ten to fifteen years, computer systems have changed the way card games are being played.  With the introduction of Player Cards, MGM Grand is able “see who the serious gamblers are”.  There are five types of Player Cards; NOIR, which is only offered by invitation, and then the remaining types are all arranged according to the amount of “Tier Credits” you attain. The other four are Sapphire, Pearl, Gold, and Platinum.  The Tier level is determined by the overall amount of credits you accumulate. 

            The process of swiping your player’s card works just like swiping a credit card.  The dealer will scan your Players Card into the computer system before you begin to play any of the table games.  With the swipe of the card, the system automatically brings up basic information about the player, such as name, city, and state.  The system is able to track how much money you are betting, how long you spend gambling at each of the different table games, and it will show an average bet per hour (most of the pit bosses are interested in this).  All of the major gambling hotels have this type of computer system, and not just the ones in Las Vegas, but in the entire world. 

            Special promotions and discounts have all been handled out because these computer systems can keep track of certain customers, and market there special promotions to those players who meet the hotels requirements.  Certain hotels will give out airfare discounts, great ticket packages to shows, and will even try to negotiate with the player to meet his or her requests.  All of these gambling casinos have one thing in common, the huge computer systems that manage all of the information, and provide management all of the necessary information to make the casino stay very prosperous. 

 

Do you think this will bring out even more competition between the major hotels in Las Vegas?  Will there be more IT development in the future of gambling?

Sources:

http://www.mgmgrand.com/casino/mlife.aspx

leefoster.photoshelter.com

 

Worldwide IT Spending

Around the world, the Information Technology revolution is taking the world by storm.  Companies are spending massive and obscene amounts of money to modernize and connect their businesses to be able to compete with the rest of the world.  Whether this money is being spent on devices display, enter and make changes to data, data center systems to hold the information, enterprise software to analyze and develop the information, IT services to implement and install the information, and telecom services to share and connect.

The rapid growth is crazy, and to see these numbers is amazing.  Just since 2010, the jump in each sector is huge.  Refer to Table 1 to see the spending amounts since 2010 and forecasted up to 2016.

The increased spending should improve efficiency within businesses and organizations, and it should also help continue the trend of globalization around the world.  Businesses are becoming more and more connected, while also becoming more streamlined.  How do you think this will impact our economy or do you think that consumers will even notice?

Table from:
http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=2291618