Kamis, 17 September 2009

Effects of e-learning

"Organizations understand that investment in workplace learning and performance is key to a highly skilled workforce," said Tony Bingham, president and CEO of the ASTD.

Business investment in the technologies of online learning are paying by cost savings and efficiencies that e-learning reaches a high level of complexity.

A good example

Cisco Systems has created a new training program called E-Service Training (EST), which makes the most of the potential of the Internet and technology. The objective of EST is to ensure that field engineers are ready to repair and maintain new products once they are released for consumers. Due to the rapid deployment of new products, the growing number of products, and location of consumers, the training of all Fès in time becomes very complicated.

E-service training program has changed the behavior of people who created the training and those who receive them. Training were used for developers to use an orderly process of creating a training class. In the development of e-learning function of the content, the trainer had to learn to create materials for a range of file formats other than PowerPoint. Devices such as HTML editors, image editors, and multimedia applications are now incorporated in the toolkit for trainers. Educators realize that the development of content, it is not just slides, but also the creation of a training that is interesting, education and entertainment.

The TSE is a model of maturity and is widely accepted by the engineer organizations. The program of the East is not fixed. Developers to consider the training needs of the audience to work for changes and additions to the program. Recently active online assessment modules of the E-lab were added. Again, monitoring and measurement tools have been trained so that the success of the SI can be followed, and to obtain an overview of areas that require upgrading.

Undoubtedly, the EST program reduces time to market services, improves developer productivity, minimizes costs for developers and learners, and improves the confidence of genius. The result is increased value and satisfaction for consumers. Reduction program costs of training in the East (excluding human resources) of more than 80 percent, while the number of developers to create, should be reduced by 35 per cent. the number of training courses which were delivered increased by 60 percent. Expenditures for the society of the infrastructure (hardware, software, etc.) was less than U.S. $ 10,000.

The future

According to Karl Kapp, Assistant Director, Institute for Interactive Technologies and Professor of Instructional Technology, Bloomsburg University, United States --

"Gadgets, games, gadgets and fix the e-learning landscape in 2007. On the one hand, organizations seek to develop e-learning with an eye toward 3D environments using Second Life and other platforms forms available. On the other hand, a growing number of quick and easy games, so-called casual games, will be developed to teach facts and concepts to employees that are used for entertainment and education. Mobile will finally begin to be used for mission critical learning such as preparing for sales calls and troubleshooting large machinery. Web-based tools used by individuals such as social bookmarks, RSS feeds, blogs, wikis and avatars will be increasingly in academic and business community. "

This view is shared by many industry experts, who believe that the generation of the game is more effective teamwork, decision making and to take calculated risks. Who are all the qualities necessary for successful leadership.
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Rabu, 16 September 2009

Open Source vs Closed Source Software: The Great Debate

1) Open Source Software

FOSS can be defined as software distributed under a licensing agreement that allows the source code (code) to be shared, viewed and modified by other users and organizations.

Cost

Free software is free. This is a huge draw card, and if your house capabilities are such that you are able to implement training and support at little cost to your organization, May it be an interesting option. However, open source software requires a certain level of technical expertise to content management. It is therefore important to take into account costs incurred once the software is obtained May be substantial, unless the resources are already in place to manage them. Long-term costs include the costs of implementation, innovation, the cost of the struggle with the service / support and costs associated with investment in infrastructure due to a general failure on the scale ( assuming that the organization develops and grows, and thus changing requirements). In particular, providers of open source software are increasingly charging for add-ons, services and integration. The total cost of ownership for open source software in May roughly equal-source options accordingly.

Service and Support

The service is one of the key issues concerning free software. Free software based on its network of online community to provide support via forums and blogs. Although there are massive, loyal and engaged online communities that users can turn to time today, consumers are familiar with poor service and support that enables immediate problems to solve timely, and these communities can not guarantee the high level of service and support of proprietary software can offer.

Innovation

Free software enables innovation by offering users the freedom and flexibility to adapt the software to adapt, without restriction. However, innovation in the May or May not be transmitted to all users. It is a prerogative of the user if he wishes to share their innovation with online communities, and users must actively participate in these communities to become aware of these innovations. It was examined whether any custom modifications to the source code of original and limited support for the future growth of software, because they can potentially lead to a limited ability to apply future updates, corrections or modules for improve the software, leaving users with a version in May intractable issues. It is interesting to note that suppliers of open source software in general difficult to attract large-scale R & D.

Usability

Free software has been widely criticized for its lack of usability, in general, technology is not considered by the experts and ease of use does not meet the vast majority of computer users. Free software is generally focused on developers, and system administration experience or knowledge to manage the programming language, use of software and the ability to correct errors that are often limited to those who have l 'technical expertise. In addition, FOSS does not legally require documents such as manuals and user guides, which hinders the creation of such tools. When documentation is provided, it is often important, which implicitly contains jargon, inhibiting learning. Without adequate documentation users must rely on other means such as online communities, assuming they can find and the problem is that others have encountered or are willing to help solve.

Security

Free software is often regarded as having safety problems. New data from Forrester Research showed that 58% of executives and technology decision makers in large companies are concerned about the security of open source software. Free software is not developed in a controlled environment. While big players are often focused development team, often, the software is developed by people in the world in May that does not work on the software for the development of his life. This lack of continuity and common sense can lead to barriers to effective communication surrounding the software. In addition, the software May not be peer reviewed or validated for use. While users are free to examine and verify the source code, the level of expertise required, it is quite possible for a programmer to integrate the Trojans back door to enter confidential and private information without ever inform the user. The adoption of a famous brand with a development team focused supported by a strong online community will reduce the potential risk.

2) Closed Source Software

Closed source software can be defined as a proprietary software distributed under a license agreement for authorized users to modify, copy, republication restrictions.

Cost

The cost of proprietary software can vary from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity of the system. This cost is composed of a basic fee for the integration of software and services and annual licensin g / support costs. This May be cost prohibitive for some, but what the user pays for a custom product from a trusted brand that includes higher levels of security and functionality, innovation, greater capacity to the scale, ongoing training and support and a lower requirement of technical skills. In support of these elements and to maintain high availability of Web sites, a mechanism must be established to recover costs. As stated previously, more and more suppliers of open source software are also the prices of add-ons, additional services and integration, reducing the cost differential between the two options.

Service and Support

If the Internet is an important channel for an organization, the software is often a secondary concern, with the level of service and support structure needed to take precedent maximize uptime and minimize disruptions. The service is probably the greatest advantage of using proprietary software. Proprietary software provides ongoing support to users, a point of sale for users without technical expertise. If the user manual or guide is not enough, or if a user experiences a problem with the software, there is an immediate point of the call to turn to for help. There is some risk reduction with proprietary software, because users are working with companies that are viable, and people with an intimate knowledge of products and services are used when questions arise. Because the service is one of the main reasons for users to choose open source software in addition, many proprietary software providers compete on service, increase the power of buyers argaining b and d increase levels of customer service among providers.

Innovation

Suppliers of proprietary software do not allow users to view or modify the source code. While this May be considered a drawback for some, it provides security and reliability of software. In addition, many proprietary software vendors to customize the software for users to provide greater flexibility, while investing in R & D to regularly offer new products and updates. In addition, providers of proprietary software have communities of users online and to create value by sharing ideas, strategies and best practices through feedback mechanisms, such as forums and polls foster innovation and enable the product to adapt to changing needs. This innovation is fully tested and is available for all users. It does not require investment in R & D or engineering source code, and assistance in the implementation is usually part of the whole. Because suppliers must ensure that their software does not become redundant, users also benefit from targeting the type of innovation, investment in R & D rather than "innovation for the benefit of innovation" , the business rather than technology oriented.

Usability

Proprietary software typically employs expert usability testing, and software that is normally intended for a target audience and therefore more appropriate, ease of use is generally ranked high enough. In addition, manuals and guides are provided. This allows for training time and provides an immediate reference, allowing users to move along the learning curve faster. Support services include seminars, training courses and targeted support to help them maximize the use of software. It is also important to note that although many people as proprietary software "closed", today's proprietary software offers a wide range of mechanisms for the development by third parties and system developers.

Security

Proprietary software is more secure because it is developed in an environment controlled by a management team focused together. In addition, the source code in May be viewed and edited by this team, only, and is very controlled, eliminating the risk of back door Trojan horses and reduce the risk of bugs or problems with the software.
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Selasa, 15 September 2009

Protection Againgst online scams

MAIN TYPES OF CARD FRAUD

1. Phishing:

Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, personal identification number (PIN) and debit card details by pretending to be a business in an electronic communication.

Phishing is usually done by e-mail, text message (SMS) or instant messaging (chat yahoo, hotmail chat etc.), often directly to users to enter details on a fake Web sites that are almost identical ( or sometimes identical) to the legitimate company.

Email is delivered to a general of the inbox with the legitimate business of the address (eg info@interswitchng.com). This is achieved by using a technique called spoofing.

E-mail spoofing is a term used to describe fraudulent email activity in which the sender's address and other parts of the head of e-mails will be modified to print that e-mail originated from a different source. This is achieved by the modification of certain properties of the e-mail, as the 'From', 'Return-Path "and" Reply-To fields (which can be found in the message header), the malicious users can e-mail seems to be someone other than the sender. The result is that although e-mail appears to come from the address in the "From" field (found in the email headers) it actually comes from a bad source. This is similar to the head of the production of another company.

2. Counterfeit card fraud:

This form of card fraud occurs when the card is printed, embossed or encoded on the card without the authorization of the issuer.

Most cases of fraud is not true that the cloning process data on a magnetic stripe card is copied onto another card without the legitimate holder of knowledge.

To avoid having your card skimmed - BE VIGILANT. Never leave your card to your order, payment of goods and services at any merchant location.

3. Card-not-present (CNP) fraud:

This form of card fraud is determined primarily by the Internet.

Card details are obtained by theft of the card information such as PIN, credit card number and expiration date received or rejected by the copy of your card when making a transaction.

# Protection against fraud

Protect yourself can be as simple as the eyes and ears open. Here are some steps to help keep your card information safe.

A. Using Alerts

Some banks now offer the ability to receive alerts or transaction on your mobile phone or e-mail. This update and keeps you on top of all your activities or transactions.

InterSwitch has also gone one step further to include the card automatically, which means that if you suspect that your card is fraudulently used, this function ensures the card is automatically blocked or disabled. In other words, when an alert is received on a transaction that you clearly do not cause (or, if you're not sure), you can block your card immediately by replying the message text.

Please ask your bank today for more information on MoneyGuard.

B. CARD & PIN security - Dos & THAT

* DO

o Report lost or stolen cards immediately.

o Protect your debit, cash or Verve cards as if they were cash.

O Memorize your PIN - do not write your PIN.

o Make sure you change your ATM PIN regularly.

o Ensure that you get your card after each purchase in a store or through a retail outlet or ATM.

o Be sure to keep copies of your checks and ATM receipts

* WHO

o Keep your ATM receipts at the point of withdrawal.

o Give people your debit card. You are solely responsible for its use. (Some misuse of debit cards can be attributed directly to the family and friends)

o Always use your PIN for your password.

o never disclose your PIN to anyone.

o never disclose your PIN;

o Your Bank

o InterSwitch

o Telco (for example, Zain, MTN, Etisalat, Glo, Starcomms etc)

o Police

o Shop owner

No company or person, for any reason

Please note that nobody should ask for your PIN.

It is illegal for anyone to ask for your PIN.

C. Use of ATM safety

Use your ATM card InterSwitch is a convenient and safe way to get cash. Remember to keep in mind the following safety tips:

o Be vigilant

Avoid using ATMs in lowly lit or dark areas.

o Guard your PIN

Guard your P

always, always use your free hand to cover the keys of your PIN is entered.

o Be on the lookout for any suspicious actions to cancel all transactions and leave if you are suspicious of people around.

o Do not leave behind ATM receipts

Never leave your receipts behind the ATM and the details of your debit card can be copied.

o Do not accept help from strangers

Never accept help from strangers.

D. online security

It is important to apply more attention and the Internet.

Never send your PIN or your card in the body of an e-mail.

Beware of emails asking for your PIN and card to be counterfeit.

Before you make transactions online, make sure that the site has adequate security to protect your debit card information.

InterSwitch web check list of merchant partners / page for a list of brokers that are certified as safe to purchase items.

BEWARE of e-mails generally appear InterSwitch your bank or telecommunications company, is to give an update on the network or request your PIN to request price of a non-existing (and sometimes existing) promo. These emails are false, such companies will never ask for your card, or for any upgrade or before you purchase price. WARNING!

Avoid using public computers to make purchases online, ie Cybercafé.

E. Text message.

* Delete all text messages or SMS informing you that you have won a prize and you must go to the ATM to claim it.

They are different tricks of the fraud and are not authentic.

* Never give your ATM card details or account information to any person claiming to be from your bank or telecommunications to allow you to redeem prizes.
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