Chapter 7 - Telecommunications, the Internet and Wireless Technology
This chapter discussed the principle components of telecommunication networks, the different types of networks, different Internet technologies and how they work, principal technologies and standards for wireless networking/communication/Internet access, in addition to radio frequency identification (RFID) and how it can be valuable to a business. The majority of this chapter was very familiar to me with exposure, if not a solid understanding, with all of its key topics. I thought the excerpt on "The Battle Over Net Neutrality" provided a good discussion on a key issue. While Internet speeds and capabilities continue to increase over time, people are similarly using and increasing amount of bandwidth. Network neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers must allow customers equal access to content and applications, regardless of the source of the content. This arrangement prevents cable and telecommunications companies from charging different prices based on the amount of bandwidth consumed by users, although many companies believe this is probably the fairest way to finance the necessary improvements to network infrastructure. Some Internet providers, such as Comcast, have already slowed certain types of Internet traffic. Proponents of net neutrality advocate against such restrictions based on the risk of censorship.
Chapter 8 - Securing Information Systems
The chapter discusses the vulnerability of information systems, the business value of security, the components of an organizational framework for security and control, and the most important tools and technologies for safeguarding information resources. Digital data are vulnerable to destruction, misuse, fraud, and hardware or software failures. The Internet is fundamentally designed to be an open system and this makes corporate systems potentially vulnerable to actions from outsiders. The ramifications of security vulnerabilities were discussed in the embedded article on LinkedIn's newsworthy security breach in June 2012. This security breach exposed the passwords of 6.5 million LinkedIn users and the passwords were posted on a Russian hacking forum. Surprisingly, LinkedIn did not have a chief security officer to plan and account for potential security breaches. Furthermore, they had not employed standard encryption techniques to protect user passwords. As far as the monetary impacts that security breaches can pose, the average data breach costs companies $5.5 million according to a Symantec-sponsored study
Chapter 9 - Achieving Operational Excellence and Customer Intimacy: Enterprise Applications
The chapter highlights how enterprise software systems help businesses. Enterprise systems support organizational centralization by utilizing uniform data standards and business processes throughout the company within a singular unified technology platform. Other discussed topics include how supply chain management systems coordinate planning, production, production, and logistics with suppliers; customer relationship management systems; the challenges posed by enterprise applications; and how enterprise applications are taking advantage of new technologies. A case highlighted within the chapter was that of Land O'Lakes, which is one of the largest producers of butter and cheese within the United States. Land O'Lakes has utilized demand planning to become more efficient with its supply chain and inventory management. Given the relatively short product shelf life of what it produces, it is important for the company to effectively plan its production while not incurring unnecessary costs related to excess inventory. In particular, Land O'Lakes implemented Oracle's Demantra Demand Management software. Order and inventory data are used by Demantra to create models for future demand with long-term, medium-term, and short-term reports available to aid in the planning process. Seemingly well-worth its cost, this software has helped Land O'Lakes improve its demand forecasts from 40 percent to 70 percent accuracy, which has led to significant cost savings.
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