Operating Systems Poll…

Welcome…

Wow! The first step is always the hardest isn’t it? Information is vital and sometimes can be unavailable, therefore, I want to welcome/introduce you all to my first blog dedicated entirely to matters concerning Information Technology. As an Information Technologist, sharing information is vital to surviving in this competitive industry and with the advent of blogs, distributing this information will be quick and easy. By all means, feel free to comment on the articles I post here and if you have anything you want posted here, drop me a line. Enjoy!

Antivirus Poll…

The Humble Beginnings of An Engineer…

Microsoft Security Essentials…

The Real Cost Of SMS…

DISCLAIMER:

Reposted with permission from Mwangy. The original article can be found here…

SMS is a wonderful product/service which is available on all GSM networks. It is a very useful tool that has gained tremendous uptake & has found a myriad of uses both commercial, entertainment wise & as an informational tool.

At the current lowest rate of  3.50/=, it would seem to be a bargain seeing as a few years ago to send an SMS one would have had to spend upwards of  5/=.

What the providers don’t tell us (not that I would if I were in their shoes) is that there is practically zero cost involved on their part when it comes to sending & receiving an SMS on their network.

This is because the SMS does not use the commercial channel/bandwidth that is used by subscribers to make/receive calls and use for GPRS/EDGE.

Simply put the available bandwidth to the subscriber for calls/data is a fraction of the actual bandwidth allocated by the governing body ie CCK.

The rest of the bandwidth is reserved for behind-the-scenes communication between the users mobile phone & the nearest cell tower.

This is the bandwidth that SMS uses.

It thus uses network bandwidth that is already dedicated to communication between the phone & the cell tower that the subscriber is currently in & thus incurs no more costs to the service provider other than a storage center for undelivered SMS’s…

This then shows how profitable SMS is & thus the push by nearly all providers to increase the no. of  SMSs that are sent. At 3.50/= per SMS, the profits are 100%…

I heard that CCK were going to commission a study of the real cost of calls & SMS to the providers.

Lets see how that goes…

How to choose the right software for your company…

When I speak with CEOs & CFOs about buying new computer software, they often respond by saying “Our software works fine. We’ve had it for 20 years & never had any problems with it.” In other words, “If it’s not broken, why fix it?” or “We’ve managed just fine with our current manual systems.” Their system may be broken in ways they don’t realize. Using outdated computer software creates a domino affect that results in increased manual efforts & frequent bottlenecks. Very often when customers call, Customer Service Personnel have to go to the drawer to find printed information or search through multiple computer screens looking for the necessary information while the customer waits on the phone. Not having the information readily available, they tell customers, “I will have to call you back as soon as I find the correct information.” Besides creating an unhappy customer, other customers or prospects who call & get phone recordings asking them to wait for the next available agent often hang up & call other vendors. These types of lost sales opportunities can’t be measured. Business issues such as these cause losses & problems in other areas throughout the company, starting with excess inventory in the warehouse and ending in overdue accounts’ receivable. If your company faces such issues, maybe it’s time you began to search for new software to run your business. Before you do, however, think carefully about the process you’ll follow to make sure you select the right software for your needs.

Who should conduct the search?

Before the software search begins, form a search committee. The committee should consist of the computer department & various department heads. This kind of approach has worked very well for many companies. By pairing the computer department that specializes in technology with the heads of departments who know the business needs, the company develops a very strong software search team. Our most successful installations have been with companies that had this kind of committee, in which the computer department becomes the liaison between the users & the software implementation team translating technology to their business requirements. Prior to starting the software search, compile a business requirement list. Once you’ve selected the appropriate software houses & scheduled demos, the business issues list should serve as a guide at the demo. Very sophisticated software is not necessarily the right software solution for your company. Very often, companies buy software because they were impressed with the features and functions they saw at the demo without realizing that it might be too sophisticated for their users.

Fit your business needs…

One case was when a company hired a new CEO to run the company. He came from a larger company that used very sophisticated software. Shortly after assuming his new position, the CEO decided to purchase the software he used at his previous job. The department heads who viewed the software at the demo didn’t feel it was the right choice for their company, fearing the end-users who had used a home-grown system for last 15 years might have difficulties learning it. Despite their advice, the CEO decided to purchase the software. The consulting firm that sold the software guaranteed the cost wouldn’t exceed K.Sh. 4 million. Two years & K.Sh. 4.5 million later, the software was finally implemented & the company went “live.” The main reason for the cost overrun was because the software had to be modified to meet the company’s business needs, together with the very high learning curve users encountered when trying to learn the system. This resulted in the CEO being fired, the company having very sophisticated software with most of its functions going unused & a large computer department to support the software operation.

Don’t scrimp on training…

Training users is one of the main challenges a company faces after selecting software. In addition to completing their daily work, users must be trained on the new software & take the time to practice it.
Because of their workloads, users very often don’t practice as much as they should. In order to assure that training and practice are done on schedule, it’s wise to conduct a monthly meeting to monitor progress. One month before going live, evaluate the users’ comfort level with the system. The best way to determine if the users are ready to go live is by having them make mistakes that commonly occur during the business day, but in a test environment. If the users can correct errors without difficulties, they are ready to go live, otherwise it’s best to postpone the final implementation until their comfort level is achieved. Going live prematurely can result in severe business disruption & overtime.

Software vendor evaluation…

Before making your final selection, require software vendors to give you the names of customers you can ask the following questions:

1) Was the software house willing to modify the software when needed, or did they expect you to change the way you conduct business in order to fit their software? Since no two companies conduct business the same way, not being able to modify software can result in drastic changes to the business
environment and might cause a higher learning curve than necessary as well as business disruption.

2) Did the software house provide the source code & documentation? Not receiving the source code can result in a company being totally dependent on the software house without having the option of using someone else if they are unhappy with their software vendor’s services.

3) Did the software house charge for the source code & documentation? Source code & documentation should be included at no charge.

4) How many computer people are required to run the computer system? Certain systems require a large computer department. This will result in a costly operation & a high budget for the computer department.

5) Is the software user-friendly & how big was the learning curve before going live? If the software is not user-friendly, it will require a high learning curve that will delay going live & will increase the cost of the computer project. Competition today is stronger than ever before. Selecting a software system helps you compete, but only when it fits your business requirements.

Felista Wakina,

Softlink Options Ltd.

12 Words You Can Never Say In The Office…

We’ve put together a list of outdated tech terms, phrases that you shouldn’t be using at work anymore because they will make you seem old. This is especially true if you’re looking for a new job. For example, on an interview, you should be talking about “cloud computing”, not “ASPs” even though they are basically the same thing.

This list is useful for 20-somethings, too. Now when the senior person in the office uses one of these terms, you’ll know what he’s talking about:

1. Intranet…

Popular in the mid-90s, the term “intranet” referred to a private network running the Internet Protocol and other Internet standards such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It was also used to describe an internal Web site that was hosted behind a firewall and was accessible only to employees. Today, every private network runs IP. So you can just use the term virtual private network (VPN) to describe a private IP-based network.

2. Extranet…

An “extranet” referred to private network connections based on Internet standards such as IP & HTTP that extended outside an organization, such as between business partners. Extranets often replaced point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) connections that used standards such as X12. Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers & other members of their supply chain with access to their VPNs.

3. Web Surfing…

When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You know the term is out of date when your kids don’t know what it means. To teens & tweens, the Internet & the World Wide Web are one & the same thing. So it’s better to use the term “browsing” the Web if you want to be understood.

4. Push Technology…

The debate over the merits of “push” versus “pull” technology came to a head in 1996 with the release of the PointCast Network, a Web service that sent a steady stream of news to subscribers. However, PointCast & other push technology services required too much network bandwidth. Eventually, push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

5. Application Service Provider (ASP)…

During this decade, the term “Application Service Provider” evolved into “Software-as-a-Service.” Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software application & providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own & operate it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was replaced by “SaaS.” Now it’s cool to talk about “cloud computing.”

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)…

Coined by former Apple CEO John Sculley back in 1992 when he unveiled the Apple Newton, the term “personal digital assistant” referred to a handheld computer. PDA was still in use in 1996, when the Palm Pilot was the hottest handheld in corporate America. Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an iPhone is a “smartphone”.

7. Internet Telephony…

You need to purge the term “Internet telephony” from your vocabulary & switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network. It’s probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is carried on the Internet.

8. Weblog…

A blog is a shortened version of “Weblog,” a term that emerged in the late 1990s to describe commentary that an individual publishes online. It spawned many words still in use such as “blogger” & “blogosphere.” Nowadays, few people have time to blog so they are “microblogging,” which is another word that’s heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.

9. Thin Client…

You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in the client/server computing architecture & for popularizing the term “thin client” to refer to Oracle’s alternative terminal-like approach. In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations to improve network security & manageability. Although thin clients never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to “virtual desktops” that are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.

10. Rboc…

In 1984, the U.S. government forced AT&T to split up into seven Regional Bell Operating Companies [RBOCs] also known as Baby Bells. Customers bought local service from RBOCs and long-distance service from carriers such as AT&T. Telecom industry mergers over the last 15 years have formed integrated local- and long-distance carriers such as AT&T, Verizon & Qwest. This makes not only the term RBOC obsolete but also the terms ILEC for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., GTE] and CLEC for Competitive Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., MFS].

11. Long-Distance Call…

Thanks to flat-rate calling plans available from carriers for at least five years, nobody needs to distinguish between local & long-distance calls anymore. Similarly, you don’t need to distinguish between terrestrial & wireless calls because so many people use only wireless services. Like pay phones, long-distance calls — and their premium prices — are relics of a past without national & unlimited calling plans.

12. World Wide Web…

Nobody talks about the “World Wide Web” anymore, or the “Information Superhighway,” for that matter. It’s just the Internet. It’s a distinction that Steve Czaban, the popular Fox Sports Radio talk show host, likes to mock when he refers to the “Worldwide Interweb.” Nothing dates you more than pulling out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such as “infobahn” or “electronic highway.”

Source: Business Week.

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change…

The SEACOM Broadband Experience 14th – 18th October 2009…

How to Please Your I.T. Department…

1) When you call us to have your computer moved, be sure to leave it buried under half a tonne of postcards, baby pictures, stuffed animals, dried flowers, bowling trophies & children’s art. We don’t have a life & we find it deeply moving to catch a glimpse of yours.

2) Don’t write down anything down! Ever! We can play back the error message from here…

3) When an I.T. person says he’s coming right over, go for coffee. That way, you won’t be there when we need your password. It’s nothing for us to remember 700 screen saver passwords…

4) When you call the help desk, state what you want, not what’s keeping you from getting it. We don’t need to know that you can’t get into you mail because your computer won’t power on…

5) When I.T. Support sends you an e-mail with high importance, delete it at once. We’re just testing…

6) When an I.T. person is eating lunch at his desk, walk right in & spill your guts out. We exist only to serve…

7) Send an urgent e-mail all in UPPERCASE. The mail server picks it up & flags it as a rush delivery…

When the photocopier doesn’t work, call Computer Support. There’s electronics in it…

9) When something’s wrong with your home PC, dump it on an I.T. person’s chair with no name, no phone number & no description of the problem. We love a puzzle…

10) When an I.T. person tells you that computer screens don’t have cartridges in them, argue! We love a good argument…

11) When an I.T. person tells you that they’ll be there shortly, reply in a scathing tone of voice: “And just how many weeks do you mean by shortly?” That motivates us…

12) When the printer won’t print, re-send the job at least 20 times. Print jobs frequently get sucked into black holes…

13) When the printer still won’t print after 20 tries, send the job to all printers in the company. One of them is bound to work…

14) Don’t learn the proper term for anything technical. We know exactly what you mean by “My thingy blew up”…

15) Don’t use online help… Online help is for wimps!

Q & A: Mwangy’s Musings…

Francis Mark Mwangi, author of Mwangy's Musings...

Francis Mark Mwangi (also known as Eng. Mwangy) is an engineering student at the University of Nairobi.

One can read his blog here…

The 411…: Can you give us a picture of yourself?

Mwangy: Alright here you go… though I must warn you ain’t too photogenic.

The 411…: When did you start blogging?

Mwangy: Its been about a year now.

The 411…: Did you have any specific goal in mind when you began blogging?

Mwangy: Not really. All I wanted to do was express myself in a form anyone can access and question any issues I had or give me other perspectives. After all, they say the masses have the answer to everything right?

The 411…: What was the first blog you ever read?

Mwangy: Can’t quite remember but it wasn’t Kenyan and at the time thot it was a rather silly idea. . . penning everyday about just bout anything. . . .had thought of it as a form of digital diary. . . .and am not that into documenting my life. . . . but it caught on. . . just like a good idea well implemented.

The 411…: How much time per day do you spend on blog-related activities (i.e. writing, promotion, design etc)?

Mwangy: to be honest. . . . very little. . . unfortunately my ‘school’ career path isn’t too web based and so I have little precious time on the internet(sufficiently fast internet at that) though may have found a work around to that. . . watch this space!

The 411…: How do you attract traffic to your blog?

Mwangy: I have linked it to my facebook account and I include the blog URL on my email signature. . . . Am also searchable on (visible to ) search engines indexes

The 411…: What do you think sets your site apart from others?

Mwangy: I don’t really follow too many rules on what /how things need to be said. . . .I wud rather just say wots on my mind. . . .

The 411…: On your blog, is there a post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

Mwangy: Yes, My first Entry on the reason why safaricom brought m-pesa to the people.

The 411…: In your most creative words, finish this sentence: “To blog means…”

Mwangy: to spew forth knowledge, insight and a good sense of humor. . .

The 411…: If you weren’t blogging now, what would you be doing?

Mwangy: Reading the reviews of the latest hardware to be churned out by the gaming companies. . . .

Quickfire Round:

1) Your favorite browser?

~ Google chrome.

2) Your favorite search engine?

~ Google though lately Bing is upping its game .

3) Best thing about the Net?

~ Interaction. I have met and made some good friends/resourceful people poking around the Internet.

4) Worst thing about the Net?

~ It affords bad evil characters with anonymity thus innocent ones are taken advantage of.

5) What is your favorite instant messaging software?

~ Yahoo Messenger.