BluStar Energy Services is a company that buys and then resells electricity to residents and companies in Illinois, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Its wise investment into open source Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) has saved it $24 million dollars over the past five years and has made it one of the most efficient companies in the area. SOA is an IT infrastructure that allows different applications to exchange data with one another as they participate in business processes. BluStar has successfully implemented this into their business and has allowed them to manage the flow of information across the multiple parties it deals with such as power generators, transmission operators, local distribution companies, and its customers. SOA has also allowed its customers to specify the type of energy it wants whether is be green, renewable, energy or brown energy that has carbon offsets. SOA has also allowed for BluStar to monitor its customers’ hourly electricity usage and bill them for it.
What is unique about BluStar is that it had the opportunity to simply buy off-the-shelf Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) packages but believed that these packages were not flexible enough for the services it wanted to provide so it built a SOA from scratch that tailored to its exact needs. It is now able to respond to the market very quickly so that if green energy suddenly becomes important to its customers, it can rapidly adapt to meet their needs. They do not have a gigantic server that runs all of their service operations but rather BluStar has single services scattered across their network, which allows for an easy fix if one service dies. BluStar management says that their goal was to have a very stable business infrastructure. The success of BluStar is mainly due to the early recognition and understanding of its business goals, and the implementing of a SOA was the way that its IT met them. In today’s markets it is understood that most businesses will need some form of IT, but the success of the business is reliant upon the manner in which the business shapes the IT to tailor to its needs.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Hallmark Wows its Customers With IT
The big power companies aren’t the only ones using technology, intelligence, and insight to further themselves in the information technology war. Although invisible to the consumers’ eyes, it seems that every company is reaping the benefits of having IT teams, dedicated to creating new and exciting products. For example, Hallmark, the producer of cards for over 100 years, is using technology to “wow” its consumers. Specifically, their product is called Project WOW, which is a series of greeting cards that include a sound bite or part of a song. Back in 1910, ideas of a recorded greeting in a birthday card, for example were deemed impossible. Yet today, Hallmark is using information technology to create a fresh, new way to say “Happy Birthday!”
The science behind Project WOW is ingenious. After much research, the IT, design, and Advancing Technologies teams worked together to create a Hallmark card that included a computer chip, battery, and a high-quality miniature loudspeaker, which were all built into the card. The audio greeting card has been a very successful project and Hallmark sees it as an asset that they dedicate a significant amount of support to IT.
The craft of card making is something that anybody can do, in a factory or on his or her desktop at home. This great accessibility to make cards thus makes the business very competitive. As a top maker of card, it is obvious that Hallmark needs to have that competitive advantage that sets it apart from the rest. Its use of information technology to create a card that can speak to its consumer is an example of their great insight and intuitive, which is why it is a top producer of greeting cards. As they continue to challenge their card-producing boundaries, I foresee a great dependence on information technology in order to do so.
The science behind Project WOW is ingenious. After much research, the IT, design, and Advancing Technologies teams worked together to create a Hallmark card that included a computer chip, battery, and a high-quality miniature loudspeaker, which were all built into the card. The audio greeting card has been a very successful project and Hallmark sees it as an asset that they dedicate a significant amount of support to IT.
The craft of card making is something that anybody can do, in a factory or on his or her desktop at home. This great accessibility to make cards thus makes the business very competitive. As a top maker of card, it is obvious that Hallmark needs to have that competitive advantage that sets it apart from the rest. Its use of information technology to create a card that can speak to its consumer is an example of their great insight and intuitive, which is why it is a top producer of greeting cards. As they continue to challenge their card-producing boundaries, I foresee a great dependence on information technology in order to do so.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Blockbuster to rent through new on-demand device
Are you a former vistor of a Blockbuster store who has in the past few years converted over to the every growing Netflix company? If so, you are among the majority. It is no secret that since Netflix has come into the scene Blockbuster's losses have just kept coming. Since 2001, Blockbuster has lost nearly $4.5 billion due to the convience and popularity of their rival, Netflix. Over the past few years, Blockbuster has had to shut down hundreds of their stores. It is clear that if Blockbuster wishes to remain in business, they need to think of a way to reinvent their company to make it more appealing to customers than using Netflix. Blockbuster has recently released their intention to use a new gadget that should help them get back their customer base. The device is a small box which connects to television sets. The device downloads movies and television shows over high speed internet which are then stored after. The idea branches off other devices made my Apple and other companies whose goal is to make connections between television and the internet. While Blockbuster has used other programs to rent out to customers, this device will appeal to a wider range of people who prefer to watch their T.V. on large screens. Although the amount of movies this service is starting at a much lower number than Netflix currently offers, their main focus is "quality over quantity." They are aiming to offer more recent, popular films. It is also believed that this service will provide a better quality film because "all the video will be stored on the 2Wire box."
I think that this sounds like a very innovative device. While Blockbuster believes their stores will still be used, it is obvious that everything is moving into the direction of more convient, faster, and better qualtiy products. I think that this sounds like a device with a very high potential. It is unfortunate that Blockbuster has been hit so hard by the popularity of Netflix, but with this new technology, I think they have great potential in taking back the majority of movie renting customers. I would definitely consider getting this device and hope that all of their plans for it work out. I think that Netflix offered something cheaper and more convient for movie watchers and I think that this device should do the same, with better quality. I am interested to see how successful this new technology becomes and am definitely rooting for Blockbuster.
I think that this sounds like a very innovative device. While Blockbuster believes their stores will still be used, it is obvious that everything is moving into the direction of more convient, faster, and better qualtiy products. I think that this sounds like a device with a very high potential. It is unfortunate that Blockbuster has been hit so hard by the popularity of Netflix, but with this new technology, I think they have great potential in taking back the majority of movie renting customers. I would definitely consider getting this device and hope that all of their plans for it work out. I think that Netflix offered something cheaper and more convient for movie watchers and I think that this device should do the same, with better quality. I am interested to see how successful this new technology becomes and am definitely rooting for Blockbuster.
Visual Computing Will Change Your Life
When was the last time you checked your e-mail? Logged into Facebook? Downloaded a song from iTunes? Watched a video on YouTube? In this generation, computers are no longer used for simple word processing or spreadsheets. Over the years computers have been equipped to work harder while we sit back and enjoy the 3D living color and sound. This 3D computing software is not only used my consumers, but also other industries, including graphics designers, oil companies, and pharmaceutical compounds. While these businesses have found 3D computing very useful, there are some businesses that still use simple character-oriented programs, which deal with simple letters and numbers, rather than graphics.
This 3D computing software includes three major components: data visualization, videoconferencing and on-demand video. Visualization helps to detect patterns and organize data in a more effective and timely manner. Companies can use this feature to keep track of inventory or even medical records. In addition to large data-set visualization, this software enables video chatting and on-demand video. Constant travel can become costly for a business. This concept of video conferencing saves money on airfare and hotels. However, videoconferencing is still rather expensive but will become more popular as it advances. Finally, on-demand video can create a more interesting website with videos rather than text.
Not all companies have adopted this new software due to the amount of updates that it requires. Bandwidth, the latest equipment and a lot of money are necessary to join this video revolution. Fortunately, the software is improving and becoming less costly. I think that regardless of all the necessary updates, this 3D computing is crucial for a company. While it has not picked up enough momentum to be essential for a company’s success, I think that almost every company will be using this software in the near future. Change is unavoidable once all the features have been perfected.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2008/tc2008103_228076_page_2.htm
IT Compliance in a post Enron world
Welcome to Statement on Auditing Standards or SAS-70. The corporate scandals at Enron, Tyco and Worldcom, have dictated that corporate compliance become a huge priority at companies of all sizes and from all industries, and SAS-70 has become the standard for auditing information technology providers. In the last five years, IT departments have seen great increases in regulations associated with corporate compliance in their industries, especially in many fortune 500 companies whichin which the software is used.
I found this article to be particularly interesting because we hear so often about the regulations that have come into place because of the Sarbanes Oxley Act following Enron and other disasters, yet we are never told how these regulations are upheld. Information Technology picks up the grunt work where the people leave off. It is truly interesting to see how Information Technology alone can keep a company on the straight and narrow, allowing them little deviation to stray as is the case with SAS-70. Ideally SAS-70 will keep further mishaps from occuring in the business world.
I found this article to be particularly interesting because we hear so often about the regulations that have come into place because of the Sarbanes Oxley Act following Enron and other disasters, yet we are never told how these regulations are upheld. Information Technology picks up the grunt work where the people leave off. It is truly interesting to see how Information Technology alone can keep a company on the straight and narrow, allowing them little deviation to stray as is the case with SAS-70. Ideally SAS-70 will keep further mishaps from occuring in the business world.
Law Firm moves online to offer cheaper services
It is no secret that we live in a technology age. New innovations are constantly changing the face of companies and making everyday tasks a lot easier for the average person to accomplish. The Internet, arguably one of the best pieces of technology out there, has completely changed the world we live in. We have the ability to research, shop, communicate, publish, and search for and find information, all of this lies right at our finger tips. Now, one more company has turned to the Internet to make their services more available to people all over, and that company is Axiom.
What is Axiom? I had never heard of it before and I am sure that most people haven't either, but suprisngly enough, it is a law firm. I was shocked to hear that a law firm could some how be internet-connected, other then recieving emails through their office. Axiom is a relatively new San Franciso based law firm created in the year 2000 to completely change the face of the law industry as we know it. The company office is not the typical home to a law firm, but instead it is simply a small, chic space filled with computers and other technologically related devices. People who "work in the office," the main one located in San Franciso, are simply there to manage "client relatonships" and find "corporate work." I find that job to be a little ironic since the management of the client relatonships is done through a computer screen, however, it must be working since Axiom has proven to be successful so far. There are 216 people who do the "lawyering" for the company and they are located throughout San Fransico, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and London. These people do not go into the office or have the typical 9-5 work hour schedule because with the internet-connected law firm, they are able to work from their homes or meet with their client's wherever they work. They can also, according to the article, decide and choose what type of clients they want. All of the lawyers can use Axiom's website, which is very well-constructed, as a form for legal disucssion. Basically, Axiom is a pioneer in it's field. It has very boldy used information technology to gain a competitve edge over other law firms, and to truly change the "business of law."
And I believe that Axiom is genuis. The advantages of Axiom are endless. First of all, the article said that Axiom is legally considered a corporation, unlike other firms which are usually partnerships. I think that this difference means a lot more equal working hours and salaries. My father is a lawyer and as he nears his retirement, he has switched firms. His old firm, where he worked long hours traveling to courts all over New Jersey, and constantly working with tedious paperwork, was a partnership where the partner consistently made a large sum of money and worked about half the amount that he worked. I told him about Aviom and while he hadn't heard of it yet, he said that he would love doing something like that. I believe Axiom provides something for everyone. The lawyers who work there would probably, like my father, be a little bit older with many, many years of work experience to provide to their clients and the clients would be exposed to these services at a much cheaper price. Axiom is able to provide service fees up to "50% cheaper than those of more traditional, top law firms since it doesn't spend money on a nice office, and have partners and billing in six-minute increments." Also, clients could meet on their schedules in the comfort of their own workplace. Essientally, the lawyer is coming to YOU. Who wouldn't like this?
It makes perfect sense to me that this company is continuing to generate revenue each year and that companies are investing in it. Companies, especially today, love the advantages and competitive edge that technology gives them and following that logic, of course they would invest in a law firm that mirrors their thought process.
I was and still am fascinated by Axiom. I predict that more and more law firms will want to follow this trend and begin becoming technologically equipped and connected to their clients. If Axiom continues to make it big, does this mean that the future of law will be changed forever? I hope so and I actually can't understand how the idea hasn't caught on fire yet.
Source: http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/24/technology/axiom_legal.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008112512
What is Axiom? I had never heard of it before and I am sure that most people haven't either, but suprisngly enough, it is a law firm. I was shocked to hear that a law firm could some how be internet-connected, other then recieving emails through their office. Axiom is a relatively new San Franciso based law firm created in the year 2000 to completely change the face of the law industry as we know it. The company office is not the typical home to a law firm, but instead it is simply a small, chic space filled with computers and other technologically related devices. People who "work in the office," the main one located in San Franciso, are simply there to manage "client relatonships" and find "corporate work." I find that job to be a little ironic since the management of the client relatonships is done through a computer screen, however, it must be working since Axiom has proven to be successful so far. There are 216 people who do the "lawyering" for the company and they are located throughout San Fransico, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and London. These people do not go into the office or have the typical 9-5 work hour schedule because with the internet-connected law firm, they are able to work from their homes or meet with their client's wherever they work. They can also, according to the article, decide and choose what type of clients they want. All of the lawyers can use Axiom's website, which is very well-constructed, as a form for legal disucssion. Basically, Axiom is a pioneer in it's field. It has very boldy used information technology to gain a competitve edge over other law firms, and to truly change the "business of law."
And I believe that Axiom is genuis. The advantages of Axiom are endless. First of all, the article said that Axiom is legally considered a corporation, unlike other firms which are usually partnerships. I think that this difference means a lot more equal working hours and salaries. My father is a lawyer and as he nears his retirement, he has switched firms. His old firm, where he worked long hours traveling to courts all over New Jersey, and constantly working with tedious paperwork, was a partnership where the partner consistently made a large sum of money and worked about half the amount that he worked. I told him about Aviom and while he hadn't heard of it yet, he said that he would love doing something like that. I believe Axiom provides something for everyone. The lawyers who work there would probably, like my father, be a little bit older with many, many years of work experience to provide to their clients and the clients would be exposed to these services at a much cheaper price. Axiom is able to provide service fees up to "50% cheaper than those of more traditional, top law firms since it doesn't spend money on a nice office, and have partners and billing in six-minute increments." Also, clients could meet on their schedules in the comfort of their own workplace. Essientally, the lawyer is coming to YOU. Who wouldn't like this?
It makes perfect sense to me that this company is continuing to generate revenue each year and that companies are investing in it. Companies, especially today, love the advantages and competitive edge that technology gives them and following that logic, of course they would invest in a law firm that mirrors their thought process.
I was and still am fascinated by Axiom. I predict that more and more law firms will want to follow this trend and begin becoming technologically equipped and connected to their clients. If Axiom continues to make it big, does this mean that the future of law will be changed forever? I hope so and I actually can't understand how the idea hasn't caught on fire yet.
Source: http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/24/technology/axiom_legal.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008112512
Supercomputing "brain-like" computers
Technology, especially computers seem to get more and more advanced by the day. When you buy a computer, it seems that it is out of date within the same month of purchase. There are always upgrades that need to be installed and after about three to four years, you need to buy a new computer to keep up with the latest technology. Computers back in the day were basically just used for typing and other minute tasks. Now computers can do almost anything. A lot of computers have built in cameras so you can talk to someone and see them, even if they are in another country. Also, some computers are great with graphic imaging and even writing music or making videos.
Today companies are working on “brain like” computers where computers are being put together similar to the human brain. “IBM has announced it will lead a US government-funded collaboration to make electronic circuits that mimic brains.” This job will require the help of neurobiologists, computer and materials scientists and psychologist. The US defense agency has giving IBM $4.9 million to start its research. They are studying simple animals brains to learn about the inner workings like neurons and the synapses, which connect them. This new supercomputing will hopefully be able to work like a brain and be able to problem solve and think just like humans do. One of the major problems is finding materials that will be able to perform the same functions as in the brain. For example, synapses break, weaken and are even strengthened by the signals that pass through them. Finding a material that will be able to do this is going to be very difficult.
I am not sure exactly how I feel about this new super advanced technology. I think that this new advancement is extremely interesting and there is nothing else even close to it but at the same time I am not sure if it is totally necessary. I understand that the government would want something this advanced for their usage but for everyday people, I am not sure if it is needed. A lot of adults today still don’t know how to use the new technology like options on the computer and their cell phones. Introducing something like this, as a household computer would be way too advanced for our everyday society. I understand that this wouldn’t be available for many years, so maybe then it could be possible to open it up to everyday people. I also think that if they are able to make such advanced technology like a computer that works like a brain, I don’t understand how they don’t have technology that can be used to get rid of viruses and sicknesses like cancer. People donate millions of dollars to find a cure for cancer but for some reason we just don’t have the technology for it. How is that possible? We are able to build a computer that can think and perform functions that only our brain can do.
BBC News
Today companies are working on “brain like” computers where computers are being put together similar to the human brain. “IBM has announced it will lead a US government-funded collaboration to make electronic circuits that mimic brains.” This job will require the help of neurobiologists, computer and materials scientists and psychologist. The US defense agency has giving IBM $4.9 million to start its research. They are studying simple animals brains to learn about the inner workings like neurons and the synapses, which connect them. This new supercomputing will hopefully be able to work like a brain and be able to problem solve and think just like humans do. One of the major problems is finding materials that will be able to perform the same functions as in the brain. For example, synapses break, weaken and are even strengthened by the signals that pass through them. Finding a material that will be able to do this is going to be very difficult.
I am not sure exactly how I feel about this new super advanced technology. I think that this new advancement is extremely interesting and there is nothing else even close to it but at the same time I am not sure if it is totally necessary. I understand that the government would want something this advanced for their usage but for everyday people, I am not sure if it is needed. A lot of adults today still don’t know how to use the new technology like options on the computer and their cell phones. Introducing something like this, as a household computer would be way too advanced for our everyday society. I understand that this wouldn’t be available for many years, so maybe then it could be possible to open it up to everyday people. I also think that if they are able to make such advanced technology like a computer that works like a brain, I don’t understand how they don’t have technology that can be used to get rid of viruses and sicknesses like cancer. People donate millions of dollars to find a cure for cancer but for some reason we just don’t have the technology for it. How is that possible? We are able to build a computer that can think and perform functions that only our brain can do.
BBC News
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Brave New World
The political community is very excited these days about the forthcoming launch of Barack Obama 2.0, a cutting-edge plan for effective governance in the Internet era. The heady expectation is that the new president will usher in a brave new world of communication, using the power of the web to conduct an unprecedented two-way conversation with citizens, all in the interests of providing the change they seek.
Steps have already been taken to see this revolutionary idea through. Obama delivered his first YouTube address the other day and members of his transition team are talking about their work in videos posted on change.gov, the official website of the president-in-waiting. Obama’s boosters argue that it all makes perfect sense; given the fact that the candidate broke new ground by successfully harnessing the Internet, who’s to say that he can’t similarly revolutionize the art of governing?
Obama’s ambition, a laudable one, is to maximize his political capital by communicating online with the 10 million supporters on his e-list – and, hopefully, doing broadband outreach to millions more. The goal is to engage the citizenry in the unsexy process of governing, to build and sustain support for his policy initiatives, to put pressure on recalcitrant congressman by rallying the grassroots. Regarding the latter, political consultant Joe Trippi recently predicted that the Internet “will be a power that no American president has had before. Congress’ power will be taken over by the American people.”
I think this is an extremely important step, as being the President of the United States now is much different than it was one hundred years ago. Technology is rapidly advancing, and by opening the lines of communication via the internet for the President and the people, the proper steps can be taken to fully realize our potential for communication channels.
Steps have already been taken to see this revolutionary idea through. Obama delivered his first YouTube address the other day and members of his transition team are talking about their work in videos posted on change.gov, the official website of the president-in-waiting. Obama’s boosters argue that it all makes perfect sense; given the fact that the candidate broke new ground by successfully harnessing the Internet, who’s to say that he can’t similarly revolutionize the art of governing?
Obama’s ambition, a laudable one, is to maximize his political capital by communicating online with the 10 million supporters on his e-list – and, hopefully, doing broadband outreach to millions more. The goal is to engage the citizenry in the unsexy process of governing, to build and sustain support for his policy initiatives, to put pressure on recalcitrant congressman by rallying the grassroots. Regarding the latter, political consultant Joe Trippi recently predicted that the Internet “will be a power that no American president has had before. Congress’ power will be taken over by the American people.”
I think this is an extremely important step, as being the President of the United States now is much different than it was one hundred years ago. Technology is rapidly advancing, and by opening the lines of communication via the internet for the President and the people, the proper steps can be taken to fully realize our potential for communication channels.
Samsung Installing Charging Stations At Airports
Many travelers often complain of the hassles of traveling through the air, especially during the holiday seasons. With unexpected lines and flight delays, travelers often miscalculate the time that they need to charge their cell phones to keep the battery alive. With a dead cell phone battery, very important calls and e-mails are unable to be received. Acting upon this common knowledge, Samsung plans to have over one hundred charging stations installed in three of the nation’s busiest airports. Along with the marketing advantage, Samsung cell phones will be favored by those charging stations. Samsung also plans to put small shelves in the stations to hold the device being charges.
This push will be the largest number of charging stations Samsung has announced in one day said CIO Bill Ogle. He commented that these charging stations will reduce stress, keep families connected, and provide a much-needed convenience to travelers trying to reach their destinations. By the end of 2008, it is said that Samsung will have installed over fourty stations in Miami International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Washington Dulles Airport. "Providing electronics outlets for passengers to charge their gadgets while they're on the go to Bush Intercontinental's 105 domestic and nearly 70 international destinations will definitely be a plus for them," said Rob Wigington, the Houston airport's system deputy director.
These charging stations are only one of the newest technological developments that will revolutionize the ease of airport travel. Airline companies are most recently developing programs that might allow flyers to present their boarding passes through their cell phones. Pulling up the boarding passes will not be a future problem because many airports and airlines are implementing in-flight Wi-Fi. This latest technological advance could revolutionize the airline industry.
This push will be the largest number of charging stations Samsung has announced in one day said CIO Bill Ogle. He commented that these charging stations will reduce stress, keep families connected, and provide a much-needed convenience to travelers trying to reach their destinations. By the end of 2008, it is said that Samsung will have installed over fourty stations in Miami International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Washington Dulles Airport. "Providing electronics outlets for passengers to charge their gadgets while they're on the go to Bush Intercontinental's 105 domestic and nearly 70 international destinations will definitely be a plus for them," said Rob Wigington, the Houston airport's system deputy director.
These charging stations are only one of the newest technological developments that will revolutionize the ease of airport travel. Airline companies are most recently developing programs that might allow flyers to present their boarding passes through their cell phones. Pulling up the boarding passes will not be a future problem because many airports and airlines are implementing in-flight Wi-Fi. This latest technological advance could revolutionize the airline industry.
HP Revamps Online Customer Support
Just last week, Hewlett-Packard did a restructuring of its online customer support. When buyers of its consumer notebooks, desktops, printers, and monitors need help using their products, they can access a peer-to-peer support forum in which members can trade tips and answer each other's questions regarding HP products. Another aspect of the revamp includes free online classes that educate consumers on subjects such as wireless computing as well as building digital scrapbooks. One more component of the overhaul includes the addition of online video which aims to provide tips and tutorials on topics such as connecting dual monitors and configuring a TV tuner on a PC.
According to HP, the overarching goal of this overhaul is to increase customer satisfaction. Tara Bunch, VP for global customer support operations for HP, articulated this view in a statement, claiming that the new support system’s main function of enabling “customers to assist each other through a community and get better support online helps us achieve our goal of improving customer satisfaction worldwide”.[1] In fact, an increase in traffic to the company’s Customer Care site initially spurred HP to make the changes. As more and more customers began to use the online support system, HP wanted to make it more helpful and manageable as a big increase in traffic has the potential for a greater number of dissatisfied customers who find the system to be ineffective. HP realizes that a less than optimal experience with a company can encourage customers to change companies or maybe even return the product for a refund. Therefore, HP would rather give their customers positive experiences than lose them to competitors when customers choose to switch companies after having a negative interaction with HP’s support system.
HP claims that such improvements in its customer technical support have helped it achieve a thirty percent increase in buyer satisfaction. However, aside from this increase in buyer satisfaction, an online support system has two other major advantages. First, vendors monitor these forums in an effort to identify problems with products as well as to gather customer feedback. Second, online services help to cut down on expensive phone support.
I think it’s pretty clear by now that the revamping of HP’s online support system is helping the company to strengthen its customer relationship management system. A primary objective of one of these systems is to increase revenue by providing delightful experiences for the customer. As mentioned above, it sounds as though that HP’s new support system is easy to use and effective and the increase in customer satisfaction indicates that many of its customers are having very delightful experiences with the system. Indeed, the support system is helping HP achieve two of the most important goals of a CRM system. It’s enabling the company to better serve its customers and to treat them better by allowing them to improve the quality of their products as well as gain insight into their feelings and attitudes towards the company via customer feedback. Ultimately, HP’s superior performance in the CRM function of providing after sale service and support should give the company a competitive advantage. Not only does the new support system allow HP to better serve its customers, but it also has the added benefit of cutting costs as it greatly reduces the need for additional employees to administer expensive phone support. The only apparent downside to such a system is that customers won’t always know all of the answers to difficult questions and some customers may become frustrated when they can’t get advice from a real expert. However, overall it appears as though HP is moving in the right direction as the benefits of this new system largely outweigh the costs.
Companies Eye Location-Services Market
Tracking devices have recently become more popular in our society. But what about tracking devices for people? Location based servers are now looking to find carriers to supply developers with location information in order for people to gain the opportunity to track others via cell-phone. Both Nokia and Google are working together along with several technology start-ups to help. So far, they have had difficulty bringing them into markets because of the complex coordination that is required. Their only idea for compromise thus far, is an exchange between location information and selling ads on their website to advertise.
Many new phones come with GPS systems that can tap into the satellites or nearby cell phone towers to locate a particular phone. Phones with Wi-Fi transponders may also get additional information by finding the nearest hot spot. Nokia is well on their way to success. 70% of their latest cell phone models have a built in GPS system and their next step is to open a location platform. On the other hand, Google has done the same thing without the need for GPS chips. They have used only information about Wi-Fi spots and cell phone towers to acquire this information.
This idea may be plausible in cases involving a person's safety, or even to find the locations of restaurants, homes, stadiums or anywhere you need to go, but if anyone can potentially find your location, to me, this sounds a little creepy. Of course, there will be a price placed on the location of your cell phone, but nothing that is not affordable. I don't know if I would want strangers, or even my friends to know exactly where I was in each moment. A little privacy is nice.
Many new phones come with GPS systems that can tap into the satellites or nearby cell phone towers to locate a particular phone. Phones with Wi-Fi transponders may also get additional information by finding the nearest hot spot. Nokia is well on their way to success. 70% of their latest cell phone models have a built in GPS system and their next step is to open a location platform. On the other hand, Google has done the same thing without the need for GPS chips. They have used only information about Wi-Fi spots and cell phone towers to acquire this information.
This idea may be plausible in cases involving a person's safety, or even to find the locations of restaurants, homes, stadiums or anywhere you need to go, but if anyone can potentially find your location, to me, this sounds a little creepy. Of course, there will be a price placed on the location of your cell phone, but nothing that is not affordable. I don't know if I would want strangers, or even my friends to know exactly where I was in each moment. A little privacy is nice.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Extra Credit Lecture
The lecture given by Matt Lazenby and Brian Sullivan from Sogeti USA was both informative and interesting. Brian Sullivan made it clear that MIS is not just about computers and coding, but can have a big business aspect too. He helped us realize the possibilites we can have if we are MIS majors. However, he also noted that it is never too late to become involved in this field since he himself was a general business major and a marketing minor. Brian Sullivan's enthusiasm kept my attention and even got my excited to join the work force after graduation. He highlighted four main aspects of life after college and told us how we can apply them to better ourselves and our success. The first idea he talked about was competition. To keep the lecture fun, he showed a clip of cheetas chasing eachother and had a man appear out of no where and reach the target cheeta first. Through this example, he was trying to show us that competition can come out of no where so it is important to set ourselves apart from other people by accomplishing everything we possibly can, despite the current state of our competitors. He then spoke about communication. He showed us many quotes from former Loyola students who have gone on to accomplish great things. One point an Alum made was that it is not always the exact material that we learn at Loyola that will be used in the real world but rather the skills we acquired. Next he spoke about the need for direction and set goals. Finally, he spoke about opportunity. Basically he stressed that we need to take every opportunity we are offered. To show how life changing a single opportunity can be, he told us a story about his own life. As a young man he waited tables and one day when he told a person he was waiting on that he would be graduating in the spring, the man gave him his business card and said to give him a call. The summer after his graduation, he called the man and was given a job a Xerox. At a party for employees early on in this job, he met a woman that would later become his wife. Overall, Brian Sullivan and Matt Lazenby gave a very informative lecture.The combination of Brian Sullivan's excitement and enthusiasm as well as his desire to help us in any way he could made the lecture very worth while.
Extra Credit Lecture in Knott Hall
Today I attended the lecture in Knott Hall which featured a speaker from Sogeti USA, a company that works with clients to design, develop, and implement business solutions. Brain Sullivan the VP and Matt Lazenby a recruiter came and spoke to us in Knott Hall. I enjoyed the presentation they gave and they made it very interesting and applicable. The power point presentation was very interesting and I learned that a degree in MIS can prove to be very helpful and not as restricting as I thought. During the Power Point there were four main words that were used to describe careers one can achieve with a degree in MIS. The words include competition, communication, direction, and opportunity. They introduced each word with a video clip that gave us an idea about what they were going to be telling us. Competition is all around us and if you are not top of your game anyone can come up from behind you and take your job or potential job. Without communication we can not accomplish our goals and it is important that we work with the others around us to do the best job possible. We all need direction as well. They stressed the importance of having direction and setting goals. Opportunity was what I though was most interesting that we discussed. During each of the topics there was a quote from mostly Loyola graduates who were MIS majors and what I learned was interesting. MIS can give you opportunities that I was not aware of. The people who gave quotes ranged from the director of e-commerce for Under Armor to a woman who worked in a bank and dealt with customers on a daily basis. This lecture was very informative and Brian Sullivan had great energy and really kept everyone’s attention.
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