I.T. Matters

Definitely I.T. does matter. Professionally, I realized how I can use I.T. to further improve my department’s contribution toward the achievement of our organization’s mission and vision.  I.T. can give an organization a competitive advantage. Through I.T. data can be gathered on customer demographics and preferences.  I.T. brings the company’s products and services closer to its customers through Wireless Networks and E Business Models thus, increasing revenues and improving profitability.

 I.T. facilitates production, operational efficiency and improves team productivity with the use of Business Intelligence and Knowledge Management tools. It also promotes collaboration within and outside an organization through various Collaboration Tools.

My personal life has been positively affected by I.T. It added color to my life.  FB reconnects me to long lost family and friends and enables me to share inspiring quotes and stories. Travelling is made easy and accessible through on line technology. I now have more access to information for personal and professional development. I have more time and options for leisure with my family and friends.

Awareness of the Ethics in Information Technology makes me a more responsible I.T. user. I have pledged to use I.T. in a positive way using it only to improve my efficiency in my job and my personal goal is to use I.T. to inspire others.

Advantages of Social Media

According to a famous English Philosopher Francis Bacon, “Knowledge is power.” Social media is the most accessible source of information. SociaI media facilitates my continuous learning. It helps me to stay informed and updated about what’s happening across the world especially in business and banking as well as health and fitness. As a banker for countryside development Land Bank of the Philippines, I draw a lot of inspiration from the many success stories in other parts of the country and in the world in promoting financial inclusion in the countryside. Through social media we increase our reach in promoting LANDBANK’s products and services. By posting events in the social media we inform and assure the bank’s priority clients of the bank’s efforts toward its mission to create countryside development. Social media also supports teamwork and camaraderie, our Lending Center maintains a group account in the Facebook. It is a venue for all members of the group to express themselves and stay motivated through pictures, inspiring quotes and messages of recognition for jobs well done. Social media also keeps me connected to family and friends.

               My Personal Commitment Statements on the Responsible Use of Social Media

As a responsible user of social media:

1. I will only post positive and inspiring messages.
2. I will adopt a “ No Phones Policy” during bonding activities with my family.
3. When bonding with friends, I will not multi-task through my phone.

Signed this 19^th of March 2016, Iloilo City

                                                                                      Vivian Manuel-Canonero                   

 

 

 

 

Software Piracy

According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which is the leading advocate for the global software industry before governments and in the international marketplace, about 36 % of all software in current use is stolen. Software piracy has continued to be a big threat to the software industry worldwide. It has also been causing billions of loss revenue in the economy.

Not being able to afford a legal copy of a software does not justify the use of pirated ones. It is not right and it is not ethical. Furthermore, there is a risk that the pirated ones are prone to malwares and virus attacks that can lead to data theft and losses. Unfortunately however, the use of pirated software is very common in the Philippines. The software companies should find ways to make the legal copies affordable and accessible. It is also a good strategy to already install and incorporate the cost of the commonly used software in the pricing of the hardware. The software companies should continue its alliance to fight against software piracy and make representations to the various governments worldwide. In the Philippines, there are already laws against piracy however, there is a need to for its strict implementation and monitoring to ensure that the pirated software is removed from the market.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management (KM) is an essential element in the operations of Land Bank of the Philippines which is a service universal bank with a unique social mandate. It has a dual role as a catalyst of progress in the countryside while sustaining commercial viability to support its social mission. It is the only universal bank in the Philippines present in all 81 provinces with a network of 352 branches, 1,404 ATMs and 38 Lending Centers.

LANDBANK has more than 8,000 employees all over the country, knowledge management is used to increase employee effectiveness and efficiency. It has a LANDBANK portal that allows employees access  to databases, manuals, bank policies and procedures, latest circulars, copies of the newsletters and relevant newspaper clippings among others. It also has a Human Resource Information System that supports  personnel administration. Employees are regularly sent to seminars and trainings locally and  abroad. Tacit knowledge is shared through brainstorming sessions and workshops.

To remain relevant in responding to the needs of its priority sectors, the small farmers and fishers, farmers and SMEs, the bank compiles and shares to clients and employees a compilation of business modules stored in  CDs.  It is a compilation of best practices for specific commodity  such as cacao,  banana, seaweeds, poultry among others. The commodity modules contain industry updates, technical requirements, financial assumptions and projections, industry prospects including  insights and issues. The compilation of business modules intend to increase the success of the client in his business and to guide loan officers all over the country in packaging the appropriate credit facility for the client. This is further supplemented with industry updates, seminars and trainings.

Continuous trainings of employees on how to access information from the LBP portal will further improve the employees proficiency in the use of the on line system.

Knowledge sharing is indeed empowerment. It increases awareness and improves the ability of other people to use the knowledge for self improvement.

Business Intelligence Tools

Business Intelligence (BI) Tools are being used by many companies to improve business performance by making best use of data statistics, analytics and reporting tools to make better decisions. Business Intelligence strategy is driven by the organization’s business objectives and desired goals. It should be aligned with the organization’s business strategies. It includes a broad set of processes, technologies for collecting, integrating, accessing and analyzing information for the purpose of helping the enterprise make better business decisions. BI solutions should enable users to be able to quickly adapt to new business requirements and evolving sources of information. Improved information management could increase the company’s competitive advantage and performance optimization.

Once management has decided on what BI tools to adapt, everyone in the organization is expected to support it knowing that it is geared toward improving the organization’s processes and eventually financial performance. To encourage more effective use of business intelligence tools the people in the organization has to understand how BI can make them do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. It is important that the BI user in the organization understand how it fits in the mission and vision of the organization. Lack of BI strategy could lead to frustrated employees who cannot get timely answers to their business question.

I believe pay raises and sanctions should be a result of an employee’s overall performance vs. preset targets/benchmarks on major key result areas and other performance factors. Pay raises should not be an incentive to make use of BI applications alone. The company can choose to make  the use of BI applications as one of the areas for performance appraisal. The employees should use the BI applications that management deem appropriate to meet the company’s goals. I believe the use of BI tools should be mandatory and not optional to the employees once the company decides to adapt it.

After all, everyone in the company can eventually benefit in the results of the use of BI such as time and cost savings and higher income from the company’s business operations.

Online Shopping

Online shopping is becoming more popular now a days. It is accessible and a time saver.  Shopping may be done from any vendor, at anytime, anywhere in the world. It is easy to search for the merchandise you want to buy. Sometimes it’s even easier to find some products on line than looking for it in the conventional store.  It offers  a wide array of products from local and international brands. It is also easier to compare prices. Online shopping stores are open 24/7 and  many  online deals and promotions may  be enjoyed.

There are some complaints though regarding on line shopping such as hidden costs like shipping charges, delay in delivery, warranty issues such as items sold without international warranty and return problems. On line shopping also exposes the buyer to online scam such as credit card hoaxes and multiple transactions or paying twice. Since it is very convenient, the bad effect is that many people are becoming online shopaholics, buying things which are not needed or wanted after all.

I will not hesitate to buy books including  e books thru on line shopping. Many books are not readily available in conventional stores but can be readily accessed thru the internet. With books there’s little concern whether the book that will be delivered will have different content. As long as the correct book title and author is ordered, there is little possibility that a different book will be delivered or accessed. I like on line booking for travel and tours, there are various packages to choose from at reasonable prices. It is convenient to make arrangements on line even for international destinations.

I will think first before buying on line expensive gadgets, high end watches and signature bags. Considering that these are high value merchandise, the buyer should be careful and research first to  make sure that the on line vendor is reputable and that the items delivered are original and not fake.  Warranty concerns on the expensive gadgets as well as local servicing in case of repair should be covered. There are many fake watches and branded bags in the market today. It ishard to detect wich one is original or fake, thus, it is dangerous to buy on line unless the vendor is reputable. Damage during shipment is also a concern on these items.

I would never buy medicines, clothes and shoes in the internet. I have a bad experience on buying shoes on line. The picture looked fashionable and comfortable however, when it was delivered, I was very disappointed , it did not meet my expectations. Furthermore, it’s too inconvenient to process the return of the item or ask for a refund of payment. For medicines, it is difficult to assume that it is original and has not been damaged or contaminated during shipment. For clothes well, looks can be deceiving, the fit matters and buying on line does not give you the opportunity to fit until it is paid and delivered.

Wireless Network Tech

                Increased mobility and wider coverage due to wireless network technology provides opportunities to increase business. Customer service is improved by providing ready access to the company’s products and services at the clients’ convenient time at any location.  Mobile connectivity connects not just the existing customers but also to a wide range of other customers thus, increasing opportunities for increased business. Through wireless technology,a wider range of location that are difficult or not suitable to wire can be reached. Our bank has taken advantage of this technology with the LANDBANK Mobile Banking Application. The client can enjoy banking convenience anytime , anywhere through a mobile device. Services available are balance inquiry, transaction history, fund transfer, forex rates inquiry, bills payment and ATM and branch locators. Another LANDBANK product is the Mobile Loan Saver which is a paperless, purely electronic salary loan.  Business is increased due to these banking services.

Productivity in the organization is also improved by wireless technology where the employees can easily collaborate with their peers without the need to be in the same location. It facilitates easy transmittal of data that speed up the processes.Efficiency can be monitored by tracking the movement of products, equipment and employees.Wireless networks are more adaptable to changing needs than wired networks.It easier to add new users without need for additional cabling or rerouting of existing cables and furniture which can be disruptive to business.

Security of wireless network can be achieved through controls such as segregating internal network to public network and deploying strong and stringent authentication. Installation of anti virus software and intrusion detectors can also be implemented. Encryption technologies can be implemented as well as website authentication. Physical security is also critical such as preventing unauthorized physical access to facilities and devices. IT personnel training to provide appropriate and updated training to IT personnel is also important. Conducting regular audit on the risk management processes can also mitigate risks in the usage of wireless networks.

Outsourcing Info Tech Security

We often read news about cyber criminals hacking websites for trade secrets and financial account information.

Last year it was reported that  the United States Office of Personnel Management experienced a massive data breach affecting as many as  21.5 million federal employees and civilians. It has been described by federal officials as among the largest breaches of government data in the history of the United States. Information targeted in the breach included personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers, as well as names, dates and places of birth, and addresses The hack went deeper than initially believed and likely involved theft of detailed security-clearance-related background information (Source: NBC News,Oct 1,2015 & Wikipedia).

Should organizations outsource information technology security?

Let me share with you the insights of my nephew in law, Felipe Lapitgo, a graduate of the University of the Philippines and is presently a Software Development Technical Lead at Dovel Technologies, Information Technology Services in Rockville,Maryland U.S.A. He has extensive experience in I.T. having worked with I.T. companies such as Niyamit,Inc.as Senior Software Developer, RN Solutions as Software Development Lead and Verizon (Info Vision) as Senior Software Developer.

 “For almost all the organizations I’ve been a part of, we do not out-source IT Security. We always hire IT security (Cyber security) experts to do it in-house. These experts that we hire as much we could should be CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional). In some situations, we train someone from our organization to become CISSP and take care and be accountable for out IT Security.

There was only an instance that I have been part of an organization “out-sourced” IT security. Its not really “out-source”, but we are a contractor and we are accountable for the IT security of our client’s  organization.

But before we can do it, we went through an intensive background check and we need to pass the secret clearance check. This means that, that the organization that out-sourced the IT security to us, did all their diligence and all they can do to make sure that we can be trusted with their data and IT security. The burden of making sure that we can be trusted is on the client.

As much as you could, IT security should be in-house. If not possible, the Organization has all the responsibility to make sure that they can trust and make the IT security in-charge be accountable.

For stipulations to include, it really depends on how sensitive the data is and whats the value of those data to the organization.

*Ask the out-sourced IT Security contractors to pay whatever the value of those data they are securing to the organization. (This might result to an immediate push-back from the contractor)

*Do a regular and thorough breach penetration testing

*Do a regular and thorough IT security Assessments

Sometimes, when security breached happens, it’s too late to fix ,like when someone will release a source code or some scandalous media is released. When that happens, it’s already out, everyone will have a copy, and its impossible to clean-up.”

Typically, only large organizations can afford an in house security team. The adoption of managed security services is often driven by the cost effectiveness of gaining access to specialized security tools and expertise on a shared basis. Compliance requirements also drive the organization to security outsourcing to help meet their regulatory obligations. The issues to be considered in balancing security needs and budgetary constraints are added value to the business, choosing a supplier, choice, risk and due diligence.

Security outsourcing remain a challenge for many organizations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Managers & IS Decisions

In the  2015 CHAOS Report released by the Standish Group which publishes the state of the software development industry around the world, the no.1 factor that affects the successful outcome of  projects is EXECUTIVE SUPPORT. A project will most likely succeed to completion when the organization’s top management commits to provide both financial and emotional backing to I.T. projects. Thus,the most important skills needed by managers for effective IS projects would be:

STRONG LEADERSHIP SKILLS. Effective leaders inspire and motivate all members his team to move toward a direction that would optimize the benefits of the organization from information technology and the achievement of its goals. A good leader also ensures active involvement of the I.T. people and the users.

GOOD COMMUNICATOR. Leaders should also have effective communication skills. The manager should be able to convey the relevant information to the team. Coordination skills is also very important.

COMPETENT & KNOWLEDGEABLE. True leaders will endeavor to equip himself with knowledge on the technology and business aspects of the IS project . He is a critical thinker with excellent decision making skills. He is able to keep up with the latest technologies. He should also be innovative and passionate with his projects.

I.T. & ME

“Information is not power. It is only potential power. Only one thing gives you power, it is ACTION.” – Tony Robins”

Information technology has enriched my personal life and has significantly improved the quality of my work life. Social media such as Facebook has reconnected me with family and friends  who I thought, were”long lost”. It gave me the opportunity and the medium to express my appreciation for their love and friendship all these years. Communication is made easy through the internet and cellphone.

There is more access to travel and leisure. My travels now are more enjoyable because of arrangements available online  which are more affordable and time efficient. When I travel I have a better appreciation of the places I’m visiting because of online information  and maps. More importantly, I am now able to store pictures of major milestones in my life.

I.T. expanded my awareness of what’s going on in the world. I now have a broader perspective and understanding of the different cultures, different views in politics and religion and business trends. A lot of time, effort and money is saved with the use of information technology.

Digital transformation has changed banking forever. Electronic and mobile banking innovations has been phenomenal in the recent years. As a development banker promoting access to credit for countryside development, I have more access to market data that enables me to do more strategic target marketing and  responsive delivery of the bank’s credit facilities. The bank is now able to extend its market reach. Small farmers can now access loan releases through ATM machines nearest to where they live and pay their loans through debit instructions online. Loan origination is now being done online. Credit committee deliberations for loan approvals are now through video conferencing, making loan approvals faster and cost efficient. As a Manager, I.T. is an important management tool, it provides me information for  more proactive and strategic plans. I am now able to perform my leading, organizing and controlling functions better. I communicate better to my team even those in the satellite centers in the other provinces.

As a TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More.