Information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Information system - Essay Example (BBC 2008) Technology implies something scientific in a broader definition of the word. But for the commercial and industrial world, technology means information technology – an all embracing term that cover all aspects of information systems, technological or not, within a business. The initial funding of 300 million euros for the European Institute of Technology in Budapest is a testament to such fact and the institution prioritizes IT project along with renewable energy. (BBC) The BBC report highlighted that in pooling the expertise of universities, research bodies and businesses, the institute will play a prominent role in the European Union’s strategy of promoting jobs, growth and competitiveness. Because of what it does, technology is crucial to business. There are two main reasons: First, without effective use of technology, an organization cannot sustain any competitive position and, secondly, technology-driven innovation becomes the only viable route to long term growth. In integrating information technology, for instance, to the overall business strategy, the ability to lower cost and make profits are enhanced. It plays a vital role in corporate success because it enhances business strategies by making their execution faster, more efficient and effective, and more responsive to customer needs and market conditions. Just as the BBC report cited in this paper highlighted for us, technology is no longer solely an opportunity for companies; it has become a requirement and standard in order for them to

Cloud Computing Essay Example for Free

Cloud Computing Essay ABSTRACT: This white paper is an introduction to the terms, characteristics, and services associated with internet-based computing, commonly referred to as cloud computing. Also introduced are the benefits and challenges associated with cloud computing, and for those seeking to use communications services in the cloud, briefly presented are different ways of determining the interfaces needed to use these communications services. Cloud computing is where software applications, processing power, data and potentially even artificial intelligence are accessed over the Internet. Many private individuals now regularly use an online email application such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail. The location of physical resources and devices being accessed are typically not known to the end user. It also provides facilities for users to develop, deploy and manage their applications ‘on the cloud’, which entails virtualization of resources that maintains and manages itself. 1. What is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing provides the facility to access shared resources and common infrastructure, offering services n demand over the network to perform operations that meet changing business needs. Definitions: â€Å"Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet.† – Wikipedia â€Å"Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.†- Wikipedia Basically a cloud is a virtualization of Resources that manages and maintains itself. CCSIT, Junagadh [emailprotected] Page 1 2. Types of cloud Public Cloud: the services are delivered to the client via the Internet from a third party service provider. Example: Amazon, Yahoo, Google Example of Clouds 3. Architecture Cloud architecture,[15] the systems architecture of the software systems involved in the delivery of cloud computing, typically involves multiple cloud components communicating with each other over application programming interfaces, usually web services and 3-tier architecture. This resembles the Unix philosophy of having multiple programs each doing one thing well and working together over universal interfaces. Complexity is controlled and the resulting systems are more manageable than their monolithic counterparts. Private Cloud: these services are managed and provided within the organization. There are less restriction on network bandwidth, fewer security exposures and other legal requirements compared to the public Cloud. Example: HP Data Centers Hybrid cloud: There is some confusion over the term Hybrid when applied to the cloud a standard definition of the term Hybrid Cloud has not yet emerged. The term Hybrid Cloud has been used to mean either two separate clouds joined together (public, private, internal or external), or a combination of virtualized cloud server instances used together with real physical hardware. The most correct definition of the term Hybrid Cloud is probably the use of physical hardware and virtualized cloud server instances together to provide a single common service Architecture The two most significant components of cloud computing architecture are known as the front end and the back end. The front end is the part seen by the client, i.e. the computer user. Hybrid cloud CCSIT, Junagadh [emailprotected] Page 2 This includes the client’s network (or computer) and the applications used to access the cloud via a user interface such as a web browser. The back end of the cloud computing architecture is the ‘cloud’ itself, comprising various computers, servers and data storage devices collaboration. For more information on collaborative working using Google Docs, you can watch the now classic video Google Docs in Plain English. Taking collaboration further still, the outputs of some SaaS applications can be embedded in other web pages as web service gadgets. For example, a Google Docs or Zoho Sheet chart can be mashed into another website. There it will automatically update when the data in the online spreadsheet that is generating it is changed. SaaS applications are also constantly updated, which can free users of the upgrade hell of a major traditional software package revision. The disadvantage of SaaS is that it is basically a takeit-or-leave-it form of cloud computing. This means that businesses and individuals who require direct access to cloud computing hardware on which they can run their own applications cannot use SaaS. Rather, they need to cloud compute at the platform or infrastructure level using either platform as a service (PaaS) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS). 4. Services of Cloud Computing SaaS(Software as a Service) PaaS(Platform as a Service) IaaS(Infrastructure as a Service) Services Of Cloud computing PaaS(Platform as a Service) A platform is a software environment used to develop and run applications. For example, Microsoft Word is an application that runs on the Microsoft Windows platform. When people choose to cloud compute using platform as a service or PaaS, they obtain access to an online platform provided by a cloud computing vendor. They can then use this platform to develop and deliver their own online (SaaS) applications. Applications developed using PaaS may be used privately by just one or a few users within a particular company. However, they can also be offered free or for-a-fee to anybody on the web. This means that if you have a great idea for a new online application then you can use PaaS to turn it into a reality! Several cloud suppliers now offer PaaS tools. Most notably these include Google App Engine, Microsoft Windows Azure, and Force.com. All such offerings effectively provide their customers with a box of cloud computing Lego. New applications are then constructed from the plastic bricks on offer. With Force.com, some applications can even be built using a simple drag-and-drop interface. Relatively nontechnical people can therefore create new online applications very quickly. SaaS (Software as a Service) Software as a service is where computer applications are accessed over the Internet rather than being installed on a local computing device or in a local data centre. So, for example, people may use an online word processor like Google Docs, an online database application like Zoho Creator, an online photo editor like Pixar, or an online invoicing application such as Zoho Invoice. Many SaaS applications are free to use, at least initially. You can find links to a great many in the Cloud Computing Directory. SaaS can provide its users with many benefits. These include the general cloud computing advantages of dynamic scalability and any device independence, as well as the benefit of being able to use an application without incurring fixed costs. Many SaaS applications are also collaborative. This allows multiple users to share documents and even to work on them at the same time.  For example, in the Google Docs spreadsheet different users can work on different cells simultaneously. The cells different users are working on are locked-off and highlighted in different colours. A real-time chat window can also be opened up alongside the spreadsheet to further enhance Indeed, Force.com claim that their simplified programming model and cloud-based environment mean [customers] can build and run applications five times faster, at about half the cost of traditional software platforms. Google App Engine and Force.com also allow an initial application to be created for free! Whilst PaaS is great in many situations, its users do need to be mindful of the involved flexibility verses power trade-off. What this means is that whilst PaaS makes it relatively easy to create new online applications, users are nevertheless constrained by the particular programming languages and tools provided by their PaaS supplier. In other words, PaaS vendors have total control over which Lego bricks they allow their customers to build with. Whilst this ensures that applications built using the tools on offer will always function correctly, it is nevertheless restrictive. It is for this reason that many companies and some individuals choose to cloud compute at the infrastruct ure level. Dedicated physical servers and virtual server instances can perform exactly the same functions. However, there are some differences between them. For a start, virtual server instances are cheaper to supply as each does not require its own piece of physical hardware in a cloud data centre. On the other hand, virtual server instances are sometimes seen as less secure by those who do not want to share server hardware with other customers. For this reason, four categories of IaaS are available. These are most commonly known as private clouds, dedicated hosting, hybrid hosting and cloud hosting. 5. How cloud computing works? In traditional enterprise computing, IT departments forecast demand for applications and capacity and invest time and money to develop those resources inhouse or purchase them from others and operate them in-house. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) Infrastructure as a service or IaaS is where a cloud supplier provides online infrastructure on which their customers can store data and develop and run whatever applications they please. IaaS therefore allows companies to move their existing programs and data into the cloud and to close down their own local servers and data centres. Whilst computing applications run on platforms, platforms in turn run on computing infrastructure. So, for example, whilst the Microsoft Word application runs on the Microsoft Windows platform, in turn the Microsoft Windows platform runs on the infrastructure of an IBM-compatible PC. How it works The fundamental building block of cloud computing infrastructure is the server. Cloud computing servers are basically computers on which online applications can be run and data can be stored. When provided by an IaaS vendor, cloud servers can also be real or virtual. Real or dedicated servers are individual circuit boards – known as blades – mounted within equipment racks in a data centre. In contrast virtual servers – also known as virtual server instances – are software-controlled slices of real, physical servers. Virtual servers are created by a process called virtualization that allows many users to share the processing power of one physical server. With cloud computing, institutions procure IT services from remote providers, and campus constituents access these resources over the Internet. E-mail, for example, long considered a staple of an institution’s IT operations, can be obtained from a range of sources, and a growing number of campuses contract with outside suppliers for this function. Software is hosted by the provider and does not need to be installed—or maintained—on individual computers around campus. In some cases, a large university or a consortium might become a provider of cloud services. Storage and processing needs can also be met by the cloud. Institutions pay only for the resources used, and users can access the applications and files they need from virtually any Internet- connected computer. In a mature cloud computing environment, institutions would be able to add new IT services or respond to changes in capacity on the fly, saving capital costs that can be redirected to programs of strategic value to the institution. Advantages †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Reduced Hardware equipment for end users Improved Performance Lower Hardware and Software Maintenance Instant Software Updates Accessibility Less Expensive (Amazon example) Better Collaboration Pay for what you use Flexible 6. CHARACTERISTICS †¢ High scalability Cloud environments enable servicing of business requirements for larger audiences, through high scalability Disadvantages †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Security Issues (#1 concern) Internet connection Too many platforms Location of Servers Time for Transition Speed †¢ Agility The cloud works in the ‘distributed mode’ environment. It shares resources among users and tasks, while improving efficiency and agility (responsiveness) †¢ High availability and reliability Availability of servers is high and more reliable as the chances of infrastructure failure are minimal †¢ Multi-sharing With the cloud working in a distributed and shared mode, multiple users and applications can work more efficiently with cost Reductions by sharing common infrastructure †¢ Services in pay-per-use mode SLAs between the provider and the user must be defined when offering services in pay per use mode. This may be based on the complexity of services offered Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) may be offered to the users so they can access services on the cloud by using these APIs 7. CONCLUSION After so many years, Cloud Computing today is the beginning of â€Å"network based computing† over Internet in force. It is the technology of the decade and is the enabling element of two totally new computing models, the Client-Cloud computing and the Terminal-Cloud computing. These new models would create whole generations of applications and business. Our prediction is that it is the beginning to the end of the dominance of desktop computing such as that with the Windows. It is also the beginning of a new Internet based service economy: the Internet centric, Web based, on demand, Cloud applications and computing economy

The Power Of Good And Evil in Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to

The Power Of Good And Evil in Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find  Ã‚        Ã‚   Good and bad. Right and wrong. Guilty and Innocent. These are just a few of the many themes that surround everyone's life. Everyone has their own opinion about certain issues, and they depend on their values, judgment, and beliefs to see them through their difficulties. Flannery O'Connor was quoted as saying "I see from the standpoint of Christian orthodoxy. This means the meaning of life is centered in our Redemption by Christ and that what I see in the world I see in relation to that" (Contemporary Authors 402). These themes are present in O'Connor's story "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The story is about a grandmother, a "good" woman who goes on vacation with her son and his family and suffers terribly due to her poor judgement, and beliefs, but learns the true meaning of "good" in the face of something "bad." The grandmother lives with her only son, Bailey, his wife and their children. The beginning of the story the grandmother is preparing to take a trip with her son?s family to Florida; a place where she doesn?t even want to go. She wants the whole family to go to Tennessee to visit relatives (O?Connor 907).This is the first example of the egocentric ways that lead her to her demise. She wants to uproot the whole family ,only for her benefit. She also does not want to go to Florida because there is a escaped convict, an evil man, on the loose. She says, "The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to those people" (O?Connor 907). Critic Richard Spivey explains the use of violence in O?Connor?s work: "O?Connor dealt with violent and grotesque people because "man has in his... ...403. Drake, Robert. "The Bleeding Stinking Mad Shadow of Jesus in the Fiction of Flannery O?Connor. Comparative Literature Studies. University of Illinois. 1966. Vol. 3. 183-196. Gilbert, Muller, H. Nightmares and Visions. Flannery O?Connor and the Catholic Grotesque. University Press. University of Georgia Press. 1977. 125. Hamblen, Abigail Ann. Flannery O?Connor?s Study of Innocence and Evil. University Press. University of Mississippi. 1968. 295-297. McCown, Robert. Flannery O?Connor and the Reality of Sin in the Catholic World. Missionary Society of St. Paul, NY. 1959. Vol. 188. 285-291. O?Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York. HarperCollins, 1991. 907-917. Stephens, Martha. The Question of Flannery O?Connor. Ed. University Press. Louisiana State Press, 1973. 189-205.

Geology and Technology Essay

The field of geology helps us understand our surroundings on earth. The benefits of geology include how to protect our environment and supplies us with natural resources. Geology helps assist us in avoiding geologic hazards and is based on the scientific method. One of the great contributions to human understanding made by geology is the concept of the vastness of geologic time. None of these benefits could have ever been discovered or even thought of if science did not collide with technology. Science and technology are closely related to each other, and it seems like they are two major factors influencing the progress of our society. Since the industrial revolution in the 18th century science has been in progress. Some sectors that have been boosted by science and technology are energy, physical sciences, information and communication. The society has greatly gained with the invention of technology. A recently increasing challenge to the population of the world has been natural disasters. Natural disasters are consequences of the combination of a natural hazards and human populations. Natural hazards include earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, epidemic, and countless other natural processes that threaten population. Human vulnerability is caused by the lack of appropriate emergency management, and leads to financial, structural, and human losses. The losses from disasters depend on the capacity of the population to resist the disaster. We directed our research toward an early warning system that could recognize natural disasters as soon as scientifically possible and spread that knowledge as quickly as possible in order to minimize loss to humans. Upon researching natural disaster alert systems, we came across an intriguing and promising global system of integrated observational systems of the Earth from regions all around the world. This system of the future has numerous capabilities. In the article, â€Å"New radar technology to boost accuracy, save lives,† the National Weather Service created a new radar technology after a record high of one thousand seven hundred and six tornadoes were confirmed in 2011. The new technology was created in a desperate attempt to save those who could be at risk for a natural disaster, after five hundred and fifty lives were taken due to natural disasters in 2011. The new radar equipment sends out horizontal and vertical sweeps, allowing forecasters to have a two dimensional look at severe weather. Dave Nadler, a warning coordination meteorologist from northern Alabama, says that the new technology allows weather service officials to get tornado warnings out much more accurately and much faster. (Blanton). Another technological advance that may save many lives is the LiDar, which is an instrument that can determine how an earthquake changes a landscape down to a few inches. The LiDar gives geologists insight into how earthquake faults behave, and may lead to geologists being able to predict an earthquake (Elliot). The remarkable development in space technology and its application during the last three decades have firmly established its immense potential for the development of the human society as a whole. Robert Jedicke did a study on asteroids in orbit around the sun. Jedicke knew that the asteroids orbiting around the sun mostly pass Earth very quickly. But, he discovered that there are some asteroids that move slowly, and often are captured by Earths gravity causing them to go into orbit around Earth. Jedicke used a computer program that calculated how many asteroids would be pulled into Earths orbit. He found that once every 100,000 years there is an asteroid the size of a football field that joins the other moons in Earths orbit. Another discovery that has been made in space because of technology is the possibility of life on Mars (Palca). The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showed photographs of dried up flood plains and riverbeds on the planet, meaning that the water could have supported ancient life (Hadhazy). In London in 2012, the Natural History Museum received a meteorite that fell from Mars to Earth. Because of the space rock being so new, scientists have a much better chance of learning about the planet. Technology is so advanced today that we can determine what rock is most common to least common in the small portion of Mars (Chang). Since the art of making fire and creating handcrafted tools, our civilization has come a long way. Science and Technology are making advances at an amazing rate. From telephones to the Internet, calculators to computers, cars to rockets and satellites, we are submerged in a sea of discoveries and inventions made possible by Science. Fields like Medicine and communications have made inroads into our cultures and thus our lifestyles.

How to Write a Brand Positioning Statement Essay

The Power of 3 Words First words on the subjects goes to Branding expert and author Jack Trout who advocates the simplest brand positioning strategy possible. He believes that the best and most successful brands occupy very specific positions in consumers minds, and those positions can be translated into a brand positioning statement of no more than three words. He wrote a post on Branding Strategy Insider where he said: â€Å"I have never seen a great brand positioning strategy that needed more than three words to define the brand. Any more than that and the probability of achieving any kind of impact on the market turns almost immediately to zero. â€Å"Great branding focuses on the two or three things that mark the brand out as different. Great positioning always consists of unexpected words born from research, forged through heritage, and destined to differentiate. I cannot tell you what those words should be, but I can tell you that if you are claiming ‘innovation’ or ‘excellence’ in your positioning, you will achieve the opposite.† The trick is creating a brand positioning statement that accurately encompasses your brand within three words (or as close to that as you can get). Think of it this way, consumers don’t have the time, patience, or desire to sift through cluttered messages to get to the meat of the matter. If your brand position isn’t clear, concise, and believable, it will have no chance of snatching a space in consumers’ minds for more than a nanosecond. Your brand positioning strategy has to set the focus and direction of your brand in a way that is instantly meaningful to consumers. You may be familiar with Jact Trout’s work which amplifies the above alongwith his ex partner Al Ries. Check them out for more details and examples. While their work is strategic, practitioners need to follow a template which spells out the different elements that need to be included. We look at two approaches which are typical. If you examine closely the variations between them are slight 1. According to Gavin Robertson, Brand Positioning Statements provide the most useful function of Taking everything you know about your brand, Everything that could be said about the consumer Making choices to pick one target that you’ll serve One brand promise you will stand behind. The Brand Positioning Statement A best in class positioning statement has four key elements: Target Market (a) Definition of the market you play in (b) Brand Promise (emotional or rational benefit) (c) The Reason to Believe (RTB) the brand promise (d) The more focused your decisions, the more successful you will be: decide on one target, one promise and maybe one or two reasons to believe that help to directly back up your promise. But the target shouldn’t be everyone 18-65, and don’t throw your eight best features at the wall and hopefully something sticks. And the reason to believe has to back up your promise, not be a whole new promise. The classic way to write a Brand Positioning Statement is to take the elements above and frame them into the following: For the target market (a) Brand X plays in the market (b) and it gives the main benefit (c). That’s because of the following reasons to believe (d). 2. On the other hand Brad Van Auken says the brand position or brand positioning is how the brand is perceived in the context of competitive alternatives in the mind. When we develop Brand Positioning Statements we include the 5 elements below for each positioning statement. A Target Customer Definition, Brand Essence (Mantra), Brand Promise (Unique Value Proposition), Brand Archetype and Brand Personality, These 5 elements give the intended Brand Position greater depth. Brand Essence It is the â€Å"heart and soul† of the brand, its timeless quality, expressed as â€Å"adjective, adjective, noun.† Some people refer to the brand essence as the brand mantra, while for others the brand’s mantra is synonymous with the brand’s tagline or slogan. Brand Brand Essence (Adjective1, Adjective2, Noun) Disney Fun family entertainment Nike Authentic athletic performance Starbucks Rewarding everyday moments The Brand Promise / Unique Value Proposition: Only [name of brand] Delivers [unique and compelling benefit or shared value] To [target customer description] In the [product or service category] (establishing the competitive â€Å"frame of reference†) In the context of [market condition or trend that makes the benefit or value even more compelling] Because [proof points or â€Å"reasons to believe†] Focuses on the one or two key points of difference between the brand in question and other brands. Typically, these points of difference are brand benefits, benefits that are relevant, unique, compelling and believable for the brand in question. Brands typically focus on only one or two benefits and research has shown that people can’t link more than that number of benefits to a given brand in their minds. The first or most important benefit is sometimes referred to as the primary brand benefit. Example: The unique value proposition for Volvo is â€Å"safety.† As a brand promise, it could be expressed as â€Å"Only Volvo assures a safe ride to parents who care about their children’s safety.† One usually talks about attributes associated with products. Generally, with brands, people focus on benefits or values. Brand benefits can be functional, emotional, experiential or self-expressive. Through market research, one can identify the path from attributes to benefits to values to self-esteem in customers’ minds. This process is called laddering. A self-expressive benefit of the Mercedes brand is that it communicates that I have status and money. Brand  associations are anything that people link or associate with the brand in their minds. For example, people associate gambling and other vices with the Las Vegas, Nevada brand. The Brand Personality It is the composite of different brand personality elements. Focus on 7 to 12 brand personality elements for each brand. A brand personality element is usually expressed as an adjective. The purpose of brand personality attributes is to help personify the brand and to give it a distinctive â€Å"brand voice. Brand personality elements include the following: Trustworthy, Innovative, Reliable, Friendly, Rugged, Wholesome, etc. The Brand Archetype It is the underlying archetype that implies the driving force or motivation behind the brand. Combined with the brand personality, the brand archetype gives a brand a more human feel. Brand archetypes include The Pioneer, The Wizard, The Scientist, The Sage and The Artist. Other important terms to consider Brand Trigger is a term used mostly in Europe. It refers to anything that is associated with the brand that causes people to think about the brand. It elicits brand recall. Some people refer to a brand trigger as a Brand Mnemonic Device. So, most Brand Identity Elements (name, tagline, logo, jingle, etc.) are or can be Brand Triggers. We also talk about Brand Insistence Drivers. These five drive customers from being aware of the brand to preferring the brand to being loyal to the brand to insisting on the brand accepting no substitutes. 1. Awareness, 2. Relevant Differentiation, 3. Value, 4. Accessibility 5. Emotional Connection In the Brand Positioning process it’s important to evaluate the market and  your target customers — those that are most important to the future of your brand. With this understanding, continue to re-visit your positioning and tighten the focus.