Muddy: Week 14

Week 14 was completely confusing to me. I was familiar with the RAID1 and RAID0 from previous lectures, however, adding RAID5 and these other types of advanced storage devices along with networking really threw me for a loop. It was also extremely hard to concentrate on during the Thanksgiving Holidays and I almost forgot we had a class assignment due.


To begin with, this week was all about Enterprise Computing. Throughout this lecture we talked about RAID, which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. This method is used to treat multiple disks as if they are one as to be more efficient. RAID0 uses a striping method to utilize two or more drives at once. The main problem that comes with using this method is that if one drive fails they both fail and all data is lost. Most people prefer to use RAID1 which has a mirroring technique. This technique copies the drive allowing for data recovery if either drive fails. 


This information is extremely valuable in the business world because it can protect a major corporation from a complete system meltdown. If they choose the wrong type of storage and do not have their files properly backed-up, then the business could completely fail and go under. While this technology is also very important to the everyday user. 


Below I have included a link to a website that helped me to better understand the multiple advanced storage systems CPUs can come with and how they can be used. 


http://www.wdc.com/en/products/raid/

Secure Email Project

This week our Secure Email Project was due. I had no idea how time consuming this project would be this is one that you definitely do not want to wait to the last minute to do just because of all the downloading, encrypting, digitizing and emailing. To begin with I have never had the need to use encrypted emails or digital signatures, and until now I had no idea why someone would need to use such devices as digital certificates. 


The following link will take you to a website that will teach you all about encrypted email and how it will help protect your privacy and increase your computers security. According to the article one of the number one reasons to secure your email is to prevent the possibility of your computer contracting a virus or spam. Phishing emails are one of the most commonly accidentally opened viruses that people come across. These emails look exactly like the real webpages and can be extremely hard to recognize. One simple click on these emails and cyber terrorist will have instant access to your personal information. 


Emails are like postcards, they can easily be intercepted in transit by thousands of people, government and even terrorist. If you have very important information either business or personal taking the extra precaution to encrypt your messages can keep your business from going bankrupt and your identity from being stolen. 

I really enjoyed this final project it was something I have never done and it really opened my eyes to how susceptible my personal information really is on my computer. From now on there is nothing but secure emails for me. 

Week 13: Clear

Week 13 was all about computer security, ethics and privacy. I learned about how every year millions of people become victims of cyber crimes such as phishing, spamming, theft, fraud, cyber stalking and in severe cases identity theft. Throughout this chapter I learned about the simple ways to protect myself and my family from cyber crimes. Some of the ways to enhance my computers security include, turning on my spam blocker, enabling my firewall, updating my anti-virus software, protecting my personal information and monitoring what other people do on my computer. When it comes to your safety there is no such thing as going to far. 


Another extremely useful thing I learned during this chapter was how to prevent your password from being discovered. I was amazed to find out that for a password that contains ten characters there are 3,700,000,000,000,000 possible combinations. This would take a computer 59 years to crack and a person over 580 million years! I usually have passwords that run between 7-8 characters including numbers now that I know how just a few characters can make such a drastic improvement to the security of my personal information. 


All and all, chapter 13 was an eye opening experience to me. I always knew about hackers and scripts, but I never knew how susceptible I am to getting my identity stolen by just logging onto an un-secure link and downloading a virus. 

Week 12: Clear

Week 12 touched base with the basics about communication & networks. This weeks topic was an extremely informational and I thought it was a great benefit to learn. Until now I had no idea that there were so many types of networks. The four types of networks are LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) and PAN (Personal Area Network). Each one of these networks are utilized in their own unique way according to what a business or person needs. Networking can facilitate communitcations, increase productivity, share software, be more effecient, you can share data and information and even transfer funds. The main fallback to networking is the security threat and lack of privacy. Also, on some occassions there may not be enough site licenses on software for every member to use.

Bandwidth was a term I was very familiar with when watching the lectures. In bandwidths relation to latency, you want a high bandwidth and a low latency. You want to have a great connection to be able to transfer a lot of data in a short amount of time without any lag.

One of the hardest things for me to catch on to was the TCI/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). This is broken down into two layers, TCI which is responsible for verifying the correct delivery of data from client to server and IP  which is responsible for moving packet of data from node to node.

The following link allowed me to better understand the complete development of the TCI/IP system.

http://www.answers.com/topic/tcpip

I learned the reliable and unreliable modes and the specific uses of the IP.

Access Project

This week our Microsoft Access Project was due. This project was one of the most confusing projects I have ever had to work with due to the date that I have never used Microsoft Access before. I am glad I didn't wait until the very last moment to begin working on this assignment because I had to download Microsoft Access 2007.


Throughout the Access project I learned about creating tables, queries, forms and reports. I learned how to import external data files in multiple formats to one database and organize it. I also learned how to export data from a database in different file formats like .txt which is extremely easy to convert and one of the best formats to send documents in. I also learned that how to relate sets of tabular data and how easy it is to organize massive amounts of data by using Access. The biggest surprise to me was how professional the default tables and reports look without any customization.


The only fall backs to using Microsoft Access is learning how to use the program. I have never used the program before and it was quite hard to catch onto at point. However, once you understand how the program works the possibilities for organizing data are endless. Some of the ways to enhance the functionality of the database would be to increase security, insert user passwords to protect customers and to make better tutorial videos. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Access lectures, but they were a little dated and it made it harder to learn some of the required techniques to complete the project and scavenger hunt. Increased security is a must for any programs in the world today, especially since these files organize and hold valuable information such as addresses, names, date of birth, etc. The program as of right now is extremely vulnerable to identity theft which spreads through the web like wildfire. 

In the end, I am extremely happy I took this course just because I got to learn the aspects of a program I have never used. Even though the project is over I am going to look into Microsoft Access Tutorials and learn all the ways of using the program. I have always enjoyed using excel for organizing data but I cannot wait to explore Access even further. Below I have included a sample of what a Microsoft Access Database looks like. 

Week 11: Clear

This week are assigned topic was on Information Systems Development. Prior to this topic I was not familiar with the extremely elaborate developing process. I also had no clue exactly what a system analyst's job really was. 

A system analyst also called a systems "architect" has a very important part in completing a successful project. The main job of the analyst is to be the guardian of the company. To watch over the entire systems process from beginning to end, to troubleshoot technology problems and to make sure people stay on schedule. Without the analyst overseeing the project, there are many things that could go wrong and the project would be more likely to fail. 

Another topic I learned about while watching the lectures was the SDLC, system development life cycle. The SDLC is the collection of phases that system development activities are often grouped in. These groupings are labeled as followed; planning, analysis, design, implementation and operation.

• Planning- In this phase, you should review project requests and prioritize them, allocate resources and form a team for the project.
• Analysis- In this phase, you should conduct primary investigation, study the current system, determine user requirement and recommend a solution to them.
• Design- In this phase, you should acquire hardware and software and develop the details of the system.
• Implementation- In this phase, you should develop the programs, install and test the new system, and finally train the users. Don't forget to convert to the new system.
• Operation, Support & Security- In this phase, you should perform maintenance, assess the system performance, and asses the system security.

Without a great systems analyst and the use of the SDLC system a project would become chaotic and be a complete failure. The video below talks about the job of a systems analyst, how long they work and what their job requires on a day to day basis. It helped me realize how easy it is for one thing to go wrong in a project and how much pressure is on a analyst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A0d4NVtWx4&feature=related

Week 10: Clear

This weeks assignment was on Databases. When I first saw this topic I thought it was going to be a breeze. I am pretty computer savvy and I am a quick learner. Unfortunately, I have never in my life used Microsoft Access before. I watched all the lectures and did all the required reading for this section and was amazed to see how this new program worked. I am very familiar with excel and while learning about access I couldn't help but relate things back and forth.

The first thing that stood out to me in this section was the explanation of the differences in Data, Database and Information. I know a lot of people including myself have thrown those three words around interchangeably not even realizing they are completely different things. Data is a collection of unprocessed items. A database is where data is organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval and use of the data, and information is processed data. All three terms are connected but are not the same thing. 

I also learned a lot about the query language of databases. It's amazing that each query language has its own grammar and vocabulary. Also, I love how simple it is to learn the different processes of access like queries through the specialized wizards. Another interesting thing about this weeks topic was learning how Microsoft Access can be broken down into different types of information such as reports, queries, tables and forms. The way that access makes external data importation and exportation simple is another plus the program has to offer. 

Programs used to manage databases are called Database Management Systems (DBMS). Data is normally organized in a hierarchy with the smallest layer (fields) leading up to the biggest layer (files). In the business world I think that databases are extremely important. Time is money, and if your entire staff is spending hours on end looking through file processing systems at tons of redundant information then your company is losing money. Databases and a database knowledgable staff are essential for a smooth running of a company. Most companies have some form of database for organizing important documentation. Normalization, integrity, maintenance and security are absolutely crucial for the upkeep of a professional business.

The following is a tutorial I found on how to create a simple database. This tutorial helped me to better understand Microsoft Access because it was targeted at beginners and I have no experience at all. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPtXq-3qf6U

I am looking forward to doing this project I think it is going to be something new to try and extremely fun!