Module 4- IT Interview

             

According to TechTerms.com, “IT” is an acronym for Information Technology, and can describe anything that is related to computer technology. This includes networking, hardware, software, Internet use, or people that may work in these areas. Jobs within IT can be computer programming, network administration, computer engineering, Web development, or tech support.[1] The term “IT” found its’ way into everyday conversations once home computers became a common household appliance. IT support can be found online, over the phone, at the local shop in town, and even at work. IT can assist with home computer issues or be a part of national security.

One career path in the United States Navy is Information Technology. Under this career field, recruits are trained to provide technical support, write programs, analyze communication signals, provide training, and operate global satellite telecommunications systems.[2] Information Systems Technician First Class Nicolas Nannenga has worked within this career field for the past 14 years.

Nannenga started his military career as a Window NT administrator, which is an operating system developed by Microsoft. His duties included software/hardware configuration management, domain name server management, and Cisco router management. He feels that his biggest accomplishment during this time of his career was the fact that he developed a training suite for new administrators. This was a significant accomplishment as lower ranking servicemen are not asked to do these kinds of tasks.

A year later, Nannenga helped build a Windows 2003 domain from scratch that allowed users to migrate from the old Windows NT domain into an Active Directory. He maintained this network for two and half years. In a team effort, Nannenga and his colleagues migrated 400Gb of data from two servers with 320GB of hard disk space to a new server that had 1.5Tb of storage. He was able to do this with no loss of data, and only 8 hours of downtime for the user. He states that this was a major accomplishment during this tour of duty.

During his next tour, Nannenga received training and worked as a Linux administrator for three years. Along with a team of six coworkers, Nannenga maintained 250+ servers. He was unable to go into detail about this time in the service, but was able to discuss that he built a webpage and database designed to handle 10 million transactions a day and display the data in graph format, with trend analysis. This was built to help with system troubleshooting.

IS1 Nannenga is now in charge of system security on an aircraft carrier. He spends most of his day monitoring internet traffic and looking for illegal software downloads and pornography amongst sailors on the carrier. He also ensures security patches and antivirus updates are installed. Nannenga’s largest career accomplishment came last May, when IT on the carrier underwent a Department of Defense inspection. Two other ships that were investigated scored “high” by receiving 27% and 28% passing rate. Nannenga’s carrier received a 69% passing rate. http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=61633

Information Technology is an umbrella term that encompasses many systems dealing with computers. While most computer users with use IT support mainly for downloading new software on a home computer or for fixing simple errors at work, many people will forget that IT is part of our nation’s security.




[1] TechTerms. Accessed January 25, 2012. http://www.techterms.com/definition/it


[2] Information Technology. Accessed January 24, 2012. http://www.navy.com/careers/information-and-technology/information-technology.html

Module 3

Like outsourcing, offshoring is another way for corporations make cheaper products by moving processes to another country. But unlike outsourcing, offshoring moves entire factories to distant countries, not just the customer service department or taxing services. Larger corporations with multiple factories can ship the wok from one factory to another country and save money in both labor and material costs. Friedman claims that offshoring does not take money away from the original manufacturing country by feeding the saving back into the corporation, and in turn, feeds money back into the economy. This theory sounds feasible, but in reality, the money is going to stay within the corporation or make CEO pockets fatter. The employees that were working in the factory that was moved to another country are the people that would be feeding money back into the economy. Instead, they are now unemployed. Also, I am confused as to how offshoring plays into technological advancements. It seems to me that offshoring is a by product of China joining the WTO, and there was no reference to the internet or use of computers.

            The supply chain for a business is the group of processes that gets product from the supplier to the customer. Wal-Mart’s supply chain includes buying product from the supplier, sorting product at the distribution center, shipping product to individual stores, stocking the shelves, customer purchases, and reordering product. Wal-Mart has made this system more effective by upgrading their cash registers to supply instant information about the items a customer purchased. This information is sent directly to the supplier and provides details such as how many items were purchased and in what color. The supplier can then produce only the items that the stores are selling. This allows Wal-Mart to carry less inventory and decreases the chance of over stocking. Unlike the chapter discussing offshoring, Friedman explains how Wal-Mart has used advances in technology to share pertinent information with its’ suppliers. Technology aside, I was amazed at how Wal-Mart was able to become a retailer powerhouse by saving 1% here and 2% there. Owning your own distribution center would help keep costs down, as long as there are enough stores and product to offset the overhead of such a large operation. Wal-Mart took and gamble and it worked.

            In a few short years, Google changed the way people searched for and found information on the internet. Instead of typing in a keyword and hoping for the best, Google developed mathematical formulas that provided the user with the most relevant information based on the entered keyword. Google then took it a step further and provided business the opportunity to advertise online. Now, when you search for an item or idea through Google, you will also be provided information about business that specialize in the searched item. Google can also provide listings for business in your local area by using your IP address. This has help business to target only those who are interested in their services. Business can now spend less money on TV, radio and paper ads, and place more focus on online advertisement through Google. This service has not only helped local business, but those half a world away by providing the customer with information that that be easily accessed through Google.

Module 2

The introduction of workflow software in the early 1990’s allowed many companies to work on a more productive and cohesive level.  This software helped computers that were running different operating systems and different programs to communicate by using generic coding language. Now, multiple departments within one company could communicate through the use of computers and eliminate the use of pen and paper. This in turn could help a company speed up production and have a higher turnover of product. Every example I could think of that would best demonstrate workflow software, Freidman used in his book.  So, I took most of this week to think of another example. Luckily, my computer at work had a glitch, and I submitted a work order with the IT department. Years ago, if there was a problem with a computer that required IT work, you would make a phone call, set an appointment, and then wait a few days for IT to show. Now, I can either email the IT department, or submit a work order by clicking on a link on my desktop. Within a few minutes, I will receive an instant message from someone within the IT department requesting to remote access my computer. The member from IT can then fix my computer glitch within a few minutes, saving me a few days of downtime from work.

Open source software is software that is developed by a community of programmers for free. The software is then available for download, for free, and can be amended for free. The only stipulation is that the original developers are credited for the software. Open source software is important because it allows for quicker updates and software that is customized towards the specific demographics that are using the software.  When the internet was becoming common place in the household, Internet Explorer was “the” way to access the internet.  When Firefox come on the scene, may people, including myself were hesitant to use new system. Firefox operates on the concept of open source software, which has helped it to surpass Internet Explorer. Firefox users are able to customize their internet experience. Open source software has also given a leading edge to the Android system over Apple. Android allows users to modify and repost software for free, where Apple charges for most changes and updates and is not open for user modification.

Outsourcing is another concept that exploded with the large accessibility to the internet. What started as a way to transcribe medical documents overnight, outsourcing took a large leap forward with the fear of the Y2K computer fiasco. Programmers in India were able to demonstrate to the world what they were capable of fixing computers at a fraction of the cost. This lead larger companies to experiment with other items and processes that could be sent to India to save money. While I agree with trying to save money and increase your overall profit, I do not agree with outsourcing.  This process has taken jobs from many hard working Americans, and has shipped them overseas. This alone has been a large factor in the downturn of our current economic state. As more jobs are shipped to countries like India, the larger the unemployment rate gets in the United States. When people do not have a job, they can not put money back into the system. Other business start to fail and they start looking for ways to cut costs, which means more outsourcing. It is a continuous cycle, a downward spiral. Friedman explains that outsourcing has allowed companies to focus on the small details of business, how to provide a more personal experience to the customer. This is the positive angle of outsourcing, but Friedman fails to explain what happens to those who lost their jobs due to outsourcing.  Friedman did peak my interest when he explained that the job of medical transcribing was first offered to Native Americans in Maine. Would things be different today? Would we be outsourcing to Indian Reservations throughout the United States? This would have helped to keep money circulating within the country.

Module 1

In the book, The World Is Flat, the author, Thomas L. Friedman, describes three different stages of Globalization. The first is Globalization 1.0, which takes place between 1492 and 1800. During this time, entire countries were tiring to figure out how they fit into the global community. Globalization 2.0 occurred during the 1800’s through 2000. This was a time when companies were deciding how they could fit into the global community. Finally, Globalization 3.0 started in 2000 and continues through today. Now, it is individuals who are trying to find their placed in the global community. Friedman does and excellent job at pinpointing certain events that shrunk the vastness of the world, and the people in it. Up until the Industrial Revolution, countries were making money and defining themselves by how much land they owned. After the Industrial Revolution (1800’s), the money started shifting towards large companies and corporations.  This continued until computers and the Internet were common household items, like a television (2000). Now, any person can make money or have their 15-minutes of fame thanks to the Internet.  

Freidman continues to explain how the world “became flat”, meaning that people can communicate and collaborate thousands of miles part. We are no longer separated by distance or oceans. Thanks to inventions and concepts such as the Internet, teleconferencing, and outsourcing, we have become a “single global network”.  There are ten events that Freidman claims led to this “flattening of the world”. The first is the fall of the Berlin Wall.

 On November 9, 1989, Germany started tearing down the Berlin Wall. This event was not only important for the unification of Germany, but it symbolized the destruction of solidarity and a move towards global communications.  Once the wall was gone, people were able to think for themselves, and share these ideas freely. Services were not longer developed because a higher power said it should be done. They were now developed because the people had a demand for it. The Berlin was a mental block that prevented the free flow of ideas from one individual to another, and from one corporation to the next on a global scale. This “free thinking” lead to the discovery of the home PC and increased a sense of empowerment.

The second event that flattened world was the invention of Netscape.  By the mid-1990’s, many people had uploaded digital content to the Internet. Unfortunately, there was no real way to navigate through all this information.  Along came the invention the World Wide Web, and people now had a way to find individual pieces of information. But what really launched the Internet to what it is today, was the invention of Netscape.  Before Netscape, most Internet users were scientists or computer programmers. Netscape was the user-friendly way to surf the World Wide Web. And because it was so easy to use, it opened the door for more and more people to upload digital content.  It allowed for companies large and small to place product online and reach people everywhere. It provided a basic platform for sending emails between servers, providing better communication around the globe.  Netscape provided the groundwork for all aspects of Internet based programs and functions.

The World Is Flat is quite interesting! I am old enough to remember a time without the Internet, but still young enough that I do not know the origins or how it took off with such speed.  I have honestly never thought about how the Internet has affected our growth as a global community before, but Friedman has me look at everything thing that I do on a daily basis. I do feel that the beginning of the book was a teaser about outsourcing, which I am interested to learn more about.