If a sports car is downloadable, I’ll download it for free

I first learned about piracy when I was in Grade 3. It was a sunny day…I and my 2  classmates were swimming (naked) at the beach near our school when I saw a poster drifting on the water. I read it and it explained that piracy is like robbing a classmate’s lunchbox and eating the food while watching him starve to death. Of course, I am just exaggerating it but that poster made me aware that piracy is a bad thing to do especially for a religious child like me prays the rosary every day (:-X).  When I was in high school, I got really addicted to watching movies in cassette tapes. Every time that I watch foreign movies, an announcement about piracy would always flash on the screen before the teasers and actual movie. Because it’s being played over and over again, I was able to memorize it completely like the lines of the characters of Captain Planet or the creed of Team Rocket in Pokemon.  It goes like this, “You wouldn’t steal a car. You wouldn’t steal a handbag. You wouldn’t steal a television. You wouldn’t steal a movie. Downloading pirated films is stealing.  Stealing is against the law, PIRACY. IT’S A CRIME.”

When I first saw the add, I smiled and said, well if this is true, everyone in my neighbourhood is a criminal because we all shared copies of pirated movies and even software applications through floppy disks.  That time, I really don’t give a damn about piracy because in my neighbourhood, we all believe that if you can get something for free, why pay for it? I went on using pirated copies of movies and software in college and I don’t blame my friends and classmates in doing the same thing. We were able to save a lot from using free pirated applications like Photoshop, Microsoft applications and other video editing software.  In fact if a sports car is downloadable, I’ll download it for free.

I know that there are many laws that have been made to prevent privacy. Internationally, the laws for punishing piracy in developed countries are stringent and punitive in nature. In Asian countries like the Philippines, it does not get the attention at the national level due to more engaging issues at hand like graft and corruption, conflict in Southern Philippines, the show business filled with crazy people and among others. We have our Optical Media Board and other private organizations that are working against piracy but their efforts are just band aids to the ever growing wound of piracy.

I am aware and I understand that piracy is wrong. It denies the owners of intellectual property the ability to fully profit from their ventures and it may decrease profitability and may impact investments in intellectual property. But, many of us in the Philippines do not have the luxury of buying original software because we have so many important things to buy and bills to pay.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not an advocate of piracy. In fact, I believe that there is a need to educate people that they can do piracy if they really don’t have money to buy the original software, but if they already earned from using pirated software, they must start on using original applications because aside from its being ethical, the original one works really well, it doesn’t have a lot of issues, it has customer support and it has important regular updates. Furthermore, when we pay for the original software, the developers will have additional fund to develop new software that will make our lives better and more comfortable.  That is why I am begging software developers to localize the prices of the software in the Philippines. What I mean is, the prices of the software from abroad are really expensive so it must be lowered down to a standard retail price that the middle class can afford. It must be a win-win solution for the developers and the end-users.

Combating piracy through punitive measures, like pressuring the government to impose sanctions on transgressors will never solve the problem and for me, it is a total non sense and just a waste of resources.  Shutting down sites will not also work because the world-wide-web moves too quickly and has unlimited space for infringing sites to hide. You close one or two site today, and three or more site will pop up tomorrow. Also, most of us now have an easy access to a computer with internet connection so everyone can just download software in a click of a mouse. Aside from lowering the cost of the original software, the software companies may develop portable software that does not have the complete tools compared to the original and expensive one but is still usable and can still give the results that the users need. The portable software can be sold on a much lower cost.  Finally, I think the best way to combat piracy is for the software companies to be open about piracy. It means letting the users know of the company’s loss due to piracy and how the problem is affecting the sending of necessary updates, customer support and development of new programs. Also, opening up means making the public know of who are the developers of the software like making them icons for the youth to be aware of so they’ll know the people that they are ripping off. Some people would think twice about stealing or pirating software from a developer or software development team funding socially responsible initiatives like scholarship programs for the youth, food aid, etc.

Shaping New Knowledge Solutions in Asia America Initiative through Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management is the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge-based assets. Most often, generating value from such assets involves gathering data on what employees, partners and clients know, and sharing that information among employees, departments and even with other companies in an effort to devise best practices that can be replicated globally. 

For 12 years, Asia America Initiative, a non-profit, non-governmental and humanitarian aid organization, has realized many international model programs that provided humanitarian aid in under-served communities, improved the quality of public education and promoted sustainable agriculture and other forms of livelihood in the Asia Pacific Region. By building hope and empowering communities, AAI is able to build a strong and large information asset that can be used to implement greater initiatives, only if it is captured, collated and organized though Knowledge Management. As an officer of the organization for 5 years, I believe that Knowledge management will play a vital role in effectively organizing AAI’s assets that include databases, documents, policies, procedures, and previously un-captured expertise and experience of the employees and field workers. I have worked with a lot experienced people in AAI who came and went out the organization without having to fully share and transfer highly valuable information or knowledge both tacit and explicit. These information or knowledge, if only codified and shared to the new staff and volunteers can change the way we traditionally do projects and develop the existing practices and policies. Furthermore, it is also important for AAI to effectively analyze the relationships between the projects, partners, recipients and activities by producing a knowledge management dashboard or knowledge management report out of the data and knowledge gathered.

The biggest barriers in implementing knowledge management in AAI are the scattered location of its field workers, their sensitive and difficult situation or environment and the beneficiaries’ backgrounds. Most of the projects of AAI are in areas of armed conflict and communities affected by disaster and other man made calamities. Usually, in those places, there is limited or no connectivity to mobile and internet connection. It would be costly for AAI to send its field workers to Manila or Washington office for interview or knowledge transfer. Also, it would risky and time consuming for the employees of the main office in Manila or Washington to travel to the areas of armed conflict or areas of disaster. Moreover, the beneficiaries of AAI’s projects in those areas have variegated backgrounds or cultures. Interviews and one on one talk in gathering data may work to some people but in other cultures, they may not be comfortable in personal talk or one on one discussion. In addition, to effectively collate data from the different beneficiaries and partners, there is a need to create different modules or data gathering tool customized according to their status and background including their level of education, norms, practices and among others.

Implementing Knowledge Management in Asia America Initiative is not a simple or easy undertaking as it will require continuous management support, financial and technical investment, community education, training and development and employee commitment or support. Despite the risks and challenges posed by Knowledge Management, I believe that all the hardships or investments will all be worth it. At this day and age of societal problems becoming larger than our very existence, we need to equip ourselves and our organizations with the right strategic plan of action and strong information assets achieved through Knowledge Management.

Indeed, a knowledge not shared will fade in nothingness but a knowledge openly given will contribute to the development of an organization or community and the larger fulfilment of its peoples’ potentials. Knowledge is a strong tool that can be use in shaping new solutions that can change and save people’s lives so we must share it and encourage other people to do the same thing.

 

Take a B.I.T.E.

In this very competitive, fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, firms and organizations rely on the use of Business Intelligence (BI) tools to respond and adopt to change.  BI tools help provide organizations with a clear outlook on how their business works from top to bottom. It also enables them to gather information on the trends in the marketplace and come up with innovative products or services in anticipation of customer’s changing demands. Furthermore, effective use of BI tools will give organizations a competitive advantage or a step ahead of their competitors providing them the opportunity to grab a huge portion of the market share.

The success of the BI Initiative will rely greatly on how the organization can encourage its workforce to effectively use the BI tools in its daily operations.  The Chief Information Officer or the Chief Executive Officer must first get the buy-ins from the managers before introducing the tools to the employees. It is important to get the managers to support the initiative as their influence and leadership can help in encouraging ordinary employees, even those who are afraid of information technology, to try the product and do their best to effectively use it.  Introducing the BI initiative directly to the staff without getting management support is like driving a car with an empty gas tank.

A good BI strategy that is based on empowerment and not on punitive approaches should be laid and introduced to the organization through the help of the managers and it should have the vision to provide everyone with the ability to gain insight into business information to work on the strategic, tactical and operational levels.  The idea should be to use BI to help all in the enterprise in making better informed decisions as a natural part of their daily work experience without stressing them out by forcing them to use the tools or giving sanctions for their shortcomings.

Global business leaders today are now convinced that the business world is now moving away from its punitive approaches and is leaning towards empathy and empowerment-based leadership.  When the employees are rewarded for their improving day by day operation of the BI tools, they will continue to become better and they will be able to focus more on their job which is to provide quality products or services.  There is a growing debate in the World Wide Web regarding the topic of which will cost more: Rewards or Punishment? I searched and read a lot of documents related to the topic and I came to realize that the rewards system may be costly as it entails providing monetary incentives, creating additional positions or providing additional benefits but the punitive approach or punishment will cost more in time because firms will pay more for turn-over of employees and training of new staff. In addition, the business operation of the organization will also be affected or may be put on hold when a pressured or burned out employee in-charge of critical work resigns.

I have always been and will always be an advocate of empowerment in business and public institutions. At the end of the day, our lives will not be measured by the number of customers we served but by the relationships we strengthened and lives we touched.  As managers and future leaders, let us focus first in building a strong and united team before meeting or exceeding customer expectations.

WINDOWS Shopping: Why GAINS outweigh the PAINS

Internet Shopping is considered as one of the best technological advancements of the 21st Century due to its perceived benefits and reach. It revolutionized the retail industry and its starting to drastically change the meaning of the word shopping. Ten to twenty years ago, shopping meant dressing up, riding a vehicle and going to different shops looking at the windows and personally buying things. Today, anyone can just sit back, relax at home and with a click of the mouse, buy any product and have it delivered from anywhere in the world using the different windows of the world wide web.

Five years ago, I thought that internet shopping really sucks. Like it is being done only by geeks and internet peep squeaks.  That time I believed that it will just take away my time for personal interaction and learning. And what’s really funny and crazy about internet shopping was that my first online shopping was a total failure. I bought a discounted card for a one hour whole body massage but what I availed was a damn foot massage. The manager informed me that I did not check the specific tab for the whole body massage and the prices of the discount cards varies. That time I hated online shopping so much that I evaded it for a year. Not until I got stuck at an airport for coming late. I left my atm card at home and I only have a few cash and a credit card. I had to come home because I have a very important event to attend the next day.  I was forced to use my credit card and buy an airplane ticket online. That moment, I realized that online shopping isn’t that bad because it saved me from potential misunderstanding and conflict with our partner organizations. After that day, my online shopping adventure, from being gray, started to become a little bit colorful.

After four years of continuously shopping online, I learned that its G.A.I.N.S. outweigh its P.A.I.N.S. Internet shopping, once you start to become hooked to it, will give you Gusto. Personally, it provides me a source of fun and it also takes away a few of my wrinkles from a whole day or week of work. It also gives me a VIP Access to the wide range of products and services of the business world. Moreover, online shopping is a good source of Information. In browsing the different windows or websites, I get to fully understand how business works. If you are a manager or an aspiring businessman, online shopping can really provide the “what should” and “what should not be done” in selling and marketing products and services. Probably one of the good reasons why I started to love online shopping is that it brings or introduce to you New products and services. If you are like me who have a personality disorder of wanting new things and getting it first, then shopping online will give you a head start to new products and services. When IPAD became a household item in the US, many of us here in the Philippines wanted to have one and ride on the world wide phenomenon—owning the brand new IPAD. So I immediately ride on the credit card of my friend who has larger credit limit and we ordered an IPAD. As far as I can remember, I was the first to have an IPAD in my community and it filled my mind and heart with satisfaction. But because I’m a little bit bipolar, the other I, after 2 months, started to have no interest in using the product. Well, I enjoyed using it and that’s what truly matters.  Finally, the best benefit of online shopping is that it gives you Savings because you don’t have to spend for transportation not unless you’re near brick-and-mortar malls. Also, if want to buy products from abroad, you can spend less and only pay for courier and a few taxes.

Well internet shopping is not all about GAINS. There are also PAINS that irritate and give customers a Pain-in the –A. One of it is the Product Quality Issues. You order a laptop online today and the next week it’s starting to bug down. This issue is normally being faced especially by first time shoppers who are overtaken by excitement and easily persuaded by marketing. I also hate the Ads that pops-up when you go to a company website. Sometimes these ads are irrelevant. One time, I was looking for the software of a particular game and a pop-up of a nude woman being wacked by a black man appeared on my screen. What made the situation even more awkward was that my Mom passed by and saw the ad. After a while I heard her utter, “Baw Dyosko”. I hope she doesn’t but probably she’s thinking that I am buying nasty stuff online. L.   Internet connection is a requirement in shopping online and well all know that internet in the Philippines really sucks (typing the line with evil face). You go to the website, click the product and when it’s time to encode the credit card number you get error or internet connection problem. If you really want to buy the product, you painstakingly go back to the website and do the process all over again until you get the notification of complete purchase. Phew.  No personal interaction could mean no assurance of the real cost and real look of the product. Like you buy a gadget for 100 dollars and you are charged 150 or you order a large sized shirt and you get a shirt for a big fat man. Epic Lastly, internet shopping exposes us to Security concerns and Fraud. To buy something online, we share our personal information and encode our credit card number.  I have had an experience of getting my credit card hacked and believe me; it will give you a headache. All these PAINS can be evaded or reduced by purchasing products and services from stores that are trusted by many consumers and businesses. We should also type in difficult-to-guess passwords when filling up forms and registrations to avoid getting easily hacked. There a lot of things that we can all do to stay safe in buying online but I guess somehow, we must fail at least once so we can truly learn and appreciate our online buying experience.

In buying online I don’t have any hesitations in purchasing an airplane ticket, movie pass and food. You can really save on additional fees from travel and tours when you purchase your plane ticket online. If you are lucky, you can avail of the Piso fares or discounted fares. With regards to the movie pass, it’s really convenient to buy it online, especially when you are about to watch the premier of a very popular movie. I always feel like I won a lottery every time that I pass by a long line of people waiting to buy a ticket at the movie house. And the food… well since it is the food company staff that delivers it personally, you can always return it or immediately say your complaints.

I always give a day or week of thinking when buying travel deals, not-so-expensive gadgets like mouse, portable storage device, card reader, etc and softwares. Travel deals often offer promising tour packages but most are just plain marketing. You buy a deal and go to a resort just to find out that you can’t swim there or the place looks so bad.  With regards to the gadgets, I would take time in finding the best deals. I would go over a lot of sites and read a lot of reviews. In buying software, I also take time to read its specifications just to make sure that it’s compatible with my gadgets. Sometimes, I am torn between buying the original software and downloading a copy of it in piratebay or other torrent sites.

Finally, I would never consider buying personal apparels like briefs and undershirts, expensive gadgets and appliances. I am not rich and I did not grow up in a very comfortable state but my skin is really sensitive to chemicals and other foreign materials. I really have to check and buy it in person just to make sure that it’s comfortable and safe to wear. Buying expensive gadgets is now a no-no to me. It’s a big risk so when buying laptops, high end computers or mobile phones, it’s really important to go to trusted dealers or original vendors to make sure that you are not wasting your money over fake products. You can also get long warranty and maintenance service if you buy your gadget to its shop. Lastly, when buying appliances, it is really best to buy it personally. Buying online may mean getting it delivered from a far place or shop. My friend bought a high-end refrigerator worth a hundred thousand online from the states and when it arrived it did not work because its coolant and other parts got rumbled or detached while being delivered. Also, our appliances should have our personal touch because we’ll be using it at home for a long period of time. Buying it in person will give you an advantage of selecting an appliance with specifications that fits your personality and room space or look.

Indeed online shopping has its own PAINS and GAINS and in order to get more benefits than risks, we should start to educate ourselves as responsible and wise online shoppers. There are a lot of articles and tips online that we could read and learn from.  At the end of the day, internet shopping should work to our best advantage by providing us customer satisfaction and value for money.

Outsourcing IT Security

New technology and growing trends in the business world have led to the increasing complexity of corporate networks. Today, companies are not just utilizing wired connections inside the enterprise walls and between enterprise locations but are also providing virtual extension(s) of the enterprise to reach and provide data access to their customers and staff.  As a result, there are more networks to monitor and secure.

With so much personal information now stored on computers, breaches no longer threaten only the enterprise, but the enterprise customers as well. The cost of a single breach can reach astronomical heights and it can easily threaten the health of the business.With this, firms must invest on managing and securing networks either through an in-house security team or through a security service provider. Creating an in-house security team with tools and expertise to defend the business from cyber attacks requires massive amount of financial investment. Outsourcing the job to so-called managed security services providers on the other hand requires less cost and it compensate for the difficulty of recruiting and maintaining specialized hot skills talent in a world of increasing IT compensation. Moreover, outsourcing IT security will also help the company to focus on its core competency and stay compliant with government regulations.

In house IT security and outsourced IT security both pose risks that may cause the downfall of the organization. However, many managers and employees are more allergic to outsourcing as it requires turning over or sharing of direct control over critical systems. The risks or potential problems that may arise from outsourcing are quality problems, exposure to legal liabilities, negative impact on business partner and customer relationships and satisfaction, and potential data and security breaches.

To mitigate the risks or control the problems in outsourcing IT security, an organization must first create a sound and rational service or security policy customized to meet the specific needs of the company. The document should include a data classification that can distinguish between sensitive and common data. This way, the service provider will be aware and more careful in handling the sensitive information and make sure that it will not be shared or hacked online or copied to portable devices. Also, it must stipulate that all members of the IT Security service provider must sign a confidentiality agreement, with severe penalties for intentional or accidental disclosure. Furthermore, it must be indicated in the document that the service provider should notify the company of any outsourcing to additional providers they currently use or will begin to use in the future. If the organization does not approve the new service provider, that should be grounds for terminating the contract. In addition, the service provider must agree that there should be regular application/database security audits and network security audits. This will help in ensuring secure outsourcing. Audits can help identify issues and potential vulnerabilities with the applications, databases and devices on the network. Finally, it must be written in the service agreement that the company will take full ownership of the IT security software and processes after the termination or completion of the contract.

Indeed, after reading all the articles related to outsourcing IT security, I realized that the development and security of an organization do not rely on the IT security policies and systems or the service provider but on the right management or people who are ready and mature enough to maximize the use of the existing and new systems for the benefit of the company and the customers it serves.

Note: Relevant data and supporting information for this essay were taken from the following sources:

 http://www.sans.edu/research/leadership-laboratory/article/352

http://www.motorolasolutions.com/web/Business/Global_Services_New/

http://www.flatworldsolutions.com/articles/secure-outsourcing.php

http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardstiennon/2011/09/21/when-should-you-outsource-security/

IT and ME

My generation and the generation that came after eat and breathe information technology.  It changed the way I live my life and it has a significant influence and effect on all my undertakings from the time that I wake up to the moment that I close my very eyes.

12 years ago, my sources of information were just radio, newspaper, television and people.  Internet, mobile connection and other information technology reached my home a year after.  My life was just simple back then and I used most my time on basic things like sports, people to people communication and other basic activities that honed my probinsyano soul.

Now that I have Information Technology at the comforts of my fingertips, things became more challenging and complicated. I’ve had a few failures in using information technology but most of the time it gives me the opportunity to widen my reach as a development worker. The use of Photoshop and other video editing tools provided me the opportunity to earn additional income while supporting and strengthening different advocacies. The social networks and other sites in the World Wide Web are my powerful tools in positively influencing people and in raising resources for the needy and unfortunate. In fact, immediately after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda, I created an online resource mobilization campaign and I was able to raise 7 hundred thousand pesos and I used it to realize Project SAVE (Serve, Act, Volunteer and Empower) Lives. Through the project, we were able to provide relief supplies and hygiene kits to the typhoon affected communities  in Northern Iloilo.

Indeed, great things can happen if we learn to use the power of Information Technology on doing the right things not just for our personal glory.  Let us not just become ordinary consumers of information but Information Architects who build hope and empower communities.  IT and ME is not about telling my story or yours. It means Information Technology and Management for Empowerment.