Cyber Security Breach in Hospitality

Introduction

After carrying out an audit on Padgett-Beale Company’s safety guidelines, practices and strategies, CyberOne insurance company discovered that most of the PBI operational units failed to define plans meant to address data breaches hence the audit concluded that the company lacked the capacity to return to vital data breaches. More so, CyberOne Company highlighted its intention to withdraw PBI’s monthly subscription from the insurance company. PBI would only be allowed to renew its insurance company if they would put in place measures to safeguard their data. The role of cyber insurance is covering a company’s liability for data breaches such as valuable customer information or even security numbers. The emergence of cyber threats has drawn all the attention in cyber security mechanisms. Addressing cyber security threats has forced most organizations to define challenges that their organizations face before they actually occur.

Analysis Section

Specific Data Types

 The data breach affect clients who had booked their rooms at the spacious hotel. The information breached included personal information such  mail addresses, mobile numbers, email address, passport data, and reservation periods among other types of information. The breach of data went against private laws thus exposed the patrons to more danger because most of the information divulged their location and financial status (Sawyer, 2019). Exposure of personal data left the patrons insecure and exposed to indirect dangers such kidnapping and extortion. In terms of long term impact, other potential customers would not trust the company and its reputation was destroyed. Perhaps, one of the most notable undoing is the loss of trust among clients.

Government Agencies Findings

According to government agencies, the data breach exposed personal data of more than 500 million people. Before checking into the hotel, the patrons were required to reveal crucial personal data such as credit card, address and even passport data (Starwood, 2019). Thus, when hackers got into their system, the personal information got into the wrong hands. The intrusion coincided with others hence a call for action to come up with effective ways of securing information hence government agencies came up with a compilation of likely targets (Clark, 2018). Also the government agencies were not sure if the data breach at Starwood was tied to other data breaches that occurred in that same period. Most business entities hold vast amounts of personal information. Personal information is collected, processed and stored for later use. Holding numerous amounts of information makes these organizations susceptible to cyber-attacks. Cyber insurance assists to cover expenses involved in putting in place security systems that would prevent cyber-attacks.

Penalties against Marriot International Hotel

After a broad investigation into the data breach, government agencies fined Marriot International more than 99,000,000 for violations of information safety. Due to the extensiveness of the data breach more than one government agency looked into the issue. The hotel’s systems were comprised hence facilitating the breach of data. It is vital to note that the first attack occurred in 2014 but the hotel managers noticed the incidence in 2018. Due to this negligence, government agencies claimed Marriot failed to safeguard the information of its patron hence it should be heavily fined. In addition, the government agencies claimed that the hotel would have used reliable technology to perform essential activities such as storage of personal information. As companies adapt more technological ways of operating business, cyber risk increases.

Specific Recommendations

 Organizations should be able to recognize common cyber insecurities. Cyber threats may assume numerous forms hence the company must formulate ways of mitigating the risks. Also, organizations should put in place all the guidelines that would help them prevent cyber-attacks. For the sake of coming up with more than one way of covering data breaches, most organizations are should limit accessibility to valuable information so that no one exposes the system to harmful cyber-attacks (Marsh, 2021). Also, companies should update their systems as often as possible with the aim of bettering their frameworks and rectify weakness that exist in the loopholes. Additionally, the installation of firewalls creates a barrier hence preventing cyber criminals from accessing internal systems.

 Even though cybercrime is a recent concept, it is normally defined as the occurrence of a destructive action which is connected to technological software (Tidy, 2020). With the increasing usage of internet enabled devices, in the hospitality sector world, the intricacy of the issue especially at Starwood was not easily to solve. Most of the experts offered an accurate breakdown of the matter at hand also gave into the classification of the cybercrime.

 In summary, CyberOne concluded that PBI had not put in place the necessary measures to prevent an imminent cyber-attack. These conclusion came after screening the company’s policies, plans and existing mechanisms. The immediate action was to sue the hotel because it took personal information which its customers entrusted it with without putting in place measures that would secure the information from being accessed during an attack. The company was supposed to update its information technological systems to ensure that most of the information are secured in an effective manner.

References

Clark, P. (2018). Marriott Starwood Data Breach Highlights Silent Cyber Risk in Acquisitions. Insurance Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2021, from https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2018/12/03/510811.htm.

Marsh. Marsh.com. (2021). Cyber Risk Insurance Retrieved 4 February 2021, from https://www.marsh.com/us/services/cyber-risk.html.

Sawyer, w. (2019). Guide to Cyber Liability Insurance. Woodruffsawyer.com. Retrieved 4 February 2021, from https://woodruffsawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/40842_Woodruff-Sawyer-Cyber-Buying-Guide_Final.pdf.

Starwood breach — Krebs on Security. Krebsonsecurity.com. (2019). Retrieved 4 February 2021, from https://krebsonsecurity.com/tag/starwood-breach/.

Tidy, j. (2020). Marriott Hotels fined £18.4m for data breach that hit millions. BBC News. Retrieved 4 February 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54748843.

Data Visualization

             Wong details the three essential elements of sophisticated use of elements, clear meaning, and refined execution. Wong reveals that evaluating visual form has three dimensions, each of equal importance. The first is separating essential data from the rest via visual context, communicating the insight intended to be conveyed, and applying visual polish to bring deep attention to the visual details.

            The example of the data visualization I found is the chart adopted to track national job gains and losses. The categories have their distinction, with distinguishing context sometimes. The categories have adjacent properties that complement other aspects of the categories. The first rule is using contrast to capture the reader’s attention. The chart uses different colors and sizes to track the number of sectors losing or gaining jobs each month. The authors use various color schemes, with red indicating the most significant job losses and blue the biggest gains.

            The second rule of data visualization is using common chart elements to convey exact meaning. The chart has a clear title to convey to the reader the purpose of the visual representation. The aim communicated clearly by the authors is tracking monthly job gains and losses in each sector of the economy. The plot area clearly displays monthly job gains and losses per sector with data points tracking payrolls' rise and fall. The legend used in the visualization indicates what the color schemes imply. Each color used shows a certain percentage of rising or fall.   

            The third rule of comprehension is applying refinement to the execution to eliminate distractors. With the many distractions often demanding the reader's attention, it is vital to keep charts simple. The refinement of the chart area helps the reader to focus on the information presented by the authors. It is easy to track the percentage of payroll rises and falls in the chart's format.

 Computer security

 Introduction

Computer security is the safeguarding of information systems from the destruction of the hardware, software, and the information they contain. It is also the prevention of theft and disruption of information, passwords, and the services they offer. Computer security includes taking care of the user’s confidentiality, integrity, and ensuring that only the user has access to their information which includes the use of an operating system that is secure.

Windows 10 is an operating system that is secure because the device guard only allows trusted applications to run on the user’s device. It prevents their device from malware and cyber attackers. It contains credential guards that help to prevent malware from getting access to the user’s credentials. Windows 10 is capable of fighting threats through the virtual based security that helps to stop hackers from interfering with important processes. This operating system contains a secure boot, making it hard for a hacker to introduce malware.

            Windows 10 is secure and convenient for its end-users in terms of passwords because it enhances security. It contains a windows defender that helps to identify and remove malware and viruses and increases how the device guard controls other devices protecting your system from attacks. The operating system is also secure in terms of controlling access to other folders by blocking malware and other applications from accessing important files. Windows 10 offers the benefit of high-level security to its users by ensuring their passwords and information is confidential.

Conclusion

Computer security is important because it prevents hackers and other threats from tampering with passwords and important information. Windows 10 is a secure operating system because it contains different types of guards that guard the user’s information. It prevents other applications from accessing the user’s device by ensuring the confidentiality of their passwords

References

Digital Crime and Digital Terrorism

Introduction

 Digital technology has transformed every aspect of our lives. The intended purpose of technology is to provide solutions to challenges affecting education, social areas, industrial areas, and more. On a positive note, digital technology has improved connectivity, communication, learning, education, and many more. However, digital technology has increased digital crime and terrorism at alarming rates. Over the years, there have been a high increase in crime and terrorism. Today, cybercriminals have caused a significant threat to governments, businesses, and every aspect of people's lives. An important point to note is that the root cause of digital crime and terrorism is the persistence of insecurity. In other words, the technology is not providing security yet, it should be at the forefront providing security to combat digital crime and terrorism. As a result, hackers and terrorists are using modern technology to conduct crime and terrorism. The private and public sectors have tried to implement measures to combat the attacks but they do not provide full security simply because the crime extends across national boundaries. This indicates that since the criminal and terrorist groups create transnational crime, it indicates that a legally mandated cooperation is needed in the investigation and addressing transnational attacks. Nevertheless, the issue at hand is that online criminal behaviors have increased and an important point to note is that as a result of technological advance, criminals are not only using the known social media platforms but they are also using another private forum such as dark web where it has hard to trace them. Generally, technology today is constantly advancing. Advance technology is lacking the security discipline needed to ensure an attack free surface. In turn, digital crimes and terrorism are more evident than ever.

Almost everyone is in total agreement that digital technology is crucial to the economy,   communication, societies, transportation, entertainment, and more. However, the technology is associated with issues and concerns, or in other words, technology is questioned on the issue of digital crime and terrorism (United States Congress, 1992). The U.S Congress conducted information and found that terrorism is not new but for 20 years, it has stood out to be a real threat to the U.S. Today, cyber-crime and terrorists are not attacking the political field but they have gone beyond to cause large-scale attacks. Terrorist attacks within the U.S and foreign countries heightened the need to know more about terrorism; including the role of technology. For example, in 1988, the explosion in the Pan Am Flight 103, and the Persian Gulf War made the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) investigate how technology can be used to prevent crime. An important point to note is that in conducting future assessment, it was found that Unites States, Philippines, Asia, and other countries will continue to face terrorist threats. This is because terrorists are using technological advances (United States Congress, 1992). Thus, these countries are vulnerable given that the technology is enabling the criminals to manufacture biological weapons. On this point, it is important to note that biological weapons are cheap to obtain than nuclear explosives. There is no technological impediment that hinders the use of biological or radiological chemicals and thus, it is easier to obtain and manage. The technology is also providing technological know-how concerning the possession of these weapons. United States Congress (1992) assert that terrorists enjoy using these weapons because the weapons do not require much training and it is also easier to possess them using low costs. Terrorists target the vulnerable population and inflict casualties and mass destruction. Thus, it is important to understand that technology has increased crime and terrorism in that terrorists can possess weapons that would help them achieve the objectives.

 Technological development in the 21st century has brought many challenges to the nations. Technology has enabled the attackers to use computers and networks to conduct crimes such as Internet fraud, identity theft, hacking online harassment, hate crimes, invasion of privacy, and more (Zhang et al. 2012). Attackers also use information technology to damage infrastructures such as emergency services, public health, the communication sector, and other infrastructure. Attackers use the computer systems to commit computer crimes such as to storage of illegal images, and to engage in harassment. On the other hand, digital terrorism means that cyber-terrorist use the computer system to accomplish their goal of causing violence and damage. They use sophisticated high technology to attack multiple attacks and they aim to cause threat or intimidation. Zhang et al (2012) assert that the advancement of information technology has provided the attackers with the capability to conduct criminal activities. It is important to understand that cybercrimes are worse than physical crimes. This is because law enforcement organizations can use all kinds of mechanisms to prevent crimes. However, it is not possible to avoid cybercrimes and terrorisms not because the law enforcement lacks power but because it has a limited understanding of the nature of cybercrimes and terrorisms (Zhang et al. 2012). To put it clearly, law enforcement organizations are unable to make technical laws and to collect evidence simply because cybercrimes have a sophisticated nature. What happens is that the cyber attackers and terrorists will commit a crime and the law enforcement or the administrators will notice later that a crime happened. For example, police can detect a physical injury by visiting the crime scene but it is difficult to detect a cyber-attack simply because there is a lack of noticeable evidence. A point to note  is that cybercrimes  exceed the physical crimes that in 2006, the total number of cybercrimes was 3.24 million. The perplexing thing is 90% of cases of cybercrimes are not reported (Zhang et al. 2012). This indicates that cybercrimes and terrorism are growing rapidly since millions of these activities are not reported simply because they are low-visibility acts or in other words, it is difficult to detect them.

 Hill & Marion, (2016) adds that in preventing cybercrimes, law enforcement wants to know the patterns in cybercrime. Unfortunately, law enforcement does not get accurate statistics on the amount of cybercrime in the United States. Thus, statistics are derived from the reported offenses. One may ask a question like "what makes it hard to detect the amount of cybercrime". The answer to this question is that first, cybercriminals use the computer system to commit crimes, and sometimes they do not cause damage making it hard to notice the crime. Secondly, the computer system has peer-to-peer networks; meaning that the digital files are used by many users making it hard to detect the crime (Hill & Marion, 2016). Some users may detect crime but they opt to stay silent due to the fear of being embarrassed. For example, many cases of cyberbullying go unreported as the victim fears being humiliated and they opt to stay silent and hand the situation alone. Others are not aware that cyberbullying is a criminal offense that should be reported. Even some victims who report the crime do not help since law enforcement does not have an effective means of collecting the evidence (Hill & Marion, 2016). In general, millions of cybercrimes go unreported and what happens is that law enforcement as well as the general population underestimate the damages. However, the FBI has come up with new ways of estimating the number of cybercrimes. The law enforcement agency has asserted that the best way of measuring the cost. Note that in the United States, computer crimes cause %400 billion industrial costs. The total number of economic costs in the global exceeds % 13 billion (Hill & Marion, 2016). The costs specifically occur due to malware attack. This raises the question “what about other illegal activities in the computer system? 

 Focusing on computer security incidents, the Computer Security Institute conducted a survey and invoked 5, 412 security practitioners. The practitioners were asked to report computer security incidents between the years 2009 and 2010. Only 315 reported gave responses and less than half of the total practitioner reported an attack but the majority reported that there were unaware if they were attacked or not (Hill & Marion, 2016). Security practitioners who reported an attack said that they experienced malware attacks and a less number reported financial fraud incidents (The Washington Post, 2020). In the real world, computer security incidents are common, and a good example is Capital One Breach.  First, it is important to note that data breach is an activity where hackers access information without authorizations. In the digital world, a data breach is increasingly common since technology can access identifiable information. Capital One is an auto finance company and it leaked information containing social security numbers, credit card data, among other sensitive information (The Washington Post, 2020). The attackers used the Tor Network and IPredator and exploited the server-side application and accessed the inter-server requests.

Focusing on digital terrorism, Hill & Marion (2016) assert that challenges do not only exist in trying to estimate the number of cybercrimes, but law enforcement does not estimate the exact nature of cyber terrorism. An important point to understand about cyber terrorism is that the term has existed for more than 50 years, yet the term is still problematic due to its differing definitions and its political nature. In specific, it is not only difficult to understand cybercrimes but there are also challenges in defining cyber terrorism simply because the cyber terrorists are anonymous and antithetical, and hence it is difficult to combat it. Nevertheless, the reality is that cyber terrorism is an activity where criminals use computers to cause violence and property damage. A point to remember is that technology has enabled cyber-terrorists to accomplish their goals. In most cases, cyber terrorists are influenced by propaganda or in other words a communicative practice where cyber-terrorism aims at bringing a social interest (Hill & Marion, 2016). Terrorists distribute the propaganda online and they recruit followers who support the propaganda until they achieve their goals. A point to note is that law enforcement or the general population can prevent the spread of propaganda simply because people have the right to free speech and thus, terrorists use this right to spread the propaganda or rather to distribute their message to their intended audiences (Hill & Marion, 2016). On the issue of propaganda, it is important to note that cyber terrorists use the internet to conduct recruitment or in other words inviting potential members to join the groups. For example, the Jihad group recruit women who play a significant role in supporting them during the fight. They also play an active role in spreading propaganda.

  Cyber terrorists do not only use the internet for propaganda but they use it to raise funds. They use different tools such as direct solicitation. This means that cyber terrorists use a variety of means such as using websites to talk directly to members who visit the websites to give funds. Terrorists also use methods such as identity theft, credit card frauds, and other means. Another way terrorists raise money is through charitable organizations and money providers are not aware that their donations are to support terrorist groups (Hill & Marion, 2016).  As said before, technology advancement has increased cyber terrorisms in that the internet is the place whether they conduct training and planning. Members use the online platform to receive training. Training involves the weapons to use for the attack, the instructions to carry out the attack, the cities to target, the surveillance techniques, and more. For example, planning for the 9/11 attackers was done online. Terrorists shared information and ideas using an email. Other terrorist groups such as Hamas use chat rooms to organize the attacks and other websites to raise funds (Hill & Marion, 2016). What makes it difficult to detect their plans is not because they use the internet but it is because they use complex coding where the message is concealed to so that it appears like the message is harmless. Technology also allows cyber-terrorists to conduct surveillance to ensure safety.

 Another important point to know about digital terrorism and digital crimes are that there are private sites where criminals carry out their black market activities.  In modern days, terrorists are hiding their information in Dark Web and one cannot access this data without having a password. In other words, Dark Web can be referred to as "Digital underground" since these places have complete freedom (Weimann, 2018). An important point to note is that Dark Web is a browsing tool but the user should have special skills to use it in conducting crimes such as selling drugs, access weapons, obtain human organs and other illegal activities.  As stated before, the internet allows cyber-terrorists to provoke violence. Technology allows terrorists to communicate effectively with their members at a low cost. Recent studies confirm that Dark Web has 57% of illegal content such as terrorist's communication and illicit finance (Weimann, 2018). Terrorists enjoy the advantages offered by the Dark Web in that it is a secretive platform. For example, the U.S National Security Agency found that al-Qaeda leaders use the Dark Net platforms to communicate and to conduct planning as well. A point to note is that in the 1990s, cyber terrorists used online platforms such as Surface Web but this platform is not effective since it is easy to monitor and trace the terrorists (Weimann, 2018). However, the technology has allowed cyber-terrorists to use other decentralized and anonymous safe havens such as Dark Web.  For example, the terrorist attacks on November 2015 in Paris led to the closure of all websites that ISIS was using for illegal operations. However, ISIS turned to the Dark Web to continue with their plans for future attacks (Weimann, 2018. In general cyber terrorists are using the Dark Web to raise funds, to spread propaganda, to conduct recruitment, and to plan attacks. Unlike the Surface Web, Dark Web allows terrorists to protect their identities.

Response to digital crime and digital terrorism

  Tehrani et al (2013) states that cybercrimes and cyber terrorism are increasingly growing yet local lawmakers and regional and bilateral parties are unable to combat cyber-attacks. Thus, the best solution is a global response and this means that international treaties should come up with international solutions. Although nations need self-regulatory strategies, there should be international agreements merely because cybercrimes and terrorism are international crimes. Another important point is that these crimes are under the universal jurisdiction because the nation affected does not have the power to combat or it lacks enough legislation, and the crimes are heinous (Tehrani et al. 2013). Being under universal jurisdiction, it means that the international community should come up with an international law to combat these crimes which are against humanity and are heinous. On universal jurisdiction, international organizations and the International Criminal Court should form multilateral cooperation to conduct an investigation, set security goals, and implement deterrence measures.

 Brenner (2006) adds that military-law enforcement should be integrated into the response process. A point to note is that the military-law enforcement should stop being single entity or in other words there should be no institutional separation. Instead, there should be operation integration so that the different entities that is; the civilian law enforcement and the military can combine efforts in evaluating the nature of the attack (Brenner, 2006). An important point to note is that in combating digital crime and digital terrorism, the military will play a significant role in finding information and detecting crime events that law enforcement could not. The military will share the information and hence enhance the ability to combat the crimes. 

Conclusion

 Modern societies are enjoying the benefits offered by the internet such as collaboration, entertainment, connectivity, and many more. However, the same technology has increased cybercrimes and cyber-terrorism and the societies can attest to the loss of life and damage to the infrastructure as a result of cyber-crimes. Today, criminals are using internet technology to cause online protects and to disrupt national security. The motivation behind cyber-crimes includes causing physical harm through damaging the critical infrastructure, accessing the computer system data for beneficial use, causing economic confusion, generating fear, among other motives. Criminals attack information technology through different means such as accessing systems and altering information. An important point to note is that the United Nations have implemented various strategies to combat cybercrimes. However, the United Nations have been using the existing methods and this means that a proactive approach to maintain digital security is needed. Note that terrorists are using innovative methods and this demands new approaches. In specific, there should be an international co-operation and specific regulations toward protecting human rights.  Note that international co-operation will raise awareness and more importantly, come up with a conceptual response that entails cyber security strategy.

References

United States Congress (1992). Technology against Terrorism: Structuring Security. DIANE

Publishing

Zhang, Y., Xiao, Y., Ghaboosi, K., Zhang, J., & Deng, H. (2012). A survey of cyber

crimes. Security and Communication Networks, 5(4), 422-437.

Hill, J. B., & Marion, N. E. (2016). Introduction to Cybercrime: Computer Crimes, Laws, and

Policing in the 21st Century.

The Washington Post. (2020). The Capital One hack couldn’t have come at a worse time for

Amazon’s most profitable business. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/01/capital-one-hack-couldnt-have-come-worse-time-amazons-most-profitable-business/

Weimann, G. (2018). Going Darker? The Challenge of Dark Net Terrorism. Technical Report.

Woodrow Wilson Center. https://www. wilsoncenter. org/sites/default/files/going_darker_challenge_of_dark_net_terrorism. pdf.

Tehrani, P. M., Manap, N. A., & Taji, H. (2013). Cyber terrorism challenges: The need for a

global response to a multi-jurisdictional crime. Computer Law & Security Review, 29(3),

207-215.

Brenner, S. W. (2006). At light speed: Attribution and response to

cybercrime/terrorism/warfare. J. Crim. L. & Criminology, 97, 379.

The Growing shortage of cybersecurity personnel to combat incidents

Introduction

 The internet-based threats have accelerated in today's world. According to recent research, the root cause of cybersecurity incidents is the cybersecurity skills shortage. The Chief Security Offer  (CSO) reports that cybersecurity skills shortage is contributing to the cybersecurity threats in that  31%  of cybersecurity professionals report they lack security training, 22%  say there is a skills shortage, 20% say business executives lack oversight on cybersecurity, and 18% say a heavy workload and shortage of personnel. This report indicates that organizations whether big or small are at risk of cybersecurity threats due to a shortage of personnel. Thus, there is a cybersecurity talent gap hence causing cyber-attack attempts.  However, the cybersecurity team has come up with response plan to protect intellectual property, customer information, and other elements. The cybersecurity response team such as IT leadership, senior managers, and other members have come up with common goals of protecting the infrastructure, preventing financial liabilities, and other goals. However, it is important to focus on cybersecurity professionals and address the unfilled positions to combat cybersecurity threats. To address the professionalism issue, professional associations in both public and private entities should develop national-level strategies toward addressing the cybersecurity talent gap.

            Organizations have come up with a response plan as part of cybersecurity incident management. They have been using supplementary knowledge to create cybersecurity strategies.  The response team has a technical know-how, communication mechanism, and they also classify the cybersecurity incidents and assign roles to the incident handler (Fields & IGI Global, 2018).Another point is that the response team focus on assessing the new technologies since the cyber-attacks are using advanced technology to launch attacks. The team work with the government to protect the critical infrastructure and to build resilience. The organization is also committed to a research-based on cybersecurity design to safeguard the environment and prevent cyber risks (Fields & IGI Global, 2018). However, there are barriers to the response plan in that the organizations are facing challenges in that they lack security practices. In other words, the available personnel lack security training, and again, there is a shortage of personnel making it hard to implement security capabilities (Crumpler & Lewis, 2019). Even though organizations have come up with a response team, they still need security specialists to handle security.

  Crumpler & Lewis (2019) affirm that cybersecurity threats are increasingly growing yet organizations continue to face the challenge of shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.  The alarming rate of cyber threats indicates that organizations need capable individuals who would protect the security networks. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conducted a survey and found that employers say that their organizations have a shortage of cybersecurity skills and others reported a talent gap. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education found that in 2019, there was a talent gap of 341,000 in the U. S.  Since 2015, there has been a skill gap of 50% and it is estimated that the skill gap with reach 1.8 million by 2022 (Crumpler & Lewis, 2019). The CSIS also reports that cybersecurity organizations do not only suffer from workforce shortage but also lack highly-skilled staff. This indicates that there are no experts to design a secure system, design sophisticated security tools, evaluate the system to detect malicious acts and other roles. For example, the U.S has only 1,000 security specialists within cybersecurity yet the required number of security specialists is 10,000 to 30,000  (Crumpler & Lewis, 2019). A point to note is that within the cybersecurity, the most important skills needed are technical skills. However, it is difficult to find personnel with technical skills to such as secure software development and other skills. In general, there are no cybersecurity professionals to manage software and networks.

 Burrell (2020) adds that women are underrepresented in areas such as computer science, Technology, and Mathematics. This means that Information Technology Departments lack cybersecurity professionals merely because of a lack of specialty. A point to note is that women should also enter into these domains to gain knowledge and skills since modern organizations require diversity. Diversity means working with experts with different thinking and perspectives so that the organizations solve problems and achieve operational successes (Burrell, 2020). Thus, it is important to include socially diverse groups in these domains for organizations to gain intellectual capacity. Back on the topic, there is a shortage of cybersecurity personnel merely because women and people of color are not allowed to enroll in STEM fields. A point to note is that the costs of cybercrimes in the U.S is $400 billion annually (Burrell, 2020). This indicates that cybersecurity professionals are needed to protect the organizations of cyber threats. However, there a shortage of professionals given that in 2019, the demand for professionals was 6 million yet there was a shortfall of 1.5 million (Burrell, 2020). The nature of cyber threats raises questions such as "where will the cybersecurity professionals come from yet women and people of color are underrepresented in computer sciences? Note that since 1995, the field of computer science has been male-dominated (Burrell, 2020). To address this problem, women and minorities should be allowed to acquire STEM degrees.  

Recommendations

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has organized 21 agencies to address the issues of cybersecurity jobs and address cyber threats (IRMA, 2020). In other words, the issue of skill shortage needs to be addressed by professional associations in that the advocates will develop a relationship and come up with statistics and facts of personnel shortage.  Professional associations will also develop certification and training and lead efforts towards developing an education program (IRMA, 2020). Professionals associations should also work with the healthcare industry to come up with a unified conglomerate to help the organization maximize security. CSO adds that organizations should conduct an assessment to identify the skill gaps and implement strategies and plans to bridge the gap (Oltik, 2017). For example, employers should attend training courses and mentoring programs to gain cybersecurity skills.

  Another recommendation is that the National Security Agency should collaborate with educators to identify the computing fundamentals and also implement standardized performance measures (Crumpler & Lewis, 2019). The educators should be in the forefront to establish a cybersecurity curriculum and competing fundamental, and also incorporate practical skills so that students can gain skills and knowledge and apply the knowledge to the cybersecurity environment. The curricula should include soft skills so that students can communicate skills,   networking, problems solving and more (Crumpler & Lewis, 2019).Employers should participate in eliminating the skill gap by communicating to the educators about the needs of industries. There should be retaining programs within the organizations to help the workforce improve learning and develop more skills. 

Conclusion

 Without question, there is a skill gap within the cybersecurity. Surveys and reports indicate that there is a shortage of cybersecurity professionals hence cybersecurity threats. Note that the new technology has enabled the attackers to conduct nefarious acts such as phishing. Malware, and others. Organizations have tried to create a response plan but still, they have not combated the nefarious activities The paper asserts that organizations should address the problem by identifying the skills gaps and talent shortage and employ experts including women and people of color to combat the cybersecurity threat. In general, the cybersecurity organizations should focus on professionalizing cybersecurity. This is because there is complex technology yet organizations have no specialists who would manage networks and systems.

References

 Fields, Z., & IGI Global,. (2018). Handbook of research on information and cyber security in

the fourth industrial revolution.

 Crumpler, W., & Lewis, J. A. (2019). Cybersecurity Workforce Gap. Center for Strategic and

International Studies (CSIS).

 Burrell, D. N. (2020). An exploration of the cybersecurity workforce shortage. In Cyber Warfare

and Terrorism: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 1072-1081). IGI

Global.

  The Information Resources Management Association (IRMA). (2020). Cyber warfare and

terrorism: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications. IGI Global, 

 Oltik Jon. (2017). The cybersecurity skills shortage acts as a root cause for security events. CSO https://www.csoonline.com/article/3237803/the-cybersecurity-skills-shortage-acts-as-a-root-cause-for-security-events.html

The history of cybersecurity and its importance

Introduction

            In the current world, man can receive and send any kind of information from any place at any time and in any form with just a click of a button. However, the question remains, is there any concern based on the security of the data? The answer to this question is finally lies in cybersecurity. Cyber Security in today’s modern world is becoming a more and more desired skill. With there being more and more information that other countries and industries want to acquire from the competition, some will go to lengths to try and steal that information that they incline for. Cyber Security is the base of most company’s security in today’s technological era. Suppose a modern age company in today’s world does not have a significant way to secure their information. In that case, they will most definitely be at risk to lose a highly important customer and company information which, in turn, will make the credibility of the company decline rapidly.

            Digital Security assumes a significant job in the field of data innovation. Securing the data has gotten probably the most crucial test in the current day. At whatever point we consider the digital security, the primary thing that rings a bell is 'digital wrongdoings' which are expanding gigantically step by step. Different Governments and organizations are taking numerous measures to forestall these cybercrimes. Other than different measures, digital security is as yet a significant worry to many. In this case, it is attested that cybersecurity has been utilized to ensure that information is safe whenever the transmission is taking place. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to understand the history of cybersecurity and its importance.  

History of Cyber Security

            Even though cybersecurity has not lasted for an extended period since its invention, there is still atrial of historical events that have happened in the past that must be taught when discussing the history of cybersecurity (Kaplan, 2016). In this case, in this section, the learner will be able to understand some of these events that can attribute to their understanding of the actual context of cybersecurity. The history of cybersecurity started in the 1970s with a research project with what was revered to as the ARPANET (The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) (Kärkkäinen, 2013). A scientist named Bob Thomas invented a computer program that could move ARPANET’s network that could leave trail whenever it went. At the time the program was named as CREEPER since it left a printed message across the network. It did not last long as the man who invented email, Ray Tomlinson come and designed another program that increased CREEPER ability to another level (Warner, 2012). However, Tomlinson afterwards invented another program REAPER that was far much beyond the CREEPER's ability that eventually overtook it, hence, deleting it from the system. Even though Tomlinson and Thomas's programs may have been invented and designed as a bit messy, they purposively served a significant and essential work in revealing several flaws in ARPARNET'S network security (Warner, 2012). It was a great concern at that time since organizations and government-based agencies used to link their computers to the telephone lines to create their networks. These programs were recognized by groups of individuals who were seeking to out ways to infiltrate these lines to steal the critical data.   

            Some key points are worth bringing up about Cyber Security. In this case, these are the prominent groups and individual hackers that wreaked havoc on companies in the 1980s when Cyberwar and Cybersecurity became very important (Middleton, 2017). In the late 1980s, a man named Robert Morris had a thought: he needed to measure the size of the web. To do this, he composed a program intended to engender across systems, penetrate UNIX terminals utilizing a known bug, and afterwards duplicate itself. The Morris worm recreated so forcefully that the early web eased back to a creep, causing untold harm. The worm had impacts that kept going past a web log jam. For a specific something, Robert Morris turned into the primary individual energetically charged under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (even though this finished cheerfully for him—he's as of now a tenured teacher at M.I.T. (Kaplan, 2016). All the more critically, this demonstration likewise prompted the development of the Computer Emergency Response Team (the forerunner to US-CERT), which capacities as a philanthropic examination place for foundational issues that may influence the web in general. The Morris worm seems to have been the beginning of something. After the Morris worm, infections began getting deadlier and deadlier, influencing an ever-increasing number of frameworks. It appears like the worm forecasted the time of massive web blackouts wherein we live. You likewise started to see the ascent of antivirus as an item—1987 saw the arrival of the central devoted antivirus organization (Rutkowski, 2011). The Morris worm additionally carried with it one final incongruity. The worm exploited the send letters work in UNIX, which was identified with the email work initially made by Ray Tomlinson. As it were, the world's first well-known infection exploited the principal infection creator's most celebrated creation.

            A stream of security arrangements started showing up in the last part of the 80s. However, the mid-90s saw a blast of organizations offering A.V.A.V. scanners (Warner, 2012). These items examined all the doubles on a given framework and tried them against a database of "marks". These were at first just figured hashes of the document, yet later they additionally included scanning for a rundown of strings usually found in the malware. These early endeavours at taking care of the malware issue were plagued with two vital issues that were rarely altogether understood. Positives and escalated asset use, with the last being a significant reason for client disappointment as the A.V.A.V. scanner regularly meddled with client profitability. Simultaneously, the number of malware tests being delivered detonated. From two or three, a vast number of known examples in the mid-90s, the figure stretched around 5 million new examples consistently by 2007 (Khari, Shrivastava, Gupta & Gupta, 2017). By 2014, it was evaluated that around 500,000 new malware tests were being created each day. The (at this point) heritage A.V.A.V. arrangements were overwhelmed: they mostly couldn't compose marks sufficiently quick to stay aware of the issue. Another methodology was required. Endpoint Protection Platforms were the following stage. Rather than depending on static marks to distinguish infections, they presented the utilization of marks examining for malware families (Kaplan, 2016). The way that most malware tests are a deviation of existing examples functioned admirably for E.P.P. arrangements. They had the option to demonstrate to clients they could forestall the "obscure", which was in certainty location dependent on existing malware that their marks could perceive. Ever since then, cybersecurity has been the most valuable part of every day’s life that is essential for every organization for the protection of the information.

Prominent people of Cyber Security

            In the entire history of cybersecurity, some prominent individuals have become the antagonist and protagonists of the Cyber Security world. Therefore in this section, it is essential to highlight some of these critical people. Among these people, we have Tomlinson and Thomas, who stated with the invention of the first programs CREEPER and REAPER (Warner, 2012). On the same, there is Morris who had great desires to gauge the internet size (Warner, 2012). Among these three, many others give a significant contribution to the historical context of cybersecurity. All of these individuals had the same intention, which is defending information theft.   

 The importance and demand of Cyber Security

            Cybersecurity's significance is on the ascent. In a general sense, our general public is more mechanically dependent than any time in recent memory, and there is no sign that this pattern will slow. Individual information that could bring about wholesale fraud is presently presented in the general population on our online life accounts (Tarter, 2017). Delicate data like government managed savings numbers, charge card data and financial balance subtleties are presently put away in distributed storage administrations like Dropbox or Google Drive. The truth is whether you are an individual, private company or massive global, you depend on P.C.P.C. frameworks consistently. Pair this with the ascent in cloud administrations, helpless cloud administration security, cell phones and the Internet of Things (IoT), and we have a bunch of cybersecurity dangers that didn't exist a couple of decades back (Warner, 2012). We have to comprehend the contrast between cybersecurity and data security, even though the ranges of abilities are getting more comparative.

            With such an extensive amount, our everyday lives directed online nowadays; surprisingly, the issue of digital security isn't more talked about. Just incidentally does the issue come up in national cognizance, typically during a superstar photograph spill or penetration of political security (Tarter, 2017). In any case, necessary cybercrime is significantly more predominant than these incidental features recommend. Consistently, digital crooks deceive individuals who shop, bank and send or get cash on the web. What's more, the tragic truth is that couple of these hoodlums can be portrayed as specialists or driving forces. The absence of mindfulness about digital security makes a great many people an obvious objective for anybody attempting to hack into their information. 

            In this, it tends to be validated that cybercrime is significant since higher violations in innovation require modern experts. In the United States in 2013, 3,000 organizations revealed occurrences of security break by digital assault (Gordon, Loeb & Zhou, 2016). This measurement didn't directly incorporate independent ventures running on handcrafted sites; however monster retailers, for example, Target and Home Depot were additionally among the organizations deceived. Client information and MasterCard data were taken, cash was lifted from check accounts, proprietary advantages and other licensed innovation were duplicated and spilt, and at times, the lawbreakers hacked into inner frameworks and held them for delivery. It is assessed that cybercrime costs the worldwide economy over $400 billion every year (Gordon, Loeb, & Zhou, 2016).  U.S. Government, are focusing on digital security for the coming year and are setting up principles for digital security convention. A year ago, President Obama solicited the National Institute from Standards and Technology (N.I.S.T.) to draw up a lot of best practices for digital security (Landwehr, 2010). Made with the contribution of thousands of security specialists, the arrangement is intended to assist associations with dealing with the dangers of a digital security break. The ever-expanding advancement of innovation is bringing a more prominent interest for experts with modern aptitudes and a bosses' degree in digital security. As indicated by Bertrand Liard, a Paris-based accomplice at universal law office White and Case, Responding to digital assaults requires both a global vision and excellent information.

            Also, digital security is significant since it influences everybody (Tarter, 2017). Similarly, as cautious driving improves the wellbeing of different drivers out and about, or remaining at home when you're debilitated forestalls spreading influenza around your office, keeping up appropriate digital safety efforts on your gadgets influences the remainder of the online network. As Forbes magazine reports, contaminated gadgets have a method of tainting different gadgets and bargained frameworks can make everybody powerless (Warner, 2012). One of the most significant gatherings to educate about digital security is our childhood. While they may not be banking or utilizing MasterCard’s to shop on the web, they can make it simple for digital hoodlums to get to information through making shaky individual records (Landwehr, 2010). Feeble passwords and awful practices in email or internet-based life make it a lot simpler for others to hack into your record and access your loved ones' information. Regardless of whether it's a ledger number, a photograph best kept hidden, or complete data fraud, nobody needs to be answerable for cybercrime on their adored one.

III. Conclusion

            With networks being used to carry out critical transactions, cybersecurity is an important subject that is becoming more important since the world is becoming more interconnected. Cybersecurity has evolved for a distinctive time based on the fact people required security to eradicate theft of information. From the above, we have seen distinct people who have been there in the invention of programs that have assisted in the eradication of cyber insecurity. Some of these people are Tomlinson and Thomas, who stated with the invention of the first programs CREEPER and REAPER. On the same, there is Morris who had great desires to gauge the internet size.

            Furthermore, cybersecurity has served a significant purpose by protecting the data in the organizations and government agencies. Also, cybersecurity is essential since it provides security by protecting the protected data from being stolen. With this, there is a need for advancing technological awareness to increase the protection of information from being stolen.

References 

Gordon, L. A., Loeb, M. P., & Zhou, L. (2016). Investing in cybersecurity: insights from the        Gordon-Loeb model. Journal of Information Security, 7(02), 49.

Kaplan, F. (2016). Dark territory: The secret history of cyber war. Simon and Schuster.

Kärkkäinen, A. (2013). The origins and the future of cyber security in the finnish defence             forces. The Fog of Cyber Defence, 91.

Khari, M., Shrivastava, G., Gupta, S., & Gupta, R. (2017). Role of Cyber Security in Today's       Scenario. In Detecting and Mitigating Robotic Cyber Security Risks (pp. 177-191). I.G.I.      Global.

Landwehr, C. E. (2010, May). History of U.S.  U.S. government investments in cybersecurity      research: A personal perspective. In 2010 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (pp.         14-20). IEEE.

Middleton, B. (2017). A history of cyber security attacks: 1980 to present. C.R.C. Press.

Rutkowski, A. (2011). Public international law of the international telecommunication      instruments: cyber security treaty provisions since 1850. info.

Tarter, A. (2017). Importance of cyber security. In Community Policing-A European         Perspective (pp. 213-230). Springer, Cham.

Warner, M. (2012). Cybersecurity: A pre-history. Intelligence and National Security, 27(5), 781- 799.

Cybersecurity; Blockchains

The information explosion age has brought with it lapses in security protocols that are exploited regularly online to expose an individual’s and business's most private and sensitive data thus creating the need of finding reliable cybersecurity protocols to include blockchain. Blockchain is a (DLT) distributed ledger technology that is responsible for creating trust in an untrusting eco-system thus making it a strong cybersecurity technology (Daley, 2020).   The ledger system in a blockchain is designed to be decentralized in a way that information is availed to the members of that specific blockchain.  The decentralized nature of blockchains makes them the ultimate perfect cybersecurity technology that can be used for purposes to include medical and financial data sharing and encrypted message sharing.  Blockchains play a vital role in creating trust whilst maintaining a high level of data integrity (Daley, 2020).  To enhance cybersecurity blockchains create an impenetrable wall of protection between one’s information and hackers.

            The invention of blockchain has revolutionized cybersecurity. The transparency of the blockchain ledger allows a password-free entry while accessing sensitive information through the use of biometrics to include retina scans and fingerprints. Blockchain transparent ledger creates a single source uncrackable form of private data access (Daley, 2020).  The ledger system is decentralized to ensure that each block in the chain has only one piece of information that fits in a larger puzzle. The decentralized system limits the data that can be hacked (Daley, 2020). To enhance cybersecurity blockchain provide insight and exposes potential cyber-crime attempts.  The Bitcoin cryptocurrency business is one of the many businesses using blockchain to ensure and enhance the security and transparency of data. To secure the data ledger blockchains utilizes cryptography, this is done in subsequent series such that the current ledger depends on the adjacent block that is completed to complete the cryptography.

In conclusion, blockchain is used to enhance cybersecurity and to protect private information from malicious hackers online. Blockchain is a distribution ledger technology that creates an impenetrable wall that protects private data. Business to include Bitcoin cryptocurrency utilizes blockchain to enhance the cybersecurity and transparency of data.

Reference

Daley, S., (2020). Wallets, Hospitals and The Chinese Military: 19 Examples of Blockchain             Cybersecurity at Work. Retrieved from; https://builtin.com/blockchain/blockchain-            cybersecurity-uses

How to Become an IT Expert

The work of an information and technology expert encompasses all aspects of managing and monitoring computers, hardware, software, and networks within the parameters of an organization. Experts in information technology are referred to using various titles to include, an IT project manager, IT analyst, and a BIT (Business information technology) analyst.   Areas of specialization for IT experts include network analysis, IT audits, website administration, security information assurance and system administration (Best College Review, n.p).  IT experts are highly sought out by organizations and are among the most highly paid experts in organizations. IT job opportunities present individuals with opportunities for personal and professional growth.  In an organizational setting, IT experts can work in various areas involving information technology, for example, they can assist in the help desk by addressing the problems being faced by end-users of company products. Regardless of the various areas IT experts work in, they are required to pose strong analytical skills and be familiar with various operating systems to include Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS. IT experts and specialists are required to be proficient in more than one programming language (Best College Review, n.p).

 First Step: Getting the right Education (Degree)

A Bachelor’s Degree in a computer-related field is very relevant in being an IT expert.  Various relevant majors in the field of computer-related courses include computer science, information systems, and software engineering.  The first step towards being an IT expert is gaining a solid understanding of mathematical, scientific and engineering concepts related to IT (Best College Review, n.p).  This understanding lays a firm foundation that helps the student understand broader concepts of IT to include, data structures, programming concepts, and languages, numerical analysis, and data management. Bachelor's degrees related to information technology take a maximum of four years to complete. Modules in these courses include information technology system analysis, risk assessment, information security and data networking, and computer networking.

            To enhance competence in the field of Information technology, experts need to go the extra mile to acquire academic qualifications greater than a Bachelor’s degree. After acquiring a bachelors degree one can proceed and enroll in a Master’s program related to IT, these masters programs include; Masters of Information Technology and Master in Technology Management (Best College Review, n.p). Subsequently, after the successful completion of a master’s program, an IT specialist can enroll in a doctorate program that can help widen and broaden one’s knowledge in the field.

Second step: Gaining Experience

Institutions that offer Information technology-related courses avail sophisticated IT laboratories to their students, it is important to take advantage of these facilities to get hands-on experience with various programs and software that are taught in class. Before starting a career in information technology, it is advisable to get experience first.  One should consider seeking and completing an internship program before finding employment. Entry-level IT experts find trouble in finding employment, therefore, gaining practical experience from internship programs is important and allows an individual to make professional contact with potential employers (Best College Review, n.p). Exposure from internship programs helps an individual polish their already acquired skills. It is recommendable to work for an IT consulting firm or a government institution. An IT expert should be aware of all the latest changes and development trends taking place in the field.

Third step: Specialize

The Information technology field is a diverse field and specialization is very much required, to completely be an expert in a specific field in information technology one needs to specialize in that certain field.  One can choose to be an expert in areas to include mobile computing and data network (Best College Review, n.p). The key to specializing in a field is choosing something that one is interested in then building a career out of it by availing expertise and solutions needed in that field.  Seeking certification from vendors to include Cisco, Oracle and Microsoft also increases credibility in the eyes of an employer.

Fourth Step: Network Widely

Networking means finding professional connections in the field of Information technology. This included putting your profile out there for people to recognize you as an IT expert. Without networking firms and organizations requiring IT, experts will not recognize you, it is through networking that one gains professional contact (Best College Review, n.p). Networking can be done through social media platforms to include Twitter, LinkedIn accounts, Facebook accounts and interactions in social gatherings.

Works Cited

Best College Review. “How Can I Become an Information Technology Expert?” n.d. Retrieved   from; https://www.bestcollegereviews.org/faq/how-can-i-become-an-information-            technology-expert/

Starbucks Case Study Analysis

Description of the information management system

Starbuck’s MIS objective is to provide all departments with information. Various departments within Starbucks need to be provided with information for decision-making that eventually translates to organization success. The company has come up with a web portal to ensure smooth availability of information to all departments. Their portals can be accessed in two ways that are store portal and partner portal. Store portal serves employees working within the company while the partner portal assists employees working outside the company in fields or corporate offices. The system, therefore, assists employees to get timely information about what is going on within the company. Starbucks also uses an organized transaction processing system for collecting and storing data. The adopted MIS makes it possible for Starbucks to gain an advantage against its competitors. The management through MIS can perform their duties effectively by identifying areas that require improvements. It is through strategic planning smooth daily running of the company that ensures Starbucks remains at the top of its game

Recommendation for improvements

The current Starbucks’ information system apply business intelligence to collect data on customer purchasing behavior. The future of business will see increased competitions within the market. Starbucks, therefore, needs to make improvements on how they utilize the information they collect using its established MIS. The strategic management team of Starbucks should, therefore, come up with unique product experience to its existing and new customers for them to remain competitive. Another recommendation is for Starbucks to utilize extranets with its coffee beans suppliers since internet costs are expected to reduce in the future. It is through extranets with its farmers that will ensure the Starbucks remain competitive through increased efficiency. The current information system is web-based only. Starbucks should also a proper physical record system to help in cases when there are breakdowns.

How IMS helps coordinate between supply chain partners

Information system of Starbucks assists the company in improvements to its reporting system. The production process through IMS is improved, therefore ensuring improved and enhanced supply chain management. The company can source for its raw materials efficiently to Starbucks production unit. The production unit then distributes to its branches all over the world a process that relies on data for easy coordination. The supplies used by Starbucks for its products are sourced based on what customers prefer. Customer preference can only be determined through data collected by the company information system (Chopra, 2019). Supply chain partners both within and outside Starbucks, make its decisions using available data from its IMS. Accurate data from Starbucks’ IMS allows their supply chain managers to improve their performance through the identification of areas that requires improvements.

How IMS helps to monitor orders and inventory

Starbucks uses the SharePoint server by Microsoft to coordinate its functions. Workflow functionality of Starbucks is improved since employees tasked with monitoring orders and inventory can centrally access key information of orders and inventory through web links of various certified Starbucks vendors. Advance search options make it possible for different department employees to access different documents about different orders and inventory. The company handles large inventory data and it through advance search that has made it simple and fast to monitor orders. According to (Fitzgerald, 2013) Starbucks utilizes computerized methods, such as bar code scanning and automatic data capture. These techniques assist employees, customers, and suppliers in getting a real-time window into inventory and place of orders.

Why managing information is equally or more important to the company than moving products

Supply chain management of Starbucks is driven information collected by the IMS and therefore make it as useful for moving products. Moving products is important role when managing supplies, but it is through information gathered by IMS that plays a central part. The information ensures that there is open communication between Starbucks’ business partners, customers, and its branches all over the world. Starbucks relies on information in problem-solving and acts as a cushion to provide its decision-making team with a platform to obtain a business solution. Moving products are part of managing information; therefore, information obtained from moving products assist in forecasting financial performance. The information also assists in improving logistics in transporting Starbucks’ products from the farm, warehouse, and production unit. Information also provides an insight into what customers like; it is, therefore, true to say that information is a critical link between supply chain management and moving of products.

A successful business easily moves its products, which translates, to happy customers.  Starbucks ensures that they continually satisfy their customers through regular updates of its IMS. Starbucks is in a competitive business that relies on quality to remain on top. Information on customers’ preferences is made possible through well-documented data. Customers would move to other places if Starbucks fails to provide them with their preferred products. Sales are made possible if the company employees have a clear understanding of their inventory. IMS assist employees in ensuring that they always have all products for all its varied customers.

References

Chopra, S. (2019). Supply chain management: Strategy, planning, and operation (7^th ed) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Fitzgerald, M. (2013). How starbucks has gone digital. MIT Sloan Management Review, 54(4), 1-8. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1399095649?accountid=45049

Information Technology

            This is job opportunity where information is processed into easily applicable forms. There are different job opportunities in this field like Information Technology manager and Site Reliability Engineer.

It Manager

            What are the duties, qualifications and salaries of Information Technology manager? They have various duties like ensuring effective operation of IT department. They also ensure that the focus remains on the organizational goals. It is true that they do research to come up with solutions as outlined by Ashley. They are also involved in coming up with recommendations concerning the department. It is the duty of the manager to control the staff team (Holtsnider, Bill & Brian, 1-30). It is the duty of the Information Technology manager to supervise other assistants in the place of work. The salary of IT manger ranges between $105,750 - $159,000. The starting salary is $80,250-$112,250 (Leonard & Joseph, 14) are expected to have a degree in information technology. They are also supposed to have majored on management information system, information technology or computer science.  

Top of FormSite Reliability Engineer

            What is it all about this career? What are the qualifications, salary, duties and the growth potential for the career? It is a career that deals with software engineering applying them to operation and infrastructure problems. The people who work in the field help to remove all forms of bias that between development and operational teams. It is true that workers ensure that the website of the organization works smoothly as outlined by Caroline. Someone needs to a degree in computer science, Information technology or programming. The average salary is $119024 but a new worker can be started with $61874-$72776. Salary depends on certifications, formal education and experience. They are mostly hired by goggle (Butow, 5). Maintenance for the Information technology systems are carried out by workers in this field. The potential growth is high as the world is becoming a technological area where many things have been computerized hence the repair for disasters in the computer systems will need focus by the workers in this area.

Work cited

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Butow, Tammy. Reducing Mttd for High-Severity Incidents: A How-to Guide for Sres. , 2018.      Internet resource.

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Holtsnider, Bill & Brian D. Jaffe. It Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done.   Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2012. Print.

Leonard M. Jessup & Joseph S. Valasich. Information Systems Today: Managing in the Digital World: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

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 Laptop Computers

Laptop computers are portable personal computers that have been in the market for decades with presence of different brand and also many players in the market. Currently the product is in the maturity stage.

This product is actually in the maturity stages due to the fact that there have been entry of different competitors in the market which regular adding of features which at times makes them be called ‘hot products’ just to deal with the level of competition (Stark, 2015). There is also reduction of the prices due to the increase in the productivity and innovation though the prices in the market have remained steady. The product promotions that are aimed in showing the difference in the products that are available in the market is also suggestive of the stage.

            The sales of the product is actually expected to remain steady but might have a very little increase in sales. This is because most of the brands in the market have established the quality assurance of the products and there products have almost reached all the audience in the market. However, a little rise might be noted due to the reduction in the production due to the rise in productivity and the new promotions that aim to show the difference of the product in the market for example from addition of better specifications.

            This product aims at the early majority consumers, this is because the market for the product is highly competitive and always there is introduction of new items into the market by different brands. With the regular changes in the technology it is wise to aim to the individuals who are not really driven by new technology all the time but can also embrace new technology. This gives the product enough duration to sell even after introduction of new products.

References

Stark, J. (2015). Product lifecycle management. In Product lifecycle management (Volume 1) (pp. 1-29). Springer, Cham.

International project team (work place diversity)

1. Overview

I was selected as the project manager and am among the top users of an IT system that is currently underway. The system developers are multi-cultural since the company is partnering with workers from Argentina these workers are scattered all over the US. The project is underway since we have identified all the key players. However, team spirit is lacking among these workers due to their cultural diversity. Following recent readings, I have been doing I found out that other organizations have been using web 2.0 technologies to overcome issues affecting their employees, therefore, I initiated the use of Social Networking Sites to help bring teamwork among these geographically scattered employees.

1. IT International Division Partner
2. The country and culture of our IT partner

We choose to partner with Argentina when the culture of the country is explored through the 6-D model it shows; the Power Distance Index is at 49 meaning the country sits on the low end of this index, this shows that the less powerful members of an organization do not accept power to be shared unequally. On Individualism, the degree of interdependence society maintains among its members, Argentina has a score of 46, which is in the middle ranking, this ranking clearly shows that workers in the country are more individualistic, where people look out for themselves and their family members.

Our partners score on Masculinity is 56, this shows that masculine elements in the country are more than feminine elements, this means that our partner country’s workers work towards achievements & success. Lastly, the society is driven by competition. On the Uncertainty Avoidance Index the country has a high score of 86, this dimension has to do with the fact that the future is unknown but should it be controlled or should people sit down and let it happen. This high score indicated that the country needs a strong legal system, it also shows that the country has a sizeable black market. Lastly, it indicates that corruption is widely spread.

The country has a very low score of 20 on Long-term Orientation Index, which shows how society maintains its links with the past as it deals with the present and the future. These scores show that the country has a normative culture and exhibit great respect for their culture and focus on achieving quick results and measure their businesses on a short-term basis. The country has a high score of 62 in indulgence, which is the extent to which people try and control the desire and impulses they have. Workers have a positive attitude. The people in the country place a high value on leisure activities and are very spendthrift and have a weak control over their urges.

1. Comparison between the culture of our workers and the culture of the workers of our partners from Argentina.

The US is at 40 on the Power Distance Index while Argentina is at 46 on the Power Distance Index, the interpretation of the Power Distance Index of these two countries is similar, the society’s level of inequality is endorsed by the followers and the leaders equally. The US has a score of 91 on the Individualism this shows that the individuals are not concerned only for the self and their families like the society of Argentina but are concerned for everyone. The US has a high score on Masculinity, 62 which can relate to that of Argentina 56, these two societies are driven by competition and success. Unlike our partnering country which has a high score on The Uncertainty Avoidance Index, the US has a very low score on of 46 on this index, this shows that they do not need a strong legal system to structure their way of life.

On the Long-Term Orientation Index, the US a low score of 26, which makes it fall in the same bar as our partners since they have a low score of 20. This means that they also attach great value to their past as they figure their present and future. And measure their businesses on a short-term basis. On indulgence these two countries are at the same level as that of the US being slightly high at 68, and our partnering country at 62, like Argentina they have weak control of their urges.

• An issue that could impact the success of the project.

The fact that the team is scattered domestically and internationally problems due to different cultures are likely to arise. Team building will be an issue impacting our project in a negative way due to the difference in culture. On the individualism these two countries are very much different. Our partnering country is more individualistic and people look out for themselves and their families, the country has a score of 46 on individualism, people are more individualistic workers from the US are more collective and look out for others in terms of groups and organization, the country has a score of 91 on individualism. This might hinder teamwork and with no teamwork our project will experience a downfall.

2. Web 2.0 Tool and solution to our Issue.

I have been reading a variety of issues facing today’s employees and how organizations have been able to solve their issues using Web 2.0 technologies such as the use of social networking sites, and utilizing Social Networking Sites can help the team solve the problem of lack of team spirit and team motivation. Social Networking Sites will play an important role in how these culturally different workers will interact. These platforms will be utilized to bring these workers together so as to promote a sense of community, creating a community of workers will enhance collaboration, which is the force that brings together team work. Social Networking Sites will be used for team bonding, the team will communicate and create virtual boards where they can share their hobbies, plans and interests, all these will further their interests in each other and encourage team spirit.

1. Personal reflection

This research has helped change my belief that people with diverse cultures cannot work together under any condition. In conclusion, I found out that international projects can be carried out by workers with diverse cultures.