Week 6

Today I want to talk about tablet computers and their growing use in the business environment. While desktops and laptops are still the mainstay in most companies, tablets are a growing presence. Many IT professionals I know have been using smartphones and tablets for years now. While the usefulness of tablets is more apparent in certain areas than others, security concerns are something that all businesses have to address. For the most part you have three different types of tablets; Ipads, android, and windows. Most Windows tablets today run the Windows 8 operating system and can be configured fairly easily, with built in security tools, to be almost as secure as a laptop. Ipads and android tablets typically require apps to be bought and configured for added security (Harrison, 2013). To address this concern, some companies are producing enterprise tablets that are more easily configured and secured (Gray, 2014).
As someone who has an Ipad and loves it, I can definitely see the appeal of the tablet vs. lugging around a laptop with me everywhere. They are lighter, typically have much longer battery life, require no peripheral devices, and you can take them just about anywhere. From a security stand point though they are a definite risk. Since they are smaller they are more easily stolen. Unless a company has security blocks in place (harder on tablets) users run a risk of security breaches through multimedia usage.
The many issues with tablets leads me to the following conclusions:

• NO PERSONAL TABLETS!
• If companies are going to allow tablets, they should provide them per-configured with security blocks and settings already in place. 
• A firmly established and clearly defined policy for tablet usage should be in place and provided for all staff that use tablets.
• If properly handled tablets can be an amazing and productive addition to any enterprise, especially in IT.

Tablets are great. I love mine and use it more than my laptop by a fair margin at this point, but I also realize that it is a device easily abused or stolen and that makes it a risk to any company. It just has to be decided whether the potential gain is worth the risk.



Harrison, Laird. (2013, October 13). 9 Ways to Secure Tablets in the Enterprise. Tech Page One. Retrieved from http://techpageone.dell.com/technology/9-ways-secure-tablets-enterprise/#.Uwv9xhzNsdU

Viswanathan, Priya. (2013, December 20). Are Tablets Secure Enough for Using in Enterprise? About.com. Retrieved from http://mobiledevices.about.com/od/additionalresources/f/Are-Tablets-Secure-Enough-for-Using-in-Enterprise.htm

Gray, Patrick. (2014, January 7). The Dell Venue 8 Pro: The Windows tablet we've been waiting for? Techrepublic. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tablets-in-the-enterprise/the-dell-venue-8-pro-the-windows-tablet-weve-been-waiting-for/

Week 4

Social media has become so much a part of our daily lives, we often don't even think about how it has impacted the way in which we do business today. Not only are employees using Facebook or Tumbler, but companies are also using these and Twitter to market to the public and observe their employees.
Every company that I have any real interest in has a Twitter account and most have Facebook pages. They post announcements, coupons, run contests and so much more.Schools, businesses and government offices now use Twitter to announce closings. News stations tell you to follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook to receive up-to-the-minute coverage. These social media sites have taken on this massive role in our lives and we don't think twice about it.
Several companies I have dealt with now make it a standard hiring policy to check out their prospective employees on Facebook and Twitter. They realize that when interviewing for a job everyone is putting their best foot forward, but they tend to let their hair down for social media sites. Also, it isn't uncommon to hear stories about individuals getting fired over social media posts that got back to their employer.

Week 3

Graphics cards have come so far over the last decade. They used to be just an afterthought. Another component you needed, but no more important than any other. Back then RAM was king and everyone wanted more.
Now, things are significantly changed.
Graphics cards are the main attraction in many computers and can make or break a computer's sales. Graphics cards are mini-computers with their own RAM, processors (called GPUs), multiple fans and more. This is of course reflected in the price. It isn't uncommon for the video card in a gaming PC to be the most expensive piece of hardware. That is the driving force behind this massive growth in the importance of video cards in computers, PC gaming; and gamers love their graphics cards. In fact, many gamers will have multiple video cards in their gaming computers that work together to exceed one alone or use multiple screens. It seems to be a self-sustaining cycle; as the games get more realistic the cards improve and as the cards improve developers push the graphics to be even better.
What's funny is the average PC user doesn't even need a graphics card anymore. Many motherboards come with basic video graphics built in that are more than sufficient to go online or process everyday user needs.