Business Computing

Today, the computer is at the heart of almost all business. At one time, when cash was the only thing accepted this was not the case, but with the heavy use of credit and debit cards to make purchases, computers are at the end of every transaction made. It is no surprise that as the internet was comming together to be a truly world wide network, companies like American Express and Visa wanted a faster and more convenient way to lend consumers money and collect interest on those purchases. Billions of transactions are made each day and moving that money around accurately, or sometimes inaccurately, is all done with computers across the internet. Of course, computers are at the heart of many businesses in other ways. Most companies can not function without the use of a laptop, desktop, and a smartphone. Computers are used for emailing other employees as well as customers. Many companies now have websites that host a wealth of information about the company and what it offers and why you should choose that company. Aside from communication, which is a major part of every comapny, computers are used to do accounting as well as produce actual products to be sold. The computer is truly intertwined into modern business practices. Without effective computer use, most companies can not expect to keep up with the competition. Can you imagine trying to start a new business today without using a computer?

Innovation

It is very rare to see the huge gaps that are sometimes made in technology. The simple idea of using a transistor or completed circuit instead of a glass tube is amazing to think of. Obviously there are those who have these outlandish ideas which become great innovations. Take Babbage for example. There is somewhat of a logical progression of how he came to see the need for a mechanical thing to help in the aid of calculating complex problems, to making the difference engine, to then coming to realize the need for the analytical engine. Yet, it is still a large jump to go from making calculations for astronomical tables to a programmable machine that can perform unimaginable calculations for his time. Innovation is in itself an amazing thing that can not be predicted or planned for. The mere idea of not only thinking of something new to solve problems, but then to manufacture that idea out of items that do not even exist is mind boggling. Innovation is often born out of necessity, but honestly what did Babbage need. He was extremely wealthy, and had no need to even impress anyone after his father passed away. Even so, he pressed onward. Even after years of failure and frustration he came up with the analytical engine which he would never truly bring to fruition in his lifetime. Innovation is a great thing, and I can't wait to see what will be next.

Computer Networks and the Evolution of Security

The idea that a computer should be able to communicate with another computer is something that we completely take for granted in this day and age. When the first few modern computers were made that would perform very complex calculations, they took up entire floors of large office buildings. As companies most likely wanted to transfer this information to other offices with computers an idea was born. This evolution really came about as top universities found more and more uses of computers to solve their increasingly complex math problems. Arpanet was born through institutions of higher education, but security was still not the main focus. The main focus first was to just send information that could be correctly viewed and or read on another computer or terminal. Security became an issue as the value of having a computer network was realized by people who were interested in security itself. Primarily this was the military that knew that a venue to communicate would be great only if it could be done securely. Today, security and computer networking go together in business and personal use. People all understand the importance of passwords even if they do not want to use them. Where will the next step in computer networking take us?

Computers...Why They Are The Best and Worst at the SAME Time

Information security is always evolving, yet it has the same elements from its beginings. Its fairly straight forward in that I have something that I need to have access to, but I dont want anyone else to have access to it, unless I say it is ok. When all things were hand written into journals or ledgers, safes were a common way to keep information safe. As we come to today, the majority of information is kept on computers or stored in a digital format. This means the document can be easily copied an infinite number of times, and with the internet it can be distributed just as easily. From an information security standpoint, the difficulty of protecting information has and will continue to get more complex. Computers do allow individuals and businesses to be more productive, which in itself is a great thing; but keeping things we would like secret continuously becomes a challange.