The communication process is one of the most important social processes that should be researched properly. The development of technologies has changed the image of the communication process in general and improved the developmental influence on society in general.
Critique
The paper is intended for everyone who is interested in the process of daily interpersonal communication and will b of particular interest to students and tutors of psychology departments, as well as those who are involved in the process of developing communication technologies. The authors purpose is to define the key processes which make people select the communication channels and outline the social processes that promote the development of the communication process from the perspective of cell phone (or similar) communication, private talks, and public performances. (Heath and Bryant, 2004) The aim of the article is not stated clearly enough. Hence, the idea of the research gives a clear representation of the matters of this aim, as the influence of mobile communication on social development has not been studied deeply.
The key points of the article are closely associated with the development of the cell phone market from the perspective of consumers perception of the communication process. Considering the importance of the communicational process, it should be emphasized that the actual importance of the study may be explained by understanding the phone communication process in depth.
The terms of the paper are defined properly; however, the opinions of other researchers have not been taken for granted. Katz mainly relies on his own considerations and researchers, as the development of cell phones and mobile communication processes are closely linked with the motivation to communicate from the perspective of communicational necessity or the aesthetic inevitability. While other researchers emphasize the communication process in general, Katz and Aakhus (2002) make a special emphasis on the treatment of the cell phone as a fetish.
The informational flow of the article is easy to follow except for some moments dedicated to consumer perception of the cell phone communication culture, as authors aim to compare the US cell phone market with the Japanese market, simultaneously explaining the role of communication for these countries. This causes the indistinct flow of the material, and the actual importance of this part for the entire research is doubted. The writing style imitates the academic writing; however, it is something average between actual academic research and a publication for the audience that is interested in glam publications. (Whang, Lim and Boucsein, 2003)
In general, the research may be regarded from the perspectives of the communication process development, as the importance of cell phone communication should not be underestimated, and the influence of this communication on other aspects of interpersonal contacts. The role of private talks and public performances can not be influenced essentially. In the light of this statement, it should be emphasized that the actual importance of mobile communication is not explained in the article, as the author makes an emphasis on the development of society, while the importance of the communication process has not been analyzed properly.
Conclusion
Finally, it should be emphasized that the research is mainly based on the necessity to research the communication process through the development of communication technologies. On the one hand, such research could be quite useful. Nevertheless, the authors do not focus on the aspects of cell phone communication importance for society.
Reference List
Heath, R. L., & Bryant, J. (2004). Human Communication Theory and Research: Concepts, Contexts, and Challenges (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Katz, E.J., Aakhus, M.A. (2002) Mobile Phones as Fashion Statements: The Co-creation of Mobile Communications Public Meaning. Cambridge University Press
Whang, M. C., Lim, J. S., & Boucsein, W. (2003). Preparing Computers for Affective Communication: A Psychophysiological Concept and Preliminary Results. Human Factors, 45(4), 623.
Information Technology is a very vital element in communication and information flow in the current society. Since it ensures communication between any two parties, there must be in existence some form of connection between them. Technology comes in to provide this vital connectivity and ensure flow of information. In this paper, we are going to show that with information technology, communication and information flow is made easy. Additionally, the cost of communication becomes drastically reduced with the use of various information technology gadgets. The very use of these technological gadgets eliminates the need of hiring more staff to enable communication and hence reduces the number of individuals that are to be held responsible during any form of communication. Lastly, this paper will show that with the use of IT infrastructure, communication becomes faster and hence information flow and delivery can become real time if need be again with minimal costs incurred.
Although, popular to many critics, there is no true substitute to being in the actual place with someone you wish to pass information to, especially in business related scenarios (Davis, 65). Information Technology has certainly enable real time meeting that are video enable for people that are separated by great distances.
Introduction
Information Technology (IT) can be defined as a combination of microelectronics-based telecommunications devices. The computing power it possesses helps in the processing, storage or dissemination of numerical, pictorial, textual and vocal information after it has been acquired as data. However, when the notion of hastening communication and flow of information comes in, then one cannot miss to mention information and communication technology which is famously abbreviated as ICT. ICT in real sense, although usually used as another synonym for information technology, can be defined as a collection of all the technical aspects that aid the communication process and helps handle information.
Communication and Information Flow before IT
Before the invention of computers, the process of communication was tiresome and long. Imagine if you were to write a business plan and post it to someone, it would require patience on your side. If you were to make an error in a certain strategic page, you had to redo the whole page and not forgetting that you had to make a first draft, rewrite it later and so forth till you had a document that you considered perfect to communicate your ideas across (Ahituvet al., 89). Once through, you had to go to the post office and post it and without any form of confirmation, you just had to have faith that it reached its intended recipient. Well, I think that we should be very thankful that we can just undo any typing mistakes and continue with typing only one draft. For those of us who have become online addicted, i.e. almost everything is done online from working to handling of your finances to shopping to finding a date and recently, there are online sites that offer online wedding, life is easy but try to consider just a few hours of the day when suddenly there was no internet connectivity. Well that would put life into a real hustle.
Major Roles of IT in Communication
One of the major roles that Information Technology has played is making work easier. Communication has been simplified right from the invention of telephone. With the invention of email systems, it became relatively easy to write and sent messages that were vital to provide some form of urgent written communication to various parties. Compared to the former procedure of having to write with your hand, deliver to a mailman who would have to deliver to the post office then the letter would get transported to another city or if it is outside the country be flow and maybe take days to reach the respective city (Sheth, 9). Later the letter would be delivered to the post office before a mailman can deliver to its final destination. Now imagine if this same letter was to reach 1000 more recipients, then I think the secretary would be calling it quits on that same day for being overworked.
This long process has been made easier with the email systems whereby with just a click of a button, your mail is sent of course if all respective variables are held constant e.g. the servers are working just fine. The issue duplication of the same message would be quite easy as the only effort need would be to import the mail addresses of all the intended recipients. This would ensure that this vital information is delivered to the many recipients without the need of having to physically re-write each letter separately.
With the ever increasing need of communication, immense costs can be incurred just to ensure that there is constant information flow. However with information technology, the cost of communication has drastically gone down since there are few people involved in keeping the system running and hence reduced costs. This ensures that everyone can stay in contact and vital information can be easily passed to many people. For example, should one need to pass urgent information to the people of a certain state, they need not to use loud speakers and posters on the notice boards. They could instead just use the television that is watched by many and pass-along that information. Alternatively, they could post this vital information on social mediums on the web like facebook and you will be amazed how fats people are going to get informed about it.
With such costs gone down, it certainly encourages people to communicate more and pass along that piece of vital information. Although the initial cost of installation might be high, in the long run, future costs of communication become low. In real sense no further coasts are experienced after installation of communication technology equipments (Venkatesh et al., 12).
Information technology does allow faster communication to take place. The use of internet protocol especially coupled with fiber optic connectivity can do wonders for you. It will even enable face to face conversation via video conferencing with an amazing clarity in voice and picture. Video streaming enable the transfer of videos from one person to another and viewing of those videos online.
In space explorations, information technology has been widely used to ensure faster delivery of pictures on far way planets back to the ground station on earth for analysis.
Further still, to ensure that communication is hastened, there need be a fast system of retrieval of this very information. With the use of Information Technology, there is no need of having to go through files of delivered letter to find the need one. You could just search the delivered mail and find the mail that you are looking fore. More over, IT ensures that should the information contain such elements as images, sounds, or videos are preserved. This will ensure that communication is passed from a source to destination without much effort in trying to restore the original information.
Faster means of communications are always being invented daily through the use of innovative technology. Such an example would be the launch of the Nokia 9000 in 1996 in Finland. This communicator enabled internet connectivity on it. Soon providers of the network developed systems to access the phone conveniently and allow flow of information from the internet to the phone. Later in 1999a Japan Company NTT DoCoMo launched an I-Mode: Internet services on the mobile. Sooner rather than later, email system that run on mobile phones were to be introduced and more crazier systems and gadgets have been invented to ensure seamless connectivity from the phone to the internet and this eliminates the need of a computer for one to access their emails (NSBA, 1). Therefore you can call and send emails on your phone. This is truly hastened faster communication
Conclusion
Information technology has truly enabled the bridging of the distance and making it to have very little effect when it comes to information flow. Thus communication is hastened to new levels that a few years ago would seem impossible. Technology has also enabled massive reproduction of information to be transmitted to various people at almost no cost at all. However, most importantly, information technology has enabled secure transmission of correspondence between individuals. Through the websites which owe their existence to the invention of internet, more people can be reached simultaneously at a faster rate. More people can be reached through the various social mediums with minimum costs.
Works Cited
Ahituv, Nathan et al. Principles of information systems for management. London: McGraw-Hill Professional, 1993.
Davis, Frank. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of Information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13.3 (1989): 23-35.
NSBA. Technology and the Workplace. 2010. Web.
Sheth, Johnson. Strategic Importance of Information Technology. New Jersey: Sheth, JN, 1994.
Venkatesh, virnash et al. User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified View. Information Management, 27.3 (2003): 12-14.
The internet as a communication tool has made it possible to access information thus making it easier to work, learn, buy, sell and advertise online. For learning purposes, many educational institutions have introduced online learning through the e-learning program which enables students to undertake online tests and results forwarded via the same medium.
What it feels like taking internet tests
Taking tests online is a challenging task. The difference that exists between writing tests manually and taking a test online is the virtual aspect. In this respect, online tests can be very scary as most of them are given based on selected topics which selected randomly and are issued as soon as one accepts the terms of service. As soon as one accepts to undertake the tests, there is no time allowed for breaking as this will not be considered. With this in mind, one must come prepared and ready to sit for the test without interruptions.
Taking tests online requires courage and determination as instructions are given require one to have the ability to navigate from page to page in search of important information. This may lead to confusion if one has no idea of where to source information on the website. In my form, I have undertaken tests which were both related to the application for writing positions The tests are SDIS and involve speed and critical thinking which if not taken with the care of can lead to failure as the time given is little. The other test example is the IQ test which is also regarded as an aptitude test. This test requires one to be fast enough as numerous questions are asked and the time given is minimal. This causes distraction as most applicants tend to fumble thus ending up failing the tests miserably. In this case, my first application was turned down but by luck and commitment, I was able to pass on my second trial though through a different company. This brought me joy as I had little faith that internet tests were just a mere hoax. The IQ test was rather tricky but I managed to score averagely as my English level was superb My score for this was 80%. This was encouraging though my SDIS test was confusing with very few minutes given to plan and write on a random topic of 150 words. Though having tried, I managed to pull a fair score of 25% and this was so disappointing.
What do the results say about you and if you agree with the results?
The results submitted over the internet are somehow demoralizing as most companies conduct their evaluation on a strict basis; an example is the tests given by online research companies. This is due to the number of applicants who apply; and for these companies to recruit the best candidates, the evaluation must be conducted thoroughly. In my experience, I experienced nervousness as the results given to me indicated that the company I first submitted my application to had declined my efforts to have the company hire me as a freelance writer. In my view, I consider this as unfair as the reason for the decline was on grammar which would just have been as a result of typographical errors. In this regard, some of the mistakes should be understood and taken into consideration. In another event, another research writing company took me through the same procedure in a bid to test my skills and knowledge of writing. This time through care and confidence, I took the tests; little did I know that I would not be considered at first, but after clarification of some information, the company was happy to hire me as a freelance writer by giving me a phone call which included some small interview.
Description of the tests stressing appropriate psychometric language
The norming group of the SDIS and IQ tests is based on the performance of applicants and is considered as the benchmark to which comparison is done on the norm reference list. This means that the tests are designed to focus on the applicants credibility and measure their knowledgeability. The IQ test is widely used and is intended to measure up knowledge, therefore, determining ones ability. Both the validity of the test requires an applicant to be thorough and careful as these matters a lot on the validity of the tests. Less time is given to complete the test so this might be so stressful considering different candidates possess different levels of intelligence. Concerning this, the reliability of the tests is evident as it shows the applicant how much his/her skill is worth thus. Online speed tests which are intended to measure ones level of IQ consider the tests reliable as not every candidate bears the same knowledge hence helping in the selection of the best applicant. However, if one takes the tests over and over, the reliability will mean that the applicants score will occur as a consistent result. In this regard, the SDIS and IQ tests achieve reliability by narrowly defining intelligence as an ability to solve analytical problems. These tests are good in that no possibility of bias exists in the judgments made.
Conclusion
Online tests can be advantageous as they are not time-consuming and are readily available. While undertaking the tests, one should devote him/herself and ensure that the tests are carefully done to prove the level of ability to the examiner.
References
Essay writers, n.d. Topic selection for online tests. Web.
Research writing Center, n.d. Phone Interview. Web.
Management is a function that involves the roles of planning, organizing and controlling the given resources within the company to ensure profitability of the ventures undertaken. A company manager is, therefore, required to take on these and more roles depending on the companys capacity. In order to facilitate these functions, it is vital for the manager to ensure that the most effective and efficient means are sought. In todays world, this translates into the adoption of new technology, whose necessity in ensuring a companys relevance in the respective industry and the market is rapidly growing. This is mainly because of the significant developments as far as new technology is concerned (Glazer, Jenkins & Schaper, 2005).
A Content Management System is a new technology, which can be defined in various ways. However, the most significant factor to be determined before presenting a concise definition is the context in which the term has been used. In a media based organization, a content management system could be defined as a web or digital system that helps to organize and control data or information on the companys website or digital database ( What is Content Management System , n.d.). In an organization, which is non-media based, for instance an insurance company or a law firm; documents would be the main type of content that would require to be organized using a Content Managing System (CMS) (Addey, 2002).
Aspects of a CMS
Content Management System has two major aspects. The first aspect is known as CMA (Content Management Application) aspect allows a company manager who is not well versed in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to navigate through the companys database. It will simplify the managers organizational role. This is by enabling him to input the necessary information into the companys CMS.
The second aspect is the CDA (Content Delivery Application) compiles the data inputted by the manager and organizes it into and easily accessible and organized format. This ensures that the manager is able to utilize the companys resources in an efficient and effective way. The rest of the company personnel also benefit from this system because they can easily access the information conveyed to them.
Notable Improvements
The introduction of a CMS in a company brings along several improvements. Different individuals will have the opportunity to upload information into the system. This ensures that every department will be in a position to update the system, and share data with the rest of the company (Roco, 2011).
Company personnel are also able to log into the system and retrieve relevant information. This reduces the necessity to convene meetings for departments to update each other on any developments. In this respect, a CMS ensures proper and organized storage of data. It also eases the data retrieval process, in comparison to sorting through files in cabinets.
The CMS also ensures that one cannot input data into the system twice. It, therefore, reduces repetition and redundancy of information in the system. This goes a long way to improving information dispensation between company personnel.
A CMS is also designed to ensure that information uploaded into the companys database is well secured. Only authorized personnel are able to access the information posted in the CMS (Mauthe & Thomas, 2004).
Since all information that is uploaded into the CMS is automatically saved, it ensures that all company records are permanently stored. This also makes it very easy to access old information that is archived in the CMS (Rockley, Kostur & Manning, 2003).
Given that the CMS has been programmed to function accurately, there is a significant reduction of the likelihood of the occurrence of mistakes. This is in comparison to previous methods of record keeping, data entry and computation which depend more on the individuals ability to function. Unlike humans, the CMS not only works faster and more accurately but enables the storage and dissemination of the data or material worked on to be much easier (Ferrer, 2011). All this is due to the capacity that this system possesses in terms of what it can do and how it can do it.
How and Why the CMS is an Improvement
Through this system, a company can reduce greatly on storage space. This is mainly because the CMS provides the option of digital storage. All relevant information and data is uploaded into the system and is stored there virtually. This system also ensures instantaneous access to stored information.
Company personnel who might encounter problems locating certain documents on the system can also conduct intensive and extensive searches using the CMS. All they require is a key word which is used to retrieve the required data. A company manager is also in a position to restrict the distribution of sensitive and high profile documents. This is done by restricting access to such information in the system ( What are the benefits of Document Management , n.d.).
The application of the CMS in terms of knowledge and skill also enhances multi tasking. This is achieved as a result of enhanced knowledge and skill on a given matter. It helps the company manager carry out several tasks at a go. For example, one can enter data while the system is computing an analysis of another set of information. This not only helps him save time but enables him to finish the required tasks in a reasonable time (Arthur, 2006).
The time taken to accomplish a given task, for example, computation of employee data, is less the Content Management System is applied as it has the capacity to work faster than the human mind with respect to calculations provided the relevant software is installed.
The CMS also represents an improvement because it provides the option of digital storage of information. This ensures that there is no loss of vital company information/ data. This system also facilitates easier sharing of information. This is especially when a local area network is set up to link the computer systems to each other. This capacity facilitates easier dissemination of information to other members of the company when need arises. As opposed to the circulation of documents in paper form, this system enables a person to have materials in soft copies. This aids in correction or addition of details before printing out the final copy. This in turn, contributes to saving printing costs.
Through this system, employees of a company can voice their plights by posting suggestions and ideas into the system. The Company manager is also able to regulate their compliance to the company rules by issuing reminders and updating company policies through the system. This ensures that there is an improvement in the organizations operations (Kendall, 1999).
References
Addey, D. (2002). Content management systems. Birmingham: Glasshaus.
Arthur, M. H. (2006). Expanding a digital content management system: for the growing digital media enterprise. Amsterdam: Elsevier Focal Press.
Ferrer, N. (2011). Content management for e-learning. New York: Springer.
Glazer, D., Jenkins, T., & Schaper, H. (2005). ECM technology: what you need to know. Waterloo, Ontario: Open Text Corp..
Kendall, K. E. (1999). Emerging information technologies: Improving decisions, cooperation, and infrastructure. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
Mauthe, A., & Thomas, P. (2004).Professional content management systems: handling digital media assets. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Rockley, A., Kostur, P., & Manning, S. (2003). Managing enterprise content: a unified content strategy. Indianapolis, Ind.: New Riders.
Roco, M. C. (2011). Converging technologies for improving human performance: nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science. Dordrecht: Springer.
What is Content Management System and what is a Content Management System or CMS?. (n.d.). Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECM) Portal Enterprise, Web & Document Management Suppliers and Solutions.
What are the benefits of Document Management?. (n.d.). Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECM) Portal Enterprise, Web & Document Management Suppliers and Solutions.
The design project intends to come up with a communication system. There are various phases during the project. These include the investigation phase, the design phase and the implementation phase. The investigation phase involves understanding the task at hand and coming up with methods that can be used to solve the problem. The design phase deals with the possibilities that are considered. The advantages and disadvantages of these possibilities are examined before making the choice of which option is viable for implementation. The reasons behind the choice are also mentioned at this stage. The implementation stage deals with how the design was implemented. Sometimes it may not be possible to physically implement the project. The weather station was therefore implemented through simulation.
In the design phase, comparison between different modulation schemes is carried out to ensure the best is chosen. The multiplexing methods are also examined
Introduction
Communication systems are very important in linking two regions that are geographically apart. The use of these systems ensures easy and efficient transfer of data between these two points. A weather station is an important part of our daily lives and ensuring it operates optimally is important. A remote weather station that is not manned by a person can be automated such that it collects the required data from the atmosphere, converts it to a digital form and then transmits the converted data through a wireless network to a base station.
The purpose of this design project is to develop a communication system for this weather station. The instruments in the weather station include a humidity sensor, a rain gauge, a thermometer, an anemometer and a barometer. These instruments collect analog data from the environment and analog to digital converters are required to convert these data to digital form. The data obtained is then modulated and transmitted through a single channel over a wireless link to a base station (Nicholas, 2001). The base station has a data storage capacity and a web-server which makes the data available to client machines with web-browsers at distant locations. This makes it easy to analyze the data without the presence of a person manning the weather station. It makes the system more efficient as the readings are real-time.
Investigation phase
The communication system is dependent on the data that is obtained by the instruments in the weather station. Since the system has been automated, the measuring of the required parameters is done once every hour. The physical parameters measured include the temperature, humidity, speed of wind, atmospheric pressure and the amount of rainfall. The signals obtained after measuring these parameters is in analog form. Processing of these signals therefore needs to be done to convert them to a form that can be transmitted by the wireless channel. The system therefore has to be able to deal efficiently both with the analog and the digital signals. Converters such as digital to analog converters may also be needed to aid in the processing of the signals.
The instruments also need to have some memory attached to them for backing up the sent data. This is because the wireless channel may fail resulting to loss of the data that is sent in real time. Availability of the back up at the weather station will ensure that even if there is a problem with the transmission channel, the data can still be accessed at a later time.
The automation of the weather station will ensure that there is no person manning the station. However, the equipments need to be checked from time to time to ensure that they work efficiently. This means that there is need for a bi-directional way of communication. This will ensure that in case of failure, the base station is notified and corrective signals are sent to the weather station.
The base station will have the computer system that will be gathering and saving data from the weather station. The communication between this system and the weather station may be through remote terminal units (Roger, 2002). From the base station, commands can also be sent to the remote station for corrective changes incase of failure of any of the equipment.
At the base station, appropriate software needs to be installed on the computer to ensure that once the received data is interpreted, the display of the data is in a good format (Donald, 1997). Various programming languages for the development of the program were analyzed. These included both the use of visual studio and java programming. Java programming was eventually chosen to develop the program (David, 2002). This is because it is easier to perform web based programming using this programming language.
Design phase
The signals dealt with in the design of this communication system are both analog and digital. However, the analog signals do not need to be transmitted through the transmission channel. The analog signals may be amplitude or frequency modulated. Since they are not transmitted through the channel this is not necessary. The measured quantity is converted to a digital signal by an analog to digital converter (Antoon & Priscilla, 2008). Since the signals represent different parameters they should not be mixed during transmission. They are therefore modulated and multiplexed before transmission. The signals are pulse code modulated. This ensures that the signal is sent efficiently and is in a form that can be received by computers.
The signal is then multiplexed. The scheme used is the time division multiplexing to ensure that a single transmission channel is used. Multiplexing will prevent the corruption of the data since the values represent different parameters. Time division multiplexing is preferred to code division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing since it is more economical to implement. Repeaters are used during the transmission of the data to ensure that noise that may be encountered by the signal while it is propagating through the channel is eliminated. The repeaters reproduce the digital signal that they receive thus eliminating the noise component in the original signal.
The analog to digital converters used are of high resolution and accuracy. This ensures that the resulting digital signal is the actual representation of the converted analog signal. The complexity of the modulators and demodulators is also a factor that needs to be considered. The modulators and demodulators used in this design are simple. Even though they are simple, the modulators perform quantization, sampling and encoding of the signal before it is transmitted. Their simplicity ensures that the signal is not passed through many stages of processing. The demodulator on the other hand performs the decoding of the signal at the base station before the actual interpretation of the data is done. The modulators therefore need not to be complex as long as they perform their intended purpose.
The remote telemetry units at the weather station are used to ensure communication with the base station. Their communication with a central processing unit before the data is sent to the base station is through Ethernet cables. It incorporates microprocessors which are used in the processing of the obtained data. The control signals from the base station also pass through this device before they are delivered to the equipment (Stuart, 2004).
The use of the remote telemetry units may mean that the analog to digital converters are not used. This is because they have these devices inbuilt. This gives them an advantage over the analog to digital converters since the hardware components that will be used are minimized. In case analog to digital converters are used, additional hardware would be required for communication. The RTU also pose an advantage in the accuracy of analog to digital conversion. Therefore the remote telemetry units are recommended. The design performance is rated highly when all the components are incorporated. The efficiency of communication is improved by the use of the digital components which have higher noise immunity compared to their analog equivalents. These digital data streams can also be easily interpreted by a computer without the need to undergo conversions.
Communication between the instruments and the base station will be through a wireless link. Therefore routers need to be used to enable this type of communication. The use of the routers is preferred to the use of satellites since it is cheaper and easier to implement. The use of satellites can also be used for the communication but the required infrastructure to develop this kind of communication is both expensive and complicated in its design process. Therefore, the router is the selected option for the implementation of this design project.
The memories that may be installed to save data before it is sent to the base station include the random access memory (RAM) or the read only memory (ROM). These two types of memories have their advantages and disadvantages. For the purpose of storing this data, the ROM was chosen. This is because this memory is non volatile. This means that in case of power failure, the data that was stored will not be lost. The memory capacity for this type of memory is also more compared to that of RAM. This will ensure that more data is stored for future reference without the need for overwriting the stored data (Nicholas, 2001).
Implementation
The block diagram for the overall system is shown in figure one below:
A sample MATLAB code for the time division multiplexing is shown below:
%sample code for time division multiplexing
clc;
x=0:.25:.5:2*pi;
signal1=5*sin(x);
%generate the analog signal
p=length(signal1);
signal2=5*triang(p);
%second signal
%code for displaying the sampled signal
subplot(3,3,1);
stem(signal1);
xlabel(Time);
ylabel(Amplitude);
subplot(3,3,2);
stem(signal2);
xlabel(Time);
ylabel(Amplitude);
%multiplexing the signal
Multiplexed=reshape(signal,2,2*pi);
%display multiplexed signal
stem(multiplexed);
xlabel(Time);
ylabel(Amplitude);
The code above was used to produce two independent signals. These signals were then multiplexed and displayed after time division multiplexing was performed on them.
The weather station was simulated in MATLAB. The signal from the instruments was generated and the necessary processing done to it. The conversion of the signal from analog to digital is done by an ADC. The limitations while implementing the system using MATLAB comes about when dealing with noise. The effects of the noise in the channel cannot be conclusively analyzed. This problem was solved by the introduction of a random signal that was not required at the output. This signal was used to act as the noise component found in the transmission channel.
Results
The operation of the weather station yielded the following results at a particular time at the base station.
Condition
Measurement
Humidity
30g/m3
Rainfall
0 mm
Temperature
24oC
Speed of wind
5mph
Atmospheric pressure
754mmHg
The above values were displayed on the computer screen at the base station. This is after their transmission from the remote weather station. The communication channel transfers data serially. The parameters of this channel that were obtained during the transmission of the data include the number of bits transferred per second, the baud rate. The number of bits transferred per second was 1024 while the baud rate for the channel was 1000. The overall speed of the communication channel was 7Mbps. During the operation of the weather station, the required memory for normal operation was 500Mb for storage of all the daily data.
Conclusion
The design of the communication system for the remote weather station was a success. This is because all the required components of the system were established and the system developed. Testing of the system was also done through simulation and the results indicated that the system operated successfully. Some difficulties were encountered during the development stage and through research and discussion, these limitations were dealt with. The communication system is therefore more reliable and efficient. This is because analysis of other viable systems was carried out before deciding to develop the current system.
References
Antoon, R & Priscilla, O 2008, Network Fundamentals, Cisco Press,London.
David, R 2002, Java Network Programming and Distributed Computing, Addison-Wesley, Salt Lake.
Donald, E 1997, Art of Computer Programming, Addison-Wesley, Salt Lake.
Nicholas, C 2001, Schaums Outline of Computer Architecture, Mcgraw-Hill, New York.
Roger, T 2002, Schaums Outline of Computer Networking, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Stuart, A 2004, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, International Society of Automation, London.
Since the foundation of the earth, people have been communicating using different means and devices. Telegraph is just one of many means of communication that have been invented. It is a device that is used to transmit and receive written information from one point to another (Bruno Para 4). Messages are sent using an electric current although the word illustrates a system used to send written messages through optical means.
After its invention, it was the most popular means which was being used to send written messages in some areas of Europe and America. However, it is important to note that telegraph was exceedingly popular only before the invention of telephones although its use did not stop immediately. In addition, some means which came later like telegrams as well as telex continued to use telegraphy.
Nonetheless, they were later replaced by fax transmissions which were using telephone lines. Since the invention telegraph, a lot of development has taken place and currently, international telegraphy makes use of satellite transmission and radio bands which operate at a very high frequency.
Based on that background, it is explicit that invention of telegraphy has had various impacts in mass communication. Therefore, this essay shall focus on telegraph and narrow down to the impact of the same in the filed of mass communication.
It is important discuss the history of telegraphy to be in a position to understand its direct impacts in mass communication. Telegraph replaced earlier means of sending information which were inclusive but not limited to smoke, fires at night, drums beating and horns. However, towards the end of the eighteenth century, Claude Chappe, an engineer from France invented a telegraph system known as a semaphore which was used to send messages from one hill top to another (Coe pp. 24).
Latter on, Chappe and his brother were able to build a series of towers between cities which were using telescopes to send written messages from one city to another. His system became successful and he came up with the world telegraph. It is a combination of two Greek words, tele and graphien which means distance and to write respectively.
Generally, the word telegraph means writing at a distance (Bruno Para 7). However, it is important to point out that although the system was successful, it required a lot of staff to operate and was also affected by the weather. The invention of electricity was very instrumental as it led to the discovery of electric telegraphy by William and Charles in the 19th century. Electric telegraphy was closely followed by other improvements.
Morse, an artist from America invented electric telegraphy which could be used in the whole world. Although he lacked scientific information, he was able to consult some physicist who introduced him to electromagnetism. It is thorough the use of electromagnetism that Morse telegraphy was able to spread quickly through out the whole world and successfully replaced older version that was being used in Europe.
Through out history, major developments in telegraphy have been taking place as the world has been characterized by various technological developments. For instance, history records that the world was already connected by telegraph wires towards the end of the 19th century.
Telegraphic cables were even placed under the sea and through that, it was possible to connect different continents. For instance, Trans Atlantic cables were being used in the mid 20th century and by then; all parts in the world were connected using such cables (The History Of The Telegraph Para 4).
Although there are many means and devices that have impacted mass communication, the impact of telegraph cannot be underestimated. For instance, study of history has indicated that earlier means of sending information were so slow such that information sending could take not only days, but also weeks and months depending with the distance.
However, after major developments of a telegraphy system, it was possible to send a written message from London to New York in three minutes. Therefore, telegraphs resulted in efficiency and effectiveness as the distance factor was greatly reduced if not eliminate. That was a very significant step in mass communication as it marked the beginning of major improvements in the same filed (Castells pp. 10).
Initially, telegraph was very useful in the military since it was used to pass information during wars. For instance, during the civil wars in America, the intercontinental telegraphy came in handy as it made it possible to pass important information. The same system was also being used during the war between Spanish and America and also during the World War I. Moreover, through the use of teleprinters, it was possible to send secret information using the same system (Bruno Para 6).
Increased distribution of news from one region to another can be termed as the greatest impact of telegraph in the filed of mass communication. Initially, business and political news were confined in a particular region as there were no effective means of distributing information from one point to another.
Therefore, after the discovery of telegraph, information could flow easily from one region to another. As a result, business and politics as well as other aspects of culture were greatly changed due to the same effect. The knowledge of international news increased and the same had a great effect on peoples way of life. Although there were some negative effects of the same, there were a lot of benefits like peace promotion (Elon University School of Communications, Para 3).
Telegraph marked the beginning of great changes in the filed of mass communication. Apart from sending business and political news, telegraph contributed greatly to the newspaper industry. Before the invention of telegraph, newspaper industry was underdeveloped since printers used to publish information and stories that were within their reach (Steury pp. 80).
In addition, further studies illustrate that due to lack of a lot of information, newspapers used even to publish stories from other older newspapers. It was too taxing to gather information and to transport it from one point to another.
However, after the invention of a telegraph, it was possible to collect information from many points in wide geographical region and publish the same information in news papers before it became outdated. Since gathering of information was easier, competition increased as new dailies could now be published.
Gathering information also changed greatly as publishers made local arrangements which were meant to help in the same. Editors could easily exchange stories and it was possible to send information or a story from the interior parts to the editor directly (Fang pp. 10).
Telegraph is a device or a system that contributed greatly in the field of mass communication. It not only resulted in efficiency and effectiveness, but also affected the quality of information positively. Invention of a telegraph led to a lasting impact in the field of mass communication. For instance, from then onwards, it has been possible for news to be distributed from one continent to another.
Geographical distance ceased to be an obstacle. There were other developments that came in to being like sending of coded messages and all were influenced by telegraph (Steury Para 4). Therefore, telegraphy has been of great use since through it, the field of mass communication has been able to achieve its goal of distributing quality and up to date information. Consequently, major developments have taken place in all sectors.
Works Cited
Bruno, Leonard, C. Telegraph History. n. d. Web.16th October 2010.
Castells, Manuel. Communication power. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.Print.
Coe, Lewis. The Telegraph: A History of Morses Invention and Its Predecessors in the United States. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1993. Print.
Elon University School of Communications. 1830s-1860s-Telegraph. n. d. Web. 16th October 2010.
Fang, Irving, E. A history of mass communication: six information revolutions. Oxford: Focal Press, 1997. Print.
Steury, Donald, P. Under the Wire: How the Telegraph Changed Diplomacy. 2008. Web.
The enterprising key management policy for Slack Communications will require the company to use technologies for encrypting sensitive and confidential data for protecting the integrity of customers as well as employees. The policy will apply to all employees and affiliates to address the encryption policy and control organizational data.
Reason for Policy
The incorporation of enterprising key management policy is high on the corporate agenda as to the increase in security breaches of large corporations. In 2016 only, Centene Corporation (healthcare sector), Federal Bureau of Investigation (Department of Homeland Security), Seagate Technology, Internal Revenue Service, LinkedIn, 21st Century Oncology, Office of Child Support Enforcement, and dozens other companies and organizations reported security breaches and thefts of customer/employee information. Thus, there is a high need for Slack Communication to implement a cohesive EKM strategy for protecting its customers and employees from fraudulent security breaches and making sure that the stolen data can be recovered. Moreover, Slack communications allow users to manage security, policy, and compliance across all of Slack (Slack, n.d.), which is another reason for policy implementation.
Definitions
Enterprising key management (EKM) has emerged as a result of high-profile data breaches and identity thefts in large organizations. EKM is defined as a framework of efforts targeted at providing centralized management (e.g. key generation, backup, and recovery) for making sure that the lost data can always be recovered (Pate, 2009). Also, EKM is effective in helping companies manage and modify their keys in the course of the life cycle. Key management policy is defined as the secure administration of cryptographic keys. Cryptographic keys are data strings composed of binary zeroes and ones that make up cryptographic algorithms used for manufacturing ciphertext output from cleartext input (KPMG, 2002).
Responsible Executive and Office
The It department manager will be responsible for the execution of the policy since he or she has access to all procedures the department of technology implements as well as possesses knowledge and skills regarding EKM.
Who is Affected?
The IT department will experience the most impact from the policy because employees there are responsible for policy execution. Also, customers will be affected by the changes in existing policies as well as other employees that will be required to comply with the policy.
Procedures
General
Establishment of a cohesive key management lifecycle: generation, distribution, usage, and storage (operational, backup, and archive).
Key recovery procedures;
Key reissuing;
Key Escrow (BITS, 2008);
Procedures of key retirement: replacement, deregistration, revocation, and deletion (BITS, 2008).
Rules of Behavior
Following the established guidelines and procedures;
Nondisclosure of the policy details to third parties;
IT Department Manager communicating with employees about the policy importance;
Commitment to the policys success.
Training
All employees in the IT department should be trained on how to incorporate the policy. Cryptanalysis, the transformation of plaintext data into ciphertext and vice versa, verification of digital signatures, verifications of authentication codes, and decryption are all skills the department needs to learn.
Enforcement
The policy will be enforced through strict control and auditing. Two kinds of auditing should take place during EKM: the security plan and the implemented procedures monitoring for ensuring that they support the policy, and the audit of a protective mechanism for the level of security.
Response to Violations and Compliance Issues
Any violations of the policy should be monitored and controlled with the help of Slacks IT department manager. Perfect compliance with the policy will be incentivised to motivate employees to maintain their behavior. No punishments for non-compliance will be enforced. However, the management will conduct educating discussions to help employees understand the importance of the policy.
Key Management Plan
Introduction
Data encryption is an issue that is growing at a high rate. However, it can be solved through the process of management and diversification of keys. The more different the keys are, the better is a companys granularity and security and thus greater the complexity (Barker, Barker, Burr, Polk, & Smid, 2012). It is assumed that the implementation of the enterprising key management plan (EKM plan) will enhance the capabilities of the company (Slack Communications) to encrypt keys and be more effective in protecting data from attacks. In this plan, developers and users will be presented with choices of cryptographic mechanisms. It is crucial to note that inappropriate choices of security efforts may lead to the lack of data protection.
The integration of the plan will occur in the context of the Slack Communications software, which is a cloud-based set of collaborative tools and services such as chat rooms (public and personal), searchable content, third-party services, and interactions. The context in which Slack Communications operates calls for the enforcement of a cohesive action plan for protecting corporate and customer data.
Purpose
The EKM plan will contain recommendations for managers to address the issues associated with the lack of data protection efforts. These recommendations will expand on the processes of guidance, providing background information and developing a framework for supporting the best practices for choosing and using cryptographic mechanisms (Barker et al., 2012). The plan will address the issues associated with the modernization and updating of the main management systems, their integration into the everyday processes, maintenance, risks, benefits, and operation.
When it comes to giving advice regarding integrity and confidentiality of payments and billings, the receiving party should use the same degree of care that it uses for protecting the confidentiality of information. Furthermore, a cohesive key management strategy should account for the maintenance of appropriate safeguards (physical, administrative, and technical) for protecting the integrity of customer data. Regulations and guidelines that the plan should incorporate will relate to the existing policies regarding data protection. For instance, the plan should account for the Financial Services Modernizations Act that regulates the use, collection, and disclosure of customers financial information (Jolly, 2016). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act for regulating medical information, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which applies ti consumer reporting agencies, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that accounts for the interception of electronic communications and computer tampering (Jolly, 2016). Overall, the plan should be aligned with the mentioned policies and regulations to ensure that customers are protected and that the company stays away from security breaches.
Workplace Scenario
Current Slack Communications key management system
Key authentication is a process used for solving the issue of authenticating keys of one person to whom another person is talking. Authentication usually occurs when a key was shared between two or more users over a secure channel of communication. In Slack Communications, key authentication takes place by using symmetric key cryptography to ensure that there is no middle man that is trying to get valuable data from the communication. Encryption of keys is a process of generating random strings that are created for data scrambling and unscrambling. Such strings are created with the help of algorithms used for ensuring that every key is unique and cannot be predicted. The current encryption process in Slack Communications implies the usage of symmetric forms of encryption systems that use one password to serve as both encryptor and decryptor (BITS, 2008). Although such a way of key encryption is safe, it can be improved. The current system is similar to the diagram shown below:
Fig. 1. Key encryption system ( Key encryption system diagram, n.d.).
For backing up keys and protecting from ransomware, Slack Communications installed modern backup software Symantec Corp.s Backup Exec with included snapshot management, cloud support, and VM protection. However, Symantec Corp.s Backup Exec can only address the issue of lost data if the company is not using backups using other sites ( How to manage encryption keys, n.d.). Disaster recovery is the most important point in key management since a company should be able to restore its operations as quickly as possible. To be prepared, Slack Communications currently has a business continuity plan that incorporates various processes that represent the state of the security at a particular point in time. The disaster recovery plan also includes specific prioritized goals and performance objectives such as:
Protecting the safety of employees, customers, and partners;
Minimizing the disruption of the services;
Protecting corporate facilities and electronic information;
Protecting the reputation and the image of the organization (Koeppel, 2016).
Locations and systems where data is:
At rest (stored) stored on hard drives in a relatively secure state (Raglione, 2015).
At use more vulnerable than data at rest since it should be accessible to those users that may need it (Raglione, 2015).
In motion the most vulnerable state of data; requires specific protection capabilities (Raglione, 2015).
When it comes to the identification of locations of where data is, organizations should conduct a comprehensive risk assessment to identify possible threats of data breaches that can occur when data is in different locations. In order to start mitigating possible risks, the management should first answer questions such as how the data not in use is stored? or what mechanisms the company uses for data transportation from one location to another?
Modernized Key Management System and System Implementation
Information for the CISO
Types of encryption: symmetric, asymmetric, hashing. In symmetric encryption, decryption and encryption occur with the help of the same key. In asymmetric encryption, a different key is used for decryption and encryption. Advantages of symmetric cryptosystems are:
Higher speed;
Password authentication for proving identity;
Low chances of data being decrypted.
Disadvantages:
Inability to provide non-repudiative digital signatures.
Advantages of asymmetric cryptosystems:
No need in keys exchange;
No key distribution problems;
Ability to non-repudiative digital signatures;
Increased security.
Disadvantages:
Lower Speed.
Hashing is a method that helps generate fixed length value that summarizes the contents of a message or a file ( Types of encryption, n.d.). Cryptography and cryptanalysis can be used for maintaining data integrity and confidentiality. Cryptographic systems were developed to protect information from privacy breaches during various processes. Moreover, companies can use cryptography for ensuring that their data is not altered or viewed by the third parties.
Examples and explanations of issues
With regards to gaps in key management in existing corporations, there are several issues that should be addressed. Among these issues are the increased exposure to keys, inconsistent enforcement of policies, lack of cohesive administration, encryption inefficiency, and lack of unified auditing and remediation. As results from the mentioned issues, some cryptographic risks can occur. The most obvious are the danger of losing keys, implementation bugs, misplaced confidence in the security of keys, and inefficient cryptographic infrastructure. An example of cryptographic attacks can include password, analytic, implementation, statistical, meet-in-the-middle attacks, and many others. For instance, an analytic cryptographic attack represents an algebraic mathematical manipulation targeted at reducing the cryptographic algorithms complexity (APAC, 2010). To solve the identified issues and close the gaps in key management, companies should ensure limited exposure to keys, enforcement of consistent policies, ensure cohesive administration, maintain efficient encryption as well as incorporate unified auditing procedures.
Specific plan
The overall architecture of the key management plan will rely on the centralized key management and policy enforcement. The key components of the plan should include:
Procedures for decreasing the exposure of keys;
Ensuring consistent implementation of policies;
Processes for maintaining streamline administration with regards to the encryption efficiency;
Development of a unified auditing strategy;
Involving tokenization support (Nash, n.d.).
Among the possible solutions, leveraging purpose-built security products and services can be a beneficial solution. For maximizing the protection of key management infrastructure, it is recommended for Slack Communications to move the key management processes from the systems of general purpose. For instance, a key manager based on software usually saves keys together with encrypted data, which may pose availability risks. Instead, Slack Communications should make sure that keys are stored and managed within the framework of infrastructure that has been designed with security in mind (Nash, n.d.). Another solution may be the broad integration of services and systems across the entire organization. In this case, enterprise key management is an approach that cohesively manages all keys within an organization.
If to compare the two solutions, leveraging purpose-built security products can be beneficial for establishing a tamper-proof system of hardware security that will prevent data from being stolen. On the other hand, this may be more costly. Broad integration is a solution for the cohesive key management in a vast range of areas; however, it can be ineffective when the management pays unequal attention to each area, leading to the lack of cohesion.
The starting cost for the implementation of the solution is $150,000 that should be spent in the course of six months. The costs will include staffing, training, integration of new technologies, and paying contractors. The skills required for the plan implementation include programming, planning, decision-making, and management skills. $100,000 will be needed for maintaining the integrated solutions over the period of another six months, with the requirement for the same skills identified previously. The plan will support the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Financial Services Modernizations Act. In the process of development, the management plan will account for the key points of the mentioned regulations to make sure to protect the rights of customers, employees, and contractors.
Implementation
When it comes to the challenges other enterprises face when implementing key management systems, user training and acceptance, system administration and maintenance, as well as key recovery are the most prominent. To overcome the challenge of user training and acceptance, it is crucial to develop a benchmarking system that will address users difficulties and concerns. Second, to overcome the challenge of system administration and key recovery, the key management procedures should be aligned with the existing infrastructure (Nash, n.d.).
Operation
As found from the research, it is paramount to have CRL implanted in the management plan it is also important to make sure there is an NDA in place especially dealing with third parties. When it comes to the operation, the processes within the key management system will be as presented in the flowchart below:
Fig. 2. KMS Flowchart ( Key management system flowchart, n.d.).
A user will request access to encrypted data, and the system will send a retrieval encryption key request to the client (key management API). Then, the client and KM will verify the certificates, and after their acceptance, there will be a secure connection created between the key manager and the key management API. Then, the key manager will decrypt the requested data encryption key with the key encryption key. The next step is sending the key to the client, who then sends it to the system.
Maintenance
As enterprise tools, Slack Communications will be required to support the following maintenance features of the key management system:
Restorations and backups the company will have to deal with backup and recovery procedures securely. This can be achieved with the help of encrypting the whole key database before backing it up.
Balancing loads it is important to ensure that key management tools should be available all the time and in high volumes, so there is a need for load balancing options for meeting the demands of the system.
Benefits and Risks
The three key benefits of implementing enterprise key management are preserving the reputation of the company, credibility, and mobility. Because the loss of information has a tremendous impact on the way a business is perceived by customers, the introduction of EKM can be a great advantage. With the protection of clients with reliable key management practices comes credibility while the convenient movement of data to virtualized environments results in immense mobility. Among the possible risks, the loss of keys and the lack of unified tools for reducing overhead are the most prominent.
Recommendations
In summary, it is crucial to note that enterprising key management is not a solution to all issues associated with security. The IT department management should be aware of the possible risks and ways to reduce them in order to be truly effective when developing an EKM plan. It is recommended for Slack Communications to follow the outlined plan for achieving the ultimate goal of securing the exchange of information within the enterprise. With the identified risks and challenges, Slack Communications will be able to become proficient in not only keeping the information encrypted but also to preserve its integrity while in use and in motion. Through the proper management of the encryption keys, the stakeholders of the company will be in full control of the data despite who is using or sharing the existing key management infrastructure. In the case when the companys data security awareness reaches every employee and department, the enterprise will not only be successful in meeting the regulation of compliance but also become very effective in benefiting the security of data.
References
Barker, E., Barker, W., Burr, W., Polk, W., & Smid, M. (2012). Recommendation for key management. Web.
BITS. (2008). Enterprise key management. Web.
How to manage encryption keys. (n.d.). Web.
Jolly, I. (2016). Data protection in the United States: Overview. Web.
Key encryption system diagram [Image]. (n.d.). Web.
Key management system flowchart [Image]. (n.d.). Web.
Koeppel, H. (2016). A disaster recovery/business continuity plan for the data breach age. Web.
KPMG. (2002). Key management policy and practice framework. Web.
Nash, R. (n.d.). Key management challenges and best practices. Web.
Pate, S. (2009). Enterprise key management deciphered. Web.
Raglione, A. (2015). Best practices: Security data at rest, in use, and in motion. Web.
Information security is essential to any company and its operations. Data security is key as companies try to outdo each other in the market by obtaining data from their competition using dubious means. There are several types of software that have been developed to curb the practice. This is mainly done by limiting the number of employees who have access to the companys vital information. Some companies assign rights while others assign certificates to specific employees to access the system.
In public key infrastructure, companies tend to use public administered resources to foster their operations. There has also been complemented by cloud computing and several software companies have started offering these services as they are cheaper and more reliable as opposed to each company maintaining its own data security software (Tr
ek, Denis (2006).
Active directory information services strive to protect data using domain services, rights services, federation services, certificate services, and lightweight directory services. These are key as they are managed from a closed center in an organization. This allows the organization full control of its data and the operation of its own data. In case of data leak or loss, the company is squarely responsible for it as there are key staff assigned to monitor and control the data. (Peter Schmidt 2008)
Public key infrastructure is a system consisting of software, hardware, and people policies that allow users to communicate and share data in a secure mode using a public or unsecured public network. Every user is issued with a user certificate that is unique from the other user. Responsibility is assigned to each user certificate issued.
Cryptography is a public key infrastructure that binds the users using certificate authority. The issuance is well controlled using registration authority. The digital certificates are used to distinguish each entity from the other. And is a sign of ownership and identity for each entity (LPKI A Lightweight, (2008).
In the issuance of certificates, companies can issue two main types of certificates;
Temporary certificate
This involves issuing of certificate based on a single sign-in or log-off policy. The user accumulates several sign INS as they continue using the public key infrastructure.
Web of trust
This is where the user assigns him or herself the user certificates. The PKI does not necessarily mean that the user is temporary or single as they may be multiple.
Simple public key infrastructure
This is where a user can log in from multiple interfaces and does not require authentication or being assigned or approved by anyone. It tries to overcome the challenges of the temporary and web of trust PKIs (Adams, Carlisle & Lloyd, Steve (2003).
In conclusion, data and information security are key and focal to the success of the organization. Both forms of data security try positively to enhance data security. The windows server 2008 is a secure mode of data and information protection as is fully under the control of the organization, the only challenge relates to the cost of acquiring the software, and maintaining it requires qualified staff to operate and maintain it. On the other hand, the PKI is also a secure mode of protecting data and also safe for large and small, and middle-sized companies. Its cheap to outsource and does not need qualified staff to administer internally in the organization (Viega, John et al. (2002).
Its recommended that a company first evaluate its data needs before deciding on which data protection software will meet its needs, this will enable the company to carefully assess and acquire data protection software that deals with all its concerns per its needs.
References
Adams, Carlisle & Lloyd, Steve (2003). Understanding PKI: concepts, standards, and deployment considerations. Addison-Wesley Professional. pp. 1115.
LPKI A Lightweight, (2008), Public Key Infrastructure for the Mobile Environments , pp.162-166, Guangzhou, China.
Tr
ek, Denis (2006). Managing information systems security and privacy. Birkhauser. p. 69.
Peter Schmidt (2008) Public key infrastructure: building trusted applications and Web services. CRC Press.
Viega, John et al. (2002). Network Security with OpenSSL. OReilly Media.
The interconnection between the lives of human beings and the internet is not only complex and intertwined but also a cause of concern today. With easy access to information, questions are being raised on the impact of this trend and whether the moral fabric of the society is under any threat. This paper addresses some of these issues with emphasis on online dating, politics and religious life.
Acceptability of Online Dating
With the growing use of social networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, the society is coming to terms with certain phenomena that were earlier condemned and demonized (Worstall, 2011). Of particular interest is online dating which has captivated the mind of millions of people around the world, triggering debates, discussions and research in order to have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of online dating.
The question of acceptability of online dating has for instance received a wide range of discrepancies with some people supporting the idea while others believe that it is unethical (Reuters, 2010). It is therefore true to say that almost every person has an opinion concerning online dating and whether young people should be allowed to find their soul mates through the internet.
According to Casciato (2010), online dating has gained acceptance among young people with close to thirty percent of web users considering it as a viable source of their romantic friends. In his 2010 research, Casciato (2010) further noted that Pakistan and India recorded the highest number of people who would prefer using the internet as a channel for romantic introductions.
With almost 60 percent of Indians and Pakistanis accepting online dating, it is obvious that the perception over the web is continuously changing (Casciato, 2010). In my day to day life, these disparities do exist with people having varying stances on the use of the internet.
Many still believe that there are other natural ways of meeting spouses and relating other than using the internet which may sound like a communication machine. Nevertheless, in this time and age where communication technology has overtaken almost every aspect of our lives, online dating cannot be absolutely ruled out.
Internet and Politics
As mentioned above, the internet plays a major role in almost every aspect of human life. In politics, technology has been used to a wider extent resulting into multiple reactions and effects. For instance, the 2008 American race to the White House welcomed significant application of the internet as a tool to encourage democracy and political participation (Nagourney, 2008).
According to Nagourney (2008), the campaign redefined ways of reaching out to voters, mobilizing funds, selling ideas and manifesto and tracking of the public opinion among other issues. Through numerous blogs and websites, politicians and political parties reach out to citizens with an aim of influencing their voting decisions (Council on Foreign Relations, n.d.).
The internet also allows voters to interact with politicians from different destinations around the world. It can also be argued that the internet is able to reach to people who may not necessarily rely on the main stream media like television and newspapers for news updates (Tabler, 2011).
With over 70% of Americans having access to the internet, its role and place in the current political arena cannot be ignored. Most people spend a lot of their time online making it convenient to track political developments in offices and at home (Quintelier & Vissers, 2008).
Arab Spring
It has to be noted that social media networks and the internet at large did not cause the upheavals in the Arab world. However, it played a major role in propagating information (Saletan, 2011).
Through cascades of messages which were carried across networks, the need for freedom and democracy came to the attention of millions of people leading to the spread of revolutions around the Arab World. Several political groups created social accounts, blogs and YouTube contents that were solely meant to communicate the spirit of uprising in the region (Howard, 2011).
Internet and Religious Institutions
As a reservoir of a wide range of information, the internet has become a source of spiritual edification for millions of people around the world. The question which lingers in the minds of many is whether we are headed for an e-Church of e-Religion that will cater for the needs of many who are seeking their holistic satisfaction online (Dawson & Cowan, 2004).
How then does internet pose a threat to religious institutions around the world? It is worth noting that the web has not only attracted the unrighteous and spared the saints but rather everybody including pastors and Sheikhs are considering World Wide Web (WWW) to be their daily destination in terms of colleting sermons and spiritual content around the world.
The ultimate consequence of having this scenario is that religion and religious institutions get transformed with time (Davie, Woodhead & Heelas, 2003).
How authentic is a web sermon? Many analysts argue that some web authors do not have moral authority to write sermons which are being downloaded and fed to believers on a daily basis. The sanctity of the web space is also questionable; having in mind the fact that it contains both illicit and palatable information.
Internet sermons therefore usually carry the image of the source and may sometimes express the feelings of the original author whose intensions and beliefs could be different from what is to be communicated (Laan, 2009).
As a result, the nature and perception of people over spiritual life changes to comply with the internet which may be considered as a true source of spiritual nourishment. The challenge remains to the religious leaders to not only integrate the web but also guard against negative impact of online sermons.
Reflections
Technological advancements realized in recent years remain major achievements of the 21st century. Among countless benefits, these developments have significantly simplified and transformed communication modes and efficiency (Silverstein & Lasky, 2003). The use of the internet which connects the whole world permits sharing, access and transfer of information at ones comfort zone at a click of the mouse.
Indeed every sphere of human life has been touched in one way or the other ranging from social, economical and spiritual. Businesses have expanded and realized tremendous growth through the integration of internet technology and digitalization.
Young people have resolved to use the internet as the avenue to develop relationships through dating while other people consider the internet as their source of spiritual nourishment (Casciato, 2010).
Of importance is the fact that there exists an interconnection between the internet and the lives of people. As a result, no one can run away from the web; it is either affecting you directly or indirectly. For many adults, who may consider the internet as a source of very important materials, they may be rudely shocked to learn that their sons and daughters are finding marriage partners online (Silverman et al., 2007).
Should the society denounce the internet and revert to 19th century technology? Logically, the internet is a major achievement in the history of human kind and no one would dare consider such a move. The advantages of the internet by far outweigh its demerits, qualifying its application to be worldly acceptable.
An understanding of the predisposing factors which make internet use threatening is equally important. For instance, many people who prefer online dating do so because of certain existing circumstances and conditions. Issues like nature of career and level of education play a pivotal role in determining individuals reactions towards the use of the internet and its perceived effects.
People with lower education level easily accept the use of the internet as a dating channel as compared to those with advanced qualifications (Attwood, 2007). This disparity explains why particular generations appreciate the idea than others.
Additionally, people with tight working schedules find a lot of comfort in making online friendships because of limited time as defined by their careers. Online dating also offers a wider range of possibilities in terms of choices as opposed to the traditional way of meeting friends which could be limited geographically.
No one can deny that online communication has turned out to be a significant toolkit for leaders around the world. Nevertheless, it has to be emphasized that the internet can pull down the leadership of a country especially in cases of revolutions as witnessed in the Arab World (Council on Foreign Relations, n.d.).
In a dictatorial environment where freedom of speech is limited, the internet has been employed as a last resort in mobilizing people and making them fight for their deprived rights.
Conclusion
Based on the above arguments, it is evident that the web plays an enormous role in human life mainly by augmenting the flow and access to information around the world. This has generated varying perceptions within the public with a section denouncing this mega communication tool.
There is every need to cautiously appreciate the role of the internet since it has two sides which could either be beneficial or destructive to the society.
References
Attwood, F. (2007). No Money Shot? Commerce, Pornography and New Sex Taste Cultures. Sexualities, 10(4), 441-456.
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UMRS requires a technology solution that enables mobile communications for natural and anthropogenic disasters. Such a solution should ensure sufficient range and stability of the communications solution, as well as the resilience of its platform that would allow it to remain mobile and operational in disaster areas. To end, the proposed solution is a TB9400 communications suite from Tait Communications mounted on a HUMVEE, a military-grade off-road vehicle. This work proposes an implementation plan for this solution.
General Implementation Plan
The previous investigation into the subject revealed that the actual pricing of TB9400 is not revealed by the manufacturer but assumed to be significant. As such, the first step towards implementing the technology is negotiating a supplier contract with Tait Communications. However, before that, UMRS needs to start with pilot testing in one area or one disaster response (if applicable). To that end, it is first necessary to determine the scope of the project, and outline at the minimum:
A minimum number of vehicles must be outfitted with the solution to be effective.
Based on this, the minimum requirements for the maintenance and support infrastructure, including technical staff.
Personnel requirements: minimal operator training and operational requirements.
Based on these estimates, a best-case budget can be drafted and used to determine the projects feasibility. Assuming the result is positive, the necessary equipment, specialists, and training can be sourced, and field testing can commence. Based on its results, the projects implementation can proceed to field deployment, extension, and standardization processes. Comprehensive feedback should be collected at every step and used to inform decisions on subsequent steps in the implementation plan.
It is critical to note that since these steps are contingent on one another and multiple changes can occur during one that affects the future steps or the entire project. As such, ensuring appropriate documentation of every process and swift and reliable communications with researchers, stakeholders and suppliers are critical. Documentation can be achieved by improved oversight and inclusion of appropriate stakeholders in the research, development, and implementation processes. Communication requires this documentation to be converted into an accessible format and distributed via e-mail and mass communication (website, press releases) to other stakeholders.
Stakeholders
The primary stakeholders are passive those potentially affected by the disasters the UMRS project seeks to prevent or mitigate. Others include local emergency services, which need to be prepared to coordinate with UMRS or utilize the communications capacity the project provides as necessary. Local governments are another stakeholder with a significant influence on UMRS policy, as operating during an emergency, utilizing radio frequencies, and military-grade vehicles on public roads can all be causes for concern. They will probably require additional efforts to obtain the legal clearances necessary for these operations, especially if UMRS intends to operate across state lines. Suppliers are another significant stakeholder group, particularly Tait Communications as they are the sole provider of the TB9400 suite. If any modification to the suite is necessary for UMRS objectives, they will have to be enacted through this company. Finally, the personnel operating and maintaining the proposed vehicles and communications solution is a crucial part of the project and will have financial and ethical involvement related to their employment.
Ethical Concerns
The ethical concerns for the implementation of this project fall under three categories: information ethics, communications ethics, and disaster ethics. Under the first category, information, such as medical data, which can be transmitted or processed as part of the communications suites operation can be sensitive. As such, additional security measures need to be implemented to ensure that this information is not intercepted or misused in any way. Communications ethics relate to the use of powerful radio transmitters and occupying radio frequencies. Finally, disaster ethics relate to the time and resource constraints involved in disaster management (Satkoske et al., 2019). As these ethical issues can be related to a legal matter, it is crucial to ensure compliance with any relevant ethical code. Thus, it is recommended that UMRS invest in an ethics department for the project and ensure clear communications with relevant stakeholders regarding these areas.
Legal Concerns
As a large-scale project related to disaster management and large-scale communications, UMRS communication vehicle deployment plan will likely require significant involvement from local authorities and emergency services. Obtaining the permissions to operate the specialized hardware and interact with emergency services is critical, and, if unsuccessful, will render the project impossible. As such, UMRS should enter negotiations with the relevant entities regarding the implementation of the proposed solution as early as possible, including alongside the preliminary technical feasibility investigation. Two-way communication should be maintained to ensure a swift response to any change in relevant policies and regulations.
Concerns directly related to disaster management comprise the second significant area of legal concern. Codes and regulations, including international ones, must be followed during disaster response (McDonald, et al., 2016.) As this is a broad and complicated area, especially where state and international codes intersect, it is recommended that UMRS performs comprehensive research into it before proceeding with wide-scale implementation. A specialist on the legal team focusing on these international regulations is also suggested to oversee the projects implementation resolve any issues that may arise during the process.
References
McDonald, F., Eburn, M., & Smith, E. (2016). Legal and ethical aspects of disaster management. In G. FitzGerald, et al. (eds.), Disaster health management: A primer for students and practitioners (pp. 58-69). Taylor & Francis.
Satkoske, V. B., Kappel, D. A., & DeVita, M. A. (2019). Disaster Ethics. Critical Care Clinics. Web.
