Blog 7.1-IS Security

Their are five different types of threats that can effect a computer information system.  These threats include viruses, outside intruders, inside intruders, link to outside businesses, and natural disasters/accidents.  Viruses can take control of your computer and/or damage it and its contents.  At Ferrum Medical we use antivirus programs (ex. Norton Security) to protect our IS from various types of viruses, thus protecting our computers and network.  Outside intruders, such as hackers, are a threat because they can hack into our databases and draw information that could be used in malicious ways.  We are also able to protect information we send over the internet by encrypting it so outsiders are unable to determine what is being sent and recieved.  At Ferrum Medical we have physical access restrictions such as authentication, so that only certain information can be accessed by outside users and peoples personal information is not accessed by hackers.  Inside intruders, such as employees, can be a serious threat to an IS system cause they can tamper with payroll or even tamper with data that is necessary for daily use.  Through the use of authentication we can prohibit who gets on the on our local network, using access-control software we only allow employees to access files related to their work, and timed login that logs an employee out if they are away from the computer for a certain amount of time.  Link to outside businesses is a security risk because information between businesses is vulnerable to being intercepted by  hackers.  At Ferrum Medical we encrypt our information we send to such businesses as pharmacies and also send it through a VPN so it is protected going over the internet and to make sure no outsiders try to intercept our information and send a virus or something we install firewalls that prevent that from happening.  Natural disasters and accidents are other threats to a computer IS.  To help deal with or prevent this from happening we create a backup site in case ours goes down for any reason.  Also we have set up a disaster recovery plan, which spells out detailed procedures for recovering from systems-related disasters.

Blog 6.1-Web 2.0

Their are four pillars of Web 2.0 that can be utilized by businesses.  They consist of Utilizing the Web as a Platform, Harnessing Collective Intelligence, Leveraging the Data, and Implementing Innovative Web Capabilities.  Utilizing Web as a Platform allows peer to peer technology.  Software uses the network bandwidth of all users of the software to improve download performance.  Ferrum Medical is able to utilize the web as a platform by connecting to such things as the pharmacy's webpage and download information on available medicines, patients that need refills, etc.  Harnessing Collective Intelligence allows us to provide and contribute on the web, thus improving content.  Ferrum Medical can use their website to collect information from other doctors that have had more success on treating different illnesses and can use that information in our practice.  Leveraging the Data allows large databases containing tremendous amounts of useful information for making decisions.  At Ferrum Medical we can store patient information into databases so we can access them later when looking at their history or referring them to another practice. Implementing Innovative Web Capabilities allows the use of technology to gain a competitive advantage, scripting languages, allows simple use of web application development and reduces cost.  Such things as advertisements up supporting our business online could bring in more patients or even just creating small interactive applications that bring traffic to our website.

Blog 5.3-B2E Electronic Commerce

     When an employee or even a patient needs to access their information on our server, they use something called an intranet. From their home office computer or any laptop they can log onto out website and securely access sensitive information. Then through the interconnectivity of a VPN or virtual private network accessed after establishing a connection to the internet, they can access anything they are given access to under their profile. Their data is stored on our home server and after they have gained admittance and after having passed through all the necessary gateways.

Blog 5.2-B2B Electronic Commerce

     At Ferrum Medical, when a physician logs on to our secure website, they can connect to any pharmacy using our extranet. The physician, being a client uses our server as a proxy between our facility and the pharmacy's server. This client, connects to the internet through a secure firewall to then send and receive sensitive data across a VPN or virtual private network. They after this secure data travels through the VPN it gets verified by the pharamacy's firewall and then get ferried along to its destination, a drug log on the pharmacy server.

Blog 5.1-Critique Your Competitor's E-Commerce Website

To make Ferrum Medical as successful as possible we have decided to make a webpage. Before doing so we wanted to look at other websites that are successful with their websites.


www. facebook.com

Rule 1: They provide information on how to create your own account and easy methods on how to use the site.

Rule 2: it is aesthetically pleasing, it allows you to log in and gain access to your customized page and look at your friends page and comments.

Rule 3: The website is responsive and quick making it efficient. It is also user friendly, so that many people not just computer elite can utilize the site.

Rule 4: It has various multimedia venues and has ways of keeping the user interested.

Rule 5: They have a lot of advertising on the page allowing viewers to see what they might want to purchase.

Rule 6: Information about the site and its capabilities are easy to see and follow.


By accessing a successful webpage we are able to use the same rules and apply them to our Ferrum Medical webpage. Allowing for our business to become more successful and well known.

Blog 4.4-Entity Relationship Diagram

     In this Entity Relationship Diagram, there are three main Entities : Customer, Invoice, and Product.
In each entity their are different attribute types, such as name, address, phone #, etc. A specific name such as John Smith is an Attribute. Each entity is viewed as having a table, each containing rows and columns. The rows being records and columns being attributes. Each attribute has its own data type dependent upon the type of information, such as name being text and phone # being integers. The customer entity contains attribute types such as Name, Address, and gender, it also contains a customer key, and ID number that is specific to the individual so it can be accessed by the other entities. The Product entity contains attribute types such as the type of product, the price and the Product key. Like the customer key it is a reference key used to compare and correlate data in other entites.

Blog 4.3-Packet Switching Technology

      There are many users online all the time and data is being sent and received simultaneously. There was a need for a way in which to send information in a way that computers can understand that can be translated into usable information. The TCP allowed different messages to be sent over the internet via packets in any order that are reassembled later. When computer B wants to share info to computer D in the picture above, the binary data of the message sent from B is broken into manageable packets and delivered to D. The message sent from the computer B, uses TCP to send its message to computer C using package switching. The IP sets the format for the packet and the location it is to be sent and the IP information tells the router where this location is, then sends it. The packets travel independently and arrive out of order. Each packet has a header and it contains the destination and sending IP address as well as the order in which the packets are organized.

Blog 4.2-A Basic Network

       The client, represented by a laptop, connects to the internet via a wireless network connection(in the figure above). Data transmission between the client and the wireless router goes through a medium where the waves are transmitted and received. The other type of connection is a physical link. The actual wire connects to a router and is then connected to the internet using similar means to accomplish the same goal.

      Fiber optic though expensive and difficult to install and maintain, has the best possible bandwidth allowing many Gigabytes of data to be transmitted at literally the speed of light. Wireless, though convenient and reliable is easily hacked and or capable or being eavesdropped upon allowing for serious security issues. Wired using coaxial or twisted pair is more secure although the bandwidth for each is different and reduced.

     From the router, an internet connection is maintained by an ISP or internet service provider, where for a monthly fee end users gain high-speed access the World Wide Web. The Internet hub as depicted after the wired link often fiber optic cabling (not wire) links the wired or wireless router to the internet and beyond. From there the client can access a secured or unsecured server represented by the last server box at the end of the diagram. When this happens as represented by the top curved arrow the client requests information or an action of the server and the server responds to the request represented by the bottom curved arrow.

Blog 4.1-IFS H/W Infrastructure

     By using the keyboard, that is connected to the system unit ( which is a box containing all of the electronics that are in the computer). With input technology, the user is able to enter the textual data HELLO. As the keystrokes are entered the monitor displays the text, also called the Output Technologies. From there the CPU, (Central Processing Unit) Processing Technology interprets the data and translates it into machine language. In the translation of the keystrokes to binary data, the ALU and Control Unit use the ASCII code as a means to turn it into binary data and store it in secondary Storage. Electrical impulses of on and off data are organized into bits and bytes and then stored.

Blog 3.3-Cost Benefit Analysis

In a Cost Benefit Analysis,  there are various components, each of which denoting key pieces of data in relation to cost of starting a business and its returns from the first year and from several years. 

The first year you have non-recurring expenses, such as start-up supplies. The first year also is the time when a negative profit is recorded, since generally the cost of starting a business far out weighs the initial returns.

The table also shows monetary values for such expenses as maintaining the company and paying its employees. 

While the lower portion denotes the amounts gained, attributed to the profits and the error reduction based on each successive years' outcomes.

The total denotes the amount spent minus the amount gained.

Proxy Data is a valuable tool for indicating trends, it is non-profit based quantitative data that is helpful for determining trends.

3.2-Building A Business Case

Faith : If you use this Information System, then you can gain a competitive advantage over the rival medical firms  because of the fact that it has worked so well for everyone else and as your adviser you should trust in my judgment.

Fear: If you don't wish to go out of business or possibly go bankrupt, then you will need to implement my proposed Information System.

Fact: Due to the increase in sales last year, by several other private practice medical firms in the geographic area, the implementation of a the proposed IFS will be an enormous gain in profit, productivity, and efficiency. Allowing for better business practices and more productive outlook.

Blog 3.1-Value Chain Analysis

With a Value Chain Analysis diagram, one can represent many important factors dealing with various aspects of a company or organization, specifically the types of IFS involved in each step, coupled with the various support sections involved at the bottom.

When medical supplies are purchased, via a Supply Chain Management System (SCM) a web of inter-connectivity between the supplier, the medical firm, and the patient is established. The firm orders, or rather has set amounts of supplies automatically shipped to them to after a certain amount of the supply has been depleted. The requisition order for said supplies are sent when after a pre-determined number of supplies has been reached in the supply inventory.

  

When patients call to place their appointments a Management Information System is used to coordinate the appointments with times and the specific doctor.

Then when a patient arrives a different system is used called an office automation system.  This allows a log of waiting and attended patients to be made. which then is used to keep track of all incoming and outgoing traffic.

 When a patient has to pay for any visits and or medications, they are then using a Transaction Processing System. Which will process the everyday monetary exchanges for each visit.

With tech support and research and developement, new and more innovating systems can be devised, implemented, and maintained. 

Through the use of Human resources, people may file complaints and or determine the most suitable ways to approach inter-office relations and how to solve problems. 

In the the General Administration department, the decision making and planning for all areas of data and IS usage and implementation for the purpose of advancing future gains of the company is done here.

All systems are connected in an effort to correlate data and make the business more efficient and useful.

Blog 2.2-Automobile Industry

Many automotive companies, regardless of their base of operations, tend to have manufacturing as well as other various other company subunits located outside of their native geographic location.

Dependant upon several factors such as cultural, geoeconomic, and governmental differences, these companies have to tailor their products to their many different customer needs. 

With the introduction of the Internet in Globalization 3.0, markets became open and free, specifically in the auto industry, cars can be bought and sold on-line and factories need not be where the company originate, in fact in order to cater to a wider market base, tailoring the designs and features to a specific regional or cultural area can actually  be a beneficial financial move.

From a Geoeconomic standpoint, the factors including gas consumption, size, and production materials can, dependant upon the location, drastically increase or decrease the demand for their product.

When it comes to Governmental regulations, factors such as emissions come into play when dealing with the auto industry. In certain areas these regulations maybe lax and in others it may be regulated more severely and adjustments must be made.

Even with the enormous advancements of the technology, a bad economy and bad financial practices, a perfect plan can fail as easily as a bad one.

Blog 2.1-Globalization Enablers

Many online services have fueled globalization, through a network of many people contributing and gathering socially online, the global community has gotten smaller and more intimate. With social networking you can talk to and gather input from people across the world from your very own home.

With flicker.com you can upload pictures, with that you can freely express yourself from the lens of your camera.With the innovative ability to upload personal data, people are propelled into the ever flattening and interconnecting world. allowing people to communicate as never before such that those involved, regardless of their location feel as if they are just a block away.

Due to the advertising costs paid to flicker the service is free, however, there are bandwidth restrictions, but for a small fee those are waived, and you can upload as much as you like.

The feature set at Flicker.com is extensive: from tagging to counting the cash for your wonderful art, the possibilities are staggering!

You can simply "Tag" photos to give a brief description, or you can go even further and use a Clustering feature, which allows you to group similar items together in a common field.

Your personally uploaded photos can be made private or public dependent upon your personal preference; whether it be the whole world, or a small group of intimate contacts, the choice is yours.

With your photos public people can rate them, and daily a pick of the most popular will be displayed on a common page for easy viewing purposes.

You can also edit and change your photos at will. 

With the use of "...creative commons..."(Flicker.com Services and Globalization) a means of copyrighting ones work can be achieved, you can then  sell your work without worrying about someone else taking credit for your hard work.

Flicker.com also participates in Open ID, a free and easy way to log-in, making your log-in to multiple participating site log-on time hassle free and your fun time limitless.

Blog 1.3-IFS Organization Chart

There are three information system career positions that are vital to any successful IT organization, they perform duties ranging  from determining what people want, to making certain that all the IS are properly functional, to being there to fix any problems that may arise. Business Analysts, IFS Auditors, and Database Administrator are essential to the smooth sailing of any good company.

The Business Analysts act as a mediary between those who make the software or product and the customer. They contribute to the necessary network of people in an organization to allow smooth functionality and good business relations between the organization and customer. If a company doesn't know what people want, how can they make something people will buy?

When a program or Information System is in it preliminary stages or when a new product is being planned and there needs to be someone who you can count on to test it and give feed back as to its functionality and to test for errors, then you need and IFS Auditor. 

With all the information that swirls and gestates within an organization, you need a place to put it all and someone to manage it, someone to make sure everything is where it ought to be. Thats where databases and DBAs, or Database Administrators come in, they are in charge of maintaining the integrity of the databases and the data contained within.

These three professions combined make a well oiled machine and a profitable business.

Blog 1.2-Data Tracking for Ferrum Medical

The three pieces of raw data are as follows: Patients, Doctors, and Appointments.

Patients are assigned a Patient ID code, ex. 5555, this code is raw data which is then formatted into information as  55-55, which is then liked to the individual patient's name John Doe. So then the Patient ID code 55-55 is related to the Patient name John Doe; from that knowledge the Patients ID code and Name are liked to the other two data domains for Doctors and Appointments.

Doctors when hired are assigned a medical ID code to identify each individual Doctor, ex. 22222 this raw data is then formated into actual information, ex. 222-22  linked specifically to the individual doctor. The medical ID is then linked to Dr. David, from that knowledge he can be referenced by patients and appointment domains alike.

When a patient call's our front desk, they are given a date and time as well as the name of the doctor, from that point that number is entered into our database as random number set,  and the raw data of say: 19563 is formated to an appointment ID  to 19-5-63, that individual piece of information is then registered with the date and time of the appointment and the doctor, from that point the information from the Patient Domain can be accessed and correlated.

Fictional Company Introduction

"Ferrum Medical" is a small privately owned and operated general care practice, located in the heart of Ferrum Virginia. We serve the Ferrum community by administering quality medical care in a timely and careful manner.  Ferrum Medical is adequately staffed for its small size. Our check-in station contains two seasoned secretaries, with qualifications varying from data entry to medical file organization. In our treatment section of our practice we are staffed by four qualified registered nurses and two general practicing MD's. Since we are a small general care practice we can only serve normal ailments, all other more serious complications are to be referred immediately to the closest and most qualified emergency room as we cannot handle complicated procedures.
Through the administering of quality non-emergency care, we make a profit through medical insurance co-pays and normal payment and private donations for those who cannot afford their own medical care.