Technology and Engineering in Current Business Scenario Essay

When purchasing the hardware for the company, the company must buy new equipment to suit the budget, with the “largest and most powerful system” having the features needed for daily operations. It is better to buy the hardware from a business-oriented supplier who can provide a configured machine as per the requirements of the company, rather than a local shop. This will enable the construction of a healthy future business relationship, thereby taking care of any future problems related to the machine. Warranty bargaining can also be done and the best warranty for a business is a period of two to three years. Thus, associating with a franchise company before purchasing the products is a sensible choice since the technicians can ably guide and suggest the appropriate hardware for the business as well as build a long-term relationship with the client, providing able service and advice as per the needs and budget of the customer.

In the current business scenario, virtualization is gaining value and importance due to the substantial reduction in costs caused by the ability to run eight to ten virtual servers on a host with merely a single hardware system. The motherboards and processors enhanced by virtualization software have a greater ability to utilize the resources provided to the host system more efficiently, enabling cost reductions in hardware as well as power. This is possible because with the help of virtualization software, a single machine that was earlier running at ten to twenty percent power, thereby necessitating seven machines, only one machine can be run at seventy percent utilization capacity. Thus, fewer machines running will also generate less heat and reduced hardware maintenance. Transferability is easy since these virtual machines are abridged into files facilitating saving, copying, and transporting from one physical host server to another in “zero-downtime”. This also enables high transferability from the host which has stopped functioning to a functioning host, when the servers are down and services take time to be restored, especially beneficial for high-rate professionals working on an hourly basis. Virtual software also enhances and facilitates the testing of new software and is a boon to businesses that can make use of it.

When the computer loads device drivers for hardware that is not of use, the speed of start-up for windows slows down substantially. Each time new software is installed on the computer, the computer operating system slows down considerably. The software may be poorly written or may not be of much use, thereby putting a burden on the resources. Connectivity to the net or an internet connection invites viruses which can further decrease the speed of the computer. Spy- wares, and ad-wares are examples of applets that are poorly written, the download of which causes severe harm to the computer and its speed. These may have been downloaded with or without the knowledge of the user (automatically). This also happens when the computer has no proper security system or firewall. Many times, even in the event of anti-virus software being installed, the computer keeps getting mal-ware such as viruses or Trojans which cause terrible damage and slowdown of the computer operating system. The operating system of the computer is not very secure and needs to be updated and serviced properly from time to time to prevent slowing down and sometimes even complete shutdown. The formation of temporary files causes registry which decreases the efficiency of the operating system.

My own list of top ten apps for the year 2007 would be:

1. Gmail takes first place on my list of top ten apps for the year 2007. It has new and upgraded features which include IMAP access, AIM support, and speedy performance, it remains an absolute hit.
2. Google Gears is a close second in the list which enables modification of online data even when you are offline, by using the gears.
3. The new Mac OS X Leopard with its improved operating system ranks third with its new three hundred polished features.
4. the Grand Central virtual telephone line enables you to ring numerous phones, home, office, work, mobile, etc with a single G.C. issued number with many other features as well.
5. The new improved Microsoft Office 2007 which is an upgraded all-new version with new improved features.
6. Virtualization software of Parallels and Fusion. Of the two, Fusion is more stable and can work with configurations like a Vista Boot camp partition.
7. The new online money manager, Mint, which is most important of all, free to use, organizes your money and enables you to save money before you spend it.
8. The new internet television streamer Joost, which enables the streaming of shows “fresh off the internet” as per your schedule.
9. The new Zoho Office online suit with its new improved features enabling enhanced collaborating and editing of office documents.
10. Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon’s new improved operating system “Linux for Humans” with an inbuilt WPA detection and many other useful features.

Master Data Management (MDM) is the technology that enables the successful management of consistent data across all the systems and departments of the company. The technique can be used by the company to ensure that the names and addresses of customers in the database of the company are consistent and accurate, thereby eliminating costs that arise due to these mistakes and reputation. It is an automated technological service that enhances the authenticity and reliability of central data processing, thereby helping to achieve harmony across multiple systems including definitions of not only customers and brands but also suppliers, financial indicators. The MDM database constantly checks and revises the data, thereby ensuring that the important data relating to the customers, suppliers, products, employees, and other important data relating to the company is current and updated from time to time. It also ensures that this data is accurate throughout all the systems of the corporation.

Some of the problems companies face in managing their data is due to substandard quality data, data which is incomplete or the information is inaccurate and according to a Gartner (2005) estimate, twenty-five percent of the data in a large institution is either not accurate or not complete, due to which companies suffer losses as a result of elevated costs. Management of data is crucial to the success of an organization and as such, data management can ensure efficient working in organizations, reducing unnecessary costs and increasing the profits and success of the companies. To manage data more efficiently and skillfully, it is essential to realize that data is an asset to an organization. The company needs to differentiate between duplicate data which is involuntary and data replication which is controlled data. It is difficult but sensible to establish a network for the management of data throughout the entire corporation.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a network bridge that effectively connects any remote user to the local area network (LAN) of a company using the internet. It is a highly secure way of communication and is cost-effective and simpler to operate than its other alternate, leased data lines. A VPN network is very easy to establish and needs a broadband internet connection such as a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) which can be easily obtained from an internet service provider (ISP) or through a television cable network. A VPN can be constituted of three kinds of connections. These are

• Remote Access – this connects the user to the network of the organization and facilitates any computer-related tasks. This is the simplest to set up.
• Intranet connections – this connects two or more organizations and enables the sharing of files and data between the two. This configuration needs to be set up with the help of a consultant.
• Extranet connections – this is a complex set-up and requires the help of a consultant; it enables secure access to another LAN.

“Every thing over IP”, is already on the road to becoming a reality. The importance of IP in the current global scenario has transformed substantially. Today, the trends of telephony, trading using credit cards, buying and selling of academic e-books, IP are becoming the communication network of the future, with an ever-increasing demand.

Everything over IP is a realistic option for the company since an all IP network eliminates the problems of network jamming and an all IP network substantially reduces the cost of an organization where an IP provides internet facilities in addition to telephonic utility. Thus, IP, in the global as well as the domestic scene has the potential to become a networking system for all future communications.