TOP TEN IT ISSUES, 2011 Funding IT Funding IT is the top-most issue in the Information Technology field due to its

importance and difficulty. Information Technology is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in the industry because of the endless possibilities of new software and systems developed in order to cater the needs of human kind. Because of this, systems may be considered obsolete after a few years or so forcing the need to replace it. Due to constant replacements, a considerable amount of money is sacrificed. Not only that, IT is also difficult to maintain because of the possibility of different kind of attack or problems that may arise. This calls for different persons to be hired in order to prevent of these things to happen. Another reason why Funding IT is difficult to do so is the price IT is needed in order to be purchased. Because of the high positive effects one can have once IT systems are implemented, the price of IT is quite expensive. Despite of the reasons stated, it is advisable that a company may turn to other activities that may become a source of funds such as extended funds and fund raising. Administrative / ERP / Information Systems Administrative / ERP / Information Systems are the top two IT issue simply because of its questionable importance. As it has been surveyed, these three are strategically important but its significance is questioned. This is because as an institution enlarges, its significance decreases. Not only that, these systems are the kind of systems that require a large amount of financial resource which leads us to the question whether its worth it to devote an amount of money to something with decreasing significance. Yes, ERP systems and alike are quite useful but think of this, ERP systems and alike have regular upgrade cycles in order for it to be able to adapt to its subjects business processes. Not only that, personell are needed to operate and maintain these systems effectively which means another batch of financial resources to be sacrificed. In addition to this, as an organization expands, ERP systems should be able to expand as well which doesnt guarantee us the maintenance of its significance. In this case, a company should consider the size of the company and its financial resources before applying an Administrative / ERP / Information system. If it is feasible, then one should go with all the risks considered. Learning with Technology How this did became an issue? First, it is a new kind of field. Primarily, Information Technology has been developed in order to answer the problems that arose in the areas of communication,

business, and administration. Applying it in order to facilitate learning within the premises of the academic institution is relatively new. Though the positive effects of this kind of application are without any doubt, maintenance is therefore questioned and its ability to reach the goals of the institution is doubted. Another reason is that IT leaders may not be able to best support such tools that constantly change in order for it to be able to answer the academic needs of a school. It is also questioned whether IT will be able to adapt with the instructional technologies or whether the components involved will be able to adapt with the new application of technology. It is known that such technology may cause hazards such as access to social networking sites and games during class hours. Will these hazards be controlled? Are students and teachers have access to such technologies of have enough knowledge to be able to effectively learn using these technologies? These questions arise as the subject is pursued. Security Computer security refers to the capability of ensuring that a data stored in a computer cannot be read or taken by anyone without proper authorization. This security measures involves encryption and decryption. Data encryption is translating a data into something that is unintelligible without a deciphering mechanism. A password is a secret phrase that a user uses to access a specific program or system. Sometimes, computer security works for the protection of a computer. Everything that is in the computer remains safe and unharmed. A home computer is a popular target of intruders, because they want what you have in your computer. They try to look for useful information like credit card number, bank account information, and anything else that can be useful. Stealing those information, the intruders can use your account to use it to buy products for their own good or even use that information against you. How they get in your system is with the help of viruses and emails, it makes your computer vulnerable. So if your computer is not properly secured, it will be prone to intruders. Mobile Technologies No doubt, another concept in Information Technology that has been rapidly changing up until now is mobility. Mobility is the ability of a certain technology to be able to easily transfer from one place to another thru physical or digital means. This can be achieved by reducing the physical size of a gadget so it can be easily carried by human hands. As you may have observed, one of the most mobile gadgets available in the market are the cellular phones. They have quite reached a state where they are really small and convenient to carry around anywhere thus they have been given certain capabilities a laptop can do in order to achieve the goal of mobility. Cellular phones now can browse the internet and even take pictures and play music. Some are even given the ability to view computer documents such as word documents and office

presentation. How this became an issue? There have been doubts of the strategic direction of mobile technologies and whether such technologies are fully capable of doing things a laptop is capable of. Despite of these, mobility is still pursued. Agility / Adaptability / Responsiveness Agility / Adaptability / Responsiveness are three of the most pursued goal in developing technologies. First, it should be agile enough to be able to keep up with the changes of its subject. Second, it should be adaptable to business processes since system should fit in with the business process not the other way around. Lastly, it should be responsive enough not to waste the time of the user. How these three did become an issue in the Information Technology Industry? Well, there is always the endless possibility of going further than what is presently considered as agile, adaptable, and responsive. We may achieve a status further than what we have presently achieved thus we may have a system further agile, adaptable, and responsive. But the question is, how and when we will achieve it? How can we determine that we have reached the extreme? Governance / Project Management It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It describes methods for analyzing and collectively managing a group of current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics. It has fundamental objective that determine the optimal mix and sequencing of proposed projects to best achieve the organization's overall goals - typically expressed in terms of hard economic measures, business strategy goals, or technical strategy goals - while honoring constraints imposed by management or external real-world factors. It is therefore without any doubt that it has been increasingly strategically important. In spite of this, there are questions that have been raised regarding with these. Is it reliable and secure? How it is prioritized? Is it worth the funds and effort? Such questions are not yet answered but still, governance and project management is still confidently important in a firm. Infrastructure / Cyberinfrastructure Infrastructure is the physical structure of the firm while the cyber infrastructure is the digital structure of the company involved. The reason why this became an issue is because it shares a property with those mentioned first: strategic importance. Most of the areas in Information Technology are developed because of its strategic importance. And as usual, it is quite expensive. First, there are disasters and risks involved with the physical structure of a company such as natural disasters. One good example of this is the recent earthquake that happened in

Japan. Quite a large amount of money was wasted and a large amount of money is needed in order to build the repairs. Not only that the infrastructure is affected but also the cyberinfrastructure because the physical components of the cyber component of the company was also destroyed. Because of this, a company should be knowledgeable regarding with disaster and risk management in terms of its physical and cyber infrastructure. Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity The best example for this issue is the recent earthquake in Japan. A magnitude of 8.0 something earthquake has hit Japan thus causing millions and millions of money wasted. The question thus arise, will Japan be able to recover from the damage? Not only that it wasted a lot of financial resources, but also it has other risks such as leaked radiation, killed lives, and the continuity of business. How can a company be able to recover such loss? This is one of the issues that are not answered specifically which is the reason why it made it to the top ten list of IT issues. One may have different ways on how to recover but a bundle of monetary resources must be considered. Also, the possibility of not being able to recover from the disaster is not eradicated thus leaving us standing on the shades of grey. Strategic Planning Strategic planning also made it in the list because of the endless possibilities that may be considered involved in Information Technology. Not only that, some risks should also be considered. There are many processes to be considered in planning strategically when it comes to IT such as the cost benefit of applying such issues. Also, all those mentioned above should also be considered. Will funding it feasible? Will the company be able to recover if disaster strikes? Not only that, the question whether every company should consider the opinion of all its components is also a large consideration. As a method, strategic planning may provide just enough structure to act decisively, allowing IT leaders to support their institutions in making decisions on how technology enables priorities more than on what priorities to enable. Another issue with it is there is no conformity when it comes to strategic planning. Different phases may be conceptualized when doing strategic planning and these phases are not guaranteed effective depending on the situation.

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Top Ten IT Issues, 2011

Submitted by: Mr. Neil Patrick Conocono

Submitted to: Ms. Mirafe Prospero College of Computer Studies

Date:
July 15, 2011