MANAGING TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS

MANAGING TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS By Elizabeth Antonoff Natasha Carline Nancy El-Haj Chanel Brandon Silvia Kleinman-Rabin

PREFACE • This presentation was designed as a training tool that could be used in almost any organization that uses computer systems. • The intention was to educate businesses on how simple preventative measures could reduce the costs associated with downtime and lost data. • This topic was selected because each of the group members has experienced frustrations with system failures and lost data/files. • All research was conducted using the internet.

INTRODUCTION • Managing technology takes more than just storing files and updating systems. It is the art of guiding organizational change and creating organizational interdependence. External as well as internal factors such as computer systems can hinder these changes. In organizations, the IT Department is the maintenance crew of computer systems, making sure that computer systems, programs and websites run at their maximum performance.

INTRODUCTION cont... • However, if something goes wrong, the IT Department is the first one called and the first one blamed. Yet, it is not the sole responsibility of the IT Department to manage technology. It is everyone's responsibility to be better aware of computer operations and systems to help minimize computer downtime. • In the end, computer downtime not only frustrates employees, it also slows down work progress and drastically cuts into company profits.

INTRODUCTION cont... • In this presentation we will discuss: • A. TRUE DOWNTIME COSTS (TDC) • B. COST OF LOST DATA • C. HIDDEN COST OF COMPANY DOWNTIME • D. WAYS TO CUT DOWNTIME BY COMPANY TRAINING • E. COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

TRUE DOWNTIME COSTS (TDC) • The key to managing technology is to fully understand the “true” cost of downtime. TDC is simply the ability to analyze all cost factors associated with downtime, and using this information to better train employees and run the organization. • www.downtimecentral.com/Whats_True_Downtime_Cost.htm

COST OF LOST DATA • Available evidence suggests that 6% of all PCs will suffer an episode of data loss in any given year. • This translates to approximately 4.6 million data loss episodes. • There are two main quantifiable costs associated with each incident of data loss: • PCs Experiencing Data Loss • Average Cost of Each Data Loss Incident

COST OF LOST DATA cont… • PCs Experiencing Data Loss Hardware Failure 1,921,300 Human Error 1,397,300 Software Corruption 611,300 Computer Viruses 305,700 Theft 234,400 Hardware Destruction 131,000 Total 4,601,000

COST OF LOST DATA cont… • Average Cost of Each Data Loss Incident Technical Services 380 Lost Productivity 177 Value of the lost data 2,000 Total $ 2,557 • In 1998, the total US Data Loss cost $11.8 billion www.lht.com/Products/TapeBackup/Software/LostDataCosts/CostOfLostData

Available evidence suggests, the cost of technical support in the recovery effort, lost productivity due to user downtime, and the possible cost associated with data that is permanently lost is significant. The average cost of each data loss incident, is approximately $2,557. That figure multiplied by the total number of PC data loss incidents in the US suggests that data losses cost US businesses $11.8 billion in 1998. http://www.lht.com/Products/TapeBackup/Software/LostDataCosts/CostOfLostData.html COST OF LOST DATA cont…

HIDDEN COST OF COMPANY DOWNTIME • Businesses rely on computer systems which are vital in day-to-day business operations. • Without computer systems, in today’s technology driven society, businesses would quickly fail.

DOWNTIME YEARLY LOSSES - BY INDUSTRY • Energy $2.8 million • Telecommunications $2.0 million • Manufacturing $1.6 million • Financial Institutions $1.4 million • Information Technology $1.3 million • Insurance $1.2 million • Retail $1.1 million • Pharmaceuticals $1.0 million • Banking $996,000

WAYS TO CUT DOWNTIME - COMPANY TRAINING • So how can your organization minimize computer downtime? • By planning and utilizing preventative maintenance. • Planning includes making sure your company has invested in high quality, reliable equipment and software including operating systems • Being sure that your critical data is backed up routinely • Educating employees on preventative computer maintenance to mitigate risk exposure

COMPUTER MAINTENANCE INTRODUCTION • Routine maintenance on your computer can prevent data loss and systems failures, similar to how an oil change every 3,000 miles keeps your car in good working order. Following these simple steps each month will keep your computer running more smoothly: • Update you virus protection • According to Symantec virus experts, between 10 to 15 new viruses appear each day.

THE HOW TO ON COMPUTER MAINTENANCE • Run a Scandisk (in Windows Operating Systems) • To run Scandisk go to: Start> Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scandisk. Choose the disk drive you want to scan. If your hard drive is C, choose that. Do not scan your files on the Network. This is typically done for you. • Defragment (in Windows Operating Systems) • As you add and delete files from your computer, you fill up and leave spaces on your machine file system. “Defragging” your computer removes unnecessary spaces and helps your machine to use space more efficiently. • To do this go to: Start> Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. This can take some time and it’s ok to get it started and go to lunch.

THE HOW TO ON COMPUTER MAINTENANCE • Back up your data • Save copies of your files somewhere other than on your hard drive. If you are on your network, save your documents there. Use floppy disks, zip disks or save to a writable CD ROM disc. To find out more information about backing up your data try visiting the PC Magazine’s web site article athttp://www.pcworld.com/hereshow/article.asp?aid=1804 • Cleanliness is next to… • Keep your machine clean. Get a can of compressed air and blow the crumbs out of your keyboard. Check the back of your machine and make sure dust bunnies are not blocking the fan. Use rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip to clean the keys. Remove the mouse ball cover and clean the rollers inside with the alcohol and a Q-tip.

DELETING COOKIES • What are Cookies? • Cookies are text files. They record information that you have submitted to Web sites such as your username. They do not search your hard drive or do they ruin any of your files. When I visit Amazon.com, I am shown items I might like to buy, because I have a Amazon.com cookie on my hard drive. The cookie acknowledges who I am. This allows you to buy stuff online too. If you have your cookies turned off while buying from an e-commerce store, you may not be able to access the shopping cart.

DELETING COOKIES cont… • You must first close your browsers. • Note: Netscape Users: • 1. Your cookie files that Netscape has downloaded will be located in cookies.txt. • 2. Select the cookies file. • 3. Press the Delete key to delete the cookies you do not want to save.

Internet Explorer: 1. Search your hard drive for a folder named Cookies. 2. Once the Cookie folder is found, open it. 3. The list of text files with names of the form user@sitename, . These are the cookie files. 4. Select the cookies you want to delete. Be sure not to delete the cookies from sites you visit frequently. 5. Delete the unwanted cookies. Tip: To delete more than one item at once, press Ctrl while highlighting the file names. DELETING COOKIES cont...

UPDATING VIRUS PROTECTION • As new viruses seem to pop up every month, it is important to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. • When to update: • Once a month should suffice, or when you hear about a new virus. ITS usually has the updates available within hours of a fresh outbreak.

UPDATING VIRUS PROTECTION • How to configure: • Double-click on the yellow "C" in your system tray (lower right of the screen, near the clock). • At the main screen, pull down the "Preferences" menu and choose "Advanced".

UPDATING VIRUS PROTECTION cont... • On the "Advanced" screen, click on "Update Deffiles Now". • Finally, click on the "Add" button. The new "Site Path" is: http://owl.plymouth.edu Type it in and leave the "User Name" and the "Password" blank. It should look like this:

Click on "Okay" and "Okay" to get back to the main Command Anti-Virus screen. How to update: On the main Command Anti-Virus screen, there is a button labeled "Update Deffiles". Click it to have your virus definition files updated. Once the update is complete, you will be asked if you wish to view the log file – don’t bother, it is dull reading. http://www.plymouth.edu/psc/infotech/Virus/update/update.html UPDATING VIRUS PROTECTION

RUN SCANDISK • Windows NT/2000 or XP: • Step one: • Double click on the My Computer icon. Right mouse click on the [C:] drive. Select properties from the drop down box.

RUN SCANDISK cont… • Step two: • An active window "[C:] properties" will appear • Verify that the free space is at least 100MB, if not remove any unneeded documents or applications and empty the Recycle Bin.

RUN SCANDISK cont… • To empty recycle bin, right mouse click on the desktop icon and follow select appropriately. If your Drive does not have enough room to operate swapping files, it will crash eventually) • Select the tools tab on the upper left corner • Step three: Select the check now button from the "error-checking status" section.

RUN SCANDISK cont… • Step four: • Select automatically fix file system errors and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. • Click on Start.

RUN SCANDISK cont… • Step five: • A dialog box labeled Checking Disk C:\ will appear. Select Yes. This will enable your computer to run Scandisk once it is restarted.

RUN SCANDISK cont… • Step six: • Restart your computer. A message will appear that Scandisk will start in 15 seconds. Do not press any keys. • Note: You may wish to restart you computer at a convenient time as scandisk can take up to 45 minutes or more to complete depending on the size of your hard drive.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • As the personal computer gained prominence in the early 1980's, so did the computer virus. Several theories exist as to the exact date and origin of the first virus to exist in the wild.1 By the latter part of the decade, several had gained a foothold in virus history, most notably the Brain virus (1987) and Michelangelo (1988). Today, 50,000+ computer viruses are in existence. • With such a proliferation, lines have begun to blur as to what constitutes a computer virus. To explain this distinction, a brief description of the types of threats follows:

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • Virus - A computer virus is a self-replicating sequence of code, contained in a legitimate program, which purposely copies itself and infects other programs. To qualify as a virus, it must self-replicate, i.e. create copies of itself to continue the infection. The program in which the virus is hidden is referred to as the host. In addition to replication, some viruses carry a "payload" or portion of the program that is designed to corrupt data or cause some other malicious occurrence.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • Trojan - A Trojan Horse is a program that does something other than what it is advertised or believed to do. It is widely accepted that the distinction between a virus and a Trojan lies within its ability to self-replicate • Worm - Unlike a virus, a worm is a self-contained program that copies itself to other computers, usually via network connections. In other words, the worm is not "hidden" inside a legitimate program - the program is the worm. However, the worm may be disguised for distribution as a legitimate program. A worm is generally designed to repeatedly copy itself in memory or on a disk drive until there is no more space left for the computer to work.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • As is the case of medical viruses, there is no "cure" for computer viruses and the key lies in prevention. Because the nature of viruses, their transmission, and frequency are constantly changing, the preventative methods must be equally dynamic. For example, it was once adequate protection to simply search for a specific sequence of code, called a signature, to detect a virus. Anti-virus firms routinely updated signature files and users updated their systems to include the newest definitions. • However, the virus engineers began creating viruses that mutated when replicating. Some of the mutations were encrypted. This created a need to include decryption algorithms with the signature files. While the anti-virus vendors busied themselves researching and combating encrypted viruses, the virus engineers were equally busy creating a new breed of Polymorphic viruses which randomised the encryption routines.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • Obviously, with today's sophisticated virus threat, anti-virus detection must encompass the dynamic ability to detect based on even unknown behaviour. This parallel has not been achieved in the medical community, where only viruses with known patterns of infection can be prevented. Indeed, even in the computer arena, few companies are able to successfully achieve a high standard of detection against mutating viruses, much less defend against newly created viruses.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • Prevention is the Key • This reality demonstrates the futility of defending against tomorrow's threat with yesterday's technology.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES • Simply a Matter of Trust • Some of the best efforts to eradicate the virus threat have in fact provided yet another avenue for its growth. Recently, Microsoft introduced new security tools in Office 2000 that promised to lessen the likelihood of a macro virus infection. Instead, the tools allow a virus to take advantage of a trust relationship with another user thereby infiltrating undetected into the new system.http://www.nlcv.bas.bg/pub/av-soft/csav/Whitepaper_virusestoday.rtf

CONCLUSION • In the end managing technology is a key factor in cutting downtime, keeping the flow of work moving, and helping businesses to thrive and live up to its full potential. If we all do not take responsibility to manage technology then who else will?

Literature Review • There is a large amount of information on the subject of downtime and the loss of data, however are quite a few gaps: • Most of the research seems to be conducted by companies that sell various products to help with computer maintenance. More research is needed from less bias sources. • There is a consensus on the loss of productivity and loss of money due to technology failure, however there is little consensus on the amount. • Regarding the process of preventative maintenance, there was not as much information readily available. In fact, all websites and information gathered for this section of the presentation was from educational institutions and software providers.

Literature Review cont… • Current status on this research is stagnant • There seems to be little indication of future research on this area • This is unfortunate because the dependence on technology is on the rise, resulting in a larger risk for data loss, system failure, and downtime. This threat will only hurt businesses and threaten their profits.

REFERENCES • Aladdin Systems. (2003). Protect Your Internet Privacy. http://www.aladdinsys.com/internetcleanup/moreinfo.html • APC. (n.d.). The Problem with Power. http://www.apcc.com/power/problems.cfm • ARCO Data Protection Systems. (2003). http://www.arcoide.com/products/pdf/datarecovery.pdf • Bob Johnson’s Computer Stuff. (2002). Deleting Cookies. http://www.bobjohnson.com/deletingcookies.htm • Creative Data Concepts Limited Inc. (2003). The Hidden Cost of Computer Downtime. http://www.creativedata.net/index.cfm?webid=207 • Episcopal. (n.d.). How to run a virus scan on a floppy disk. http://www.ehsbr.org/support/helpdesk/guides/utilities/virus_scan_floppy.pdf

REFERENCES • Fitchett, D. (2002). Business Industrial Network. What is the True Downtime Cost (TDC)? http://www.downtimecentral.com/Whats_True_Downtime_Cost.htm • How to get rid of internet pop-up windows http://www.math.utah.edu/~newren/noPopUps.html • Landesman, M. and MillwardD. (2000).National Laboratory of Computer Virology. Computer Viruses – Today and Tomorrow. http://www.nlcv.bas.bg/pub/av-soft/csav/Whitepaper_virusestoday.rtf • Lincoln Intermediate Unit No. 2. (n.d.). Maintaining your machine. http://www.iu12.org/liu/divisions/tech/computer_maintenance.html

REFERENCES • Manasses. (n.d.). How to Run a Scan Disk and Disk Defragmenter. http://manassas.k12.va.us/tech/tsip/How%20to%20Run%20ScanDisk%20and%20Disk%20Defragmentor.pdf • Microsoft. (2002). Planning Tip: Considering Disaster Recovery in Your Deployment Plan for Exchange.(2000).http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/techinfo/tips/PlanTip01.asp • Middleton, J. (2001). VNUNET.com. Virus costs could hit record high. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1125100 • NetworkNews. (2002).The hidden costs of systems downtimehttp://www.networknews.co.uk/Features/1131589 • Nutwood UK LTD. (2001). Banana Skins XV. http://www.compliance-club.com/archive1/000811.html • Smith D. M. (1999). Lighthouse Technology. The Cost of Lost Data.http://www.lht.com/Products/TapeBackup/Software/LostDataCosts/CostOfLostData.html

MANAGING TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS