Activity 8-9

WCPS Acceptable Use Policy

Companies utilize AUPs or Acceptable Use Policies to clearly define what is or is not acceptable for users to do while utilizing their network.  These policies are put in place to help mitigate risks to the organizations infrastructure, and equipment.

A school system usually has many restrictions put in place for the protection of it's organization, but also for the protection of its students. 

The AUP for Washington County Public Schools has several actions that are not allowed:

1. Can't use the system for commercial purposes.  This means purchasing items from amazon or ebay for personal use, this also applies to services that would be personally used.

2.  Users can't employ the system for lobbying or other political activities.  This means the system can't be used to rally behind a cause or candidate.

3.  User's aren't permitted to post any personal information to any website.

4.  No harassment of other individuals.

5.  No P2P connections, or downloading of unapproved content.


The WCPS aside from these things seem to allow the use of the systems for anything pertaining to furthering the education of their students.  The rest of the rules implemented closely match those in the AUP for the university of Oregon.  The WCPS AUP seems more locked down simply for the fact that it's dealing with allowing minors to access their system and they don't want to risk exposing them to anything unnecessarily.

One area that is interesting to note is that Oregon allows the use of the school network for personal use as long as it does not interfere with the operation of the university.  The WCPS AUP specifically prohibits the use of the network and equipment for anything personal.  Users at WCPS aren't permitted to check personal email, social websites, or even news sites that don't pertain to an educational objective.

Activity 8-1

Kindle Fire vs. iPad Mini

1.  Which criteria are used to compare the products?

This website uses many different criteria to compare the products, the criteria include: price, screen size, resolution, pixels, pixel density, wi-fi capability, processor, device storage, sensors, HD camera, content, interoperability, social apps, email support, web browser, x-ray for movies, Kindle Free Time,  Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

2.  What additional criteria could have been used?

Some of the additional criteria that could have been used is the cellular data, battery life, power consumption, and warranty information.

3.  Describe the evaluation method used to do the product comparisons.

The evaluation method used in the product comparison is a side by side, component to component evaluation. It is a very basic comparison with just the features and abilities of each device.

4.  Did the method(s) produce an objective or subjective result?

The most important thing to notice about this product comparison is that it's performed by Amazon, i.e. the people wanting you to buy a Kindle.  The result is a very subjective product comparison.  The comparison examines many of the features exclusive to the Kindle but doesn't show any of the features exclusive to the iPad mini.

5.  Do you agree with the results?  Why or Why not?

The results of this product comparison are honestly subject to personal preference and what you are utilizing the device for.  This comparison shows that the Kindle is the better buy.  That may in fact be the case for certain individuals.  However, personally I find the inter-connectivity of  Apple devices, along with their capabilities to be superior to the Kindle.  The Kindle has very limited options as far as increasing the size of the memory, cellular data, and they offer fewer apps than Apple.  That being said, another user who doesn't have a need for cellular data, or doesn't own additional Apple devices may find the iPad unnecessarily higher in cost, and favor the Kindle Fire HD.

Activity 7-9

For this assignment I created a survey sent in regards to the following scenario:

Monday morning at 9:00 am you came into work and sat down at your computer.  You logged in and found that, while one of your monitors was functioning, the other would not power on.  You can complete your job duties with a single monitor, however it makes things more difficult.  You immediately place a call to the help desk where you explain the problem to a representative.  They determine that the problem cannot be fixed via troubleshooting on the phone and they inform you they will have to create a ticket in the queue for the on-site technician.  They inform you the technician will contact you shortly to help resolve the issue.  At 9:15 am, Matt the on-site technician stops by your desk and attempts to troubleshoot the faulty monitor after ten minutes he determines the monitor has died and needs to be replaced.  He informs you he has to go back to his office to get a replacement monitor and will return to set it up as soon as possible.  At 9:40 am Matt returns with the replacement monitor.  He removes the old monitor and cables and replaces them with new monitors and cables.  Matt verifies that the display settings are correctly configured and that it works to your satisfaction before leaving.  After he's gone you realize that everything is working great, however, Matt failed to complete the wire maintenance and you have two messy wires hanging beneath your desk.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CCDN6P5

 The survey asked several questions:

1.  How well did the technical support representatives at City IT listen to you?

2.  How quickly did the technical support representative at City IT help you?

3.  Was your experience with technical support at City IT better than you expected it to be, worse than you expected it to be, or about what you expected it to be?

4.  How well do the technical support representatives at City IT solve your problems?

5.  What could the technical support staff at City IT do to improve your experience?

6.  What was the reason for your most recent call to the support desk?

7.  Any additional comments?

The responses to the survey are now in and the results are rather interesting.  Everyone in the group said that City's IT representatives listen very well.  In regards to the speed at which the problem was handled, one person felt it was extremely quick, two people felt it was very quick, and one person felt it was only moderately quick.  With this result I think the City IT department may need to look at the expectations of their customers as to what an acceptable response time would be.  In response to the question about how the experience was the majority of people said that it only slightly better or what they expected.  This means that the IT department needs to examine what it can do to exceed the expectations of their customers.  When asked how well did the representative solve your problem everyone answered moderately well to extremely well.  This means that while the problem was solved there could have been more done.  When asked what the representative could have done to improve the experience most said he needed to finish the cable management.  As an organization it's important to make sure the representatives are going the extra mile to finish the job correctly.

This survey would be extremely helpful in gathering insight in what to do to improve the customer opinion of the City IT department.  In this situation we see that the company is meeting expectations however, they are not exceeding them.

Activity 7-3

Over the course of my time employed in the information technology field I have developed many valuable skills and abilities.  From my first job in the information technology field I was able to utilize my customer service and management experience to successfully manage and maintain the day to day operation for a small information technology business.  During my time there I was also able to develop skills in technical troubleshooting, hardware and software installation, and basic computer maintenance.  I was able to use my occupation to gather hands on experience with home users and small business owners in an technical support role.  This career then afforded me the opportunity to take the skills I learned and apply them to several other information technology companies.  I currently work as a technician in a medical facility where I am able to utilize all the skills I have gathered on a daily basis.  Despite my current occupation I wished to further enhance my knowledge and abilities in the information technology field with an end goal of becoming a network administrator in a medical facility.  In order to accomplish this goal there are several steps I am in the process of completing.  My growth plan consists of the following goals:

1. Completion of my Bachelor's Degree in Network Administration
2. Completion of my Associates Degree Networking Technology
3. Completion of my A+ Certification
4. Completion of my CompTIA Security+ Certification
5. Completion of my C+ Certification
6. Completion of Cisco Certifications

 The first and second goals allow me to obtain degrees showing an official knowledge and understanding of the core concepts needed to obtain a management role as a network administrator.  By furthering my education I also ensure that I have the book knowledge to accompany my hands on experience.  The remaining goals for completing certifications will again further my knowledge in the specific areas and demonstrate my knowledge of core concepts to any employers with whom I wish to obtain a position.  Successfully completing these goals will allow me to easily accomplish my end goal of becoming a network administrator at a medical facility.