Activity 8-9 Acceptable Use Policy

I compared the acceptable use policy for two Universities. The University of Oregon and the University of Brown in Providence, RI. At first glance I thought they were extremely outmatched. One policy seemed to be more robust and extensive than the other. This is not true. After taking a closer look, they both seem to provide the same amount of information with little differences here and there. They both are concerned about the limited capability of their network resources and they urge their students to be mindful of this fact. The Acceptable Use (AU) policy for the University of Oregon goes a little further in talking about how students who need to do research for a paper will get priority of using their system over a student that wants to send personal emails. Both AU’s mention State and Federal regulations when it comes to violations of the policy. They both seem to cover all angles.

            I found a few slight differences when comparing both AU’s. The AU for the University of Oregon gets a tad bit more specific in areas. Brown University tend to be direct and straight to the point but that have way more broad statements about acceptable use. Brown did get specific when they talked about some other inappropriate activities like things that may affect the school’s tax-exempt status, and using the computers for political purposes, and financial gain. Although they both basically state that the electronic property is subject to being searched, the university of Oregon does the best job in spelling this out in the AU Policy. I think both policies will do the job of protecting the students, faculty, and the school from malicious activity.

Ch7-9: Survey Monkey

Ch7-9: Survey Monkey

Jibre A. Fortenberry

I believe I misunderstood what needed to be done. My scenerio was a real world scenerio. When the Presidential CAC mandate came thru our office no one liked it. Most customers were able to power thru the change. A little troubleshooting had to be done by a few team members to get the administartors and new customers up and running. 

This is the first time making a scenerio and a survey. I found it difficult to choose the questions and how many to choose. I choose to keep it short and sweet. It`s really simple to me. Either the support was satisfactory or the support was not so satisfatory. I Asked how the customer felt the Technician did, and how they felt about the overall support of the team. I did these to gauge were the disconnect or weakest link maybe if there was one. I left the last question open for comments or questions. This is a good way to let the customer vemnt or provide kudos.

The screen shots of the Survey are located below:

Activity 8-1

I chose to do a side by side comparison of two things I hold very dear to me. The Xbox One and the PS4. I chose to use the review found @ http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/xbox-one-vs-sony-ps4 since it was the most recent review I found out of the five that I read. The site used price, design, connectivity/ports, controllers, exclusive games, user interface, and dashboards to compare the two gaming consoles. They also provided both technical specifications, remote play, accessories and virtual and augmented reality if the reader was interested in comparing those items. They were very extensive with their research and findings. One thing that they could have covered and did not would be technical support for both consoles. No matter how good a technical device is, something always does and will go wrong.
The person comparing both consoles has had both consoles and in addition to playing with both, she has down research online about both consoles to evaluate them. The reviewer could not provide a solid winner since they both have their pros and cons. She did say that if she had a choice to buy a new console right now that the XBOX One would be the strongest candidate due to the Windows 10 gaming platform. I think the reviewer was subjective in her evaluation since it`s just her providing input even if  she does have both consoles.
 I agree with her in the since that the windows 10 gaming platform is pretty cool. My son plays tons of Xbox games on our all-in-one pc. I also have a PlayStation vita and enjoy playing PlayStation games on the small handheld. One of my favorite games is the “Devil May Cry” series. If Xbox didn`t have this game available now I would go with PlayStation all the way. Between the media content, the availability to connect my cable box to it, the customization, and the new backwards compatibility of the XBOX One, I am truly a convert. I started off with a PlayStation, then I got a PS2, then an XBOX 360, then a PS4, and then an XBOX ONE. The Xbox gets the most play in the house. Round one goes to XBOX.

Ch7-3 Professional Growth

Activity 7-3

My growth plan will make me a better student and a better Information Technology Specialist (IT). I recognize that I am at the point where I may or may not be burnt out with school and work. The first thing I need to do is find a nice school, work, life balance. Dedicate an hour a day for school work and at least 30 minutes for IT training. I am the IT lead for a group of six highly skilled and motivated individuals. Since I only get the tickets that no one else can figure out, I have found that I do not come into contact with the customers as much. Thus, my empathy is almost gone for the customers. First step is to stop automatically assuming it is the customers fault and place myself in the customer’s shoes. Second step is to work on my communications skills via CBT`s and face to face communications workshops.  I am often the last line of saving grace to communicate to the customers what needs to be done to fix the issue. I often have the task of trying to diffuse more than hostile situations. Advanced communications technique can be very useful know and in the long run.

My immediate supervisor states I will eventually become a full-fledged IT Manager. GOD, I hope not. I choose to go into a more specific technical field. I have been toying with IT Security, Networking, Computer programming. I currently have my CompTIA A+, DOD NEC 2735 (Network Administrator), and ITILv4 certifications. I have three classes left to receive an AS in Cyber Security. After I graduate, I would like to get my CompTIA Network and Security + certificates and maybe a CCNA, or CISSP certification. I believe with my new found communications skills, my more than 18 years of IT experience, the new IT certifications, the AS in Cyber Security, and my Veteran status I will be a little more than appealing to most employers.

New Ideas

After reading everyone else’s blogs I believe it would be extremely beneficial if I continued my education at a four-year school and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree. It would definitely help me get a Government job as an IT, which is my ultimate goal. It would also help me in getting promoted from my current position. I have never gone to an IT conference before. I am sure I can create some great contacts at a meeting of the minds. I showed also get more familiar with MAC`s. I was just actually issued a MAC Pro at work because they are apparently going to be more of them around our site. These new skills should help me in all my endeavors. 

Chapter 5 DQ: 7

7. A manager commented at a support staff meeting, “What you know about how to

solve technology problems is less important than the skills you have to locate

information. “Do you agree or disagree?

I totally disagree, I believe they are equally as important. I have been an IT for almost 20 years. I have almost seen it all. When I say almost, that is exactly what I mean. No matter how long I have been an IT, there is always a new problem popping up. I believe a good tech will know enough about the technology that is malfunctioning that they can troubleshoot or research the issue to find the answer or fix. A person can search all the info in the world. They will be searching a long time if they don`t have a ballpark idea of what they are looking for.

Chapter 4 Case Study 5

1. What are the relative costs of OEM versus refilled cartridges for a typical printer? (Use a
printer you have experience with as an example.) We use a HP LJ Pro 400 Color printer and the OEM cartridges cost about four times more than the refilled cartridges.


2. What factors other than cost should be considered in making a decision about OEM
versus refilled cartridges? What are the pros and cons in this decision? Refilled cartridges are not very reliable and can be temperamental. OEM cartridges may be costly, but the quality and durability cannot be beat. Refilled is cheap and green, but it is more of a it may work or it may not work once you get the cartridge back.

3. Do some printer manufacturers discourage printer users from purchasing refilled
cartridges? How? Yes, They threatan that the customers will degrade the printer or even shorten the life of the printer by not using OEM products.


4. How might the purchase and use of refilled printer cartridges impact the work of the
support team? Are users in the Production Department likely to experience increased
problems with refilled cartridges that will result in more incidents for the user support
team? The use of refilled cartridges may increase the work load if these cartridges stop working all the time, Yes.

Activity 2-6: Evaluating my communication skills

Sometimes:

·          I give my full attention to others when they talk to me.

·         I maintain eye contact throughout a conversation.

·         I display empathy.

·         I deal with conflicts and differences appropriately.

·         I respect myself in my communications with others.

·         I minimize others' unwanted behaviors effectively.

·         I optimize others' suboptimal thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

·          I respond optimally even when I am ready to explode.

·         I deal optimally with those who complain, criticize, blame and make excuses.

·         I negotiate the best solutions with all personality types

·          I assert my needs appropriately.

Rarely:

·         I share my feelings and needs when appropriate.

·         I understand and optimize non-verbal communications.

·          I communicate my boundaries effectively to others.

·         I respect the dignity and rights of others.

·         I maximize communications with those who practice one-upmanship.

·         I respond appropriately when others are off track.

According to this communication skills assessment I walk the line of average communications.  I Rarely share my feelings and recognize anyone else’s feelings. It states I sometimes pay attention to others, display empathy and del with other people in an appropriate manner. This may be due to the nature of my current and past jobs. I have been dealing with end users for over 19 years. Frankly, I’m tired of dealing with customers and it`s getting harder and harder to empathize with them. The common themes or patterns seem to be not dealing with mine and others feelings well, and not communicating with others in an appropriate manner. I believe the best way to become a better communicator is to deal with the burnout factor first. I can possess the greatest commination skills in the world. They will count for nothing If I just don`t care. Some sites that have suggestions for dealing with burnout and having better communication skills are http://lifehacker.com/5674007/burnout-and-how-to-deal-with-it  and http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/08/14/10-ways-to-communicate-better-at-work- .