UNIT 1 LESSON 1

As time flies, there are more and more new technologies emerging when it comes to business
matters. Men are creating these technologies to make things easier. Anis Uzzaman from Pegasus
Tech Ventures states in his article ten (10) top technology trends that will influence us.

TRENDS AND IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS

Trend 1: Breakout moment of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing.
Trend 2: Practical deployment of Internet of Things (IoT).
Trend 3: Increased demand for edge computing processing power.
Trend 4: Commercialization of quantum computing usage in mass scale.
Trend 5: Evolution of aerospace technologies.
Trend 6: New era of the internet — deployment of 5G and Starlink broadband internet technology.
Trend 7: Evolution of health care — predictions at the genome level.
Trend 8: Evolution in Agriculture – technology to Grow Crops Efficiently.
Trend 9: Evolution of autonomous driving technology.
Trend 10: The U.S. and China put blockchain to practical use.

From another article “The Impact of Technological Change on Business Activity” of Osmond Vitez, he
discussed different technological change impact to business activity.
These impacts are:
1. Impact on Operating Costs
2. Securing Sensitive Information
3. Improved Communication Processes
4. Increased Employee Productivity
5. Broaden Customer Bases
6. Collaboration and Outsourcing

CREDIT CARDS USE AND IDENTITY THEFT

Using credit cards are usual nowadays. A person can easily do transactions with credit card. But
there can be a consequence of using credit card specially when the user is not careful with his or her
information.

There are articles that explains the difference between credit card fraud and identity theft. One of the
writers which explain it clearly is Ben Luthi in one of his articles. He states that Credit card fraud is a
form of identity theft but it is typically only affecting one or more of the victim's open credit card
accounts. Credit card fraud occurs when a thief gets his or her hands on a victim's credit card
information.

Luthi enumerates that thieves can do this by:

✓ Using a skimming device at an ATM or gas pump.
✓ Pulling data from files stolen in a data breach.
✓ Gaining access to an online account where the information is saved.
✓ Eavesdropping on an unsecure Wi-Fi network or website.
✓ Deploying phishing emails, phone calls or text messages.
✓ Stealing the physical card from your purse or wallet.

On the other hand, he explains identity theft is an umbrella term that encompasses any crime where
someone wrongfully accesses and uses another person's personal information for economic gain.
While credit card fraud is one form of identity theft.

Luthi specified that Identity thieves can steal your data in several ways,
including:

✓ Getting it from files stolen in a data breach.

✓ Gaining access to an online account where the information is saved.
✓ Eavesdropping on an unsecure Wi-Fi network or website.
✓ Deploying phishing emails, phone calls or text messages.
✓ Stealing your mail.
✓ Rummaging through your trash for documents with sensitive information.
✓ Stealing your wallet or purse.
✓ Using personal information, you post online.
On Lisa Rogak article, she has given tips on identity theft. These are:

✓ Thieves don’t need your credit card number in order to steal it.
✓ The nonfinancial personal information you reveal online is often enough for a thief.
✓ Be careful with your snail mail.
✓ Review all bank and credit card statements each month, preferably once a week.
✓ If an ATM or store terminal looks funny, don’t use it.
✓ Identity thieves love travelers and tourists.
✓ Identity thieves are sneaky; you need to be sneaky, too.
✓ Pay attention at the checkout line.
✓ Go paperless in as many ways as possible.
✓ File a fraud alert.

CONSEQUENCES OF UNSAFE, ILLEGAL, AND UNETHICAL USE OF TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS

Everything that we do has its consequences either positive or negative. For some reason a person
can unsafe and illegal things to technology. From Kimberlee Leonard’s article she lists down the five
unethical uses of computers.

1. Media Piracy – Digital media piracy is a prominent unethical practice undertaken with computers.
2. Ransomware Attacks – The hacker encrypts the entire website, shutting the business down until
the business owners pay the hackers a fee – the ransom – in what is called a denial-of-service
attack.
3. Identity Theft – Hackers obtain everything from names, dates of birth and Social Security
information to addresses and other contact information that is used to create phony accounts.
4. Financial Theft – Hackers don't steal the information but instead hack systems to divert financial
information input away from the company to steal money.
5. Intellectual Property Theft - Intellectual property theft is often achieved by internal moles or
contract workers who have access to a company's computer server.

In Damarious Page point of view in his article, he enumerated the impact of unethical behavior in
Technology.

Organizational Integrity
➢ People hesitate to use an organization's Internet-based and e-commerce services if concerns
exist about the integrity of these systems. The security breaches can occur at the hands of
wayward IT employees within an organization, as well as in the form of hackers outside the
company's firewalls.

Industry Integrity
➢ Unethical behavior by IT personnel or hackers can bring entire industries to a halt, either
delaying services or shutting down operations.

One example is a hospital and the healthcare industry are making a push to digitize patient care and
medical records. Paper
documentation is falling by the wayside. Many vital industries have data backup plans in place, but
downtime can deal a crippling financial blow.

Academics, Research and Development

➢ Existing IT professionals who perform malevolent activities that negatively affect an industry
might inadvertently disrupt the supply chain of new talent from colleges.

An example is, business that have suffered setbacks because of unethical behavior within the IT
department may put a freeze on new IT hiring, which would affect the number of jobs offers
graduating IT students receive out of college.

Societal Impact
➢ You may hear the terms "developed nations" and "developing nations" mentioned in relation to
computers and Internet technologies; IT professionals are helping major industrial countries
maintain a standard of living and manage growth, while emerging economies are using
information technology to lift citizens out of poverty.
DIGITAL CONTENT AND COPYRIGHT LAWS
Digital Content
- Digital content is any content that exists in the form of digital data. Also known as digital media,
digital content is stored on digital or analog storage in specific formats. Forms of digital content
include information that is digitally broadcast, streamed, or contained in computer files.

Types of Digital Media that Are Protected by Copyright

✓ Digital artwork and photographs

✓ Music created digitally
✓ Sound recordings of music, spoken words or other sounds
✓ Motion Pictures and other digital video recordings
✓ Software programs
✓ Websites and website content

Copyright
- A basic understanding of copyright principles is essential for any blogger, researcher, reporter,
photographer, or anyone who publishes their creative works. It’s important for two reasons.

First, you should understand how you can properly make use of someone else’s work – quoting from
it, reprinting it, summarizing it, even satirizing it. And second, you should understand how you can
protect your own legal rights in what you create, so that others don’t take unfair advantage of it.

What Copyright Covers

First, all copyright law is federal law and therefore uniform across the country (in theory). States have
no role, because the Constitution gives Congress the sole "power to promote the Progress of Science
and the
useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their
respective Writings and Discoveries." Congress first exercised this power to establish copyrights (and
patents) in its first meeting in 1791, and it has regularly revised and updated the law ever since.
Though the last comprehensive copyright revision was enacted in
1976, Congress has passed many new copyright laws and amended others – sometimes after highly
contentious lobbying and debate – in the digital era.

Second, copyright law covers an extraordinarily broad range of creative work. The law calls them
"works of authorship" but copyright protects almost all creative work that can be written down or
otherwise captured in a tangible medium:

✓ Literary works – which is basically prose, whether a news story, scientific paper, novel, poetry, or
any other form of "words-only"(or words-and-pictures) creative work.
✓ Musical works – both the lyrics and the music, whether from advertising jingles to symphonies.
✓ Dramatic works – plays, including any accompanying music.
✓ Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works – photographs, drawings, paintings, and any other kind
of two- or three-dimensional art.
✓ Motion pictures and other audiovisual works – movies, television shows, YouTube videos, and
any kind of multimedia.
✓ Sound recordings – in addition to the copyright on words and music (above) a separate
copyright protects a recording artist’s rendition of a work
✓ Architectural works – blueprints and similar plans for buildings.

Basic Rules for Copyright Protection of Digital Media Works in the digital media are subject to the
same copyright standard as other types of works:

➢ Only original works of authorship are protected. The work must originate with the author and
must show some amount of creativity.
➢ The work must be fixed in some tangible medium that can be perceived, reproduced or
otherwise communicated, either by itself or with the aid of a machine. This includes digital media.
An idea or a system cannot be copyrighted.

There are more articles that discussed about digital content and copy right. It also depends on a
particular topic you need to know about.
BUDGETING, SAVING AND INVESTING
Budget
- A budget is a spending plan, a tool to put you in control of your money. It shows how much
money you have, where it needs to go to meet your needs and wants and when you will be
able to reach your financial goals.

To create a budget, follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify your net monthly income
Step 2: Identify your monthly expenses
Step 3: Subtract your monthly expenses from your income
Step 4: Assess and rework your budget

Saving
- Saving should be part of your budget. It is important to put aside some money each month for
savings, if possible. Start by deciding how much you could realistically save each month. Once
you determine that amount, pay yourself first. Before you pay bills, set aside money for your
savings. Then pay your other bills.

8 simple ways to save money

✓ Record your expenses
✓ Budget for savings
✓ Find ways you can cut your spending
✓ Set savings goals
✓ Decide on your priorities
✓ Pick the right tools
✓ Make saving automatic
✓ Watch your savings grow

Investing
- Investing is defined by putting your money to work for you. Essentially, it’s a different way to
think about how to make money. Investing is buying assets such as stocks, bonds, mutual
funds or real estate with the expectation that your investment will make money for you.

There are many benefits when you start investing including:

1. Meet financial goals faster
2. Build wealth
3. Money habits
4. Compound earnings
5. Combat inflation
6. Opportunity cost

Top investments in the Philippines

Securities Bank products

✓ company stocks ✓ High-yield savings account
✓ preferred shares ✓ Time deposit
✓ corporate and government bonds
✓ treasury bills Trading
✓ long term negotiable certificate of deposit ✓ Forex
✓ Cryptocurrency
Managed funds
✓ mutual funds ✓ Small business
✓ unit investment trust fund ✓ Crowdsourcing
✓ exchange traded fund ✓ Cooperatives
✓ Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) ✓ Real estate
✓ variable universal life policy

Government savings program

✓ Pag-ibig MP2
✓ SSS Flexi Fund
✓ SSS PESO Fund
LOANS AND ITS EFFECTS
What is the impact of taking loans or liabilities?
✓ Purpose of taking these - Liabilities or loans are taken to meet expenses or to create assets
which cannot be funded by regular income.
✓ Repayments - Loans are generally repaid in monthly instalments so that the repayment can be
done through regular income.
✓ Effect of a liability - A liability leads to a cash outflow from the future income for the repayment of
the loan and the interest, thereby leaving lesser amount for future expenses and savings.
✓ How they lead to debt traps - Liabilities created to meet regular expected expenses through
personal loans or credit card loans point to inefficient financial management and lead to debt
traps.
✓ When a liability can be beneficial - Liabilities taken to purchase an asset can be beneficial if the
asset appreciates in value over time, as in the case of a home loan.

COMMERCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TERMINOLOGY

Computers and the Internet Terms

- Tech terms that pertain to the electronic devices and networks business leaders use every day.

➢ Algorithm - A set of mathematical instructions that help computers perform a certain task. Ideal
algorithms are as efficient as possible.
➢ Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality - Both these terms describe content that alter a user’s
perceived reality through the use of digital tools.
➢ Virtual Private Network (VPN) - A secure internet connection that uses encryption and other
measures to ensure network privacy.
➢ Really Simple Syndication (RSS) - Also known as “RDF Site Summary,” RSS is a method of
delivering content on websites in a standard format known as XML.
➢ Technology Stack - The collection of software that makes up the infrastructure of a computer.
➢ Proxy - A router or computer system that disrupts the connection between the sender and
receiver.
➢ Open-Source Software - Software that can be distributed without restrictions.
➢ Phishing - A technique used by cybercriminals to gain access to personal user information.

Operations and Business Systems Terms and E-commerce Terms

- Tech terms that pertain to how businesses operate with computer technology and conduct
financial transactions.

➢ CRM (Customer Relationship Management) - The practices used by organizations to manage

and analyze customer data and interactions.
➢ Payment Processor - A third-party company that processes financial transactions between
buyers and sellers.
➢ Payment Getaway - Software that transmits payment information between banks.
➢ Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - A common method of transferring data between computer
systems and computer networks.
➢ Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) - A set of policies and procedures
designed to maximize the security of financial transactions and protect the personal information of
cardholders.
➢ Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) - A protocol designed to help send sensitive information securely
over the internet.
➢ Merchant Account - A bank account that enables companies to own and use credit and debit
cards.

UNIT 1 LESSON 2

FILE MANAGEMENT AND TRANSFERRING DATA

File management on a computer is similar to filing documents in a filing cabinet. Folders are stored
on a drive in a computer. Data is stored on and retrieved from a disk drive. Each drive will indicate the
type of storage medium, for example, whether it is a hard disk, USB drive, CD, DVD, or so on.

Folders
- A Windows operating system organizes its drives, folders and files in a hierarchical folder
structure. Folders are used to organize a computer’s files so that it can be found easier.
The highest level of the tree structure of a drive is, therefore, called the root directory and is stored on
the hard-disk drive of a computer. The documents then form a sub-folder of the root directory C-drive,
which is written as C:\.

File path
- A file path shows the location of where a file, web page, or other item is located on the
computer. The file path shows you to which storage device the file is saved, in which folder and
sub-folders the file is saved, the name of the file and finally, the type of file.

C:\Music\Beethoven\Moonlight.mp3

Organising files and folders

- Organizing files on your computer is an important task, as it can ultimately save you lots of
time and effort. For you to find files and folders on the computer, it must be organized properly.
It is, therefore, important for you to place files in folders and give them the correct names.

File naming, conventions and properties file Naming and conventions

- A file name is used to identify a file on the computer. This is the best method of organizing files
and folders on the computer. Naming files properly helps you to navigate and locate files and
folders easily.

A file-naming convention (FNC) helps keep the computer clutter-free and allows you to do the
following:

✓ Know the contents of a file before you open it.

✓ Navigate through long lists of files for the one that you are looking for.
✓ Store different versions of the same document by naming them according to date.

Best practices for naming files:

✓ Keep file names short, but meaningful.

✓ Include useful information, such as the name of the project or document on which you are
working.
✓ Include the version number (e.g. v1 or -v1) and the date if there is more than one more version.
Dates should always appear as yyyy/mm/dd to organize the files in order.

Things to avoid when naming files:

✓ Symbol characters, such as “\ / < > | “ ? [ ] ; = + & $ α β”

✓ Abbreviations that are not easy to understand
✓ Simple words, such as “draft”, “current” or “document”.

File types
- Each file has a file extension identifying the type of file and how the computer should interpret
it. The following are file types:
Text files, Document files, Archives and compressed files, Presentation files, Spreadsheet files,
Database files, Image files, Animation files, Video files, Audio files, PDF Files

The Best Ways To Transfer Data From One Computer To Another

User-friendly cloud services, external media or storage devices can quickly and effortlessly transfer
files. Here are some of the easiest ways to transfer files to another storage.

➢ Email Attachments Make Small Data Transfers Easy – If you’re not looking to transfer a large
amount of data, attaching a document or file to email is one of the best ways to transfer data to
another computer.
➢ Use External Hard Drives and Media Devices For Larger Data Transfers – Copying data onto
external hard drives, thumb drives, or other storage devices is another way to transfer data.
➢ Cloud Storage Solutions Are Great for Continuous Data Transfer – Cloud Storage is one of
the most popular and easiest to use method for file sharing in today’s digital world. Cloud Storage
gives you the ability to cut costs, improve productivity and access, and gives your employees the
freedom to access and upload their files with one click of the mouse.
➢ FTP- The Most Reliable Data Transfer System – This type of data transfer system is usually
utilized for websites and complicated file systems- it’s not something you need to use on a regular
basis if you can avoid it.
➢ No Matter What Data Transfer System You Use- Encrypt Your Files – If you’re transferring files
over a network, especially an unsecured network, it may be a good idea to encrypt your files
before beginning the process. Encrypting files can secure your files’ contents by requiring a
password for access.

NETWORKED SYSTEMS AND SECURITY

Network security is any activity designed to protect the usability and integrity of your network and
data.
✓ It includes both hardware and software technologies.
✓ It targets a variety of threats.
✓ It stops them from entering or spreading on your network.
✓ Effective network security manages access to the network.

Network security is a broad term that covers a multitude of technologies, devices and processes.
In its simplest term, it is a set of rules and configurations designed to protect the integrity,
confidentiality and accessibility of computer networks and data using both software and hardware
technologies.

How does network security work?

There are many layers to consider when addressing network security across an organization. Attacks
can happen at any layer in the network security layers model, so your network security hardware,
software and policies must be designed to address each area.

Network Security Layers Model

➢ Physical Network Security - are designed to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining
physical access to network components such as routers, cabling cupboards and so on.
➢ Technical Network Security - controls protect data that is stored on the network or which is in
transit across, into or out of the network. Protection is twofold; it needs to protect data and
systems from unauthorized personnel, and it also needs to protect against malicious activities
from employees.
➢ Administrative Network Security - consist of security policies and processes that control user
behavior, including how users are authenticated, their level of access and also how IT staff
members implement changes to the infrastructure.
➢ Network Access Control - To ensure that potential attackers cannot infiltrate your network,
comprehensive access control policies need to be in place for both users and devices.
➢ Antivirus and Antimalware Software - protect an organization from a range of malicious
software, including viruses, ransomware, worms and trojans.
➢ Firewall Protection - act as a barrier between the untrusted external networks and your trusted
internal network.
➢ Virtual Private Networks - create a connection to the network from another endpoint or site. For
example, users working from home would typically connect to the organization's network over a
VPN.

Hardware
- Computer hardware is the umbrella term used to describe the physical collection of elements
that complete a whole computer system.

Software
- Computer software is the term used to define the sets of code, data, and instructions stored on
the computer’s hard drive that operate the machine from behind the scenes.

Computer Security Threats

➢ Malware - Short for malicious software, malware is the umbrella term used to describe a variety of
intrusive or hostile software including: worms, viruses, trojan horses, ransomware, adware,
scareware, and spyware.
➢ Virus - A type of malevolent program that replicates itself by altering other computer programs
and implanting its own code.
➢ Spyware - A software that intends to gather personal or business information without the victim’s
consent or knowledge, or to gain control of a device in secret.
➢ Ransomware - A software that aims to block the victim from accessing their files or threatens to
publish sensitive information unless a ransom is paid.
➢ Phishing - By disguising itself as trustworthy, phishing is the name given to attempts at gaining
information such as passwords, credit card details, and usernames for malicious purposes.
➢ Social Engineering - It is the term used to describe an entity obtaining the confidence of the
victim for the purpose of gathering information, committing fraud, or gaining access to a system.
➢ Password Cracking - It is the recovery of passwords or data through repetition for the purpose of
gaining unauthorized access to a system, or to recover a forgotten password.
➢ Browser Hijackers - A form of malicious software that aims to modify a user’s web browser
settings by injecting advertisements onto their homepage without consent.
➢ Computer Worm - A computer worm is a type of malware with the singular purpose of replicating
itself in order to spread to other computers and devices.
➢ Anti-Virus - Also known as anti-malware software, anti-virus software is a type of computer
software that is installed to prevent, detect and remove malicious software.