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Professional Practices in IT_ CSC110

CSC110
Professional Practices

Professional Practices in IT_

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CSC110
CSC110
Professional

Professional Practices in IT_

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Practices in IT
By: Seemab Khan

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 Professional Practices in IT_
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LECTURE 2: COMPUTER SCIENCE 4

Week #3
Computer Science
In this section, we will cover the following topics;
• Why study CS?
• Exponential growth
• What can we do in these domains?

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• IT Evolution
• Outsourcing
• CS/IT and the myth of offshoring
• Future of IT
• Educational needs 5
Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
Variety of job titles
• Software Engineer (Applications or System)
• System Programmer
• System Engineer

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• System Analyst/Programmer
• Database Administrator
• Data Communication Analyst
• Network Programmer/Administrator
• Web Developer/Administrator
• Computer Scientist
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• IT Specialist and the list goes on …
Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
• A Bachelor's degree in computing is required for
high pay IT positions.
• According to U.S Department of Labor Statistics
and Predication, very good opportunities are

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expected for college graduates with at least a
bachelor’s degree in computer science and with
practical work experience.

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Estimated job Openings in CS
Fast–growing IT jobs

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Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
• Computing is part of everything we do!
• Expertise in computing enables you to
solve complex, challenging problems.

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• Computing enables you to make a positive
difference in the world.
• Computing offers many types of lucrative
careers.
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Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
• Computing jobs are here to stay, regardless
of where you are located.
• Expertise in computing helps you even if

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your primary career choice is something
else.
• Computing offers great opportunities for
true creativity and innovativeness.
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Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
• Computing has space for both
collaborative work and individual
effort.

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• Computing is an essential part of well-
rounded academic preparation.
• Future opportunities in computing are
without boundaries.
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Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
• Creativity
• Intellectual Challenge
• Programming is extremely challenging

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• CS applied to other fields is a different
intellectual challenge.
• Helping Others
• Produce artifacts which make people’s lives
easier
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Why Study Computer Science?
(cont’d)
• Flexibility
• Telecommuting, working at home

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• Lifelong Learning
• Computer scientists must master a
moving target.
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Computer Science & Engineering?

• Impact
• Advances in computing drive
advances in all other fields

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• Unbelievably cool academic
opportunities

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Computer Science & Engineering?
• Advances in computing power the
economy
• Not just through the growth of the

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computing industry – through Multi Factor
Productivity Growth throughout the
economy
• Advances in computing change the way
we live, the way we work, the way we
learn, the way we communicate 15
 Exponential growth

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What can I do with this major?

Arts
• Film Production
• Animation

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• Computer Enhanced Graphics
• Art-based Games

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What can I do with this major? (cont’d)

Business
• Model Forecasting
• Process Improvements

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• Information Technology (IT)
• Business Infrastructure
(Network/Communications)
• Help Desk/Application Support 18
What can I do with this major? (cont’d)

Commercial
• Custom PC Engineer (gaming/media
station/graphics workstations)

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• Equity Theory (stock trader)
• SOHO IT (small office/home office)
• Software Developer
•Web Developer
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What can I do with this major? (cont’d)

Health Research
• Improved web-based support for trauma
recovery

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• Software for assessing and coping with
Mental Impairment
• Clinically relevant Compression for
Improved tele radiology
• Vascular Modeling for blood flow 20
• 4D Heart modeling with MRI etc
What can I do with this major? (cont’d)

Security
• Network Intrusion/Denial of Service/Malacious
Attacks
• Biometrics (face recognition/iris

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scans/fingerprint)
• Forensics (identification/cause of death/age-
progression)

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What can I do with this major? (cont’d)

Telecommunications
• Call Center
• Mobile Devices/Instant Messaging

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• VoIP (Voice Over IP)
• File sharing (Lime Wire/Napster…)
• POD Casting/Video Streaming

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IT Evolution
• "Over the last decade a new technology has
begun to take hold, one so new that its
significance is still difficult to evaluate.
• The new technology does not yet have a single

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established name.
• We shall call it information technology."

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IT is Evolved from a Support Tool into a
Source of Competitive Advantage...

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Outsourcing
• Outsourcing is a business practice in which
services or job functions are farmed out to a
third party.
• In information technology, an outsourcing

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initiative with a technology provider can
involve multiple operations such as :
• Disaster recovery
• Network services
• Software development 25
• QA testing
Reasons :
• Cost effectiveness
• Avoid buying expensive machines
• Avoidance of building in-house IT Skills

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• Access to special skills and functional
capabilities

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Methods of Outsourcing
• Outsourcing traditionally involves the
transfer of non-core competencies to an
organization which specializes in the
provision of that service.

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• Outsourcing generally has two key
objectives for an organization:
• Cost
• Quality/Efficiency Gains
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Methods (cont’d)
Cost Savings
These are achieved either through lower labor costs
within the outsourced organization;
Quality/Efficiency Gains

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By outsourcing to a company which specializes in a
particular function, there will be process
improvements and a greater level of quality and
service by using a specialized workforce when
compared to in-house resources.

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Types of Outsourcing

Onshore outsourcing
Offshore outsourcing

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Onshore outsourcing
Offshore Outsourcing is when
an organization recruits a third
party supplier to conduct

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operations from an outside
country.
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Offshore outsourcing

• Onshore outsourcing is a business

model that uses an external but local
company for one or more internal

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business processes and services. 

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Onshore Outsourcing- Key Advantages:

• Expert Services – companies are able to

outsource some of their non-core competencies to
an organization who specializes in the provision of
those services. This therefore ensures the right

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level of skilled resources to carry out the
processing;

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Onshore Outsourcing- Key advantages
(cont’d)
Focus on Core Competencies – the client is free
to focus on their key business areas that affect their
bottom line without having to be concerned about
the non-core competencies;

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• Business Environment – working within a
business environment and support function that
everyone is comfortable with.

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Onshore Outsourcing- Key Disadvantages:

• Reliance on Supplier
In order to realize any of the benefits of this type
of arrangement the supplier must be a proven
expert in the field and have expert resources to

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support the client. Due to the lower cost savings
the client will be looking for large scale
process/quality improvements
• Minimized Cost Savings
The cost savings of this type of model are likely to
be minimal. 34
Onshore Outsourcing- Key Disadvantages:

• IT Requirements
To leverage the benefits it is likely to be
necessary for the client to have a common

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IT infrastructure across all operations,
which may require some large scale IT
investment as part of the initiative

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Offshore Outsourcing- Key Advantages:
• Cost Saving
Due to lower wage costs and the economic
structure of many offshore locations, organizations
tend to be able to make much greater cost savings
by outsourcing processes to an offshore location

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• Availability of Skilled Resources
Offshore countries tend to have large scale skilled
resource pools making it simple for clients to scale
up their operations.
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Offshore Outsourcing- Key Advantages:

Time Zone Benefits

The different time zones allow companies who
have outsourced offshore to potentially benefit
from a 24-7 operation and to have offshore

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processing done outside of the client’s standard
hours

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Offshore Outsourcing- Key Disadvantages:

• Data and IT Security

Clients have to be aware of potential risks with
client data and confidentiality and this will often
drive the set up of the IT infrastructure and may

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restrict some processes from migrating offshore
• Time-zone management issues
Difficulty managing and keeping in sync shared
information/resources across non-overlapping
“shifts”
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Offshore Outsourcing- Key
Disadvantages:
Geopolitical Risks
Companies need to assess the stability of the
country when considering an offshoring initiative
as this could impact their agreements with

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suppliers
• Lack of Control
Some companies perceive a lack of control from
having their outsourced operations so far away.

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Service Sector Jobs & Offshoring
• Service offshoring uses occupations, not
industries.
• Example:
Call center operators, software developers, etc.

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• Core features of jobs “at risk” to offshoring:
• Face to face contact not required.
• Communication based on telephone or
broadband.
• Scripted or semi-automated data related
services. 40
Outsourcing & national policy
responses
• Occasionally the labour market effects and
reemploy workers who lost their jobs:
• Skill-bias makes transition of workers from one
job to another difficult.

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▪ Consequences of outsourcing similar to those of
technical change.

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Outsourcing & national policy
responses (cont’d)
No easy solution available, but a number of tools:
• Skills upgrading crucial as a long-term strategy;
• Role for active labour market policies, with their
limitations

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• Social protection may be necessary to make
outsourcing politically viable.

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Off shoring and IT’s future
• Off shoring has benefits for receiving countries,
but can also bring value gains to sending
countries.
• We should not call for an end of outsourcing, try

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to stop, nor endorse protectionism.
• We should concentrate on making outsourcing
compatible with goals of fair globalization,
decent work and improving value for everyone.

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Off shoring and IT’s future
(cont’d)
• We need to educate people to survive the
evolutions.
• Learn to adapt or be outdated.
• We should fight only by adding more value, in

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other ways, than the labor savings generates.

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Innovation as the value
driver
• "Innovation generates the productivity that
economists estimate has accounted for half of
U.S. GDP growth over the past 50 years. ...
• It’s not only about offering new products and

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services, but also improving them and making
them more affordable."
From Innovate America

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Education needs in IT
• It is agreed that innovation is the key and
engineering is essential to this task; but
engineering will only contribute to success
if it is able to continue to adapt to new

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trends and provide education to the next
generation of students so as to arm them
with the tools needed for the world as it
will be, not as it is today.
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Education Needs in IT (cont’d)
• Incorporate latest trends
• Create a bridge between academia and
industry

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• Provide hands on experience to students
• Give students opportunity to work with
professionals
• Regular conduction of technology
seminars 47
Create a classroom culture of inquiry
and mistake-making.
Encourage students to follow a personal
empowerment protocol to figure things out
when they have a question.

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This encourages students to…
Ask a peer
Google it
Ask the teacher
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Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality and
Voice Platforms
• Two of the major areas of next-wave
technology are augmented reality and
virtual reality (AR/VR).

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• Augmented reality devices enhance real-
world materials
• Virtual reality products create an
immersive digital world in which students
interact in virtual 3D worlds
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Role of IT in Other Industries
Latest practices in IT have resulted in its use in almost every
field of life. Some of them are listed below:

• Business
Computers have changed the face of business world. Use of

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Information Technology(IT) is important o run the different
departments of business swiftly, The use of information
technology can be seen in departments like :
 Finance,
 Human resources,
 Manufacturing,
 Security.  50
Role of IT in Other Industries (cont’d)

• Education
Technology enables teachers to be updated
with latest techniques.

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Information technology not only helps
students to learn new things but also helps
them to earn while they are still studying.

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Role of IT in Other Industries (cont’d)

• Finance
IT opens the doors for traders and common
people to do online purchases.

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Banks keep records of all the transactions
and accounts through computers.
Unlike before, now the transactions and
other deals have become faster and easier.
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Role of IT in Other Industries (cont’d)

•Healthcare
With IT, the field of medicine and healthcare
has been seeing tremendous improvements.

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For doctors, sending and receiving
information, checking patients, and
discussing with other experts have become
very convenient. Also, it reduces the time
taken in paperwork. 53
Role of IT in Other Industries (cont’d)

• Security
Online transactions and keeping its record is now
more safe than earlier times. Only authorized users

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can access the data online.
It prohibits any random person from checking the
details. All these have been made possible by
keeping the system passwords proof.

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Role of IT in Other Industries (cont’d)

• Communication
With improvements in information technology,
globalization has increased. The world is brought
closer.

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Information can be shared quickly and easily from
all over the glob, and barriers of linguistic and
geographic boundaries can be torn down as people
share ideas and information with each other.

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The End ……..!