How organisation manages security of their information systems

Organizations implement information security for a wide range of reasons. The main objectives of Information Security are typically related to ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of company information. Since Information Security covers many areas, it often involves the implementation of various types of security, including application security, infrastructure security, cryptography, incident response, vulnerability management, and disaster recovery.

It is essential for any organisation to develop the policies for better performance in terms of quality and reliability of information system, because information system belongs to the organization. The policies of organisation is to address security threats to information and implement strategies to mitigate IT security vulnerabilities, as well as defining how to recover when a network intrusion occurs. Furthermore, the policies provide guidelines to employees on what to do and what not to do.

Who is responsible for securing an organization's information?  Perhaps the top-level management,  Ultimately, it is not only individual employees or departments that are responsible for the security of confidential information, but also the institution itself. It is, therefore, incumbent upon top administrators, who are charged with protecting the institution's best interests, to ensure that an appropriate and effective security policy is developed and put into practice throughout the organization.

Security threats are constantly evolving, and compliance requirements are becoming increasingly complex. Organizations large and small must create a comprehensive security program to cover both challenges. Without an information security policy, it is impossible to coordinate and enforce a security program across an organization, nor is it possible to communicate security measures to third parties and external auditors.

Integrity, Confidentiality, and availability are three components to maintain the quality and reliability of Information systems. Integrity is the assurance that the information being accessed has not been altered and truly represents what is intended. Integrity. With data being the primary information asset, integrity provides the assurance that the data is accurate and reliable. .... Confidentiality determines the secrecy of the information asset. … 

Information availability refers to the ability of the infrastructure to function according to business expectations during its specified time of operation. Information availability ensures that people (employees, customers, suppliers, and partners) can access information whenever they need it.

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Impact of ICT on Education since last 70 Years

Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. Educational technology encompasses several domains including learning theory, computer-based training, online learning, and m-learning, where mobile technologies are used. Educational technology is the process of integrating technology into education in a positive manner that promotes a more diverse learning environment and a way for students to learn how to use technology as well as their common assignments.

Educational technologists try to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate processes and tools to enhance learning. Helping people and children learn in ways that are easier, faster, more accurate, or less expensive can be traced back to the emergence of very early tools, such as paintings on cave walls.

Slide projectors were widely used during the 1950s in educational institutional settings.

Online education originated from the University of Illinois in 1960. Although the internet would not be created for another nine years, students were able to access class information with linked computer terminals. The first online course was offered in 1986 by the Electronic University Network for DOS and Commodore 64 computers.

The 1970s and 1980s saw notable contributions in computer-based learning by Murray Turoff and Starr Roxanne Hiltz at the New Jersey Institute of Technology as well as developments at the University of Guelph in Canada. By the mid-1980s, accessing course content became possible at many college libraries. In computer-based training/ learning, the learning interaction was between the student and computer drills or micro-world simulations.

Digitized communication and networking in education started in the mid-1980s. Educational institutions began to take advantage of the new medium by offering distance learning courses using computer networking for information.  Videoconferencing was an important forerunner to the educational technologies known today. 

The Open University in Britain and the University of British Columbia (where Web CT, now incorporated into Blackboard Inc., was first developed) began a revolution of using the Internet to deliver learning, making heavy use of web-based training, online distance learning and online discussion between students.

With the advent of World Wide Web in the 1990s, teachers embarked on the method of using emerging technologies to employ multi-object oriented sites, which are text-based online virtual reality systems, to create course websites along with simple sets of instructions for their students.

Modern educational technology can improve access to education, including full degree programs. It enables better integration for non-full-time students, particularly in continuing education and improved interactions between students and instructors, Learning material can be used for long-distance learning and are accessible to a wider audience. Course materials are easy to access.

The provision of high-speed internet, telephone, and radio services should be available in the rural area for a quick conversation. The implementation of the latest technology is important for the social and structural development of the rural areas in India.

However, in rural areas there are challenges that appear to slow down the progress and the realisation of the impact of ICTs. These ICT challenges include poor infrastructure, technological illiteracy, high costs of ICTs etc. An assessment of ICT challenges within rural areas was done.   A present survey has found that majority students don’t have uninterrupted internet access. “Over 50% students (in both urban and rural areas) don’t have proper internet access,”

It is essential to Improved Internet functionality enabled new schemes of communication with multimedia or webcams. 

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). 

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the near-total closures of schools, universities, and colleges.

China was the first country which instituted measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak including extending the Spring Festival holiday and became the first to close all universities and schools around the country.

According to the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF), the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 91% of students worldwide, with approximately 1.6 billion children and youngsters unable to attend physical schools due to temporary closures and lockdowns.

UNESCO estimates that over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the global academic community to explore new ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education. This has proven challenging for both students and educators, who must deal with the emotional, physical and economic difficulties posed by the illness while doing their part to help curb the spread of the virus.  The future is uncertain for everyone, particularly for millions of students scheduled to graduate this year who will face a world crippled economically by the pandemic. 

Online learning has become a critical lifeline for education, as institutions seek to minimize the potential for community transmission. Technology can enable teachers and students to access specialized materials well beyond textbooks, in multiple formats and in ways that can bridge time and space.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools across the world began conducting classes via videotelephony software such as Zoom, Google Classroom, and/or Google Meet. 

Lack of access to technology or fast, reliable internet access can prevent students in rural areas and from disadvantaged families. Lack of access to technology or good internet connectivity is an obstacle to continued learning, especially for students from disadvantaged families. Teachers have reported that students are more likely to complete assignments if they have access to the internet at home. In response to school closures caused by COVID-19, UNESCO recommends the use of distance learning programs and open educational applications and platforms that schools and teachers can use to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education. 

To aid in slowing the transmission of COVID-19, hundreds of libraries have temporarily closed. For students without internet at home, this increases the difficulty of keeping up with distance learning. Lack of limitations and exceptions to copyright can also have an impact on the ability of students to access the textbooks and materials they need to study.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has become a major disruption to colleges and universities across the country, with most institutions canceling in-person classes and moving to online-only instruction. The pandemic also threatens to significantly alter nearly every aspect of college life, from admissions and enrollment to collegiate athletics. These concerns extend to the financial future of higher education institutions in a time of considerable financial instability, both in the form of unexpected costs and potential reductions in revenue.

Reopening schools while preserving the health of students, faculty, and staff is the compelling objective. Thus, every institution should implement best practices, including symptom screening; diagnostic testing; contact tracing; isolation of cases and quarantine of contacts; use of masks; and dedensification of living arrangements, classes, and events.

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Systems and their Environment

Systems software are programs that manage the resources of the computer system and simplify applications programming. They include software such as the operating system, database management systems, networking software, translators, and software utilities. Application Software.

The software environment is the term commonly used to refer to support an application. A software environment for a particular application could include the operating system, the database system, specific development tools or compiler.

An application is any program, or group of programs, that is designed for the end user. Applications software (also called end-user programs) include such things as database programs, word processors, Web browsers and spreadsheets.

An operating system (OS) is a software program that serves as the interface between other applications and the hardware on a computer or mobile device.

A database is a collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data. You can think of a traditional database as an electronic filing system, organized by fields, records, and files.

A compiler is a program that translates source code into object code to be understood by a specific central processing unit (CPU). The act of translating source code into object code is known as compilation. Compilation is typically used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language (such as C++) to a low-level programming language (such as machine code) to create an executable program. Likewise, when a low-level language is converted into a high-level language, the process is called decompilation.

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A Software Process Framework

A software process framework establishes the foundation for a complete software process by identifying a small number of framework activities that are applicable to all software projects, regardless of size or complexity. It also includes a set of umbrella activities that are applicable across the entire software process.

 

Benefits of the umbrella activities

• Benefit 1: Consistency and completeness. The umbrella function helps to achieve consistent understanding and opinion from the first line of defence on risks. ...
• Benefit 2: Efficiency. The umbrella approach can save time and boost efficiency. ...
• Benefit 3: Effectiveness. ...

The most common reason that people use process frameworks is to help them understand and group processes into a classification structure in order to better understand how the processes relate to each other and how they help to get things done

A process framework, encompassing five activities— 

1. communication, 

2. planning, 

3. modeling, 

4. construction, and 

5. deployment

Process framework encompasses five activities which are given below one by one: 

1. Communication: In this activity, heavy communication with customers and other stakeholders, requirement gathering is done. 
2. Planning: In this activity, we discuss the technical-related tasks, work schedule, risks, required resources etc. 
3. Modeling: Modelling is about building representations of things in the ‘real world’.In modelling activity, a product’s model is created in order to better understanding and requirements. 
4. Construction: In this activity, we generate the code and test the product in order to make better product. 
5. Deployment: In this activity, the software is delivered to the customers who evaluates and give feedback. on the basis of their feedback we modify the products for supply better product.

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वह क्या है जो उत्कृष्ट शिक्षक और शिक्षण को बनाता है ?

वह क्या है जो उत्कृष्ट शिक्षक और शिक्षण को बनाता है ?

भारत और विश्व भर में किए गए शोध और प्राप्त अनुभव यह दर्शाते हैं कि शिक्षक, शिक्षक शिक्षा, स्कूल संसाधन और स्कूल संस्कृत में ऐसे ऐसी कुछ मुख्य विशेषताएं होती है जो उत्कृष्ट शिक्षक और शिक्षकों को सुनिश्चित करती है |

1. एक शिक्षक जोश से भरा, प्रेरित और अपने विषय की विषय वस्तु, शिक्षण शास्त्र अथवा प्रैक्टिस में विद्वान निपुण होना चाहिए |

2. यह जरूरी है कि शिक्षक जिन विद्यार्थियों को पढ़ाते हैं उनके संदर्भों को समझ पाए और उनके समुदाय से उनका गहरा जुड़ा हो l

3. शिक्षकों के अच्छे प्रदर्शन को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए जरूरी है कि शिक्षकों को सम्मान सहयोग और अहमियत दी जाए | शिक्षकों और विद्यार्थियों के लिए रोज के सिखाने के माहौल को सुरक्षित आनंद और लुभावना होना चाहिए| |

4. शिक्षकों और शिक्षण गतिविधियों की अतिरिक्त या फिर उनकी विशेषज्ञता से अलग की विषयों को पढ़ाने का बोझ नहीं डालना चाहिए |

5. शिक्षकों को अपने और विद्यार्थी के अनुसार शिक्षण के विभिन्न तरीकों का इस्तेमाल करने की स्वायत्तता अनिवार्यता होनी चाहिए |

6. शिक्षकों को एक जीवंत पेशेवर समुदाय का हिस्सा होने का आभास और गर्व होना चाहिए |

7. जिन स्कूलों में शिक्षक काम करते हैं वहां पर संवेदनशीलता सहयोग की भावना और समावेशी संस्कृत होनी चाहिए |

8. शिक्षकों का कैरियर प्रबंधन और तरक्की उनके उत्कृष्ट प्रदर्शन और योगिता पर आधारित होनी चाहिए इसकी मूल्यांकन के स्पष्ट मानक बनाए जाने चाहिए |

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Software Engineering - Layered Technology

Software Engineering- Layered Technology

The first-time Definition of Software engineering is proposed by Fritz Bauer at the NATO Science committee in 1969. 

“Software Engineering is the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to obtain economically software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines”.

Almost every reader will be tempted to add to this definition. 

IEEE has developed an IEEE standard 610.12-1990 in the year 1993 for a more comprehensive definition when it states :

Software engineering: (1) The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to development, operation, and maintenance of software; that is, the application of engineering to software (2) The study of approaches as in (1)

Software engineering is a fully layered technology. To develop a software, we need to go from one layer to another. All these layers are related to each other and each layer demands the fulfillment of the previous layer.

Layers of Software Development

1. Quality Focus
2. Process
3. Methods
4. Tools

Software engineering must rest on an organizational commitment to quality. Total quality management and similar philosophies foster a continuous process improvement culture, and this culture ultimately leads to the development of increasingly more mature approaches to software engineering. The bedrock that supports software engineering is a quality focus. The foundation for software engineering is the process layer. Software engineering methods provide the technical how-to’s for building software. Methods will include requirements analysis, design, program construction, testing, and support. Software engineering tools provide automated or semi-automated support for the process and the methods.

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Importance of Software Engineering

Today, computer software is the single most important technology on the world stage. No one in the 1950s could have predicted that software would become an indispensable technology for business, science, and engineering. No one could have foreseen that software would become embedded in systems of all kinds: transportation, medical, telecommunications, military, entertainment, office machines —- the list is almost endless.

Software is used by businesses to communicate worldwide. It is used to operate some of the most complex medical machines. It regulates nuclear plants, electrical grids, and other utilities that provide the basics of life. Computer hardware is virtually useless without software. Software is the programs that are needed to accomplish the input, processing, output, storage, and control activities of information systems.

Software engineering is important because specific software is needed in almost every industry, in every business, and for every function. It becomes more important as time goes on – if something breaks within your application portfolio, a quick, efficient, and effective fix needs to happen as soon as possible. Software Engineering provides a standard procedure to design and develop software.

The term software engineering is the product of two words, software, and engineering. The software is a collection of integrated programs. Engineering is the application of scientific and practical knowledge to invent, design, build, maintain, and improve frameworks, processes, etc

Software engineering is required due to the following reasons:

1. To manage the Quality of software
2. To manage the Cost of software
3. To manage the Time for the development of software

You build computer software like you build any successful product, by applying an agile, adaptable process that leads to high-quality results that meets the needs of the people who will use the product. you apply a software engineering approach.

Today, huge software industry has become a dominant factor in the economics of the industrialized world. The lone programmer of an earlier era has been replaced by teams of software specialists.

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