Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

Monday, February 20, 2012

How to Win in Battle Against Military Robots?

Advanced military weapons have always scared human beings, and rightfully so because humans inherently wish to stay alive. They fear the enemy might come into their city, or civilization and wreak havoc. In fact this is a real fear because throughout human history there have been battles, wars, and marauding armies raping and pillaging. Okay so, I'd like to talk about a new paradigm of warfare with regards to advanced weapon systems, namely I'd like to discuss the inherent fear of autonomous robotic military equipment.

Why is it that humans fear robotic weapons systems so much? Is it because of the unknown, or a misunderstanding about what these systems are about, or how they work? Perhaps from an American perspective it is good this fear exists in the minds of the enemy as we use our UAVs or unmanned aerial vehicles overhead. Still, we do have some fear amongst our own citizens, and perhaps this has to do with famous science fiction movies such as the Terminator series, but is this justified? And how can you win a battle against military robots?

Understand the Sensors Used by Robotics

First, I would submit to you that you need to understand how they work, and how they collect their information to do what they do. They use sensors, and the sensors do not work like human eyes, nose, ears, feel, or hearing. Now then they may have 4 or 5 Sensors which to take in information in this regard, but they do not work the same as human senses. Thus, you may very well be able to fool the Sensors. Once you fool the sensors the military robotics are not as accurate, and therefore cannot do the job intended.

Hide in Broad Day Light

This also allows someone to hide in broad daylight. For instance consider that the sensors might be based on a heat signature, but if the ambient temperature is close to the same temperature as a human being, then all the suddenly the human being blends into the background. Yes, if the sensors are really good they will still be able to pick up a human, but there are other ways besides infrared which are used by these robots, and if you can disable the sensors, they cannot sense you.

Hack the Enemy - Use the Machines Against Them

There are indeed ways of interfering with the Sensors, and the robotic systems, or even using cyber warfare techniques and hacking to turn those very robots against their makers. In other words hijack the enemy's robots to serve your will and achieve victory in battle. It can be done. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

IPTV For Your Home Or Office

If you are looking for a type of Television entertainment that can provide you with excellent facilities and a straightforward set up, an IPTV service is the ideal solution. This is a service that enables you to view Television online, as an alternative to depending on the traditional types of transmission such as fiber and satellite systems. This means that this kind of Television has some added benefits that one can take advantage of.

For starters, the quality of this type of entertainment is far better than other forms. Since there's usually very little interference when signals are being transmitted online, one rarely suffers from low quality such as whenever you watch satellite Television and there's cloud cover. The results is that one can always enjoy high quality, as long as your internet connection is reliabe.

In addition to that, you are able to also benefit from a chance to rewind live Television. This has been made possible by the fact that when streaming, the data is generally buffered in your computer for better quality. This means that whenever you miss a programme, you are able to simply rewind the show to that point where you want, and then simply start viewing whatever you had missed.

In a lot of cases it is more economical to watch Television online as opposed to pay for satellite or Cable. An important reason for this is that the equipment required to broadcast signals online is generally much cheaper than that needed to perform the same function over other media. This means that if you are on a spending budget, this is a excellent solution.

When you need to subscribe to such a service, there are a number of things you need to consider. Initial of all, you really need to make sure that your internet connection is trustworthy. Since the signals will be transmitted online, any suspect internet connection may affect the quality of your viewing. It can end up being better to have a high speed internet connection for this sort of use, as streaming online TV can be very data intensive. It's also advisable that you also have an unlimited data plan for the same reason.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Four Tips for Everyday Google Doc Users

Google Docs are used today by a widd range of users - from students to businesses and many in between. Those who rely heavily on it for different reasons will find the following tips very useful. If you are one of them, read on!

Auto-Correct Typos

Just like Microsoft, Google Docs corrects typos that you make. In addition to the typical mistakes that every other speedy type-r makes, such as typing 'the' as 'the', there are person-specific mistakes too. You can tell Google Docs about the mistakes you make, and what to turn them into. This way you won't have to do it yourself every time.

To do so, follow the steps below.
1. Select 'Tools'
2. Go to 'Preferences'
3. A dialog box will appear. Check the box next to 'Automatic Substitution'.
4. Then fill in the boxes under the 'Replace' and 'With' with the mistakes that you make and their substitutions.

Share Google Docs

There are people who don't use Google and they might not be able to view the documents they are meant to read. To enable them to do so, follow the instructions below.

1. Click on the icon 'padlock' on the top left of the site.
2. A dialog box will appear. Click 'Change' next to 'Private'.
3. Another dialog box will appear. You can click 'Everyone' or 'Anyone with the Link' depending on what your requirements are.
4. You can also allow non-Google users to edit the document. You can do so by checking the box next to 'Allow Anyone to Edit'.
5. Click 'Save'.
6. Share away the documents by messaging, emailing or any other medium you like.

Bookmark the Document

Just like you bookmark parts of books that are reading in different sittings and have sections that you would later want to re-visit, you can bookmark Google Docs documents too. This can be helpful for a number of situations. Bookmarks can help you recall things that you might require later, make table of contents and other purposes. There are two ways of bookmarking one of these documents.

You can insert a bookmark by clicking 'Insert' and then clicking 'Bookmark'.

Also, you can create a link by selecting text in the document and then pressing 'Clt+K'. A dialogue box will appear. Click on the radio box labeled 'bookmark'.

Preview a Google Document in Gmail

There are times when a document needs a very brief glance. To save time, instead of opening the entire page, you can simply review it by activating the Google Docs Preview option in your Gmail account by doing the following:

1. Go to 'Settings'
2. Click 'Labs'
3. Find 'Mail add-on' and move on to Google Docs Previews
4. Click the check box next to 'Enable'
5. Click 'Save'

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

How About Information Assurance - The Availability Attribute

Information Assurance assigns systems to shield data and the computer systems they reside on, and the transmission approaches processed to transmit the data. Availability is certified by requiring an impeccable and prompt avenue to information services and information only for entrusted users. By achieving consistency of the material and data structures of the operating system, hardware, software and filed material and analytical accuracy, entirety and dependability, integrity is guaranteed. Integrity can also assure against unauthorized deletion of information. Information assurance also certifies acceptance by guaranteeing the certainty of a communication or a document and its producer, and also by substantiating an individual's approval to accept explicit data from the architecture. Confidentiality is preserved by only exposing information to trusted organizations or systems. Non-repudiation is included, which is ensuring evidence of delivery to the transmitter of material and supporting validation of identity to the receiver, to require neither recipient can afterwards debate having processed the data. Information Assurance also accounts for additional fundamentals to include reconstruction of information systems by assembling protection, detection, and reaction qualifications.

Information Assurance furnishes availability by furnishing up-to-date and impeccable access to information and information services for entrusted users. The users need have reliable avenue to all hardware, software, services and information. Often availability is also assessed in terms of what is attainable to just mission-critical processes, but it need also be evaluated for the comprehensive system.

Design theories that promote availability can be incorporated into the system. Elements and subsystems need be able to be gracefully restarted at will. Subsystems and elements have to be independent of each other and adhere to an open architecture. Subordinately critical missions or functions should be uncoupled from more crucial ones, as well as more risky functions from those that are less risky. Networks, processes, and information assembly can also be optimized for mission availability. The architecture can be securely executed for increased availability so that platforms, software and architecture are produced as services such as cloud computing. Cloud computing can support additional availability owing to proficient usage of assets and making individual disruptions imperceptible to the user. The redundance of services like these make the architecture more tolerable of failures and unavailabilities.

Timeliness, connected to Quality of Service (QoS), is notable since belated might be equally as bad as not at all. Resource allotment could be changed to adhere to timeliness requirements. There are repeatedly tradeoffs between QoS attributes and Information Assurance specifications.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Understanding How Data Packets Travel Across the Network

When troubleshooting IP networks over Ethernet it helps to understand how packets travel across the network. Packets use two different mechanisms to get from point A to Point B, or from the source to the destination. IP addresses and MAC addresses.

The MAC address is the layer 2 address that represents the specific hardware that is connected to the wire. The IP address is the layer 3 address that represents the logical identity of the device on the network.

MAC Address

Most every computer today has some sort of network interface card (NIC) either built-in or installed on the computer. Every NIC is created with a hardware number permanently "burned" into it. This permanent hardware number is known as the MAC (Media Access Control). MAC addresses are 48 bits in length and are usually displayed as a 12 digit hexadecimal number.

MM:MM:MM:HH:HH:HH

The first 24 bits (or 6 digits) represent the manufacturer of the NIC. The last 24 bits (6 digits) are a unique identifier that represents the Host or the card itself. No two MAC identifiers are alike.

IP Address

The IP address is the logical address that is associated with the MAC for a particular device. IP addresses (IPv4) are a 32 bit (12 digit) number representing 4 binary octets.

Both an IP and a MAC are needed for data to travel across an Ethernet network.

The ARP Protocol

When a computer sends data over the network, it first needs to find which route it must take. Will the packet stay on the network or does it need to leave the network. The computer first determines this by comparing the subnet mask to the destination ip address.

Once this destination is known, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is used to find the next hop on the network. ARP's job is to basically discover and associate IP addresses to the physical MAC.

For a packet that has a destination on another network, ARP is used to find the MAC of the gateway router. An ARP packet is sent to the gateway router asking for it's MAC. The router reply's back to the computer with it's mac address. The computer will then forward the packet directly to the mac address of the gateway router.

When the gateway router receives the packet it will remove it's mac address as the destination and replace it with the mac address of the next hop router. It will also replace the source computer's mac address with it's own mac address. This happens at each route along the way until the packet reaches it's destination.

Going Postal - An Example

Let's use the postal service to help explain this. Think of this process like taking a letter and stuffing it in an envelope. Then take that envelope and stuff it in another envelope addressed to the local post office. The post office then takes out the inner envelope, to determine the next stop on the way, puts it in another envelope with the new destination.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Way Find The Best Wireless Router Deals

Finding the best wireless router deals is not a simple matter of driving down to the local electronics store and picking up whatever is on sale. There are many things to consider and you don't want to make a hasty choice that you may regret later. Most people don't want to get into the details of making this decision because sorting through all the different wireless routers and their various features can be like trying to learn a new language.

In this article I'm going to show you an easy way to choose which wireless router is best for you and provide a resource that makes the process even easier. There are two things you need to take into consideration when shopping for the best wireless router deals.

They are:

1. What type of network user are you? Are you a Surfer? A Streamer? Or a Gamer? (More on these below.)

2. Future proofing. Sure any cheap run-of-the-mill router may do fine for just a computer or two and maybe a printer, but if you think there's a remote possibility you'll be adding more wireless devices to your network in the near future you'll probably need to upgrade sooner rather than later. When you look at it from this perspective you are actually saving money by getting a good wireless router to start off with instead of being forced to upgrade every time you buy new wireless devices.

Types of Network Users

I like to break these down into three groups: Surfers, Streamers and Gamers.

Surfers

Surfers are satisfied with checking their emails, shopping online, printing out documents and maybe downloading the occasional music or movie file. Network users like this don't spend a lot of time on their computer and only use it when they have to. Any run-of-the-mill Wireless N router is fine for Surfers because they don't put much load on a wireless network and probably never will.

Streamers

These are your movie and music lovers. They love to find large files online, download them to a central computer or media server, and then stream them out to all the other computers on their network. This requires a wireless router that has additional memory and processor power. A built-in USB drive port for sharing out files is also a good idea.

Gamers

Gamers usually put the same amount of demand on a wireless network as Streamers do, but with an important difference. Surfers and Streamers can ruin a wireless network for Gamers who, in turn, can make living in the same household miserable for everyone else. The slightest drop in connection won't really bother a surfer, but the same drop in connection is a cataclysmic event for a Gamer. Hours of progress spent on a role-playing game can be lost in a few seconds or the main character in a 1st person shooter can suddenly become an easy target.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Ways To Protect Your Data Online And Offline

The online world grows stronger and stronger with each passing year. Keeping your data safe both online and offline requires vigilance. Just as there are always improvements being made to enhance the way people do business online, there are people knowledgeable enough to abuse that technology for purposes of identity theft and other forms of cyber terrorism. If you really want to make the online experience the best that it can be now and in the long term, then you need to consider the following best ways to protect data, both online and off.

1) Encryption technologies

Your hosting provider and software that you use to build and develop your website should work in agreement with one another to stay on top of the latest in encryption technologies. You don't want your users to suffer as a result, so make sure that it doesn't affect usability, but at the same time be vigilant about what you have in place to protect you from harm.

2) Content control

Certain documents and writings should not be released to the public, so make sure that you have set content control standards in place that limit access to only the things you wish for the public to see. As far as other content is concerned, make sure that you trust the people, who are representing you, and keep vital things close to the vest at all times.

3) Personal information

Never ever ever share personal information across non-secure locations. Social security numbers, passwords, and other pertinent financial information should be off limits. You may even wish to partner with an outside firm that specializes in protecting personal data, just to ensure some kind of security with regards to your insurance.

4) Accessibility

Passwords remain one of the strongest things that you can have in the fight against online crooks. But you've got to be smart about how you use them to be effective. It is recommended that you use a different password for all of your important emails and accounts, and that you store these passwords in a notebook instead of the desktop on your computer. Cyber thieves are way too advanced in how they are able to break on to computers and make them available for their own personal use. You may even be sharing your hard drive with a thief and not know it. So if it has any direct or indirect tie to your reputation or finances, then you should probably forgo sharing it or storing it on modern technological devices.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Three Good Reasons Not To Ban P2P File Sharing In Your Business

Any business owner who has experienced having their network crippled by having unwanted intruders brought on by Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing will want to ban their its use from their network. It's only natural to protect your resources from any and all threats that hamper productivity and cost money. But what if protecting your resources means that you are ignoring some key benefits to your business?

P2P file sharing has some great business advantages:

    Get information farther quicker - The idea behind peer-to-peer file sharing is sharing information. With the right infrastructure in place, businesses can interact with partners and vendors around the world regardless of time differences. Imagine working late needing specs for a presentation and realizing that the Rome office had an older version while the Cadiz office had the latest changes. Despite the time difference between each of these locations, having access to these files whenever you need them contributes to increased productivity and a healthy bottom line.

    More demands equal more capacity - Any server that experiences more demand is prone to bottlenecking, which means that higher demands for information mean slower network. With P2P file sharing, the more demand on the system, the more peers are present the higher the total system capacity. The original content distributor does not have to worry about adding more memory or getting a bigger server because there is more demand

    Reduce the risk of network crash - Network crashes are paralyzing to say the least. The worst part is when the network crash is fixed, the paralysis changes to frustration as the network slowly crawls. With P2P file sharing the whole network doesn't crash just because one computer crashes. If one peer on the network malfunctions, there are other peers from which you can get information. P2P file sharing systems have built in redundancy which makes them more reliable in the event of a crash.

In order for these advantages to be felt, businesses need to have proper controls in place

    How will file sharing will be used by your business? - Finding out how P2P is relevant to your business is key. Working with outside vendors, remote contractors these are some of the factors to consider.

    Set up and test the P2P's system integrity - Once you realize the value of P2P file sharing for your business, setting it up is just one part of the equation. Testing the integrity of the system and making sure it is fully compliant with information security standards is essential.

    Establish procedures and guidelines about what types of file sharing is permitted - Now that you have the system in place, what are the rules? Having easy to understand, enforceable procedures and guidelines brings everything together.

    Train all employees, vendors, contractors - Whether they are in-house and outsourced all who need access to your company's information need to be trained thoroughly on how to use this new system.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Six Cloud Computing Security Topics

As cloud computing grows, and even more businesses contemplate moving their operations in to the cloud, one of the greatest concerns that is raised many times is security. Is the cloud really secure?

The fact is that storing your information in your cloud is really just like, or even more, secure than keeping your information in traditional infrastructure. Like traditional infrastructure, however, as a good customer in addition to a professional you need to take into account a long list of security checkpoints. These checkpoints represent possible cracks in your own cloud infrastructure security, and you'll just want to shore these up to keep your information as secure as it can be.

Your Staff

Unfortunately, the leading threats to both cloud hosting and traditional security will often be the ones right under your nose. Hire staff who're trustworthy and depend on your own instincts. Don't be reluctant to evaluate your employees for proper usage of internet resources. Create pro-security polices, train your employees on these polices, and enforce them.

Passwords

Your employees must protect their passwords. Put together your IT system making sure that regular password changes are normal and encourage strong, complex passwords. Weak passwords provide straightforward accessibility for individuals that want to get hold of your confidential information.

Firewalls

Establish strong software and hardware firewalls to maintain your information secure and out of the hands of people which do not have business with it. This might require blocking popular websites from employee use. Don't be reluctant to do this. Surfing the Internet really should not be a choice during the clock.

Data Backup

Cloud hosting enables all your data to be backed up. If you want to leave some data off the cloud, however, it's going to be vital that you keep a tightly secured system for backup. Off-site backup is usually the safest option within this scenario.

Software Patches

No matter what which operating-system that you are running, every software package used in your corporation ought to be kept up-to-date by installing patches as they're released from your software provider. Software that is not properly patched will not likely protect against the most up-to-date virus and is practically a door for individuals that aspire to access your confidential information.

Access Control

Cloud hosting is often a fabulous way of storing data, but it is useless if care is not used to protect outlets and control access. Mobile devices allow it to become simple to work from practically any location, but when they're left unsecured, they provide for easy access to anybody who comes to take them. If you choose to allow staff to gain access to the cloud using their personal devices, create policies surrounding these devices. Require password access and train employees to respect security protocols.

Closing

You may want to review Wikipedia's section on cloud computing security. They have a wealth of information and resources for your education.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Credit Card Machines: Latest Smartphone Trends

A good number of business owners are still tied up to land bound credit card machines. They say when the music changes, the dance tune follows suit. Whether you are a small scale retailer, a salon owner or even a food joint owner, you need to have this machine because without them, you don't know how much sales you are missing. However, the in thing is not just owning one, but having a portable and reliable one fit for all your credit card transactions. With the latest inventions of mobile payment hardware such as smart phones, credit card processing has become incredibly easy and fast. With just a few clicks, you carry out your transactions. You don't have to withstand those extremely long, tiring queues as it was some few years ago.

A number of recent mobile payment software and tools now let you carry out your credit card transactions in an Android set, an iPhone and a dumber handset. All you need is a card reader hardware, and you can process your credit card. You will have to pay a particular amount of fees for each transaction together with the routine fee of your merchant account. Other payments include the initial card reader hardware cost, a flat fee for each transaction, and perhaps an extra monthly fee. This type of mobile hardware payment is suitable for mobile business owners who are supposed to do a lot of transactions on a daily basis. Some prefer to take up a wild card service that charges more per transaction while completely eliminating monthly fees.

No matter the difference in make and applications, most Smartphone devices that allow the utilization of a credit card, have the same basic functionality. The most popular applications and devices are Square, Roam Pay hardware, Phone Transact iMerchant Pro, Pay Ware Mobile and Intuit Go payment. All these are relatively affordable, easy to set up and utilize. Moreover, you can store all your credit transactions online. Some devices like Intuit Go payment do not include a card swiper. On the contrary, you are allowed to enter the card's number and proceed with all your card processing. All these transactions are data encrypted hence security is fully assured. Furthermore, if you have constant emergencies, these devices should be your preferred choice.

The decision to take up lower transaction fees but higher monthly charges or higher transaction fees and lower or no monthly charge is entirely yours. If you run a business with many transactions a day, then you ought to take the first option. However, if you need occasional transactions, not necessarily daily, then you ought to go for the latter option. Although these mobile payment hardware options may cost you more, their reliability and efficiency is indispensable. They can increase your sales by a great percentage. You don't have to put up with that land bound credit card machine anymore, given the choices for better machines. It is high time to ditch that old credit card machine, and get a new smart phone for greater and happier returns.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Some Tips for Switching Over to a Cloud Infrastructure

With the growing popularity of cloud infrastructures on the market, more people are looking to explore these revolutionary systems for their company. While these systems had a few errors at first, many of the initial problems faced are no longer a concern, it is important to consider the following tips.

For this process, one needs to understand that in most cases, a cloud service will not be backed up or redundant. Which means backups would have to be handled on the company's end if not by their managed service provider. However, after the Amazon outage that shut down companies for almost 48 hours earlier this year, cloud infrastructures have greatly improved. Resilient architecture has been introduced which ensures there is a reduction in the amount of service interruption users will experience.

For this approach to be effectively handled, the user of the cloud service will need to be sure they are implementing the upgrade services and features that improve the operation of these items. These items will help ensure the infrastructure remains load balanced and that in the event of an outage, a different zone can be accessed temporarily.

There is also the concern of bandwidth issues. To help offset this, some companies are turning to other servers and data centers to help them distribute the information needed and to run applications on their cloud infrastructure. This improves overall performance and ensures their end users are getting a system setup that is going to meet their needs.

Keep in mind that there are private and public clouds as well. What users find is that these private clouds with less bandwidth limitations are going to be a more effective solution for most businesses. Additionally, one will find that the security on the private clouds is expected to greatly increase during the course of 2012.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

How to Disable Agent Exe From Starting Up?

There are a lot of files on your computer that you may not want to start, and this is a sentiment that's shared by just about everyone, and it can be hard for you to remove them if you're not astute. There's no secret that there are some files that will just keep starting up, and as such, you may find that you need a really good way to assure that this doesn't happen. Unfortunately, this can prove to be difficult, especially when it comes to the pesky agent.exe file. It's one that a growing amount of people want to get rid of, and it's not particularly hard to do given you understand a few things about it first. Fortunately enough, it's not too hard for you to get rid of after a little bit of knowledge and time.

What is It?

Understanding the enemy is often a good way to know how you'll get rid of it. This executable can be a couple of different things from different sources. On one hand, it's a process from Dell that gives the user the ability to administer and monitor the system as needed. It's also one that's associated with Acronis Disk Management. Its role here is to protect your computer from bad things you may run across on the Internet, such as Trojans and spyware that can attack your computer. It's also something associated with Fore Agent Newsgroup, where it doesn't particularly do too much, at least when it comes to whether it's essential or not, but it shouldn't be terminated unless you're getting some problems.

How to remove it

This is probably a lot easier than you actually determining where you're getting this from, but that's a very important step. If it's from any of those guys, you may be better off keeping it, or at least investing some time into determining exactly what it does, and how it may pertain to the performance (or health!) of your machine. If you'd like to provide and get rid of it, you'll be happy to know that stopping it from running is pretty much a piece of cake.

If you want to get rid of it, you'll have to go to "Start" > "Run" > type: "msconfig" and click "OK." Now, you'll want to click on "Start Up" and uncheck "ISSCH" and "ISUSPM." Click apply. From there, you won't have any problems with the problem with the program, as it'll be gone.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

How The Best Ways To Protect Your Information?

We depend on computers for almost everything in our lives. We may store a significant amount of personal information on those computers, but at the same time, we may use them for all of our business purposes as well. Regardless of what or why you store information on a computer, it is important to ensure that it is kept safe. This is not only true from a financial perspective, it is also true when you consider the sensitive nature of some of the data that we may keep on our hard drives. In order for you to make sure that your information is as safe as possible, here are some data protection suggestions that can assist you.

One of the most important things for you to do when it comes to operating a computer is to safeguard against viruses and spyware. These are two completely different issues, but in most cases, they are going to be covered under a single type of protection software. Some of the bigger brand-name antivirus software will run on your computer and make sure that no damaging information is able to be added to the hard drive. It will check any download that takes place, as well as scanning your email and even websites before they are opened, to ensure that there is nothing damaging attached.

If you are going to be running an antivirus program, it is also important that you make sure it is updated regularly. New viruses are coming out on a regular basis, and these can often circumvent the security of anti-spyware and antivirus programs. By keeping the programs up to date, you will be sure to catch anything new that is released. Additionally, it is a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with how to recognize problem websites and other issues that could result in a virus or spyware being attached to your computer.

If you do any work on a public network, it is also important to ensure that nobody has access to your personal information. All of the information that travels across the network is going to need to be encrypted so that it cannot be read in such a way. In most cases, the build in protections for Windows is enough to take care of the problem, but in other cases, you may need to add more security. Be sure that you get what is necessary in order to protect your data on public networks.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wireless Industrial Bulk Truck Theft Prevention System

The Wireless Industrial Bulk Truck Theft Prevention System is specially designed for using in commercial vehicles as well as machinery. The system is used in order to protect the vehicles from unauthorized use. The system can detect the unauthorized engine start of the commercial vehicles as well as gigantic machines. Depending on the customer's application or need, the wireless industrial Driver Authorization System can be designed in different way. Here are some popular variations of Truck Theft Prevention System:

Model DASI000IGN: This is unique model prevents unauthorized engine start. The system is armed automatically each time whenever the system key is turned off. One can again disarm the system by inputting the correct user code and it allows the engine to be started. The main advantage of this system is that they are suitable for using all types of vehicles.

Model DASI000AT: This is another model of Driver Authorization System that prevents unauthorized vehicle movement by using the automatic transmission process. In this case the system is armed automatically by shifting the transmission into park. Whenever any unauthorized person wants to drive the vehicle without entering a valid user ID code, the engine stalls automatically. One can again disarm the system by entering valid ID code and a result the engine also starts again. This system suits well for any of the vehicles that need to be left unattended with engine running.

Model DASI000AB: This system is same as the above model. It is armed with the application of truck parking brake. This is ideal for using in those vehicles that are equipped with air brakes. The system stalls the engine each time when the parking brake is released without entering the valid code. Again, you can disarm the system by entering the valid ID code. This model is well suited for large trucks with air brakes as well as engines that need to be left running while vehicle is unattended.

Model DASI00ABT: It is also similar to the above model. However, it is mainly designed for tractor or trailer units with a dedicated trailer parking brake. The system can be armed with application of tractor you can also arm the system with the trailer parking brake. This system is ideal to prevent deliberate bypass of authorization system by the drivers using trailer brakes to park vehicle. If any unauthorized person attempts to bypass, disable, or damage this Wireless Industrial Driver Authorization System, it will result ignition to lock out until repairs are made or a valid code is entered.

User ID Codes: The term User Id Code refers to a three to nine digit ID code that is entered to disarm the Driver Authorization System. The truck owner can select this code and the code is programmed into the unit by using a 'master code' assigned to the truck owner. DAS systems are available with up to three levels of administrative master codes. When the truck owner wants to change the driver's authorization code, he/she should enter the master code. In case if an invalid master code is entered repeatedly for five times or more, the system will automatically 'lock out' for ten minutes.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Technology Help Desk Problems

Working on a technology help desk is equal parts technical ability and equal parts customer service. The individuals that master both are going to be the top performers, every time. The main reason is when people have a technology problem they tend to get a little more freaked out than other types of issues. In addition, this is one of the few problems that will make some call a help line for answers.

For example, when someone's car breaks down they usually have some indication as to the problem. If they have a flat tire, they know the issue and know exactly what it takes to solve the problem. Whether they do it themselves or not isn't relevant. They are not worked up as there is no fear of the unknown. They already realize that they are not going to spend an hour on hold followed by someone that is not there trying to walk them through a complicated issue. This at some level puts them at ease.

For this reason, help desk employees should understand what the customer is going through and speak to them like they are human. Too often, large companies try to "dumb down" the help desk technician to a point that he is reading from a script. People pick up on this instantly and it makes them assume the employee is only capable of reading from the script.

I had a very clear experience with a poorly managed help desk just last week. My cable Internet went down so I called the cable company for help. Here are the ways the cable company wasted my time and disappointed me.

Customer Verification: This seems pretty reasonable; they should make sure I'm a customer before they spend any time working on my problem. However, I just called a support number because their service is having a problem. Should it really make a difference if I pay for the service or if I'm at a neighbor's house? Even beyond that, they asked me to verify my identity using my customer number (does anyone really know their customer number) or my email address (they issue you an email address when you first sign up, and I have never logged into it since). The point is, it took me a while to find this information and it was a complete waste of my time and theirs.

Problem Description: They asked me what the problem is and gave me a speech about how sorry they are that I'm having issues. I explained that there are two PC's in my home, both are down, and the cable modem is flashing an amber light. Everyone that just read my problem description knows that the problem is either with the cable modem, or with the service itself. Since the modem is rented and supported by them, either way it is a problem on their end. However, the technology help desk technician would not break script for any reason.

Troubleshooting: The troubleshooting was a complete waste of time for both of us. If the cable company really cared about wait times they would put an end to these pointless troubleshooting steps so the technician could get right to the issue. However, that is impossible so here we go...

Reboot My PC: I already told the technician that multiple PCs are down. How could rebooting one machine possible fix the problem? We had to argue about this for a few minutes until I realized that it would be quicker to just reboot.

Reboot the Router: Why? Just because that is the next item on the list. The cable modem is clearly the problem, but we have to reboot my router first. In addition, the individual started asking me questions about the router as if she was going to tell me it is not supported and end the call. I told her the router is whatever you support and I just rebooted it. This caused more arguing and more frustration.