Assignment 1

The company/organization I identified(with several others), is the Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc.

Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc.,one of the pioneers in the computer industry of Davao City, started its operation in 1982 as a video center. Due to a promising opportunity in the computer business, investment in this industry was also tried and later concentrated in this field. Consequently, due to a greater demand in the national capital region, the company decided to establish its main office in Manila. Since then, the growth of the company was extended to every major city in the country.
Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc. offers sales, repairs, repairs, network installation and other services to our customers. We cater to wholesale distribution of complete range of computer products, which covers PC System, peripherals, accessories and components. The retail business is responsible for catering walk-in customers, which are targeted directly to home users to meet every individual’s computing needs. We are also engaged in direct sales providing computing solutions to manage large corporate accounts, government agencies and educational institutions as well as small to medium sized companies. The company also provides services to our clientele to support all the products purchased under Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc.

From the information that I have received from the local organization that I visited, which is Columbia Computer Center, they have several IT/IS related practices in their company. One of them is the way they they handle their sales, inventory, etc. They use a software called M.Y.O.B., which stands for Mind Your Own Business. Pretty much lives up to its name, right?
“MYOB is an international provider of accounting software, payroll software and business solutions that liberate business owners and accountants from the burden of day to day administration, empowering them to achieve business success”- This software is what they use in keeping track of their sales, their stocks, debts and many more. I could say that this is a good practice that involves IT/IS because if they were to keep track of their sales in the traditional way(papers, manual writing, file cabinets), then this would cost them time, space and even money. Time because compared to a computer, it would be so much easier to encode all the information that you want to store. Space, because the files that you would put your data in would require containers and these containers would take up space. Money because you would have to buy the materials that you need to gather the information, like papers, cabinets, ink, etc. Not like if you would invest your money in just buying software and also buying a computer that you could use for a long time. And cd’s which are very cheap now, so they can be bought in bundles.
In using IT/IS practices in the sales department of your business, you could save more time, effort and money, and the output could be more accurate than the traditional way.

In the logging in and the logging out of their employees, they use a biometric scanner. Biometrics refers to methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. In information technology, in particular, biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance. In Columbia’s case, specifically, they require your fingerprint and a specific code for that fingerprint. After they have identified you, the information automatically goes to the DTR. By using this method, the organization will no longer be cheated by those employees who might want to edit their DTR’s so that even if they are absent or late, that won’t affect the salary that they’re going to receive. And that could only happen if it were the old way.

And for security and monitoring purposes, they use CCTV cameras. “Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point wireless links. CCTV is often used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, and convenience stores.In industrial plants, CCTV equipment may be used to observe parts of a process from a central control room; when, for example, the environment is not suitable for humans. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor a particular event. A more advanced form of CCTV, utilizing Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), provides recording for possibly many years, with a variety of quality and performance options and extra features (such as motion-detection and email alerts).”-
The main branch, which is here in Davao, can monitor the activities in their other branches like Butuan, Gen. San., Cagayan. By way of this, they can see if their people there are working, and other security-related issues which CCTV cameras are used for.










Sources:
columbia.com.ph

http://myob.com/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&pagename=MYOB/Page/GolbalCountrySelector&cid=1111035128872

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-circuit_television

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometrics