Using Blogs in an Organization

Blogs can be used in many ways within an organization. They can be used to share information and communicate, they can be used to interact between employees or even to educate the individuals within an organization or customers.

• Ex. If a retail company is going to be coming out with a new product they may choose to use a blog to inform customers of their new product's features, or to get feedback on how customers may enjoy their new product.

The main advantages of an organization using blogs are:

1. Blogs are quick and easy to set up.
2. Blogs provide easy access company news for customers.
3. Blogs can build relationships with customers online.

The main disadvantages of an organization using blogs are:

1. If blogs are poorly structured or written it can discredit a company (writing in a conversational tone).
2. Customers may want the blog to be updated daily which may not be possible for a company who has higher priorities than to daily update the company blog.

http://www.marketingtitan.com/advantages-disadvantages-blogging

http://www.webreference.com/authoring/bus_blog/

Disadvantages of the Fingerprint Scanner

There are four main disadvantages of using the fingerprint scanner.

1) Using the fingerprint scanner does not take into consideration when a person physically changes.

A person's finger changes sizes or form/pattern over time and the fingerprint scanner does not take this into consideration. When these changes occur, an individual can have difficulty identifying themselves and gaining access. The fingerprint scanner can have problems in capturing an accurate fingerprint image as well.

• In the manual labour industry, since employees are usually working with their hands, their fingers may get rough or scratched which could lead to a miss-reading.

2) The cost of computer hardware and software programs can be expensive.

Certain speciality fingerprint scanners require computer hardware and software programs that

can be quite expensive.

• In any government job, where costs are already quite expensive, having a high security system may require expensive computer hardware and software.

3) Using the fingerprint scanner can lead to false rejections.

This biometric device does not always read an individuals fingerprint accurately, and could therefore refuse access to an employee. In certain cases, an employee may have not placed their fingerprint in the right spot or placed the left finger instead of the right and visa versa. When this happens the fingerprint scanner falsely rejects the employees fingerprint.

• In the retail industry, if an employee does not place their correct finger in the right spot the fingerprint scanner may not read the employee's identification properly.

4) Using the fingerprint scanner can lead to false acceptances.

When employees use the fingerprint scanner to punch it, it is possible that the system may identify the punch made from one employee, as another's and therefore grant access to an unauthorized employee.

• In the retail industry, a fingerprint scanner could accidently read an employees fingerprint for someone else's. This is rare but is possible if there is a malfunction in the system.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_6069630_disadvantages-fingerprint-recognition-time-clock.html

http://www.biometricview.com/disadvantages-of-biometric-security.php

Advantages of the Fingerprint Scanner

There are four main advantages to using the fingerprint scanner.

1) Using the fingerprint scanner can simplify many aspects of a business.

The fingerprint scanner has the ability to replace long lists of passwords that a business may have that may be forgotten by employees. This technology ensures that employees cannot punch in and out for their fellow staff members.

• In the Accounting Industry, a large firm that has many accountants may find it difficult to keep track of/organization of each employees passwords.

2) Using the fingerprint scanner can help a business reduce costs.

The fingerprint scanner reduces the cost of maintenance of the long list of passwords, for when this happens employees may call to the help desk. As well, with the use of the fingerprint scanners, businesses can eliminate the use of magnetic ID and security badges which can be quite costly.

• In the Airline Industry, the use of security badges are very important for identification purposes. If possible, using fingerprint scanners to identify personnel instead of badges could reduce costs.

3) Using the fingerprint scanner can increase a businesses security.

With the use of this technology it eliminates any staff member getting access to files that are private, passwords and to the computer.

• In the Banking Industry, where security is a must, having such scanners can increase the security to ensure that only individuals who have the right to look into a client's file have access.

4) Using the fingerprint scanner takes very little installation.

The scanners are easy and inexpensive to install, as most are very small and portable.

• In the Retail Industry, having a security device (or punch clock) that takes very little installation time and is easy can help a store concentrate on more important areas and not have to worry about employees punching out for each other.

http://www.isaca.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=34319&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm

http://www.biometricgunsafestore.com/biometric-fingerprint/what-are-the-benefits-of-using-a-fingerprint-scanner/

What tool did the fingerprint scanner replace?

The main tool that the fingerprint scanner replaced was the punch clock in the work environment.

Many organizations used a punch clock system to allow their employees to punch in and out during times of work and breaks. But now with the fingerprint scanner organizations don't need to use a punch clock!

Instead of using a punch card to punch in and out of work, a simple placement of the thumb on a scanner now does the trick! The fingerprint scanner is a much simpler and efficient device over the old punch clock regiment.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2008-03-27-fingerprint-timecards_N.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,342374,00.html

What are Biometric Devices?

Biometric devices are devices that are used by organizations as a method of identification of employees and access control. These devices are made to recognize human intrinsic traits to identify an employee in an organization.

Have you ever seen someone place their hand on a pad so that their hand imprints can be scanned? Or a someone approach an eye scanner? Well, these are biometric devices!

Many organizations implement biometric devices into their system, one of which is called a fingerprint scanner.

What is a fingerprint scanner you may ask?

Fingerprint scanners are biometric devices that provide a unique identification for every employee in an organization. These scanners scan the fingerprint to recognize unique patterns and ridges and then process these patterns into a database, where they are stored to a single employee. These devices consist of a scanner and a processing system software to allow the patterns to be stored in the database.

Lastly, any fingerprint that is processed into the database is linked to a reference number or PIN number which then is linked to an employee's name. Using this system allows access or disallows access to employees in any section that the organization has implemented the scanner.

http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/2004/fingerprint.asp

http://www.neurotechnology.com/fingerprint-biometrics.html