I've Been Hiding... - SimpleStepsForLivingLife

Ok, Maybe not hiding per se but I have been taking such a long break from my blog. I can’t even remember the last time I blogged. The last time I posted anything was in September about my daughter getting another piercing and importance of going to a reputable, sanitary place. Check that out here.

Since then, I’ve been working on my MBA (only 1.5 classes to go), went to a 30th year high school reunion which was so good to see so many people. Been to Austin with my BFF. And am basically a bus driver for my kids activities and school and regular appointments and to take kids to visit friends and seeing family.

I am a bit proud that my professor gave me a 97% on a recent journal entry paper and thought I would share it. My mom is such a lovely woman but also a tough woman and was happy to include her in this paper. She has lived many lives and is amazing. We were discussing all the technological communication systems that she witnessed over her life. How cool is that?! I’m so proud of her.

Without further adieu, here’s the paper…

Information Systems and Security
This past weekend, I was fortunate to visit my mother. She spoke about how telecommunication has come a long way over the last 80+ years. She remembered as a child cranking a telephone to reach an operator. The operator would connect the call to another telephone to speak with her family. During that time, groups of homes would have to share a party-line where nosey neighbors could ease drop on conversations just by picking up their phone while someone else was already on the line. That could be somewhat like the first hacker in technology.

It is amazing how technological communication is ingrained in our society. We wake up by our phone alarm, check our email, check the weather, send a text to the car to start warming up, get ready in the morning all while a digital coffee maker is brewing on autopilot. There is an estimate of 263 million smartphone users in the U.S. We are all so connected but do not seem to have many real connections to many people or not any at all. There are many good things about communication technologies in daily life such as being able to correspond through texting and emailing without having to wait on hold on the phone. Sometimes though, we are missing interactions with other people.

In the last several decades, communication has jumped from party-lines to rotary phones, to cordless phones, to cell phones. Changes in computers were also evolving over the years. Many decades ago, my mom had clearance to see one of two “computers” in the U.S. that took up half of an airplane hangar at an undisclosed airport. Since those days, the computer has shrunk considerably from tubes and knobs to a small handheld phone. That giant computer could only do things that just a modern calculator could do, and cybersecurity was basically just checking peoples’ badges when they walked through the door.

Today, it is imperative to have a robust cybersecurity protocol for all agencies, companies, and even individuals. It has been said that data is the new Gold Rush; information is king. It is important for companies and individuals to have their information secured for privacy and to have an upper hand over other competitors. This includes when using email, team platforms for collaboration, or even calls. There are many ways that information can be leaked. For instance, in July 2024 hackers with the help of a Disney insider stole and posted 1.1TB of data. In the same year, Uber was hacked through malware on a contractor’s phone. This cost the company almost $3 million.

When I was working at a media company for casino marketing company, people would give their information such as addresses, birthday dates, preferences, and more data when they signed up for a player’s card. The gamer would put their card in the slot machine to capture data of their habits and would earn points to use as bets later. The information would be connected through an encrypted portal to an offsite mainframe.

This data was used to send out individually tailored promotional mailers for things like birthdays, anniversaries, free hotel offers, dinner offers, or specials such as bet $10 get $50 or more to use. The company had a proprietary algorithm for which person would get a certain offer depending on their specific amount of money they would be willing to play at the casino in a certain time-period. Because of telecommunications and networks, the company could gather and use the data to specify individual patrons offers which added to their experience and added to the bottom line of the casino. Previously, the media company would have to send out generic advertisements and would not be able to pinpoint what players would predictably prefer in offers.

With over 500,000 patrons and growing the possibility of a breach in data, the company had to have a strong wall. It would be devastating for the patron, the media company, but especially the casino if any of the patrons’ information was leaked. There was information that was available on the data side of the company that another casino could exploit if someone had breached the network. This could possibly open-up liability for the media company and the casino if a breach of data happened especially the casino if any of the patrons’ information was leaked. There was information that was available on the data side of the company that another casino could exploit if someone had breached the network. This could possibly open-up liability for the media company and the casino if a breach of data happened.

Information systems are an integral part of technology. While there are risks in these systems, our modern world is dependent on technology for clean water, food, shelter, healthcare, education, logistics, travel, communication, governance, and more. Without it, there would be less efficiency, higher costs for goods, and not as many opportunities available. As well as, this journal entry was written on a computer and turned in through a portal. The upside of technology is much better than any of the unfavorable aspects.

especially the casino if any of the patrons’ information was leaked. There was information that was available on the data side of the company that another casino could exploit if someone had breached the network. This could possibly open-up liability for the media company and the casino if a breach of data happened.