Blip.tv is regarded as “the world’s leading videoblogging and podcasting service,” but it’s their community based ethos and collaborative principles that really persuaded our Ashworth University Student Life team to deveop our own television channel through this incredible company. Blip.tv’s video publishing, sharing, and syndication features make it easy for anyone to get their message heard in the increasingly crowded online video marketplace. We here at Ashworth University would like to thank Blip.tv for their outstanding service. We’d also like to encourage you to check out our Ashworth University Television channel on Blip.tv. If you are a video content creator and would like to work with Ashworth University, please feel free to contact me at the following email address to discuss the possibilities. Thank You!
Thanks to Jamie Hladky for permission to use this Photo.
You have to learn how to crawl before you learn how to walk, but once you learn a foundation of IT skills in Ashworth University’s information technology programs and anchor yourself in the IT labor force, here are the ten hottest tech skill sets you should aim to learn in the next five years according to Tech Republic.
Voice over IP - sales of pure IP PBX systems for the first quarter of 2007 increased 76% over the first quarter of the previous year
Unified Communications - the convergence of different communications technologies, such as e-mail, voicemail, text messaging, and fax
Hybrid Networks – Networks are no longer all Windows or all Linux, they are a hodgepodge of different systems and IT pros need to learn more than one of them.
Wireless Technologies – everything’s going wireless it seems.
Remote User Support – with more employees working off-site today, help support personnel must provide remote support to anywhere.
Mobile User Support – more and more organizations are providing blackberries and other smart portable devices for their employees that must be supported.
Software-as-a-Service – or SaaS as it is referred to in technical articles. With the popularity of Web 2.0, the trend is to now provide software applications over the Internet rather than installing them on each and every computer.
Virtualization – With the dominance of VMWare and the soon to be released 2008 Virtual Application from Microsoft, virtualization is THE buzzword today along with its countless benefits.
IPv6 – Although this standard has not grown in popularity as of yet, mostly because the wide usage of NAT has allowed us to not run out of IP addresses on the Internet as fast as predicted, this standard is going to come about within the next five years.
Security - A skill set that will probably always be in the top 10.
The threat of “cyber-terrorism” still strikes many as abstract, a symbolic fear first represented in seminal works such as William Gibson’s Neuromancer, followed by an explosion into pop-culture fantasy through the Wachowski Brothers’, “The Matrix.” While these dark visions of man’s accelerated move towards techno-slavery have certainly colored our perspectives, the reality of cyber-terrorism has existed since the 1950’s, when state secrets were first buried in dense programming language instead of manila folders labeled “top secret.”
Behind the curtain, the borderless battlefield is virtual and the threats are as imposing as those posed by nuclear weapons. After all, launch codes are just that—codes that are developed, stored, distributed, and controlled within cyberspace. The following podcast interview features Bruce Hoffman, a cyber-terrorism expert who outlines the precise nature and ominous implications posed by this threat. Mr. Hoffman also presents us with an in-depth report on how the U.S. government has redirected its’ counterterrorism strategies. Do you see a future where the Internet is under government control? Let’s think inside the box and brainstorm on the possibilities. Thanks.
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
Thanks to Miguel Lopes for permission to use this Photo.
The architecture of cyberspace is interconnected, timeless, and invisible from the inside-out. On the Ashworth University Blog, we’re not afraid of the matrix and try to share perspectives from around the world, just a 0 1 code, on the technology issues that influence how this network will evolve in complexity, and most of us would like that evolution to be open rather than closed in principle. Earlier this year, the nation of Estonia was involved in what by any measure must be considered one of the most large scale and sophisticated “cyber attacks” in history, an attack that operated on several levels simultaneously, resulting in the virtual collapse of this nation’s electronic infrastructure. Instantly, the fundamental question, “who did this?” was buzzing with elements of fear and conspiracy. Did Vladimir Putin and Russia conduct this operation in the shadow of political revenge? Was the attack the work of loosely connected and politically marginalized hackers who were sending their own message to an establishment attempting to exert increased state control over the Internet, i.e. you’re more vulnerable than you think and we’re waiting for your next move. The following video consists of an interview with information security expert, Dmitry Skylyarov, in which he shares his inside perspective on what occurred and the big picture implications of what is perhaps the most misunderstood yet powerful of political weapons; the large scale, well conceived, organized, and executed cyberattack. This is a must watch interview. Click on the image above to watch this video. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
If you are in the IT Field or considering getting into it, you don’t need rose colored glasses to see a promising future for yourself. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that IT will be the fastest growing sector of our economy for the next ten years. They also report that the three fastest growing jobs in the US are network system and data communication analysts, computer systems analysts and software application engineers. In fact, in just about any top ten list, you will find IT has the most positions of any field.Now couple this tremendous growth with the following statistic:
The labor force for the 25 to 54 age group in IT will only grow at a dismal .2% between 2006 and 2016.
Do you want to be in demand for the next decade? Stay committed to your program studies and your hard work will pay off. The bottom line is that it’s important to obtain as many skill sets as you can in the rapidly expanding IT industry. If you need assistance with your lessons, I encourage you to reach out to me in the comments section of this blog. I always look forward to hearing from my students!
Bill Gates toured five North American Universities in February speaking about the coming IT labor shortage. Across the country, colleges across the U.S. and Canada have seen a steady drop in the number of students entering the field of computer science ever since the dot com bust at the start of the decade. K12 schools as well are seeing fewer students interested in the field of IT. These indicators point to a looming shortage of skilled workers in the IT field in the coming decades. Although this will greatly benefit those in or just beginning their careers in IT, it puts into question the leadership in technology that the U.S. has enjoyed up to now.
In order for our country to continue to be a major economic player in the world we must have the IT talent to spur further technological innovation and support our current and future infrastructures. It is because of this dire possibility that leaders such as Bill Gates are publicly addressing young people concerning the exciting possibilities and unlimited opportunities that await them in the IT field.
So how did this come about? There are several factors. The dot com bust of 2000 did a lot to taint the field. Many high school students changed their minds about IT after reading how many IT jobs were lost during that time. Parents discouraged their middle and elementary aged students to pursue the field as it offered little promise of opportunity they thought. The overplay of the media discussing the many IT support jobs that migrated to India also provide fodder to parents and young people to not consider IT. Unfortunately though, these concerns have been exaggerated and now the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction that those in the IT field today have the benefit of knowing that their skills are and will continue to be in high demand.
In a surprise announcement, Microsoft vowed to increase the openness of its key products!
Yes this is still February, April 1st is several weeks away yet!
So what did Microsoft say in this release? Well,
Specifically, Microsoft is implementing four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions across its high-volume business products: (1) ensuring open connections; (2) promoting data portability; (3) enhancing support for industry standards; and (4) fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities
Several times in the last few years I have advocated for Microsoft to Open SourceWindows and Internet Explorer and while this announcement doesn’t go that far, it does seem to be a step in the right direction.
According to Microsoft’s CEO-in-waiting and current Chief Software Architect, Ray Ozzie
“Customers need all their vendors, including and especially Microsoft, to deliver software and services that are flexible enough such that any developer can use their open interfaces and data to effectively integrate applications or to compose entirely new solutions,” said Ozzie. “By increasing the openness of our products, we will provide developers additional opportunity to innovate and deliver value for customers.”
The Microsoft products this refers to are Windows Vista (including the .NET Framework), Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007, and future versions of all these products. (more…)
Wikipedia has had a dramatic impact on the way people collaborate to create, search, update, and catalogue information. Millions of people visit this site and “wiki” every day. I recently read the bestselling book, “Wikinomics”, where the collaborative networking principles that built this new information platform are endorsed as complimentary to more open business models of the future. As you can see, there are lessons we can learn as entrepreneurs from the Wikipedia success story, but how can we apply these lessons in our own small business ventures. In this video, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales shares his insights into the somewhat miraculous rise of the Wiki empire. Wales emphasizes how important the collaborative development process was and continues to be for his company. I hope this video inspires you to dream big!
Thanks to foundphotos for permission to use this Photo.
The SANS Institute, an organization dedicated to computer security training, certification and research recently released their Top Ten Cyber Security Threats for 2008. Below is a summary:
Attacks via web browser vulnerabilities, particularly plug-incomponents such as QuickTime and Flash. Many of these plug-ins are rarely updated.
The growing sophistication of Botnets. The most popular exampleis the Storm Trojan which accounted for one in twelve virus infections only a week after its release. This new breed of botnets uses peer-to-peer control rather than a centralized controller that can be eliminated.
Cyber espionage, particularly economic espionage conducted bynation states
As Mobile phones are become general purpose computers, worms,viruses, and other malware will increasingly target them
Insider attacks by rogue employees, consultants and contractors.These threats will result in the further limiting of the cyber rights and abilities of employees.
Identity theft performed by persistent bots. These bots notonly target email addresses, bank accounts information and passwords but even the cyber behavior of users that can be later used forextortion.
Increasingly malicious spyware
Web Application Security Exploits are constantly being targetedas so many applications today are web based and can be targeted by hackers.
Social Engineering continues to be widely utilized. Phony taxscams are very popular today.
Infected Consumer Devices such as USB drives that can containmalicious code or espionage based applications that can attack acomputer in a matter of seconds when the USB drive is inserted into a computer.
Thanks to Seth Hosko for permission to use this Photo.
Most of what we define as data or information is what we explicitly create or gather. For example, if I write an article or contribute to a wiki, the resulting information is intentional and a result of active work on my part. When a scientist discovers a cure to a disease, or a new drug to treat or reduce symptoms, the information is again a consequence of intent. Our conversations are similar - we are active, intentional creators of data (I’ll call this first tier information). But we create a second kind of information on a daily basis. Second tier information is a by-product of what we do - our actions and our choices. We are largely not aware of this information. It’s difficult to capture - unless we are hyper self-aware or we are being stalked. This information used to vaporize as it was not embodied in text, images, or any other conceptual or physical product. That’s changing. Facebook - with its Beacon program - follows us and observes our choices, essentially turning our transient information into first tier information. This is a significant development; one that has enormous future implications in privacy and the rights of citizens and corporations. (more…)
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