Cloud Computing on Systems

A description of cloud computing

At its barest, cloud computing refers to having one’s data stored and accessing it online rather than on physical means such as premises and offices. So, why did the term “cloud computing” come into existence, and where is the cloud, if everything was in the Net? Simple: here, the term “cloud” refers to the Net. Then, why call the Net a cloud, when it has its own nomenclature? To find the answer to this question, let us go to those innumerable flowcharts and diagrams we used to make at presentations to drive home a point. To relate a set of distant objects to proximate ones, we used to draw the picture of a cloud to show how this cloud used to house all these smaller sets.

One source, many systems

Believe it or not, this is how the concept of using this word came into the world of cloud computing! Yes, this was considered a very relatable object to describe the way many subsets –here, meaning many individual systems –could be grouped together under an umbrella, or what we may call the cloud. This should give an idea of what cloud computing is: it is the collection of data from various systems into one common location. This location is usually away from the office premises.

Is cloud computing for you?

With the advent of cloud computing, do people need to give up the idea of local hard disc storage, or have they already done it? Not really. Many people still consider local hard disc storage far superior to cloud computing, which many see as essentially unsafe, because it stores the data of many other users along with yours. But then, experts and those in the business of cloud computing say they have put in place many safeguards for ensuring that privacy and security are not breached. Those who are convinced by this see it as a means for hassle free, space-saving storage. Others who have concerns over security despite the best assurances can continue to use local storage. It is all a matter of one’s convenience and practicality, and of course, concerns.

References:

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp

What are Embedded Systems?

What are Embedded Systems?

Unlike most other concepts or terms in engineering; Embedded Systems as a term is a little difficult to define. The difficulty is not in getting a grasp of the concept per se, but in getting a perspective on the number of tools and products which use Embedded Systems.

A quick look at the micro and macro elements of a software device should serve as a good starting point for our understanding of Embedded Systems. Whenever you come across a device, have you wondered the nuts and bolts of it –that is, the innumerable parts that go into it? If it is a smartphone that we are thinking about, how many of us lay users have given a thought to the parts that coordinate and synchronize with each other to make the product functional? These could be both the hardware and the software that go into the device. This is what may be summarized as Embedded Systems.

A myriad of applications

Embedded Systems can consist of many applications, what are these?  When talking about Embedded Systems, one could think of anything among these:  alarm systems, answering machines, camcorders,  calculators,  automated teller machines,  cell phones,  copiers,  digital cameras,  fax machines,  home security systems,  scanners,  printers,  portable video games,  personal digital assistants,  microwave ovens,  lighting  systems,  washing machines,  and many parts of automobiles, such as transmission control and cruise control, fuel injection, anti-lock brakes, or active suspension. All these devices use Embedded Systems.

References:

http://www.engineersgarage.com/articles/embedded-systems

http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/definition/embedded-system

What does Open Source Technology really mean ?

Understanding Open Source Technologies

A clear and simple description of Open Source Technologies would be to consider it as a pool of the technologies available with companies or individuals. This “pool” brings together likeminded people to help them share what they have achieved with what others have, so that there is open and clear comprehension of the whole technology scenario.

Where is the need for doing this? After all, don’t organizations spend millions on developing products for their profits? Yes, they do, but Open Source Technologies does not mean the gifting away of these innovations; rather, it is the exchange of available resources and developments with similar developments from related sources. This is what Open Source Technologies is essentially about. It is a platform for sharing the latest trends, developments and advancements. Interested parties may take these to their logical end, and uninterested ones may drop out. That is to it. There is no fight between unequals, so put in lay terms.

Common misconceptions associated with Open Source Technologies

Many people tend to associate Open Source Technologies with free technology. Yes, this idea is to make technologies and many allowable, related elements freely, but this is not the same as making them available for free. Open Source Technologies is merely what may be termed an extended or contemporary form of barter. Some aspects of this “barter” usually get worked on and adjusted with other offerings for balance, but it is something that comes close to a barter system.

Secondly, it is wrong to assume that the whole technology is made available by Open Source Technologies as is. Most companies or individuals make available only the core component, or what may be called the nucleus or the blueprint of the technology. Based on this, technologies may be made available for widespread use. The whole idea is build up a foundation collectively, so that more improvements can be made in the future. Thus, Open Source Technologies facilitates meaningful exchange of knowledge.

Reference:

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/linux/articles/62137.aspx

What is Agile Methodology?

Agile Methodology is considered a ground-breaking practice in project management. Tied closely with software development, Agile Methodology is essentially a practice that helps project management anticipate and counter unpredictability and vulnerability. The quintessential aim of the Agile Methodology is to help avoid project delays and overruns by addressing bottlenecks at all stages of the project development. This goes a long way in cutting the costs and other problems associated with keeping all these activities towards the end of the project, by when it could be either too expensive or impractical to carry out these critical changes.

Deeply related to software project management

As the discipline of software grew, it spawned and spanned several technologies, as well as business requirements, which had to accommodate the new changes. This necessitated the development of a flexible system or model of software development, the culmination of which resulted in the Agile Methodology.

Agile Methodology did not come into effect out of the blue. It took persistent effort from the IT community to arrive at a model of project management that addressed their needs in a comprehensive manner.

Agile Methodology is not a standalone

The term 'Agile' is a comprehensive term with which several models used for agile development –Scrum being the primary one among them –are identified.

Features of Agile Methodology

1.      The overwhelming emphasis that the Agile Methodology focuses on is that the whole team should be tightly knit. It takes everyone and all aspects, be it quality assurance, developers, the customer, as well as project management itself, in the loop.

2.      Since coordination and integration of such complex parts is integral to project management; the Agile Methodology attaches a high degree of importance to frequent communication. The frequency of these meetings is best determined by the team based on its convenience, but meeting at least once a day is considered an acceptable frequency to discuss and take action on the progress made, so that oversights can be spotted and rectified then and there.

3.      Agile Methodology also has what are called sprints. These are delivery cycles. These sprints are designed keeping in mind the fact that there could be short-term deliveries, ranging from one to four weeks.

4.      The Agile Methodology facilitates very open communication techniques and tools. Everyone in the team –the customer included –is encouraged to express views and offer feedback in an open and transparent manner. When the software is being implemented; these are considered seriously.

References:

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/agile_project_management.htm

http://agilemethodology.org/

Learn how to determine which W-8 to provide to the NRA - Webinar By Miles Hutchinson

Overview

We will begin with the methods of identifying workers who may be non-resident aliens and proceed to the forms and methods of collecting the necessary information to determine whether back-up withholding is required. Next we will examine the rules and forms for proper depositing of back-up withholding taxes and the required reporting to the worker as well as to the IRS. Please note, beginning in 2014 the number and complexity of the forms have both increased due to the implementation of FATCA, the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act.

This course will briefly introduce FATCA and show the impact on the Forms W-8 (now five forms instead of four). The course will focus on Chapter 3 of the internal revenue code related to the payment of FDAP income to non-resident aliens (including an explanation of FDAP income). 

Areas Covered in the Session:

• How to determine whether Nonresident Aliens are working for you
• Review the five forms W-8 including the new W-8BEN-E just released in Q1-2014
• Learn about the drafts of revised forms W-8 soon to be released
• Learn how to determine which W-8 to provide to the NRA
• Discover how a NRA individual must support their claim of exemption from withholding
• Learn the best way to handle questions form NRAs who do not understand your requests or the forms
• Examine a tax treaty and learn how to use it to confirm a claim of exemption from or reduced rate of backup withholding
• Discover how to make your backup withholding deposits timely and keep the IRS from confusing them with your payroll tax withholding deposits
• Study the 1042-S and related forms for filing and reporting backup withholding on the Annual Withholding Tax Return
• Avoid the penalties for under-withholding and failure to report your NRA's
• Discover the best practices for managing NRA information reporting and backup withholding

Who Will Benefit:

• Information Reporting Officers
• Tax Managers
• Compliance Officers
• Compliance Managers
• CFOs
• Controllers
• Accounting Managers
• Bank Managers
• Auditors
• IT Managers
• Risk Managers

Miles Hutchinson

Speaker Profile : Miles Hutchinson is a CPA and experienced businessman. He has been an auditor with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Chief Financial Officer of a $1 billion real estate development company. Miles is a highly sought after professional speaker and consultant who has presented over 1000 seminars and training sessions on a myriad of business and financial topics, such as financial analysis and modeling, accounting matters, strategic planning, and compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. His clients include, Abbott Labs, Citicorp, the FBI, GE, Pfizer, and the US Marine Corps.

Evaluating Your Compliance Training - Are You Providing Enough?

Overview

Financial institutions are required to be compliant with laws and regulations. Such compliance needs to be well documented and consistent to ensure financial institutions avoid violations and implications. However, financial institutions often rely on their training programs to provide knowledge and education to their personnel. This training needs to be sufficient and thorough enough to provide the necessary information for them to properly perform their roles and responsibilities while remaining compliant.

Why should you attend:

Although financial institutions have been managing their training program per the regulation requirements, determining if the training program is sufficient remains a challenge for financial institutions. Regulators look to the Bank for ensurance and evidence that not only are the training programs compliant with laws and regulations, but that they are thorough.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Assessing Training policies and procedures
• Common Pitfalls in training
• Determining effectiveness of training programs
• Ensuring qualified oversight of training programs

Who Will Benefit:

• Compliance Officers
• Internal Auditors
• Staff with roles and responsibilities in training

Speaker Profile : Gina Lowdermilk is a highly experienced and educated BSA/AML and Financial Regulatory Compliance professional with extensive policy and procedure development and implementation, training, internal audit, monitoring, risk management, and reporting experience. Her emphasis has been working with financial institutions that are experiencing regulatory concerns and resolutions, including enforcement actions such as memorandums of understanding and cease and desist orders.

Visit to know more about :  Assessing Training policies and procedures

Core TRACON operational concepts - Webinar By Stephen Alvania Overview Many people believe that communications, navigation, surveillance, and automation technologies are the elements of the complete ATC system when, in fact, they are simply the enabling technologies that allow the air traffic control function to perform efficiently and safely. In reality, air traffic control is the process by which many thousands of aircraft are provided separation services as they climb, descend, and cross paths and altitudes as they travel from any one of thousands of departure airports to any one of thousands of destination airports daily. Air traffic controllers in various ATC facilities are responsible for specific airspace volumes and may be providing those ATC separation services to up to 20 - 25 aircraft at any moment in time. Core ATC concepts, procedures, and techniques have evolved to enable human air traffic controllers to safely manage that level of air traffic density and volume.

Overview

Many people believe that communications, navigation, surveillance, and automation technologies are the elements of the complete ATC system when, in fact, they are simply the enabling technologies that allow the air traffic control function to perform efficiently and safely.

In reality, air traffic control is the process by which many thousands of aircraft are provided separation services as they climb, descend, and cross paths and altitudes as they travel from any one of thousands of departure airports to any one of thousands of destination airports daily. Air traffic controllers in various ATC facilities are responsible for specific airspace volumes and may be providing those ATC separation services to up to 20 - 25 aircraft at any moment in time. Core ATC concepts, procedures, and techniques have evolved to enable human air traffic controllers to safely manage that level of air traffic density and volume. 

Why should you Attend:

If you are a technical or management person involved in developing new and/or advanced ATC technologies involving TRACON operations, it is vital that you understand the fundamental ATC operational procedures currently applied in the TRACON airspace and environment. Without such a personal understanding, it is much more difficult to develop the successful and implementable new ideas and/or technologies that will advance TRACON operational efficiency and safety. 
If you are a pilot, much of your ATC exposure and experience will involve operating within TRACON airspace. Your experience will be more intuitive and less frustrating with an understanding of what the ATC system is trying to accomplish and how works. If you are simply interested in aviation, an understanding of TRACON operations is fundamental.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Core TRACON operational concepts
• Standard and adapted airspace structures
• Internal airspace sectorization
• Standard Departure and Arrival ATC procedures
• Examples of TRACON operations

Who Will Benefit:

• Engineers and other developers of ATC technologies and systems
• Managers and other aviation strategic planners
• Government and industry aviation executives
• Pilots
• Aviation enthusiasts

Speaker Profile:Stephen Alvania has 30 years of experience with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. He is Certified air traffic controller at an airport traffic control tower, a radar approach control, and an enroute ATC center, Led the development and deployment of the national traffic flow management system. 

Stephen Alvania

He has worked as Technical research program manager for multiple advanced ATC capabilities and he is FAA HQ ATC procedures specialist. 

Visit to know more about : ATC Radar Approach Control (TRACON)