Careers in Computer Technology

Today companies depend heavily on computers and technology for their businesses. This translates into endless opportunities for graduates looking for careers in computer technology. Moreover, with technology undergoing changes every moment, it translates into new career opportunities for those with a background in computer technology. With dependence on computers growing exponentially each passing day thanks to the technological advancements,computer careers are going to rank among the fastest growing career fields. Those interested in computers with technology training and certification can take either the hardware route or the software route. Let’s look at some of the best and lucrative career opportunities for someone with a computer technology background.

Computer Programmer

Computer programmer is a person who writes computer software. The programmer must be adept in various computer languages such as C, C++, Java, Lisp, Python so on and so forth. Programming languages help programmers to create programs that help computers to perform specific functions. Computer programmers are highly in demand these days thanks to the growing popularity of intranets, extranets and Internet applications.


Network Administrator

The network administrator is responsible for the maintenance of computer network, which comprises of both hardware and software. Network administrators commonly perform activities such as routing protocols assignment and routing table configuration, network address assignment, server deployment, security, ensuring the overall integrity of the network, configuration of authentication and authorization – directory services so and so forth. Most organizations have a three tier staff solutions with network administrator occupying the highest level of technical staff. With the influx of new technologies, the role of network administrators is bound to increase.


Software Tester

It is the responsibility of software tester to examine the software designed by the programmers for any errors and bugs. The tester needs to analyze the performance of the software or applications before releasing it to the clients.


Database Administrator

As the name suggests, database administrator is one who is responsible for physical databases. Since companies receive huge chunks of data on a daily basis, database administrator should possess the required skills to enhance the database performance and capacity and even plan for future expansion needs.


Webmaster

From designing the website, generating and revising web pages, replying to user comments, to examining traffic, webmaster is responsible for everything that deals with the website. Apart from website construction and maintenance, webmaster also looks into advertising, marketing and order fulfilment.


Computer Security

People who choose this career are responsible for protecting information and property from unauthorized access, theft, destruction, natural disaster and so on. Moreover, they must ensure that the information and the information systems are accessible to its intended users.

Also read more  about : IEEE computer magazines & IEEE computer society

MAP Monitoring Solutions to Protect Products and Brands

Manufacturers and suppliers have their own pricing guidelines. As there is a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) or Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for a product, there is also a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) for each product. RRP refers to the maximum suggested price at which the retailer can sell products. MAP refers to the minimum price at which the retailer can advertise their products. It can go above the specified price but not below it. MAP is an arrangement wherein suppliers can set a lower limit on the prices its resellers may advertise for the supplier's products. The MAP policy programs can either be a unilateral policy imposed by the manufacturer / supplier or an agreement between the manufacturer/supplier and its resellers.


The purpose of MAP programs is to ensure consistent pricing for consumers and profit for sellers. Besides that, MAP brings about an ongoing support channel for customers who require a retailer’s support for product purchase. It is critically important to manufacturers who sell their product on the Internet. Trouble starts when certain resellers violate the MAP policy programs to make quick money. They sell the products on the Internet at a rate lower than the MAP fixed by the manufacturer / supplier. Such a move on the part of the reseller damages distributor loyalty, margins and most importantly the brand. Since most manufacturers do not have the internal resources or expertise to effectively identify the violators, the resellers continue with their unauthorized activities unperturbed.


What manufacturers need to do is to deploy effective MAP monitoring programs and enforcement solutions to monitor channel violations and thereby ensure brand protection. MAP enforcement policies and monitoring programs help to


* Monitor the prices advertised by authorized channel, including in-cart pricing, to ensure adherence to MAP  agreements

* Monitor authorized dealers and partners who are not adhering to their side of the agreement

* Allow manufacturers to monitor their distributors’ activities

* Monitor competitors’ sites to compare their pricing structure

* Ensure isn't being undercut by competitors

* Know about changes in market dynamics


With MAP Monitoring solutions, manufacturers can guarantee channel integrity by ensuring appropriate product listings for the market and correct price structure. It makes it easier and faster to reduce lost margins, brand erosions, and distributor loyalty. MAP Monitoring programs are a means of encouraging a fair and reasonable minimum advertised price so that consumers can ultimately receive the availability, expertise and service deemed to be in keeping with the manufacturer's standard of quality for that product.


Read More About: enterprise risk managementnt , anti counterfeiting , brand management , brand monitoring ,  gray market

Innovative HPC Clusters and Their Uses

Over the past few years, HPC clusters have gained prominence in the IT landscape. Simply put, an HPC i.e. a high performance computing cluster that can be obtained by assembling computing clusters together. A cluster can be best defined as a set of individual computing nodes connected with each other for the applications that end users are running and that can be seen as “one” computer. The greater these notes are clustered, the higher will be the computing performance of the entire system. In addition to that, clusters are generally comprised of few or several nodes that can make them versatile and ready to be implemented in multiple applications.


HPC Clusters and its uses 

According to reports and records, high performance computing clusters have been mostly utilized by the supercomputer centers in huge and affluent universities in order to operate innovative software applications. By its essence, it still is a huge market that has all the potential for technological development and innovation. Furthermore, HPC clusters today are used for the nation’s biggest supercomputer centers. With the increase in technological advancements in clustering as well as software process methodology, an organization of a standard size also can afford an HPC system and make the most of it.


Esteemed IT players and other organizations have introduced built-to-order HPC clusters that offer their end users and consumers with data, speed and can monitor the expansion effortlessly and effectively assist in reducing operational risks. The structure is said to be beneficial for a wide range of application suites that comprises the ones that are optimized for financial services, industrial design, manufacturing, education, life sciences and government.


Regardless of whether your workload needs a big complex structure or office cluster, eminent custom computer solution providers today helps you setting up a well-incorporated, a dynamic HPC cluster format that is easy and simple to implement and monitor. In addition to this, leading market players today are also associated with HPC middleware technologies and other related hardware providers. This makes it easy for the end users to have an access to a complete range of cluster applications that are free of any hassles. Eminent brands today offers cost-effective and personalized HPC clusters that provide scalable performance and helps in leveraging high speed interconnects, open source architecture, industry standard servers.


Read More About: custom computer systems, data centre solutions, storage server, unified storage solution

Utilities of Innovative SCM Solutions

Eminent and forward thinking companies round the globe are gradually discovering a potent source of competitive advantage. It is none other than supply chain management (SCM) and comprises of all the integrated activities that brings a product to the market thereby resulting in customer satisfaction.

 

Any advanced supply chain management solution includes topics from purchasing transportation, manufacturing operations, and physical distribution into a united program. Successful SCM programs coordinate and incorporate all these activities in a well synchronized and effortless process. It encompasses and links all the members in the SCM chain. Furthermore, in addition to the departments within the enterprise, these partners include vendors, third party companies, carriers and other information system providers.

 

New Age SCM Solutions for Enterprises

 

When you are estimating your organization’s supply chain, its competencies and improvement areas, then joining hands with an expert SCM solution provider is a good place to start. The supply chain consulting services offered by these companies provides experienced working staffs that are ready and equipped to work with you directly and ensure that you are experiencing maximum cost minimizations by optimizing the efficiency of your supply chain. These expert working staffs can optimize the operational environment and provide solutions to the apparent concerns as well as to the potential problems that can or has a chance to materialize.

 

The Way SCM Solutions Work

 

Eminent service providers of supply chain solutions works by setting up a concise overview of your inventory management systems and provide necessary suggestions to optimize the supply chain. They understand that every business has its own uniqueness which is why their working staff tailor systems that suite your specific refraining from a generic “cookie clutter” approach. The most important asset for any business is its people and that is also one of the sure shot ways to ascertain how the company functions. New age Supply Chain Management (SCM) providers through their consultation staff ensure quality assistance to their clients and every need is catered to in a professional manner.  Other supply chain consulting services include the following:-

 

  • Supply base qualification and procurement
  • Supply chain fulfillment solutions
  • Systems integration, configuration and test
  • Forward logistics and distribution
  • Reverse logistics and returns management

 

The modern day managers have recognized that getting products to consumers quicker than their competitors will enhance an organization’s competitive edge over others. In order to stay competitive, organizations should resort to innovative solutions to critical SCM concerns such as load planning, modal analysis, route planning, network design and distribution. Furthermore, organizations need to face corporate challenges that have an influence of supply chain management as reengineering globalization and outsourcing.

 

High Performance Computing Clusters for a Competitive Advantage

Most businesses have a great amount of data, but do not have the capacity to successfully analyze it to solve the usual business challenges like to innovate new products faster, boost revenue, comply with industry regulations, etc. HPC has become a  cost-effective method that can be exceedingly beneficial for companies. It has not only become more affordable, but its application is increasing to incorporate various business applications.


HPC was always considered to be too costly and complex for most businesses to implement, until recently. The right technology infrastructure allows you to apply HPC and better leverage your business data to make decisions that add real business value and a competitive advantage. Ideally  containing a group of connected computers that simultaneously works on a job, high performance computing clusters deliver results more quickly and cost effectively. From an IT perspective, HPC will give your team an opportunity to help the company deliver results at a strategic level today and in the future. It is a  cost-effective method that can help companies pursue innovation in tough times.


With business transactions become more convoluted, HPC is being utilized in the areas of data storage, and transaction processing. These days it is used by everyday manufacturers to save costs, drive tremendous improvements in products, enhance production efficiency and speed to market, and better meet changing customer needs. The most important benefits of high performance computing in a business application can lead to top line growth and bottom line savings.  HPC has moved from a selective and expensive endeavor to a cost-effective technology within reach of virtually every budget.


HPC solutions enable a competitive advantage, giving companies greater flexibility to quickly respond to business opportunities with  detailed and in-depth predictive customer insights. Effective HPC solutions help you speed access to information, reduce risk and manage growth more easily. There are many well-known IT brands and other enterprises specializing in storage servers and custom computer have come up with successful built-to-order HPC clusters.


With better computing capabilities and reduced testing times, manufacturing industries have more flexibility to try new, creative ideas and methods, and save on costs with the latest HPC clusters. These service providers offer speed, information and help businesses manage expansion seamlessly. Companies can be better prepared to tackle future success by adopting efficient HPC computing solutions. The solution provider that you choose must ensure HPC best practices, latest technologies and develop strategies for your built-to-order cluster solution.


Read More About: custom computer systems, data centre solutions, unified storage solution

 

Anti-Counterfeiting Solutions To Combat Brand Dissolution

In the past fake branded products were sold at the back-street market stalls or by vendors carrying suitcases on the streets. Today this phenomena has become even more pervasive with the advent of internet technologies and eCommerce and are attracting purchasers from various sections. Thus, brand counterfeiting has been on the rise over the past few years and is considered as an acute concern across all industries. However, in case of consumer goods, electronic products, medical drugs and devices, automotive and the high-tech industry, brand counterfeiting is risky as it affects the consumer’s health and safety apart from the company’s profits and brand equity.


Brand counterfeiting has been gaining prominence globally with third party traders and counterfeiters making use of sophisticated methods online to trick consumers by selling fake and duplicate goods. According to the International Chamber of Commerce and World Customs Organization, the overall value of counterfeit goods was estimated to be $1 trillion globally in the year 2010. With online trading and eCommerce flourishing it is only expected to rise if adequate measures are not implemented.


At times it becomes very difficult for legitimate manufacturers to combat brand counterfeiting considering the techniques that counterfeiters use. Therefore, it is essential for manufacturing to invest in anti-counterfeiting and online brand protection solutions. This will protect them from revenue loss, increased liability risks and brand erosion. Keeping this in mind, eminent service providers specializing in online brand protection solutions have introduced efficient brand anti-counterfeiting solutions to put an end to brand counterfeiting.


Features of Brand Anti-Counterfeiting Solutions


Brand anti-counterfeiting solution concentrates on resolving issues related to product counterfeiting with its innovative search method to manage activities for any number of goods globally. The search engine tracks details on product pricing, product quantities and the discount percentages that are being offered by the counterfeiters. The end users can view all this information through a user-configurable chart on their dashboards. Moreover, the solution provides a company risk index that prioritizes the suspects as per their risk quotient and displays them on the dashboard.  The visibility and analysis you get from anti counterfeit solution enables a proactive response to online anti fraud detection.


Advanced brand anti-counterfeiting solutions also provide a comprehensive end-to-end brand protection solution that comprises of investigation and innovative enforcement services that can efficiently curb down the operations of brand violators without investing in expensive and time consuming trials.


Read More About: enterprise risk management, brand management, brand monitoring, gray market

Why Should You Opt in For Rack and Stack Integration?

Today advancements in technology and competition in the overall business scenario have made computing a mission critical affair much more than ever. Hence, there is a requirement for effective data management systems that would enable in smarter business decision making and adhere to other important regulatory policies. Furthermore, excellent performance has always been the outcome of improved operational efficiency, organized agility and productivity that is directly linked with data retrieval and storage movement having lesser hazards.

 

Reasons for Rack and Stack Integration

 

Data centers are an imperative in this competitive world. With the vast amount of data that keeps on moving from one network to the other, it is crucial that enterprises systematize this floating bulk data in appropriate racks. It would be of great help if enterprises are able to arrive at solutions that would result in minimizing the footprint and enhance the device density by resorting to cloud-based solutions. If such a network framework is deployed then it would assist organizations to expand and set up greater revenues from order fulfillment solutions. These devices are equipped with advanced  frame level set up and allows systems integration services with customized solutions along with a reliable quality that fulfills the ISO regulations.

 

To explain in simple terms stack indicates a switch suite that is established as an Ethernet based or are rack mounted with the help of a single fixed data port on the front. The most common configurations used are 24-port and 48-port models. Stacks feature their own scalability, deployment flexibility that offers simplified network connections.

 

Renowned solution providers today offer rack integration services as an on-site professional solution. Rack and stack integration integrates nearly thousands of services for setting up a high end computing cluster. Selected elements of rack and stack solutions are:

 

  • Material planning and procurement
  • Network cabling, customer supplied materials, server components or a mixed model
  • Extensive, automated information captured that includes MAC addresses, asset id's, as well as serial numbers
  • A comprehensive rack integration, testing and imaging

 

Top notch brands specializing  in rack and stack has their team of expert engineers and professionals who can manage widespread designs for network devices. Their complete integration service portfolio includes  electro-mechanical assemblies of rack and stack, optics and electronic integration, regulatory compliance tests, assembling of cables and regular checks done for power and communication. All this put together results in an effortless execution of cloud-based solutions.

 

Read more about : supply chain solutions & reverse logistics

 

Meet Global Challenges with Optimized Supply Chain Solutions

Supply chain over the years  has clearly focused on the manufacturing principles, just-in-time deliveries managed by using smaller batches and short lead times. Though globalization has provided today’s business enterprises enough scope for market expansion, profit and revenue generation, it has placed a few challenges too. Globalized business environment today is made up of complex supply lines. In their attempt to reduce lead times enterprises try to bring in the manufacturer closer to the region of demand. However, with enterprises opting for offshore operations, providing supplies to the domestic markets becomes a challenging situation.

 

Such challenges faced by the enterprises also affect their corporate decisions and supply chain solutions. However, with the world experiencing a fast growth in technology, these challenges demand the enterprises to consider the supply chain solutions as the core of operational excellence. With globalization referring to cross-border movement of goods and services, the supply chain professionals are to ensure efficient management of value creation and reduction of costs during the process of movement of goods.

 

However, operating in a global market makes the challenges all the more difficult. The professionals need to have a clear understanding of the cross-border trade formalities and managing operations in a global environment. With due help from the supply chain consulting  professionals, enterprises can withstand the advances in  technology and meet the demand supply challenges. Further technological innovations have paved way for changes in the market scenario as the power today shifts from the corporate buyer to the end user. This has further led to mass customization, improvements in communication systems, and increased knowledge for the customers.

 

Today's supply chain solutions covers all aspects of planning and management of activities such as sourcing and procurement to coordination and collaboration of channel partners, third-party service providers and customers. In other words, it is the integration of major business functions, technology oriented business processes. The need for a efficient systems integration depends on understanding the existing systems.  Efficient supply chain consulting enterprises can provide the organizations with a team of experienced professionals who will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s supply chain, and also explore the possible solutions and enhancements.

 

Further, while providing enterprises with customized solutions, the leading service providers also offer supply chain consulting services for supply base management, forward logistics, distribution, reverse logistics and returns management. Such optimized supply chain solutions will ensure reduction in operational cost with improved flexibility.

 

Also read more about : order fulfillment

 

Advanced Solutions To Curtail Gray Market Sales

Gray market also known as a parallel market is the trading of legitimate and genuine manufactured trademarked goods  that are sold outside the manufacturers authorized trading channels. The products intended for a certain country market are diverted to some other country market through unapproved distribution channels. This practice is also called parallel importation. Gray market activity is calculated to account for more than $40 billion in revenue each year, according to a study by Kotler and Keller back in 2009. Needless to say with the advent of internet technology, the figures are likely to have increased. The most important reason for gray market to thrive is the manufacture maintained price differences that exist throughout the global markets. For various competitive reasons, manufacturers generally price the same product differently in various markets.

 

Today gray market exists for pharmaceutical drugs and the overall medicine market. According to a research by Kesselheim and Choudhary,  a recent study highlights that approximately 11 percent of the Americans have been procuring less costly prescription drugs from other countries, mostly through the internet.


This apart, the consumer electronics vertical comprises of one the biggest online gray market source today. The reasons for this is the heavy growth of online retail sales, electronic goods along with zero legal protection against gray marketing of consumer electronic products. The impact of gray market sales on reputed brands are manifold. It leads to loss of revenue, brand erosion and also loss of consumer goodwill which becomes difficult to retrieve.


In order to combat gray market and its adverse effects, eminent service providers of brand protection solutions have introduced a SaaS-based software having a propriety search capability. This helps companies to find out where and at what price their products are being sold. It also provides real-time monitoring for selling listings goods, making use of advanced search agents that can successfully track detailed market inputs from various sources. This comprises of the following:


* Franchise and huge distribution websites

* B2B sites

* Trade boards

* Independent and gray market web sites

* Blogs

* B2C sites

* Auction sites


This information that is collated through innovative online brand protection solutions is delivered to the consumer directly in a comprehensive, multi-dimensional, market intelligence format via the web portal. This helps users to establish personalized dashboards, user formatted data export files  and custom report views. All the information that is accessible and can be used within a perceptive user interface, providing the capacity to create and manage cases histories, analyze evidence, as well as understand the correlation between the suspect enterprise’s, partners and other allied contacts.


Read More About: enterprise risk management, Anti-Counterfeiting, brand monitoring, brand management

Significance Of Filing FBAR Forms Correctly

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) in order to collect the taxes from overseas incomes has strengthened its processes and surveillance for international income disclosure. One of the enhanced processes comprise of elements such as the examination of FBAR, i.e. Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts rules and greater disclosure of foreign information. This has been implemented according to the new Treasury Form TD F 90-22.1 for increasing overseas accounts disclosure.

 

What is FBAR?

 

FBAR is best defined as a treasury form that needs to be filed yearly by every individual owing foreign fund accounts that are susceptible to certain rules. Some rules are listed below:

 

  • FBAR form needs to be filled and submitted within June 30th every year. This is a diverse date as compared to the IRS Amnesty deadline, as it is a treasury form and not an IRS form.
  • The FBAR form is considered officially as filed post the complete receipt by the treasury
  • The taxpayer needs to mail the form early so that there is adequate time for delivery in order to get it received from the treasury by the deadline.

 

Facts about FBAR Penalty

 

FBAR also has its penalty that the taxpayer needs to pay with an overseas account whose account value is over $10,000.00 at any point if time in a year. In case a citizen has more than a single account and the total of all accounts exceeds $10,000.00 at any time in a certain year, the taxpayer should report the disclosure form.

 

Individuals who need to file the FBAR form comprise U.S residents, U.S citizens and legal agencies such as organizations, trusts and businesses registered in the U.S. The individual can be an account owner, and possess a regulating stake in the foreign account, is an account companion, be a signatory or might have a certain degree of control over the foreign account.

 

Trusts, investment finances, foreign accounts and brokerage accounts are some of the accounts that are secure by the FBAR disclosure. There is also an exception of accounts that are not included for instance hedge fund records and equity accounts. The disclosure is not imperative if the finances get invested in a foreign firm in the U.S. This is somewhat similar to the overseas income that are placed in a U.S bank account provided the one who owns it cannot access any money from any other country. If the FBAR amnesty is not filled and submitted on time then an account holder might just end up paying a penalty of ten thousand dollars.

 

Read More About : Foreign Bank AccountOVDPEntity Formation