IT changes daily

Back in the day, there was a popular daytime soap opera called “As The World Turns.” I remember it as being all the rage in daytime television viewing and seeing my family, friends and everyone else spend an incredible amount of time discussing the events that took place on the show, each and every day.
I did catch the show, on occasion, during those days that I stayed home from school with a cold or the flu. I could never make the connection between it and the world. Yet, it was a hot topic and everyone had to know what was going on, with the show, each and every day.
But information technology and its rapid-fire changes does make the “world turn.” So I thought it would be cool to give you a rundown on the hot news coming out of the IT realm.
Let’s start at the top and look at our government and what it’s doing on the IT front. The White House is actively involved in seeking to increase its information technology budget by $1 billion, regardless of the fact that there is a national referendum to decrease government spending.
The aspect of asking for this new money is rooted in the area of net neutrality as well as national security on both the domestic and foreign side.
The government spent $77.9 billion on information technology in the 2010 fiscal year and will spend $78.5 billion in 2011. The expected 2012 budget on information technology will be $79.5 billion.
In case you didn’t know it, Microsoft has recently released its new Web browser, Internet Explorer 9, which has increased speed and performance along with increased functionalities.
The new browser has added some new things which cannot be found on other browsers and is being said to make it the best Internet Explorer to date. The new browser does run faster and has smoother transition features to include a definite improvement in its JavaScript engine when running Java content, which now loads its enhanced content extremely fast.
You will find that Internet Explorer 9, when activated and the search mode initiated, will allow you to have a top of the page tool bar with a list of tabs indicating your open sites. This allows the user to have more space dedicated to showing the website being looked for. IE 9’s lines are much nicer, cleaner and overall user friendly. IE 9 also allows the user to have complete access to what add-ons they may want to attach to the browser.
Internet Explorer 9 has another great feature, in that it integrates seamlessly with Microsoft’s current operating system, Windows 7. One of the benefits is that if you have Windows 7 and IE 9, you can tag a website as pinned and that site will then be added to the bottom of your screen task bar. This will give you a one-click ability to immediately launch your most used sites no matter what other programs you may have open.
AT&T has been in the news a lot lately as a result of its possible purchase of T-Mobile, but there is something else going on with AT&T that I think you will find more interesting and that, if you are using AT&T, will have a definite effect on your use of their service. AT&T is going to begin capping data use for all of its DSL and U-Verse customers.
This cap is expected to begin on May 2 and will affect those users that exceed a 150 GB data cap. If you do, you can expect to be charged $10 for every additional 50 GB of data used.
It is estimated that most AT&T DSL users consume roughly 18 GB a month, meaning that only 2 percent of its Internet users will feel the effects. Currently, U-Verse Internet users have a 250 GB cap on their data use.
The good news is that if you are affected by the data cap, AT&T has a plan in place to notify its customers when they exceed their monthly thresholds.
This is not the first time a broadband provider has put a data usage cap in place. Comcast did this several years ago and never even let its customers know, which is what brought about the whole issue of net neutrality and the FCC stepping in and that fight is still being waged in Congress and the courts.
We’ll take a look at the new iPad, iPhone, iFusion and more hot topics in the world of information technology next.

Andino Ward is vice president of marketing and operations of Bardissi Enterprises in Hatfield. Bardissi Enterprises welcomes your questions or comments. Questions you would like answered or topics you would like discussed should be sent to Andino R. Ward at award@bardissi.net. You can also visit www.bardissi.net, or call (215) 853-2266.

Tips for taming the IT monster

So how many of you, after reading the first part of this series, found a technology group to join, or invited your company’s IT person or persons over for a nice, home-cooked meal in an effort to solidify a new friendship?
Well, if neither of those was appealing to you, here are some more ways in which you can get a hold on the fast-paced, always changing world of information technology.
Another good source of help in understanding the technology is to find a good class or workshop that offers ongoing education in the area of the current and future technologies along with information on how to use it as well.
You can find these types of programs at your community high school if they offer adult education classes.
This is also something that you can find at the local community college as well.
If you looking at not really spending any money, then I would suggest you go to the Web, as you will find an incredible amount of free information and even video tutorials that are ongoing and informative in the area of new technology and how it works. A lot of the tutorials have online groups associated with them, which will connect you with others who have a wealth of knowledge and information that can be beneficial to you and help you stay up on what’s happening in the IT realm.
It is good to select a specific periodical that is all about information technology and read it, whenever you can. These publications are another great source of information that will keep you up to date on information technology and you can either subscribe to them or go online and visit their websites to read the latest trends and happenings in the IT world.
There are at least 10 very popular publications on the market and several of them have television shows to coincide with them. Some of my favorites are PC World, PC Magazine, MacWorld and CNET. The information that you will get from these magazines and their websites is not only informative, but cutting edge as well, since they are always featuring and discussing the next big thing or service that is going to hit the market.
Because of the rapid-fire creation and release of new technology, many people suffer from technology anxiety and overload as they are continually trying to figure out whether to keep their current device or application verses moving to the new technology that they are being bombarded with on a daily basis.
There is no place where this is more evident than in the smartphone market. The way to avoid overload and anxiety is simple. If you are a business owner or a company IT person, you need only ask yourself, “Is this new technology something that will help our users do their job better and will it cut cost and be compatible with our third party software and applications?”
If you’re a private citizen, it is a lot easier to answer the question as you are usually looking at new technology for personal use, which does not require the same level of scrutiny as does a business.
Most personally used technology is purchased more for its entertainment value and ability, all of which can be directed by asking the simple question, “What really floats my boat in the area of technology that I am looking for and are the features I want contained in the technology I am thinking of getting?”
Finally, get yourself or your organization involved in technology news groups, which can be found on the Web. Create your own information technology file and add any and all information that you come across on new technology so that you can go back and read about it or talk to others, who are in the know about it.
Try to attend technology conventions or shows to get familiar with the manufacturers of the technology and get on their e-mail list.
Whatever you do, don’t be afraid of or overwhelmed by the information technology juggernaut.
Remember, the technology should not control you, but instead you should control the technology and the way to do that is by being informed and understanding what you need versus what you may think you want.
Andino Ward is vice president of marketing and operations of Bardissi Enterprises in Hatfield. Bardissi Enterprises welcomes your questions or comments. Questions you would like answered or topics you would like discussed should be sent to Andino R. Ward at award@bardissi.net. You can also visit www.bardissi.net, or call (215) 853-2266.