Online Banking

Barclays

Online banking is an issue that comes with many advantages and disadvantages depending on your thoughts of the subject. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of online banking.

Advantages:

·         Open, 24/7 - Through online banking it enables you to be able to check your balance at any time of the day, so you do not have to commute to your bank before they close, and you can check whenever you want to so that there’s no worries of getting to the bank before It closes.

·         Not having to commute – Having online banking means that the customer doesn’t actually have to commute to the bank every time that they want to check their account, and also they don’t have to spend money on travel to and from the bank, this allows the customer to be able to check everything from the comfort of their own home

·         At the Customers convenience – The customer of the bank is able to check at any time of the day or night, or on the move as long as they have an active internet connection it allows the customer to be able to check their balance, they could even do it whilst they were in a foreign country, this makes it an incredibly convenient way for customers to be able to keep track of their balance

·         Security – Barclays issue a pin generator to people who use online banking, this allows them to be able to securely access their account without having to worry about their account being compromised, as the only way that the account can be accessed is with a pin that is generated from the device provided by the bank, meaning a Hacker is unable to access your account without the device, making your money and account much safer.

Disadvantages:

·         Security – Security is a major issue when it comes to online banking, as many people do not trust using the service in case a hacker gets hold of their details, this makes many people sway away from using online banking today, as if a hacker did get their bank details, they would lose all the money that they would have got as the hacker could take it, Banks take many countermeasures when it comes to security on the website (as mentioned above) by handing out pin generators that generate a 6 digit pin through algorithms so that it would be practically impossible to guess the pin without having the device.

·         No human interaction – Having no human interaction can make many people paranoid, as they’ve had no confirmation that the transaction that they’ve done has gone through, and might get very paranoid about it.

·         Digital Divide – This particular subject can cause problems when it comes to banking because there is many people who do not own computers, or do not have access to the internet will not be able to access the online feature, so they have no choice to go to the bank and do it manually.

Some reasons for Online banking from the Banks Perspective:

·         Less Employees – by making an online service for customers it means that the banks do not have to employ more staff that they would have to pay, they can use the website as a 1 off cost, saving the bank a lot of funds so that they can continue to improve their services for customers.

·         Wider customer base – This makes it so that the bank is able to gain a lead on the banks competition, as much more people would be able to use the banks services from home, as customers would be able to access their accounts 24/7.

Disadvantages for Online banking from the Banks Perspective:

·         Re-Training staff- The bank have to pay for their staff to go on training courses so that they can use the software/system that they would have to run, this can cost the bank a lot of money to send the staff to the training facility.

·         Increased security – The bank would have to step up their security for the extra protection online, which could end up costing the bank a lot of money, however it would improve the customer service for the bank so it is not a full disadvantage for the bank.

·         Hacking – Hacking can be one of the biggest problems for banks, because they hold such important information for all their customers, they need to make their customers to feel that their information is at risk, so the bank has to invest in the top most security software, so that hackers are unable to access all the personal information on the website, this could be incredibly costly for the bank.

·         Computer theft – The bank would also have to Increase the security of the building that the computers are kept in, this makes it so that someone doesn’t break into the building and take the computer, and obtain all the personal information that they contain.

·         The Data protection act – this is a very important part of information storing when the banks have to keep up to date with them, as it protects the customers personal information and stops the bank from being able to sell personal information on to other services, so the bank must make sure that the information is kept safe.

Work and Jobs

Another advantage of the double ended sword in upgrading to online banking is that you could open more jobs that would become available which would help people who have ICT skills and are unemployed, this helps to build the business and the economy.

Life in the information age

Life today has changed greatly over the past 30 years, this has effected nearly all work places today and because of this advance in technology the whole way that people do their jobs has had to change as the technology advanced, such examples are PC’s in the workplace, because of Personal Computers (PC’s) it has removed the need for filing cabinets around the office, this clears space because PC’s are able to store all of the information that would have been in the filing cabinets on their system, and have it backed up in case of any computer problems, this enables the work to be done much more efficiently and it makes it much faster to be able to look up information that may be needed if it was stored on the computer than having to search through the entire cabinet files.

ICT has also changed the ways in which many other people manage their jobs, such as mobile working, this is possible for jobs such as a sales representative, sales representatives are able to travel around the country trying to get people to buy products from the company that they’re representing, they’re able to do this because of  the advances in technology that are available today, this makes it possible for the person to be able to keep in contact with work from anywhere in the country that they might be, and they don’t have to carry around many different items so that they would need to otherwise.

Some examples of this are that a sales representative would have to carry an atlas with them, so that they would be able to find their way around when they're travelling around the country, this could lead to the rep being lost on the way to the destination that they would be going to, however if they had the assistance of a GPS (Global Positioning System) or Satnav, this would allow the rep to be able to get a voice guide straight to the address that they would have input into it, enabling them to be able to get to the destination that they would want to get to, this advance in technology advances the possibility for the rep to be able to work away from his work hq.

Also because the rep would be able to keep an up to date log of all his work and sales on a laptop, it would make it very efficient for the rep to keep his work up to date, as he could put all his sales and work into database, then upload this to work from wherever he is in the country, so that when the rep gets back to his work HQ he could quickly just download the file to his computer, this would increase his work productivity, and also enable him to have all of his work on the computer and backed up which would remove the need for paper copies which is inefficient and unreliable, so the laptop would be a very big factor in being able to work on the move, as wireless/3G internet is widely available all around the county in places such as coffee shops and hotels.

Through the use of a website he could also keep a constantly up to date list of all the stock that he would have to offer available without having to carry around a catalogue, this could save the rep a lot of time, so that he doesn't have to constantly have to go back to work HQ for an up to date version of the catalogue, which could save a lot of money on travel expenses between work and wherever that he might have travelled to in the country, and also helps them make more sales from their website, which can increase popularity for the company because the website would open it's availability to a much wider audience

These are just some of the ways today that the advances in technology in the information age have made a huge advance in the way that peoples life’s run, including in the work place, through enabling them to be able to work mobile, this is a huge advance in the work place that enables people to be able to work away from work HQ efficiently.

E-Communication

Communication in today’s age has become something so easy to do that you can communicate with people anywhere in the world as long as they have a connection to the internet, this has revolutionised the way that the world operates, from businesses to personal use, making it possible to still be in contact with people from all different countries, in real time or leaving them a message that they can read later, these are some of the ways that we can communicate in the world today.

Email

Emails were originally created so that scientists could exchange messages to each other, however it quickly caught on, and very quickly become a phenomenon around the world, the first E-mail was sent in 1971, between 2 computers that were right next to each other. Today, email has become a worldwide common tool for the internet, with companies able to create their own servers for the email address, and emails can be sent between different email account types (Such as BT mail to Google mail). Nearly all of the mail sent today is SPAM mail, SPAM mail is mail sent advertising, trying to get people to buy products, however a lot of these mails do contain viruses that would damage your computer if they were to get onto it.

I personally use emails very often to keep up to date with teachers, friends, to keep track of products that I have purchased online, and many other useful things.

Instant messaging

Instant messaging is a form of chat that is available today so that you can have real-time conversations with friends over the internet, this enables you to be able to communicate with the person you are talking to straight away, this enables you to be able to get in touch with people and talk about anything that you may wish to, this allows companies to be able to communicate between each other to help business run smoothly, this also allows friends to stay in contact should they move far away from each other, or families to be able to keep in touch easily.

I use instant messaging only through social networking (Facebook) enabling me to be able to communicate with friends, and to be able to communicate with family.

Message boards

Message boards are a form of communication as in a person can set a topic on a website for discussion, and people can reply to set topic with their opinions and thoughts on the subject, this could enable people to be able to ask a question on a website and get peoples thoughts on answers and opinions for the subject, message boards are a widely used way to have discussions about subjects that you’re interested in.

I do not personally use message boards, I do look at similar boards to which people have answered questions I have wanted to ask, but however I do not use one directly.

Online conferencing

Online conferences can be held through certain programmes such as MSN, which allows for webcam chatting between multiple people, this makes it possible for a group of people to be able to have a conference (such as businesses) to discuss subject, this makes it efficient for businesses to have meetings, without having to leave the office, which could make it very convenient as they wouldn’t have to travel long distances.

I have used video conferences; however it was for leisure to talk to friends.

Blogs

Blogs are peoples personal online diaries that they write for people to read, or to show their opinions, Blogs are written by people all over the world, for all different purposes, (Even now, you’re reading one) blog websites often allow you to be able to “Follow” the person that you like to read the posts from, this makes it so that you’re emailed when they post a new blog, Blogs are usually ways for people to express their opinions on subjects either anonymously normally.

I personally do not blog, as I do not have that many interesting things to write about.

Newsgroups

Newsgroups are largely like forums, they’re discussions on possibly any subjects that you want, this allows people to talk about any topic that they may have an interest in, so that they can discuss their thoughts on the particular subjects that they are looking at, and so that they can read other peoples thoughts on the subject, this allows for introduction to new ideas and thoughts on subjects that people precipitating may not have thought about.

I personally do not use news boards as I proffer to use Forums, as I find them more convenient.

Chat

Online chatt can be done through many different types of software, such as Ventrillo,Teamspeak,  MSN, & Skype, this allows people to communicate through voice, with the use of microphones, this can be very convenient for people who enjoy to talk to friends, or between businesses for quick communication so that they can keep each side up to date on anything that may be going on between the businesses.

I personally use Skype to talk, as it’s free and very easy to use, this allows me to talk to my friends and family without having to be charged for the call, thus making it very easy & efficient to use.

E-communities

E-Communities are groups of people that are usually on the same website that partake in conversations between each other and arrange events in the real world, some examples of e communities are Youtube, you get Vloggers on Youtube who all watch eachothers videos, and meet in real life to partake in events or just friendship, this allows for people to be able to grow as a community and helps the community grow.

I have personally not done something like this as I do not partake in such things on the websites.

Voice communication (Skype)

Voice communication through the internet is one of the most common ways of people communicating today, this allows people to start conversations with their friends or families that may not live so close, without having to be charged for the call, allowing for people to talk over long distances for as long as they want for free, this could allow companies to keep in touch with any businesses that they may have in other countries, allowing them to be able to keep in up to date with any changes that the company they’re dealing with might have.

I personally use Skype very often to keep in touch with friends when I’m at home, this allows me to be able to keep up to date with friends more often

Social Networks (Facebook/Twitter)

Social networks like Twitter & Facebook are available for every that has a connection to the internet and are usually very free.

E-Government

There’s many different ways that the people of today can get in contact with their local government, one of these ways are online (E-Government), where you can look for your governments policies on certain subjects that you might be interested in looking at, this makes it possible for you to be able to get information that you might be looking for on subjects such as passport information, to moving abroad and what you might have to do and expect, all from the comfort of your home.

This makes it much easier for the public to be able to get help on certain subjects that you might be looking for, and allows the public to get involved in their government by doing things  such as petitions, which could decide what would be the subject to discuss at the next parliament meeting.

Motoring.

You can get help on the subject of Motoring on the website, this allows you to do many different things, such as;

 You can pay your car tax online, this makes it much more convenient for the people who need to pay their car tax, as not many people live close to a post office to renew their tax, it makes it possible for you to go online and pay for your car tax, which eliminates the need to go long journeys to have to renew your tax, or just being able to do it from the comfort of your own home, although this is an advantage, it does have a drawback, as you need to own a Credit card to be able to pay it online, and not everybody does own a credit card, this makes it impossible for people who don’t own a  credit card.

Help for Learner Drivers, This section is for people who would like to start learning to drive, this section allows you to order your Provisional Drivers License application form online. It also has many different sections on the website, such as booking your theory test online, or booking your practical test, help for people who would just want to drive a motorbike or moped, applications for pass plus, and many other sections, making the website very helpful for people who are interested in learning to drive, as it contains a lot of information on all different aspects of driving or becoming a learner driver, through doing this it saves the public a lot of time and money by being able to look it  up online.

Education & Learning.

You can also find on the website help for people who are in education & Learning, there are sections for many different aspects, such as;

Student Finance is money that the government give you when you go to university, this allows you to be able to afford the extortionate costs of going to University in the UK, you borrow money from the Government who pay the University for your course and then you start to pay them back bit by bit once you’re working and earning £21,000 a year  or more. The website allows you to be able to apply for a student loan on the website, so that you can do it all on your computer allowing you to be able to pay for your years education at university from your own house, this makes it very convenient for students, as many people wouldn’t be able to afford to go to university otherwise because of the extortionate costs.

A section on Universities this part of the site helps you to make decisions on going to university, trying to persuade you to go to university, this part of the website helps you to be able to make decisions on which university you should go to, and what courses you could take when you do apply for a university, this could help students who are thinking of going to university make decisions on what they’re able to apply for based on t heir grades etc, making it easier for people to know how to apply to universities.

A section for 14-19 Year olds is a small section on what people the ages 14-19 can do with their lifes, and to help with giving information on people who are having troubles with the costs of education for their kids, this sections mainly for people who’re having trouble being able to afford the education for their kids.

 Money tax and benefits.

Money, Tax & Benefits is a part of E-Government where people who’re entitled to benefits can apply for them, pay their taxes online, or get a benefits advisor.

Benefits; People who think that they’re entitled to benefits can come to this part of the website, which would allows them to see if they do actually qualify for benefits, such as if they’re disabled, and if they are able to get benefits, then it allows them to be able to apply for them online, which makes it possible for people who could be unable to work because of a disability or a bad problem that they might have, get money from the government, so that they can afford to live.

Taxes; you can also check your taxes on the website, this allows people to read up about taxes and what they are, it also allows people to be able to pay their taxes online if they’re self employed, or to apply for a tax return, if they’ve been paying too much tax, and would want their money returned to them, also  you can just read generally about taxes and what they are, so that you can understand them, where as many companies that people work for pay out the taxes for them so the employee never has to worry about paying the tax, as it’s done for them.

Benefits Advisor; The Benefits advisor section of the website is the part of the site where people who could be struggling with their money could get advise on how they could spend it, this makes it possible for people to be able to keep a better management over their money, this makes it much easier for people to get help.

Health & well being.

Health and well being is also a part of the E-Government website, this section gives advice on how people can live healthily, available health services, & an A to Z of information on health.

Healthy Living; This particular section of the E-Government website gives advice on how you can live healthily, such as advise on regular calorie intake, exercise that you should be getting each day, the amount of foods you should eat and which types of food to avoid, just a general overall of how you can improve your lifestyle to make it even healthier.

Health Services; This lets you know of all the services of healthcare that you can get in England, Such as the NHS, and all the free healthcare that the NHS Provides for people who’re injured or seeking medical advice.

Employment.

Jobs; You can search through the website and find a section on jobs, this particular section of the website can do many things, it offers advice on job interviews, how to go about looking for a job, job programs on job centre, advice on jobs that you feel could be good for you, it also has a section where you can actually search for jobs that could be listed on the website.

Redundancy; The Redundancy part of the website makes gives people advice on being made redundant, it also gives advice for people that can feel that they should retire from work, also you can apply that you have been unfairly dismissed, allowing for public to get advice on many different aspects of being laid off.

Holidays: You can get advice on all types of holidays that you can request from work, such as sick leave, jury duty time off, just general time off work including national holidays.Pay

Real-Time

Real-time information is data that is received instantaneously and can be viewed very immediately, this is used for many different tasks and applications, such as Satnavs, for directions, bookings online, weather reports, social networks, shopping online, checking flight/train times. Many different business and websites depend on real-time uploads for their websites and shows, it allows them to be constantly up-to date and on top of  their competition, also because the thing that they’re reporting could change at any time they would need to be able to be up to date, such as football scores, or train times. Real-time information is constantly being updated all the time, and is used in most websites today

RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds are very popular ways of using Real-time on websites today, it’s used by the BBC to keep their news up to date. It is constantly being updated from all of their sources,  this is an important part of the BBC news, as it keeps their viewers and readers up to date with most of the current affairs that are going on in the World. This is a major advantage of using Real time info, you’re able to be on top of the competition, many people use Real-time for updates on all types of sports matches, from Goals in Football, to Trys in Rugby, also businesses, and the stock markets being up to date, different types of technology available, and general news within the UK these are some of the reasons that Real-time is a valuable tool for the internet.

Weather

The weather is very dependant on Real-time information being uploaded to them, this can be found on many websites, such as the BBC Website. These types of websites rely on Real-time information being uploaded and updated on t heir websites, it must be kept up to date because people are constantly checking the weather to plan events etc for certain days. This has many advantages such as you can plan many different things around what the weather would be like, you could also see what the conditions are like in other parts of the world, however it does have a drawback in the fact of the weather forecasts may not be 100% accurate, so  you could get the weather wrong on certain days, however it’s likely to give you a good idea of the weather at the time.

Travel Times

Travel times are very dependant on the use of Real-time information, Travel times are vital that they must be correct as close as possible because people who use public transport depend on travel information being updates as much as possible so that they can plan their travels, such as if it’s a commute to work, then they would have to know what time that their bus/ train would be leaving and arriving so that they could get to work on time, So having up to date reliable information is vital for many forms of public transport.

Online Shopping

Online shopping is an increasingly popular way for people to use Real-time information today, as it’s used for convenience for people who would rather shop from home, than face the actual.. shops. Some of the advantages of shopping online are that you are shown many different things, such as how much stock of an item that they have left, and they can also show that they’re none left in stock if theirs an item that you would want to buy but theirs none left. This can be a very big advantage for shops that also have an online store as it can broaden the customers that they might have, and also increase sales for the company, as they’d have more people who would use their website from home, however a disadvantage of this is that when you’re shopping online you have to either sign up to the website, which means you get sent many emails from them showing advertising, and you have to enter all of your personal information and credit card information

Chat

Chat is becoming more and more popular every day, most chat services are Real-time, such as with Skype. Skype is a voice & Video related programme where you can talk to friends and family for free, as long as they also have a Skype account, the programme uses Real-time so that you can talk to each other as if it was a phone call, or you can use a text based chat available on the Skype software, in case you would want to send links or are unable to talk via microphone to each other, this makes it a very fast and effective way of communication because of the voice & Video capabilities, or the text chat option, both ways are easy to communicate through, even with people who you may know on the other side of the planet, however you do need an active internet connection to be able to talk to people who must also have a internet connection.

Introduction

Blog Info

This is the blog that I will be using throughout my Applied ICT AS course, this blog will contain information on many different aspects of the world of ICT, from all different forms of ICT and how it is used today within many different aspects, from business, to social networking, to general day to day activities.

I will be covering

·         how technology has changed over the past few years, and its influence on the world (through businesses, transport, convenience etc)

·         how there are still people who do not have access to the internet (The Digital Divide)

·         how you can use technology as a very valuable source of education and learning, how you can educate yourself through the uses of popular search engines like Google, and how you can get answers for almost any questions you may have

·         Entertainment, such as games, online video logging websites (VLOG) such as Youtube

·         How the internet has changed the day to day tasks such as shopping, so you can use the internet to purchase from transactional websites, and have them delivered straight to your house, removing the need for you to go out and find the products.

·         news updates, so that you could be constantly up to date with all the happenings in the world.

·         listening to music & watching films, these can all be done through the internet through registered websites licensed to sell the viewing of the films, you can usually watch through “Streaming” or a whole download to your computer  for a full purchase,

·         Downloading software for all different purposes (Photo editing, website creating, etc) so that consumers can explore their imagination throughout the world of software.

So, that’s what you can be expecting to view in the blog that will be posting throughout the year, Hope you enjoy what’s to come!