TO: Dr. Peterson

FROM: Michael Jurgowski

DATE: December 3, 2015

SUBJECT: The Impact of Microsoft Project

The positives of Microsoft Project planning will save our firm a lot of time and money with its investment. Recently, I have taken a thorough look into Microsoft Planning and noticed three points that will build more control over work: effective planning, efficient budgeting, and improved time management.

Plan before we start is critical in business. The Microsoft Project program will allow for you to map out all projects and assign to each worker in the firm with a start and estimated end date. Moreover, we can map out scenarios and be able to debate decisions as to what must be done first and vice-versa. In regards to budget, we can keep track of our costs and discover how to work around them or what can be eliminated for the time being. This investment can benefit our firm greatly because we need the organization to cut down on wasted work time and motivate workers that the deadline on the Microsoft Project must be completed.

There are three types of projects available for purchase on Microsoft Project. Project Standard is the lowest type of accessibility. Project Professional is for the use of multiple users at the same time. Project Server is the enterprise level and the benefits of this elite program is the collaboration of multiple users at the same time, accessible on numerous devices, and keep up to date on the recent work done by each employee on our current initiative goals. I recommend the Project Server because it has it all and will gave us an edge over competitors in the long run investment.

Regards,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

https://products.office.com/en-us/project/enterprise-project-server

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5315849_advantages-project-management-software.html

TO: Dr. Peterson

FROM: Michael Jurgowski

DATE: December 1, 2015

SUBJECT: Investment in a Conferencing System

Our firm recognizes the cost saving benefits of implementing video conferencing which is changing the way the world communicates, and in particular, the way businesses function. Since investing in BigBlueButton, our firm has significantly reduced our traveling expenses. We were able to communicate at all hours of the day which is excellent for our international business given the fact our partners are located across the globe. In regards to budget, we can eliminate constant airfare costs and the time wasted expense from traveling. With the live conference, there is no longer the need to lose two days a week traveling for a ten-minute meeting. Additional expenses that will be eliminated with airfare are lodging, food, and transportation expenses to and from the airport. Thus, the return on investment (equipment, network, service and training) will benefit the firm with outstanding revenue. Decisions will be made faster, projects completed sooner as productivity is increased with organization. All in all, traveling does burn workers out, as that will not be an issue any longer. The easiness of conferencing whenever needed will strengthen relationships, which in return develops effective employees that work together and finish faster.

Regards,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

http://www.clearone.com/blog/the-top-benefits-of-video-conferencing-for-your-business/

To: Dr. Peterson

From: Michael Jurgowski

Date: November 10, 2015

Subject: 3-D Printing

The future of 3-D Printing is finally here at our own Montclair State University Business Building. I would like to thank Professor Kerr for educating me on this new innovation that will be used for our daily use by the next decade. He taught me that this type of printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digit file using a CAD. The CAD we used is Tinkercad where we created our piggy bank and sent the finished layout to the 3-D scanner in the printing room.

The 3-D Printer will become more efficient and effective by the next 5 years. It will take us only ten minutes for us to create a soap dish for our bathrooms or a new vase for our home. Currently it takes a couple of days for the 3-D Printer to gather the CAD designed product and thread it into a finished product depending on the size of the design that can vary from a piggy bank to sizes of homes that I will talk about.

All broken bones will available as a 3-D cast when healing. The printed cast is laid on the broken bone and melted to stick comfortably using just warm water. This cast will be comfortable and will speed up the healing process with its open air-sockets. The future goals of 3-D Printing will offer body parts to be created for disabled people in need of a stable replacement as well such as ears and prosthetic legs.

A Chinese construction company, called the Zhouda Group, built their first ever 3-D home. They have stated it can withstand 9.0 magnitude earthquakes with superior insulation as well as being fire and waterproof. After 22 patents, the Zhouda Group has yet to tell the world the “secret” material they used for their 3-D Printer instead of cement, as they know the future investment will be outstanding. After fabricating in the factory using their massive printers, it is taken to the construction site to be built as these will be the future homes.

All in all, 3-D Printing will give us the convenience of staying home to build something that is needed at that time instead of going to a store. 3-D Printers range from $1000 and higher depending on the projects. This will drop significantly to the point everyone will have an advanced printer. I am grateful to be able to use the 3-D printers at Montclair State University and get a head start with this innovation.

Links:

http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/

http://3dprint.com/82322/chinese-3d-modular-homes/

Dear CIO,

You have requested for my recommendation in regards to which option would work best for Montclair State University’s course registration system and I came up with Software as a Service (SAAS). With just an internet connection, the SAAS option will establish an adaptable system that all students and staff will finally use with ease.

The movement into an SAAS operation in MSU will be low costly. There are no infrastructure costs as all that is needed is an internet connection, which our students and staff have available on campus as well as at the convenience of their homes. The university will not have to pay a license, hardware, or software fee as all that is taken care of by SAAS.

Montclair State University will enjoy SAAS because it fits their needs outstandingly. The server will constantly have upgrades that will update anything that is needed to be modified or changed for our students and staff. We have eliminated outdated services that the traditional systems had as Montclair State University needs to be on top of all innovations that our future will bring.

Thirdly, the scalability of SAAS is high for its cloud environment. The cloud server has the capabilities to expand with new SAAS offerings. The traditonal systems would have to buy additional servers or softwares as an infrastructure, while the cloud can simply add these new offerings into the server. For example, IBM has over 100 SAAS application offerings that solve critical problems. This will benefit MSU tremendously in case of an emergency.

The adaptablity and mobility of SAAS has instant advantages from the traditional system we had. By reiterating that only an internet connection is needed, the SAAS has high adoption to all technological devices from anywhere and anytime. Whenever the staff and students have a complaint on the system, the SAAS has multiple ways to fix this situation, whether through offerings or by developing an update with a solution.

Consequently, the security aspect must be monitored with its medium safety grade as of now. By being in the cloud, this new innovation has not yet mastered full safety from other servers yet. For Montclair State University, my recommendation is for our SAAS to focus on putting controls that only students and staff will have any access to. Through constant research and development, the security will improve as well as the aid from offerings, like IBM has, that will help us solve any critical problems.

Best,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

http://www.salesforce.com/saas/benefits-of-saas/

http://www.thoughtsoncloud.com/2013/09/top-five-advantages-of-software-as-a-service-saas/

http://www.csoonline.com/article/2126885/cloud-security/saas–paas–and-iaas–a-security-checklist-for-cloud-models.html

Dear boss,

You have requested for my opinion on which computer hardware option we should choose in regards to safety. I came up with the advantages and disadvantages for each. This will show you a clear explanation on how I came up with my opinion that will support the P2P process with the most reliable safety criterion.

The stand-alone traditional option with all our information on one computer and access to any peripherals at arm’s reach is simple, but safety is an issue. The advantage is the simplicity in safety for all that is needed is one password and one firewall to secure all our information. There are no other ways to find this information saved in that one computer. The disadvantage is the possibility of a computer defect in which our employee did not back up all the information on the computer instantly from a crash. All information will be lost because of the limited access to only one computer.

The client/server option is excellent with backing up our data into a server that can be accessed by multiple computers. Instead of backing up all our information one by one with stand-alone, the server instantly backs up everything simultaneously. Also, the server has access rights so only identified parties can enter. The disadvantage is if an overload in the servers occurs than all information may have the possibility to shutting down. The forwarding of information from the client to a server that searches through another database has multiple possibilities for mistakes when not trained properly.

The server option between only servers in control of our data is reliable in high effectiveness with safety, but there are negative points that need to be noticed. With our business expanding with data, a well-equipped server with a strong firewall and undetectable password for access is all that is needed. The disadvantage is the minimal possibility of someone continuously using trial and error to figure out the password. This high cost investment with servers and safety to go along with it will benefit us in the future.

The PAAS option is an innovative option that is improving consistently. With all hardware/software on our own infrastructure, all our information is secured there as well as in the cloud. There are multiple options to back up all data with security. This guarantees that there will not be any viruses on our computers because the platform of the secured information is in the cloud. The disadvantage is the reliability of a third party having the data, as this innovation is still not fully guaranteed without development.

My recommendation is the sever option as it is still the most reliable and consistent in regards to safety. With our data secured at all times and efficient back up process, it is still the safest for our business.

Thank you,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

http://www.ianswer4u.com/2011/05/client-server-network-advantages-and.html#axzz3o0N1oPAC

http://www.ehow.com/info_8381556_advantages-disadvantages-standalone-computers.html

http://www.getcloudservices.com/blog/benefits-and-drawbacks-of-paas/

Dear Mr. Peterson,

The newly developed system called LucidChart has inspired the business world towards an illustrative flowchart that has numerous advantages against our standard listing of processes. This innovation is a document that uses standard graphic symbols that shows the processing cycle between the inputs and outputs of their external entities.

The flowchart system will ensure that our business processes are as effective and efficient as possible. In order to meet the needs of the customer, we constantly need to evaluate the processing cycle. LucidChart allows employees to take a look at a visual diagram with lines (process) connecting basic shapes (input/output) in their external entities. With this in tact, we have the ability to identify where an additional input/output is necessary to fix any problems such as improving the efficiency on manufacturing an order while ensuring our accounts payable/receivable are balanced in the general ledger. The traditional listing of the business processes takes an extensive amount of time to identify mistakes that can all be eliminated with LucidChart and valued on other tasks in need of completion.

LucidChart will guarantee security and be approved against any accounting mandated laws. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) requires that all business processes are clearly defined in order to pass certification requirements. In LucidChart, their new innovated option is a diagram validation that will check the diagrams against business rules and logic. The guarantee of approval on a legal standpoint is a tremendous clarity for our employees/managers.

The transition towards the flowchart is quick and easy to train our employees. Flowcharts are basic in regards to simple shapes (input/output) that are connected with straight lines (process) in their proper lane boxes (external entity). LucidChart aids employees to grasp a flowchart’s overall scheme and individual steps quickly. Additionally, the visual appeal using this system is ideal for presentations to show our managers new ideas that can save time and money with a new and developed processing cycle, while increasing its production.

Thank you,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

http://www.breezetree.com/articles/top-reasons-to-flowchart.htm

http://www.huronblue.com/software/Microsoft%20Visio%202010%20-%20Top%2010%20Benefits.pdf

http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/advantages-flowcharts-7408.html

Dear Mr. Peterson,

Why is it so common for people to say, “I will Google it” when they are in need to find an answer? For the past decade, Google’s stock has risen 318% because of reliability with people and constant growth in easy access technology. Their recent invention was the cloud server named Google Drive that is in competition with Microsoft Office. The movement from the traditional Microsoft Office to Google Drive will create a tremendous upside impact if we start today.

Google Drive is a costly effective cloud server with easy integration. As a free offering, Google does not charge anyone to use, while Microsoft Office only offers cheap programs with Office Online, but the full features must be bought. The functions are exactly the same on spreadsheets and PDFs that can be converted from Microsoft Office into Google Drive instantly. As a cloud server, there will not be worries about computer crashes or defected flash drives because the cloud restores all information, while Microsoft Office is not capable of doing, as we have experienced first hand.

The major impact for Google Drive is the collaboration access. Multiple employees can be working on an assignment at the same time as well as be able to communicate to each other through a live chat discussion in the document itself. Whether at the office or working internationally, Google Drive will allow the employees to not be slowed down on completing the job asked as long as there is Internet access. When offline, there is a read-only option on files that are saved into the Google Drive. Additionally, supervisors can benefit from the revision history option. To keep track on the job to ensure everyone is working constantly, the revision history option allows the supervisor to see when employees were logged in and what changes each person has made. This is useful to keep everyone on track, so there are minimal delays in job completions. On our websites and blogs, we can allow access to potential customers to answer our surveys in Google Drive. As soon as they are filled out, it is sent onto a spreadsheet to organize the data.

The learning curve switch from Microsoft Office to Google Drive is an investment as change of an entire business can slightly lower time and production level, but the benefits will be worth it in the long run. Google now has created a Google Drive app on the Android phones, as the IOS version is being developed currently to allow another form of access. Since Google Drive has been created in 2012, there are over 240 monthly active users as we can get a head start into change that will sooner or be later be the leader in business server technology.

Thank you,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

http://iblogmagazine.com/benefits-using-google-drive-business/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/254457/google_drive_the_pros_and_cons.html

http://googledrive.in30minutes.com/microsoft-office-vs-google-drive-review/

http://www.coolheadtech.com/blog/3-benefits-of-google-drive

Dear Mr. Peterson,

Recently, my curiosity struck me on the power of blogging. As an employee, I took the time to search up our competitors on Google to notice their blog activity was on a consecutive weekly basis posted on the first several links. The significance to this was the success marketing their brand to traffic new visitors to their sites on search engines and social media. A current study written by Pamela Vaughan stated, “Increasing Google indexed pages by 50-100 causes double-digit lead growth.” Based on this statistic, less than 60 indexed pages will result in five median monthly leads, while over 311 indexed pages will have seventy-four median monthly leads. This is a 236% rise in trafficked leads that we will establish the authority to close majority into customers. These blog sites will allow us to clear up questions given by confused customers that in return will attract their eye into seeing us as reliable business focusing on building stronger relationships.

We must establish a repeat visitor tool on our blog sites. In order to do this, a suggestion of mine, that other businesses have been successful retrieving lead information, is a free offer section on the bottom of the blog site. The offer can be an e-book, white papers, or fact sheets in exchange for their information. The repeat visitor tool has the ability to send follow up emails to these leads on updated posts and product promotions for attraction.

Our blogs will be meant to find out more about our target customers. With social media growing tremendously, it is an advantage that we need to take part in before we end up noncompetitive and in disadvantage throughout our field. The three questions that will allow us to create a relationship with our potential buyers are:

1. What was the reason for visit to our blog?
2. Did you find what you are looking for?
3. What else would you like to see on this blog?

These three questions will allow us to build relationships with people whom will spread the word for our long-term benefit. In a study written by Corey Eridon , “70% of our traffic each month comes from posts that weren’t published that month. It only takes one hour of effort each week to turn into hundreds of thousands of views and leads in the future.”

Bill Marriott, company chairman of Marriott hotels, writes his own blogs weekly and accomplished customer satisfaction, sales, and recovery procedures in case of a crisis management. As a result, he has generated millions in direct sales with his marketing of Marriott all over social media. In a recent survey by Katrina Pfannkuch, it states “68% of marketers are planning to increase blogging activity.” In the long run, blogging is going to be mandatory to stay competitive, so might as well start now! Hopefully you will take my ideas into consideration.

Thank you,

Michael Jurgowski

Links:

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5806/Study-Shows-More-Pages-Indexed-by-Google-Means-More-Leads.aspx

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht

http://marketeer.kapost.com/corporate-blogging-stats/#axzz3lkOGsyQz