Integrated Professional Skills in Digital Age

This report discusses the positive and negative aspects of services and products being sold online and offline, challenges and measures of privacy and security, and a comparison between Zoom and Go to Meeting in context to their features, application, and sustainability. It also highlights the importance of technology in the pandemic era.

Integrated
Professional Skills in
Digital Age

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Compare and contrast between the positive and negative aspects of services and products
being sold online and offline.......................................................................................................1
Challenges and measures of privacy and security that individuals and businesses take when
they go online..............................................................................................................................3
Many business turned up to provide online services due to COVID-19. Comparison in
between Zoom and Go to Meeting in context to their features, application and sustainability. .5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Technology is the medium by which the innovative and the technical means are used to
make sure that the lifestyle and the working of the people becomes easier and more enjoyable. It
also makes sure that the knowledge of the people are put into the right places. The people
involved in the innovation of technology are scientists, engineers etc(Chetioui, Lebdaoui and
Chetioui, 2020). The Covid 19 pandemic though a disaster for the world, was actually a boom to
the technological advancement because the people were spending most of their times in their
home living the lives in the virtual reality and hence the need for the technology increased in and
after the pandemic. In this report, comparison and between the positive and negative aspects of
services and products being sold online and offline will be understood. Also, the challenges and
measures of security and privacy that individuals and businesses take when they go online will
also be learned. Concluding the report will be the two tools which will be detailed to know how
they were important in the pandemic times.
MAIN BODY
Compare and contrast between the positive and negative aspects of services and products being
sold online and offline.
With time the technology have started to come closer to what it set to achieve in the first
place. The technological advancement has made easier for the things to be accessed by the
people and now there is not a commercial activity which cannot be happened without the use of
the internet. Technology and its expansion was very vital during the pandemic as people were
able to achieve things even while being safe from the virus. Another type of pandemic has also
occurred in the past by the name of Smallpox(Melović, and et.al., 2021). At that time the
technology wasn't advanced enough to be able to make the world run while sitting at their home.
But now the times have change, even though there was a short period of time when everything
totally stopped but then the people started adapting to the situation and became more aware of
the technological uses. Important works like attending meetings, ordering things and watching
movies were done easily just in a mobile device. The high availability of the internet is now a
boom to the people as there is no restrictions to the enjoyment. Some of the products which were
sold offline earlier but now have successfully shifted towards the online mode are Shopping and
1

OTT platforms. Tesco is one such example of a company which shifted to the online mode to
cooperate with the pandemic and the customer demands(Adibfar, and et.al., 2022).
Positive aspects of services and products being sold online and offline.
The services and the products have the mostly the positive aspects when it comes to
products being shifted to online mode. These advantages or positive aspects are: Easier access to the products: One of the biggest advantages of the online products
especially considering the business of Tesco is the online shopping features that it gives.
The customers have very easy access to shopping and that helps the customers in the
getting the products that they desire and will be able to use multiple shopping features for
the their easier access. No need to travel: Another very important feature is to be able to do the online shopping
online and without the need to travel anywhere anytime. The no need to travel factor has
allowed the people to be able to order anything at anytime whether its the daytime or the
night, The delivery is also very fast especially for the Tesco as they have many stores
present in the UK. The customers are able to avail discounted products while just sitting
in their home. In the pandemic era the people were given the products in regard to the
safety of the people(Kumar and Kashyap, 2018). Saves time: It saves a lot of time especially for the people who are the customers as they
are able to do their work and not have ton travel to places. They have many choices and
these help them to just browse the products and order anything at any point of time. Even
the cash transactions are done online which saves the time as there is no scope of
bargaining left.
 Wide variety of choices: Another positive aspect of the online mode of the product
selling is the wide variety of choices that the customers have at their disposal. If the
customers feel that the prices of the products are very much in one shopping site they
could easily switch to other shopping sites by opening their sites in their mobile
phones(Aloui and Kazar, 2021). Tesco has made sure that there are wide variety of
choices that are available for the customers in their online shopping site.
Negative aspects of services and products being sold online and offline. Lack of touch: The fact that in the online shopping the lack of touch make the product
unreal at some level. The lack of touch is also very negative in knowing the quality of the
2

products. Unless the sites are very trustworthy, the products cannot be considered as good
products by just looking at it. Lack of shopping experience: The traditional shopping is something that is missed in the
online shopping mode. The experience of people standing in queues communicating and
suggesting products to each other and the vibe that the shopping sites is a very
memorable experiences that the online shopping modes cannot give to the people. Tesco
are doing their best in making sure that the virtual experiences of the people are as good
as the offline experience.
 Fraud play: The frauds are even more evident in the online selling of the products. These
could be very problematic for the people who are not that aware of the technological
advancements. Those people could be easily played with and could be the victim of
cybercrime and data manipulation.
Challenges and measures of privacy and security that individuals and businesses take when they
go online
When taking any business online, businesses faces various challenges and the major
challenge is come across them is regarding the privacy and security of the information and data
of the company. Following are the major challenges of privacy and security and measures to
overcome such challenges:
Challenges Ransomware attacks: Such attacks are occurred as very harmful for businesses as there
will be the hacking of user's personal information. This will prevent the users to access
their own information till the set amount i.e. ransom amount is paid. It could be very
typical for for the owner of the business as the daily tasks can't be fulfilled due to the
stop in accession of the information. IoT attacks: As there is the direct transfer of information over internet with the use of
digital technology through computers and mobiles using various software, there is a risk
of IoT attack. It is a kind of cyber attack that will result in the harm to the devices as the
attacker use malware over the device access further information about the personal data
of the companies(Mocrii, Chen and Musilek, 2018). Cloud attacks: It is another kind of cyber attack where the attackers steal the data and
information about the company. There is often a need of more privacy and security to the
3

important data or information of the companies from such attacks as it could impact the
reputation of the company. Software vulnerabilities: It is a kind of security glitch which may results in the
weakness of system code. Software vulnerability is a software defect which allows the
attacker to make control over the systems of the company. They could steal the security
codes and may change it which will prevent the users to use that software again.
 Competition: As it is known, most of the businesses switched the selling of there
products and services online too which has been increased the competition among the
sellers. While going online there may be a challenge in attracting customers as may be
there is any better option available for them. There is a proper requirement of market
research and the expectations of the consumers which may help the businesses to grow
and become stable in such huge competition.
Measures All the access should be password protected: In any company the access should be
protected by strong passwords. Though it is important for the employees to have access
of informative data related to the business, it is needed to be limited access. Also if the
data are not password protected then it could be breached and shopping sites like Tesco
could lose lot of valuable information and money due to the carelessness. Be connected with a security company: The traditional shopping measures were very
well versed to the people a they were doing it for a long time. But when it comes to the
online shopping it becomes very important for the people to be able to keep their data
safe. Being in touch with a security company can help the business in being assured of
the privacy. There are many insurance companies which helps the new businesses from
the cyberfraud(Attili, Mathew and Sugumaran, 2021). Educating the employees about the online features: Before taking the business online it
has to be made sure that the employees know everything about online features especially
how to keep the business safe from the frauds and turbulence. The employees also need
to be updated with the newest technological advancement to make sure that the company
stays in relevance with the trending things.
 Keeping reports of everything: Whether offline or online mode, the companies should
always make sure that there are reports made for everything as the data is needed to be
4

stored for the security purposes. It should also be noted that the reports are themselves
kept safe from the outside world and and the bots that are now a big issue for privacy
issues (Grishin, Obbad and Church, 2019).
Many business turned up to provide online services due to COVID-19. Comparison in between
Zoom and Go to Meeting in context to their features, application and sustainability
COVID-19, as it is known, was occurred as pandemic around the world impacted the
lives of many people and businesses. There was a drastic change or decrement in the economy of
various countries around the world as there was lockdown which resulted as closing of shops,
malls and approx the whole services across many countries. In such condition, there was a major
downfall in the sales and hence profit of various businesses. At the time of such unfavourable
condition, information and communication technology came up as an angel for the businesses as
well as the customers. ICT enabled businesses to make their products and services available
online which enhanced their sales once again. Customers specially students who were unable to
attend their lectures and important classes were again able to join session online at the apps
named as: Zoom, Go to Meeting and others. Following is the description about features of zoom
and go to meeting:
Zoom meetings
Zoom meeting is an online meeting app which was developed by Zoom Video
Communications in the year 2012. The software is available in 11 languages and it is a platform
containing windows, android, chrome OS and others. The application is useful in online
meetings and education. There was a major increase in the use of Zoom at the time of COVID-
19. As it is known, there was lockdown in many countries at the time of that pandemic situation,
schools, colleges, companies and other institutions were closed resulting in the prevention of
studies and businesses. At that time Zoom emerged as an angel for the students as it enabled to
start their study again(Sugiantari, 2020). Businesses also used this app for their important
meetings and discussions. They also use this application for interview new candidates. Zoom
allows users to create and join virtual meeting rooms. It allows them to communicate with each
other either using video and audio. Following are the main features of zoom meetings: Setting up a meeting: Anyone who wants to create a meeting is the host of that meeting.
The host could set up the meeting either instantly or set time for the meeting. There will
5

be the generation of meeting ID and password and a meeting link which will be shared
with the people who gonna participate in the meeting. Video and audio: There will be options for audio and video after the joining of meeting
which enables user to listen and see the other people who have joined the meeting.
Turning on mice and camera of each individual who has attended the meeting is in the
control of the individual itself and the host(Kumari and Ghadei, 2022).
 Sharing of screen: Host and the participants are also able to share their screens in the
meeting. This will allow the host to share videos and pictures to the participants for
making them understand better about the topic at which the meeting is conducting.
Go to meeting
It is also an online meeting app, developed by LogMeln in the year 2004. It is a type of
video conferencing which enables users to meet with other user through computer and mobiles.
The application has been using since it has launched but its use was drastically increased at the
time of COVID-19(Siddiqui and Ahmad, 2022). Its use make the users easy to attend and take
conference meetings. The application was also used by educational institutions for creating
lectures for the students. Following are the main features of go to meeting: Crystal clear audio: Go to meeting has been ranked at the top position for its audio and
video quality. It allows its users in having very clear audio without any kind of noise
break and disturbance. There will be a clear video if the conference is in visual mode.
The options of turning on the audio and video options are in control of the user itself and
the host. There could be conference calling at this app and it is the main and unique
feature of this app(Wiyono, Indreswari and Putra, 2021). One click recording: There is an option of recording the whole activities of the meeting
in the app. There is no long process for such recording as it is very simple and can be
start with a single click. It will allow the participants to listen whole lecture again if they
miss any topic or didn't attend the meeting due to various reasons.
 Screen sharing: There is a feature of screen sharing which enables the users and the
hosts to share their screens. This will allow the host to deliver the lecture effectively with
the use of relevant videos and images. They could also check the assignments or tasks or
ideas of the participants as the participants are also able to share their screens.
6

CONCLUSION
It is concluded from the above report that, integrated professional skills in digital age are
necessary as it will allow the company in overall growth of the business. The use of internet
enabled businesses to be more connective with the use of technology. Information and
communication technology helped businesses to improve communication at the workplace. ICT
enables companies to grow their business online which encourage the overall growth of the
company. As anyone can order things anytime and at anywhere, online businesses are earning
more profit but there are people who also believe in purchasing things offline as they are able to
see and touch them physically. Respective advantages and disadvantages of online and offline
businesses are also concluded. There is proper security of customer and employee data at online
platform it means online businesses also provide with data protection. There are various
challenges such as: ransomware attacks, IoT attacks, cloud attacks and others regarding online
privacy and security and also the measures to overcome these challenges such as: anti-virus
software, locks and many more. Zoom and go to meeting both are online meeting apps which got
famous at the time of COVID-19.
7

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Hemphill, T.A., Longstreet, P. and Banerjee, S., 2022. Automotive repairs, data accessibility,
and privacy and security challenges: A stakeholder analysis and proposed policy
solutions. Technology in Society, p.102090.
Mocrii, D., Chen, Y. and Musilek, P., 2018. IoT-based smart homes: A review of system
architecture, software, communications, privacy and security. Internet of Things, 1,
pp.81-98.
Banerjee, S., Das, D., Biswas, M. and Biswas, U., 2020. Study and survey on blockchain privacy
and security issues. In Cross-industry use of Blockchain Technology and
Opportunities for the Future (pp. 80-102). IGI Global.
Sugiantari, N.L., 2020. The utilization of google classroom and zoom meeting as distance
learning media in covid-19 pandemic. Cetta: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan.
Siddiqui, K.A. and Ahmad, S., 2022. Comparative Study of Alternative Teaching and Learning
Tools: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom during COVID-19. In Teaching in
the Pandemic Era in Saudi Arabia (pp. 120-129). Brill.
Wiyono, B.B., Indreswari, H. and Putra, A.P., 2021, August. The Utilization of “Google Meet”
and “Zoom Meetings” to Support the Lecturing Process during the Pandemic of
COVID-19. In 2021 International Conference on Computing, Electronics &
Communications Engineering (iCCECE) (pp. 25-29). IEEE.
Kumari, A. and Ghadei, A., 2022. Comparison of Video Conferencing Services (Google Meet
and Zoom) Based on Perception of Speech Language Pathologists on Tele-
Rehabilitation. Language in India, 22(5).
Chetioui, Y., Lebdaoui, H. and Chetioui, H., 2020. Factors influencing consumer attitudes
toward online shopping: the mediating effect of trust. EuroMed Journal of Business.
Melović, and et.al., 2021. Determinants of Millennials' behavior in online shopping–Implications
on consumers’ satisfaction and e-business development. Technology in society, 65,
p.101561.
Adibfar, and et.al., 2022. Analysis and modeling of changes in online shopping behavior due to
Covid-19 pandemic: A Florida case study. Transport Policy, 126, pp.162-176.
Kumar, A. and Kashyap, A.K., 2018. Leveraging utilitarian perspective of online shopping to
motivate online shoppers. International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management, 46(3), pp.247-263.
Aloui, A. and Kazar, O., 2021. A Survey on Privacy Preservation in Location-Based Mobile
Business: Research Directions. International Journal of Web Portals (IJWP), 13(1),
pp.20-39.
Attili, V.S., Mathew, S.K. and Sugumaran, V., 2021. Information privacy assimilation in IT
organizations. Information Systems Frontiers, pp.1-17.
Grishin, D., Obbad, K. and Church, G.M., 2019. Data privacy in the age of personal
genomics. Nature biotechnology, 37(10), pp.1115-1117.
8