Integrated Professional Skills in Digital Age: IPSDA Project Report

This report discusses the use of modern information technology and digital technology in the current era of e-commerce, digital and technologically advanced firms. It covers collaboration tools, cloud storage, cloud computing, privacy and security, and their impact on businesses during the pandemic. Measures to prevent and protect privacy and security are also discussed.

IPSDA Project Report
Integrated Professional Skills
in Digital Age
Name of the course
Name of the University
Submission date
Student ID
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Abstract
The report has explained about the use of modern information technology and digital
technology in the current era of e-commerce, digital and technologically advanced firms. Firstly
it has identified that there are many internet conferencing mediums like zoom and Skype,
AASTARA, etc. that are connecting the world through video conferencing. The general services
that are provided by these sources not just include web conferences in but they also provide
different other features with their applications. These resources of communications provide
different services in relation to their user interaction service, remote control, brand equity, nature
and instant messaging.
It has been obtained that these applications can be helpful to improve the communication
activities throughout the business in the time of pandemic-like situations. Most importantly, a
conferencing application is considered as a famous application for connecting the stakeholders
and business with the help of audio-video conferencing. It has been obtained from the second
part of the report that the online researchers and digital technicians must acquire the skills that
help to evaluate the credibility, authenticity, accuracy, and reliability of the online resources and
research data. Furthermore, it has discussed various challenges, such as data privacy and data
theft that can affect the oral business protection and help to identify security and privacy
challenges so that adequate measures can be taken. Finally it has discussed the benefits of
limiting the networks by disconnecting from the global internet.
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Contents
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................4
2.0 Literature Review.......................................................................................................................4
2.1 Collaboration tools...........................................................................................................4
2.2 Cloud Storage...................................................................................................................5
2.3 Cloud Computing.............................................................................................................6
2.4 Privacy and Security.........................................................................................................7
3.0 Analysis and Discussion............................................................................................................8
3.1 Collaboration tools...........................................................................................................8
3.2 Privacy and Security during pandemic.............................................................................9
3.3 Private vs Public Internet................................................................................................10
4.0 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................11
5.0 References................................................................................................................................13
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1.0 Introduction
Information communication technology is referred to as an extension for the term
information technology that means the interconnectivity of telecommunications with the help of
digital tools, devices and computer systems that can create uninterrupted interactions among the
people. The information and communication technology mainly includes information exchange,
data sharing, data transmission, data storage and sometimes production also. In the highly
developing world in this era, information communication technology plays a very crucial role in
enhancing the performance of an organisation (Bertino and Ferrari, 2018). In the business
communication activities there have been many advancements in the previous two decades
starting with the invention of cellular networks, mobile phones and now the use of internet like
web conferencing that are widely used. In the following report there will be a description of
digital collaboration tools that have gained significant importance in today's developing world
and have supported businesses during the time of pandemic. Cloud storage, cloud computing and
e-commerce has become a new normal in the companies post pandemic that exist in today's
world. It will discuss the applications, suitability, advantages and disadvantages of using the
cloud storage and cloud computing and improving the business performance digitally. In this
context, it will also discuss the use of the internet during the pandemic and the challenges of
cyber security due to which privacy and security challenges arise and various measures that have
been taken. In the end, it will discuss the benefits of limiting the networks and confining the
internet and disconnecting it from the global internet.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Collaboration tools
Kashyap (2022), explains that the collaboration tools are highly integral for achieving the
common objectives of groups, enterprise or individual because it can provide better
communication exchange and information sharing by enhancing the mutual connection among
the organisation and its shareholders. According to him, the organisations who work in
collaboration are highly effective and have very less chances of poor performance and it provides
greater productivity through enhancing collaboration at the workplace. There are many
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collaboration tools, software applications and gadgets that can be utilised by the firms for
enhancing the various operation activities within the organisation such as data storage, process
management, customer support services, employee time tracking, video conferencing,
documentation and designing tools so that efficiency and effectiveness can be enhanced.
Kashyap explains that there are many collaboration tools that can enhance business
communication activities such as zoom, Skype, Google Duo, Chanty, Hangouts, WebEx, Goto
meeting, click meeting, etc. Cloud storage, cloud computing and e-commerce has become a new
normal in the companies post pandemic that exist in today's world. The applications, suitability,
advantages and disadvantages of using the cloud storage and cloud computing and improving the
business performance digitally. These digital collaboration tools were very helpful for the
businesses to survive and overcome their business communication problems during the time of
pandemic and post pandemic for avoiding physical contact and keeping the participants safe
(Cheng and Yen, 2020).
The author has suggested various advantages of utilising collaboration tools that are given
below:
 Enhance the interaction activities of the people and develop communication.
 Easy marketing of products and services without risking crucial lives of people.
 Build social relations and improve competitiveness of the organisations during the time
of pandemic.
Kashyap has also described a few threats/disadvantages of using collaboration tools that are
elaborated under:
 Weak security and chances of cyber theft and loss of crucial data.
 Social media is a tax that can decline the brand image of the organisation.
2.2 Cloud Storage
Mister (2019), identified and described that cloud storage is a digital storage that stores
important data on the internet with the help of digital cloud that stores millions of data like water
droplets. It can be used by organisations for storing large amounts of data on the internet so that a
backup can be created and it can be used at the times of need.
Mister provides certain advantages of using cloud storage that are as follows:
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 The overall investment on acquiring physical storage and its maintenance requires a large
amount but the cloud storage is very much cheaper and its maintenance requires very less
costs.
 The physical storage systems provide a limited area or space for storing things but digital
storage provides flexible storage systems that can be increased or decreased according to
the requirement.
 If the data in physical storage is burnt or decayed, it is difficult to recover but cloud
storage data can be recovered easily with the help of multiple backup systems.
Mister has also criticized the use of digital cloud because of its disadvantages.
 Cloud data is mainly dependent on the internet and the internet has its own limitations.
 The additional costs are incurred on downloading or uploading data, as well as expanding
the storage space on the cloud.
 The cloud data has the risk of cyber security and cyber theft which may expose company
vitals in front of unknown identity (Guan and et. al., 2018).
2.3 Cloud Computing
Peterson (2022) demonstrates cloud computing systems as the combination of computer
equipment and technology that deals with data including, data procurement, data classification,
data presentation, data analysis, data storage, data reporting and data sharing on the internet
without direct interference by the user.
Peterson identifies certain advantages of using the cloud computing software and devices.
 Cost saving is the primary advantage because with the help of cloud computing software
there is no requirement to install physical hardware within the organisation and acquire
trained professionals for handling data processes.
 Cloud computing is itself a package that provides complete services for managing
company vital information and data.
 With the help of using the latest technology like cloud computing the organisations can
gain competitive advantage (Kollolu, 2020).
 Cloud computing provides backup to the data and also creates synchronising and
upgrading its storage so that data can be synchronised.
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 The use of cloud computing provides high speed information sharing and helps to plan
various activities within the organisation.
 Automatic software integration of the cloud data helps to integrate the activities of
organisations with the data.
 With the help of cloud data the mobile it and quick deployment of data can be done.
Peterson identifies its disadvantages too that are as follows:
 Cloud technology is complex in itself and may face various technical issues and create
problems for the organisation sometimes.
 The main disadvantage is security and data safety issues due to cyber-crime and cyber
security.
2.4 Privacy and Security
Anderson (2021), identifies data security and privacy as the protection of vital information
or data from unauthorised users who may misuse the vital information for wrong purposes. Data
privacy is the main reason for data security that helps to protect vital information of an
organisation from digital robbery or theft.
According to Anderson, data privacy and security is integral for protecting, safeguarding
and managing business information in such a manner that it is not exposed to unreliable or
unauthentic people. It is integral for an organisation to maintain its privacy and security of data
so that customer information, business information and stakeholder information can be protected
from unauthorised usage (Pandey and Karve, 2019). Author explains that the use of data privacy
and security is very critical due to the rising level of technology and the number of users utilising
digital devices and gadgets throughout the globe. Digital technology has contributed to growth
but the cases of breach of privacy and data theft are becoming very common at all levels. The
countries throughout the world have witnessed average total cost of data breaches of
approximately $4.25 million according to IBM/Ponemon Institute Report.
Anderson also examines other challenges regarding data privacy and security such as cyber
security and cyber-crime that has intensified the exposure of data to the hackers and unauthorised
users. The challenges of data privacy and security have increased due to the intensified growth of
technology and increased use of digital devices supporting the covid-19 pandemic. The author
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has identified certain measures for increasing privacy in security when using internet
applications or services online.
 Use of Encrypted Operating Systems
 Updating operating systems and software
 Restricting the use of financial information and personal data on social media profiles
 Using the private networks for performing business activities
 Using secure vault with constantly upgraded passwords
 Using two factor authentications for securing login devices.
 Set up Google alert for every login
 Not sharing vitals like one time password, zip code etc.
 Avoiding the use of free Wi-Fi network for business purposes
3.0 Analysis and Discussion
3.1 Collaboration tools
Two collaboration tools
Skype
Skype is one of the most famous telecommunications application and web conference
software that can be used for audio-visual interaction as well as voice calls among the users. It
can be used by the organisations for transmitting, sharing, transferring and storing messages,
images, audio and video configuration among the users. Skype was introduced and launched in
August 2003 (Skype, 2019) for providing free audio visual conferencing and messaging for the
users. It helps to bring people together and improve their communication through its audio visual
conferencing and additional features like presentations, messaging, group chat etc. (Sunyaev,
2020). It has supported people during the time of pandemic to interact intellectually with each
other by avoiding physical contact.
Google docs and duo
A Google doc is one of the simplest tools that can help the teams to collaborate with each
other. With the help of its web conferencing system or Google Duo the online meeting, cloud
computing services and video conferencing were used by the businesses. With the help of useful
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software Google docs can provide options for publishing, editing and sharing data with free
access to some limit and provide useful information to others by its platforms.
How the collaboration tools have helped the businesses during pandemic
The use of collaboration tools by the business cannot be undermined because it helped
businesses to operate successfully during the time of pandemic.
 Remote operations of business activities (Xue and et. al., 2018).
 Connect with the teams and departments throughout the organisation without physically
touching them
 Maintaining the requirement for social distance in so that the employees’ health can be
taken care of
 Provide better training and development to the employees
 Sharing information and ideas easily with the help of presentations and online data
3.2 Privacy and Security during pandemic
Privacy and security concerns
The privacy and security concerns have been rising during the covid-19 and its situation
because of the use of digital technology in the activities of business throughout the world. There
are many privacy and security related concerns of organisations during the covid-19 pandemic
that are elaborated below:
 Theft of useful information by the hackers and exposure of customer information,
business information and shareholder documents in front of unauthorised users.
 Updated or degraded security systems of previous generations that may lead to the failure
of security systems and protocols to confide information and data.
 Failure of corporate IT security and loss of company information due to the threat faced
by companies during Covid-19 pandemic.
 Use of important information of the organisation by the hackers and unauthentic users
due to improper technical support and lack of technical advancement by the organisations
due to covid-19 restrictions.
Measures to prevent and protect the potential privacy and security of the organisations
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A business can take many measures to overcome the challenges of security and privacy
thefts which can help them to prevent and protect the customers and organisation from loss of
data in wrong hands.
 Ensuring incident response protocol by constantly upgrading, testing and synchronising
the alternate operating solutions in the business.
 Timely checking and testing the private connections of the employees and workers at
their places so that potential leakages can be discovered.
 Focusing on security monitoring and technical expertise is for improving the security of
supply chain operations within the business.
 A measure that can be taken for securing information privacy and security of the
organisation, employees and stakeholders is by network segmentation and other methods.
 Use of Encrypted Operating Systems
 Updating operating systems and software
 Restricting the use of financial information and personal data on social media profiles
 Using the private networks for performing business activities
 Using secure vault with constantly upgraded passwords (Zheng and et. al., 2020)
 Using two factor authentications for securing login devices
 Set up Google alert for every login
 Not sharing vitals like one time password, zip code etc.
 Avoiding the use of free Wi-Fi network for business purposes
3.3 Private vs Public Internet
The internet connections are classified as private networks or public networks. During the
conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia trying to develop its own internet connection,
disconnecting from the global network and controlling their local area network on their own.
Public Internet Networks Private Internet Networks
 Public network refers to the network
that can be used by anyone and anyone
can connect with it that may be paid or
unpaid, and its best instance is the
internet.
 Public network is not controlled with
tight interlinks and it is easy to access
for everyone.
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 A private network can be explained as a
restricted network that may be limited
to certain users and the best example
for a private network is a corporate
network or school network.
 Private networks are bounded by end to
end encryption which means it is tightly
controlled and has higher latitude
(Panteli, Yalabik and Rapti, 2018).
Benefits and challenges of a private internet local to a specific country
The major benefits that can be gained by Russia by using their own private internet
network are elaborated below.
 Privacy: with the help of private internet networks Russia can protect their virtual
information, country data, connectivity, internet servers etc.
 Security: it also helps to protect personal information and useful data in its devices and
improves nationally security interphase.
 Hiding private information like military data, country economy, financial transitions, etc.
 Escape data-throttling because it can help to maximize internet speed and can protect the
country from phishing, and data theft.
 Offer cheaper connectivity to the residents in the country because it can help to bypass
the renting of expensive networks and improves the connectivity throughout the nation.
 Improve the economy of the country because the finances and charges for the use of the
internet will be held within the nation.
 Provide better growth opportunities by securing the country with digital war so that the
country can operate better even at the times of war and catastrophic situations.
4.0 Conclusion
It has been obtained from the above report that information communication technology is
very important for businesses to stay competitive in the current era of development. It has been
explained in the book report with the help of literature reviews regarding the use of cloud
technology, cloud computing and cloud storage, collaboration tools, data security and the use of
private networks for improving the digital race. Moreover, the report has been elaborating the
use of collaboration tools such as a zoom, Google Duo, and Google drive for improving the
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connectivity. It has been identified that the use of cloud storage and cloud computing can help
the organisation to store huge amounts of data that can be accessed easily and provide supportive
growth for the organisation. Along with this, it has been described that the businesses in today's
world have many problems related to security and privacy of data that needs to be understood for
improving the privacy and safety of firms. Furthermore, the report has demonstrated about the
privacy and security concerns like data theft, hacking, etc. during the covid-19 pandemic due to
the intensified use of digital technology by businesses. Finally, it has been discussed that private
and public internet facilitates various operations in different contexts and the advantages of using
private internet that is local to specific countries.
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5.0 References
Books and Journals
Bertino, E. and Ferrari, E., 2018. Big data security and privacy. In A comprehensive guide
through the Italian database research over the last 25 years (pp. 425-439). Springer,
Cham.
Cheng, H. P. and Yen, K. C., 2020. The relationship between the economic policy uncertainty
and the cryptocurrency market. Finance Research Letters, 35. p.101308.
Guan, Y. and et. al., 2018. Data security and privacy in fog computing. IEEE Network, 32(5).
pp.106-111.
Kollolu, R., 2020. Infrastructural Constraints of Cloud Computing. International Journal of
Management, Technology and Engineering, 10. pp.255-260.
Pandey, A. and Karve, S., 2019. New Age Flash Teams-The Power of 3. International Journal of
Business Insights & Transformation, 12(2).
Panteli, N., Yalabik, Z. Y. and Rapti, A., 2018. Fostering work engagement in geographically-
dispersed and asynchronous virtual teams. Information Technology & People.
Sunyaev, A., 2020. Cloud computing. In Internet computing (pp. 195-236). Springer, Cham.
Xue, J. and et. al., 2018, November. DStore: a distributed cloud storage system based on smart
contracts and blockchain. In International Conference on Algorithms and Architectures
for Parallel Processing (pp. 385-401). Springer, Cham.
Zheng, D. and et. al., 2020. Toward assured data deletion in cloud storage. IEEE Network, 34(3),
pp.101-107.
Online
Brad Anderson, 2021. The significance of data privacy and security. [Online] Available
Through, https://techreport.com/software/3474008/the-significance-of-data-privacy-and-
security-for-your-business/
Mathew Mister, 2019. 10 advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage. [Online] Available
Through, https://www.promax.com/blog/10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cloud-
storage
Richard Peterson, 2022. Advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. [Online] Available
Through, https://www.guru99.com/advantages-disadvantages-cloud-computing.html
Vartika Kashyap, 2022. 53 Best online collaboration tools. [Online] Available Through,
https://www.proofhub.com/articles/best-online-collaboration-tools
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