HIM210-9: Analyzing Security & Signatures: PDA vs Convertible Laptop

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the security features of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and convertible laptops, specifically focusing on their suitability for use in healthcare settings. It highlights the security advantages of convertible laptops, such as hard drive passwords, fingerprint scanners, and ease of network disconnection. The essay also discusses different types of signatures, including digitized, digital, and electronic signatures, advocating for the use of digital signatures by physicians due to their enhanced security features like encryption and tamper detection. The document emphasizes the importance of secure data handling and access in healthcare and suggests that convertible laptops offer a more robust security framework compared to PDAs. Desklib provides access to this document along with a wealth of study resources for students.

Running head: HIM210-9-PDA-VRS LAPTOP
HIM210-9-PDA-vs Laptop
[Name of the Student]
[Name of the University]
[Author note]

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Introduction:
Convertible laptops are the latest trend of technological convergence in the industry of
portable computers. This type of laptops can act as a laptop as well as a tablet. These devices
have a touchscreen display which is mainly designed for the purpose of allowing the users with
the facility of working with this device in tablet mode (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014).
Standardization of laptop as the best way for heightening the security:
 Convertible laptops are having a security feature of hard drive password. These
passwords are generally set on the BIOS or the UEFI level (Mueller & Oppenheimer,
2014). This initially results in the lockdown of the hard drive of the laptop and it would
be impossible to boot the hard drive unless and until the password is entered. Along with
this, it is also easy to put the password on the laptop.
 Laptops are having an inbuilt feature of fingerprint scanner which along with decreasing
the need for externally wired scanner also increases the security.
 Disconnecting the laptop from a network is much easier as the wired network cable stays
very close to the user (Lam, Lim & Schoenung, 2013). For wireless networks, the
disconnection is done by use of software along with which there exists a physical button
for quick killing of the wireless connection.
 Convertible laptops are much easier to use and provides the facility of using the device
on both laptops as well as a tablet so they are easy to carry anywhere.
 Along with this, the network can be accessed from anywhere due to inbuilt wireless
connectivity. So the physicians would be able to access the system of the group from
anywhere.

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Type of signatures:
Digitized signature generally refers to the image of any handwritten signature which is
used for signing documents digitally. A digital signature is similar to digitized signature but they
are drawn using a finger on an iPad or created by mouse (Lam, Lim & Schoenung, 2013).
Whereas electronic signature refers to the signature in electronic form and is used by the
signatory to sign. For the physicians the digital signing is better it supports the electronic
signatures, secures the sensitive data by making use of encryption, detects tampering of data and
invalidates the signed document if any alterations have been done.

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References:
Lam, C. W., Lim, S. R., & Schoenung, J. M. (2013). Linking material flow analysis with
environmental impact potential. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 17(2), 299-309.
Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard:
Advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological science, 25(6), 1159-
1168.