Security risk in a wireless enviroment

I was reading an article in Hospitality Upgrade by Tia D LLori about the security risk associated with wireless access in hotels and restaurants. Many people feel that when they use their laptops in wireless venues that their data is safe from tampering, but according to Tia the risk are elevated when in a public wireless access hub. Thieves in today's environment are smarter and have ways to access your computer by using programs that allow them to eavesdrop on open wifi signals. Many thieves have even created their own bogus websites that redirect unsuspecting wifi users to false websites that encourage you to enter pins or access codes. Scammers today have found ways to disrupt wifi ,collect information through the kaos, they then use this information in another attack. The good news is there are precautions we can take in order to protect ourselves. The first is not to send important credit card or bank card information in a public or unprotected area, make sure you have a firewall on your wireless device and try to use pass codes that are not easily cracked, don't use common names or default pass codes. Another important piece of advice was to make sure you don't leave your wireless device unattended. Some of this stuff seems obvious but you would be surprised how many people are not taking any precautions to protect themselves. andhttp://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-549-Wireless-Networks---A-Customer-Loyalty-Dream-Can-Become-a-Security-Nightmare.asp


Reflection:
I found this article to be very informational, many people don't realize the need to be careful when using today's technology. Technology is moving at the speed of light, and even kids today often have very sophisticated pieces of technology. Phones And laptops are found in nearly every public place I can think of, many of us use our black berries or ipads to do important banking or changing of personal information. Making hotel reservations in public wifi areas or buying stuff off amazon can be very risky when you consider the sophistication of today's thieves. I know i will be more caution when using technology in public, especially when i am dealing with pass codes or pins. It seems to me that the safe route is to make sure your wireless technology has good security and does not leave your site when in public places.

Hospitality schools try to implement technology in programs

Recently I read an article in the Nations Restaurant News by Alanna Klassen that was talking about the increased need for information technology in the hospitality industry. The article talked about how schools like the Uuniversity of Delaware, University of Houston and Cornell University were looking to add more technology courses to their curriculum in order to bolster the technology knowledge students would have when they graduate. The article stated that the new focus of many restaurants and hospitality related businesses are now Internet reliant and much of the information that these establishments attain comes from technology based systems such as POS or CRM. Alanna stated it was critical for students to have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of these types of systems if the students wanted to be competitive in toady's market. The article says that many hospitality programs have added technology courses to their curriculum in order to give their students that competitive edge. One of the obstacles many universities have encountered is the lack of professors knowledgeable in the hospitality technology sector. Schools have started to share information with each other to help alleviate some of these problems. The future of hospitality seems to be in the hands of technology. http://digibib.ehb.be/storage/Sector%20Informatie/Hospitality%20education/HOSPITALITY%20SCHOOLS%20STRIVE%20TO%20KEEP%20PACE%20WITH%20TECHNOLOGY1.pdf

Reflection:
I felt this article was a solid reason for taking classes like this one. The importance of technology in the future  cannot be overstated. Employers will be looking for graduates who have the ability to navigate this technology and the creativity to manipulate it. I can see how the POS systems have started to change how we deal with customers and is giving managers more information about their clientele, I also can see how the Internet has become one of the major engines for marketing these hospitality companies. The future of our business is dependent upon information systems and our University has stepped up and started offering classes like this one so that when we graduate we will be prepared to use it. As technology grows we may also find that their will be good databases on the Internet that can be shared, this will help managers make better decisions about how they run their business. I feel that this article spoke to the rising need for information technology in toady's market.