School - I026:- Book review - Be Fast or Be Gone: Racing the Clock with Critical Chain Project Management by Andreas Scherer.

It describes a man who goes to work in a new company and starts implementing Critical Chain project management methodology. Book is novel based, quite good reading.

Few words, I wouldn’t like to spoil the reading experience of the 234 pages.

It starts with a reason why one man changed his company where he had successfully used Critical Chain methodology and needed to implement it in a pharmaceutical company.

At the beginning there is a test project what will show what this method can do and throughout the process of implementing it to all company. It includes complex relationships with management, workers and includes a lot of interesting twists and turns. 

The book has got good examples how to communicate delays and how to make very clear, visible reports of the projects.

One interesting part on page 138 witch I would like to share, rest of the story you can get by reading this book.

“What you need is the relay race mentality we’ve encouraging in the <Project> team.  We were able to substantially beat the previous timelines, because we relentlessly worked on the tasks on the Critical Chain with high priority and focus. We constantly looked for ways to regain lost ground. This has to be the mindset on all of our projects. If it is, you’ll win. It’s that simple.”

Amazon shop link: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Fast-Gone-Management-ebook/dp/B004THZ9VK

School - I026: XIV - Pick one company's code of ethics and analyze it in the blog

The piece of writing related to I026. This session concentrated on the ethics and IT. It is actually quite fun to write on those different topics. Having some guideline, make some research, write your heart out. Hopefully will have more post coming in the future as well. Need to take on some challenge.

We had to pick one company and analyze the code of ethics about this company. Since I have covered Tesla in many of my past posts here, then let's go over their Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

They have 14 sections and one for CEO and senior financial officers and of-course introduction. PDF contains total 4 pages, but also it is readable in their webpage, no need to download the file.

I made high level summary of all those chapters below. It is written in more detail in the document, but everything is very clear.

Introduction

It is very specific, if you break the code, your contract with the company will be terminated and if the code of ethics conflicts with the law, then always follow the law.

1. Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations

Laws of the countries are most important and if needed, always ask for help. It is straight forward and they come back and tell that laws is most important topic.

2. Conflicts of Interest

Easy and simple - do not work with competitors, do not use your position in the company to gain benefits, try to avoid loans and other guarantees between employees. If you cannot fulfill your obligations to the company, notify your superior.

3. Insider Trading

Do not use confidential information for trading.

4. Corporate Opportunities

Do not use company property for personal gains.

5. Competition and Fair Dealing

Outperform competition with fairness and honesty, not by sabotage.

6. Discrimination and Harassment

They will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment of any kind.

7. Health and Safety

Be safe, keep others safe.

8. Record-Keeping

Mark down your actual work hours, keep records in detail. Keep in mind that every e-mail, note, memo is candidate for becoming public. Be honest.

9. Confidentiality

Keep confidential information confidential.

10. Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets

Company equipment should not be used for non-Company business, though incidental personal use may be permitted.

11. Payments to Government Personnel

Do not bribe.

12. Waivers of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Any waivers  of the code can be done only by the Board of Directors.

13. Reporting any Illegal or Unethical Behavior

Talk with supervisors always when you see something which shouldn't be tolerated.

14. Compliance Procedures

Ask first, act later. Do not be scared of asking and do it without fear. Anonymity will be protected if needed.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR CEO AND SENIOR FINANCIAL OFFICERS

This chapter basically describes how and what are responsibilities of CEO and senior financial officers. All those chapters are understandable and it is basic ethics

Conclusion

I feel that Tesla's code of ethics can be easily adopted to any company and they are more than reasonable. Nothing unnecessary and it is basic ethics. Coming to think that is it ethical that I wrote this post using my company's laptop? In the end my company will benefit once I have finalized the school and even during when I am in school. Something to think about though. Since I have company's chat and e-mail client also open and will not reject any email or chat then I am not so conserned.

School - I026: XIII - Security, pick one security big security risks in IT and write an review of it - Internet of Things: Internet connected smart devices

This weeks session was focused on security in IT. We needed to take one biggest risks in IT and describe it based on the Mitnic's formula. This contains 3 different parts: technology, training,  policy.

Internet of Things (IOT)

IOT is part of our everyday's life and it will only grow, soon we have sensors and smart devices everywhere, they are not smartphones or tablets, but they can be simple light switch, teddy bear who receives and sends voice messages, cars who come around the corner to pick you up, mirror which tells your temperature, the list is unlimited and it is only increasing. What about Mitnic's formula, how it applies?

Technology

There have been developed special routers for IOT devices, which move them to segmented network to ensure that hacker cannot reach to the computer device network through IOT network easily. Each home should be equipped with firewall inside the router already to keep out the most of the attacks, which just scans ports and tries to get inside trough insecure port. All IOT device access needs to be monitored and alerts of suspicious activity needs to be noticed. Always, when you use IOT device, think it as the weakest point of your computer network (humans doesn't count). Usually those devices are small chips, standard bluetooth/wireless connection points, no additional security layer. Make sure that at least bluetooth / wireless passwords can be changed and no remote access is allowed. Basically it comes to you, and your training and policy.

Training

There are not much trainings of IOT devices, you can acquainted with biggest failures online. There are many good stories out there and summaries as well, like this one in Forbes about IOT bots or how your coffee machine can ruin your life or the Tech Radar article how the hack rate is growing. Just listen to security podcasts, read articles, and always think that this is most insecure part of your network.

Policy

As I have stated two times already. IOT device is the most insecure device in your network (now stated 3 times), then you can prevent a lot by:

• Move IOT devices to segmented network. It would be even good if you have dedicated networks for separate functions of IOT devices based on what they can do.
• Update your firewall, make sure that you log suspicious activity in firewall.
• Make sure that you can change IOT connection passwords and change them often.
• Read about the product before you buy it, use words in google: "how to hack device id/name"
• Always be on alert if it comes to IOT

School - I026: XII - Different way of IT - Write an description of the modern accessibility tool which you have encountered.

This weeks session specialized on accessibility software and hardware tools. We have to write an description of the modern accessibility tool which you have encountered.

I was thinking about different people groups and different accessibility settings and there are so many special tools and hardware made for it. Nothing for single fit which could be used in many operating systems, phones, tablets, laptops/PC's and so on.

  

There will be one silver bullet, really soon, which will resolve all those issues and tools into one, most likely it will eliminate most of the input modules as well. This is called roughly "brain implant".

I've just heard the most ambitious plans by Elon Musk, again he pops up in my blog. He calls it Neuralink. They want to enable this to brain damaged persons in the first step, but it can be enabled to everybody. The area is very wide, job offerings include material engineering, biomedical engineering, electrochemicist and so on. The product will be in the border of ethics and how it can be ensured that nobody doesn't hack your brain-chip?

I think that the most important job here is to ensure full and transparent security for this product, preferably open sourced so the people can in community to see the code and fix bugs whatever are there. The initiative although is perfect. Let's hook us up with the chips and control stuff with our mind.

We can be real live x-men's.

After brain-chip, next step will be enabling exoskeletons. They are divided into 2, active and passive. It depends on the person which one needs to be used also those exoskeletons can be built for different purposes, depending on the needs of the person.

There you have it, basically 2 technologies, which must be used back to back can resolve most of disabilities problems for persons. Brain chip also may help with brain computing power.

•  Eyesight, if we now have brain-chip, exoskeletons, plug in artificial eye and vision.
•  Hearing, microfon, no magic here.
•  Voice, speakers are present.
•  Missing limbs, get artificial one.

Starting from brain-chip we are basically fighting disabilities and actually "normal" people will remove their human disabilities like cannot fly or cannot see  through walls with brain-chip and counted technologies.