490,681 research outputs found
Application Adaptive Bandwidth Management Using Real-Time Network Monitoring.
Application adaptive bandwidth management is a strategy for ensuring secure and reliable network operation in the presence of undesirable applications competing for a network’s crucial bandwidth, covert channels of communication via non-standard traffic on well-known ports, and coordinated Denial of Service attacks. The study undertaken here explored the classification, analysis and management of the network traffic on the basis of ports and protocols used, type of applications, traffic direction and flow rates on the East Tennessee State University’s campus-wide network. Bandwidth measurements over a nine-month period indicated bandwidth abuse of less than 0.0001% of total network bandwidth. The conclusion suggests the use of the defense-in-depth approach in conjunction with the KHYATI (Knowledge, Host hardening, Yauld monitoring, Analysis, Tools and Implementation) paradigm to ensure effective information assurance
Some results from a system dynamics model of construction sector competitiveness
Despite government-led good practice initiatives aimed to improve competitiveness in the U.K. construction sector, fluctuations in growth-driven demand, investment and constant regulatory revisions make it very difficult for an enterprise to plan strategically and remain competitive over a timescale exceeding 2 to 3 years. Research has been carried out to understand the historical evolution and changing face of the construction sector and the dynamic capabilities needed for an enterprise to secure a more sustainable competitive future. A dynamic model of a typical contracting firm has been created based upon extensive knowledge capture arising from fieldwork in collaborating firms together with a detailed review of the literature. A construct called the competitive index is used to model contract allocation in a stylised market. The simulations presented enable contracting enterprises to reflect strategically with a view to remaining competitive over a much longer time horizon of between 15 and 20 years. The rehearsal of strategy through simulated scenarios helps to minimise unexpected behaviour and offers insights about how endogenous behaviour can shape the future of the enterprise. To date, work on construction competitiveness has been either of a static nature or set predominantly at the level of the project. This study offers a new perspective by providing a dynamic tool to analyse competitiveness. It creates a new paradigm to support enhanced construction sector performance
The organizational dynamics enabling patient portal impacts upon organizational performance and patient health: a qualitative study of Kaiser Permanente.
BackgroundPatient portals may lead to enhanced disease management, health plan retention, changes in channel utilization, and lower environmental waste. However, despite growing research on patient portals and their effects, our understanding of the organizational dynamics that explain how effects come about is limited.MethodsThis paper uses qualitative methods to advance our understanding of the organizational dynamics that influence the impact of a patient portal on organizational performance and patient health. The study setting is Kaiser Permanente, the world's largest not-for-profit integrated delivery system, which has been using a portal for over ten years. We interviewed eighteen physician leaders and executives particularly knowledgeable about the portal to learn about how they believe the patient portal works and what organizational factors affect its workings. Our analytical framework centered on two research questions. (1) How does the patient portal impact care delivery to produce the documented effects?; and (2) What are the important organizational factors that influence the patient portal's development?ResultsWe identify five ways in which the patient portal may impact care delivery to produce reported effects. First, the portal's ability to ease access to services improves some patients' satisfaction as well as changes the way patients seek care. Second, the transparency and activation of information enable some patients to better manage their care. Third, care management may also be improved through augmented patient-physician interaction. This augmented interaction may also increase the 'stickiness' of some patients to their providers. Forth, a similar effect may be triggered by a closer connection between Kaiser Permanente and patients, which may reduce the likelihood that patients will switch health plans. Finally, the portal may induce efficiencies in physician workflow and administrative tasks, stimulating certain operational savings and deeper involvement of patients in medical decisions. Moreover, our analysis illuminated seven organizational factors of particular importance to the portal's development--and thereby ability to impact care delivery: alignment with financial incentives, synergy with existing IT infrastructure and operations, physician-led governance, inclusive decision making and knowledge sharing, regional flexibility to implementation, continuous innovation, and emphasis on patient-centered design.ConclusionsThese findings show how organizational dynamics enable the patient portal to affect care delivery by summoning organization-wide support for and use of a portal that meets patient needs
Memorable And Secure: How Do You Choose Your PIN?
Managing all your PINs is difficult. Banks acknowledge this by allowing and facilitating PIN
changes. However, choosing secure PINs is a difficult task for humans as they are incapable of
consciously generating randomness. This leads to certain PINs being chosen more frequently
than others, which in turn increases the danger of someone else guessing correctly. We
investigate different methods of supporting PIN changes and report on an evaluation of these
methods in a study with 152 participants. Our contribution is twofold: We introduce an
alternative to system-generated random PINs, which considers people’s preferred
memorisation strategy, and, secondly, we provide indication that presenting guidance on how
to avoid insecure PINs does indeed nudge people towards more secure PIN choices when they
are in the process of changing their PINs
Web development evolution: the business perspective on security
Protection of data, information, and knowledge is a hot topic in today’s business environment. Societal, legislative and consumer pressures are forcing companies to examine business strategies, modify processes and acknowledge security to accept and defend accountability. Research indicates that a significant portion of the financial losses is due to straight forward software design errors. Security should be addressed throughout the application development process via an independent methodology containing customizable components. The methodology is designed to integrate with an organization’s existing software development processes while providing structure to implement secure applications, helping companies mitigate hard and soft costs
In search of strategic assets through cross-border merger and acquisitions: evidence from Chinese multinational enterprises in developed economies
Drawing on multiple cases of cross-border merger and acquisitions (CBMAs) by Chinese multinational enterprises (CMNEs), we investigate their search of strategic assets in developed economies (DEs). It is a received view that CMNEs use CBMAs to access strategic assets in DEs so as to address their latecomer disadvantages and competitive weakness. This paper aims to identify the nature of strategic assets that sought after by CMNEs and the post-CBMA integration approach, a partnering approach, adopted in enabling access to these assets. The findings reveal that CMNEs possess firm-specific assets that give them competitive advantages at home and seek for complementary strategic assets in the similar domain, but at a more advanced level. The partnering approach helps securing these strategic assets through no or limited integration, giving autonomy to target firm management team, retaining talents and creating synergy
- …