IT in Finance Industry - Essay Example

IT in Finance Industry Describe a technology project that you worked on for a significant amount of time. What did you learn from completing that project and how would you do things differently if you were starting a new project?I have worked as the project manager for the development of a website – slimlike.com. The most important things I learnt from the project are the importance of version management and rigorous testing before taking the website live. Bugs raised after taking the website live, due to a mistake in the files uploaded.

An older version of a file which had some bugs was uploaded and this resulted in the website not being able to carry out online transactions. If I have to do this project again, I will plan a version management system and instruct the team members to strictly follow it and verify the version of the files before uploading them to the live server.What do you believe are the most important things that we all, as users and system administrators, can do to make the Internet a more secure place to compute?

First and foremost, always have up to date reliable anti-virus software with an Internet Firewall installed in the system. It is not possible to eliminate all threats as hackers and malware programmers cannot be eliminated. So the best policy is to prevent such attempts. In case a threat is encountered, the user has to report the issue to the anti-virus software provider, so that the provider can issue a fix for that threat as well. The system administrators can have security certificates and encryptions included in their web applications so that it is impossible for anybody to include viral software in the web application and spread it across the web.

Whats more important in a backup system: features or reliability? Why? As far as a backup system is considered, reliability is far more important than the features included. The main reason for using a backup system is to restore the original system if it encounters a sudden threat or gets corrupted. The backup system has to be reliable and error free so that it can actually serve its purpose. Limited features are sufficient for a backup system, as they do not play major role. In order to provide uninterrupted service to the end users, it is always essential that the backup system is reliable and is always ready to be used as a substitute.

If a user complains that Internet Explorer is acting strangely, how would you go about resolving the problem? In this case, resolving the problem depends on the nature of the issue and at times, even on the level of technical knowledge of the user. In any case, the basic things to check in the event of a complaint are:1. Check the monitor settings and scale (horizontal and vertical) the screen appropriately.2. Check the windows settings and set the screen resolution to an optimum level.3. Check the Internet Explorer settings (Tools > Internet Options) and make sure that the settings are proper.4. Check the Internet Connection and make sure that the modem is functioning properly.

Assume that you are making changes to a production storage system and as a result of a mistake or a bug, some or all data is lost. What do you do next? The first thing to do is to stop continuing the changes try and reverse the changes done recently. It is best practice to take a screen shot or record the steps that are being taken. The database has to be checked to verify if the data has been corrupted or has been completely erased. If these troubleshooting techniques do not work or take long time to be completed, the best thing to do is to restore the backup to the production storage system.

The system with the bug can then be investigated to identify the mistake and take corrective measures.If a US equities trader has a problem entering a trade into their OMS at 3:45 PM, what goes through their mind? How does this affect your troubleshooting process? The trader will get very tensed or agitated as he has to make the trade before the market closes. Only then, he will be able to exploit the current market condition and also the settlement will be done on the expected date. He will want the system to be corrected within a matter of minutes and add pressure to the person handling the issue.

This will hinder the usual troubleshooting script as it will be lengthy and follow a certain order, and the trader will be impatient. Suppose you have been troubleshooting a problem on a users PC for an hour and have not been able to identify the problem. What do you do next?If the problem has not been identified even after an hour, then it is best to start the diagnostics fresh from the first step. It is quite possible that an error has been missed or overlooked during the first phase. The troubleshooting process has to be done this time very carefully looking for even the minute details.

If this attempt is also unsuccessful, then it is best to transfer the issue to a more technically sound professional.