CHAPTER 6 VALUING ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

LEARNING OUTCOMES

6.1.      Describe the broad levels, formats, and granularities of information

6.2.      Differentiate between transactional and analytical information

6.3.      List, describe, and provide an example of each of the five characteristics of high

            quality information

6.4.      Assess the impact of low quality information on an organization and the benefits

            of high quality information an organization

                       

THE BUSINESS BENEFITS OF HIGH-QUALITY INFORMATION

Information is powerful. Information can tell an organization how its current operations are performing and help it estimate and strategize about how future operation might perform. Remember that new perspectives and opportunities can open up when you have the right data that you can turn into information and ultimately business intelligence.

            Information is everywhere in an organization. Managers in sales, marketing, human resources, and management need information to run their departments and make daily decisions. Organizational information comes at different levels in different formats and “ granularities “. Information granularity refers to the extent of detail within the information ( fine and detailed or coarse and abstract ). For example, a company might be collecting information from various suppliers to make needed decisions, only to find that the information is in different levels, formats, and granularities.

THE VALUE OF TRANSACTIONAL

AND ANALYTICAL INFORMATION

TRANSACTIONAL INFORMATION

There are hundreds of transactions that go through organizations every day. The result of these transactions is transactional information. Transactional information is all the information contained within a business unit. The primary purpose of transactional information is to support day-to-day operations of the unit. Examples of transactional information include: sales receipt, packing slip, purchase confirmation, etc. So transactional information is the result of performing daily operating tasks. In addition, every time a cash register rings up a sale, a deposit or withdrawal is made from an ATM, or a receipt is given at the gas pump, capturing and storing of the transactional information are required.

            Databases that can handle transactions are known as transactional databases. The main purpose of a database is to ensure accuracy and integrity of information.

ANALYTICAL INFORMATION

 In contrast to transactional information, analytical information is used for managerial analysis decision making. People who are higher up in the hierarchy of the company usually do not need all the details of transactional information. They need the bigger picture. Here is where analytical information is used. An example of analytical information is used. An example of analytical information is a report on monthly sales.

Examples of analytical information

ü  Trends ( information about where the particular market is heading and if the organization should follow the trend)

ü  Sales ( information about if the organization needs to pick up sales in a particular area or if it should cut back on inventory of specific products)

ü  Future growth projections ( information about whether or not the company looks like it will grow, usually if it is taking on a new venture)

THE VALUE OF TIMELY INFORMATION

·         Timeliness is an aspect of information that depends on the situation :

Ø  Real-time information – immediate, up-to-date information

Ø  Real-time system – provides real-time information in responses to query requests

·         Business decisions are only as good as the quality of the information used to make the decisions.

·         You never want to find yourself using to help you make a bad decision faster.

 

THE VALUE OF QUALITY INFORMATION

·         Characteristics of high-quality information include:

•  Five characteristics of high quality information are accuracy, completeness, consistency, uniqueness, and timeliness. 

•  Information needs to be of high quality to be useful and accurate.  The information that is input into a data base is presumed to be perfect as well as accurate.  The information that is accessed is deemed reliable. 

•   Completeness is another attribute of high quality information.  Completeness is as necessary as accuracy when inputting data into a database.

• Consistency is key when entering information into a database.  For example, with a column for a phone number entry 10 digits is the expected length of the field.  Once the fields have been set in the database, a number more or less than 10 digits will not be accepted.  The same applies for any field, whether it is an entry that requires a number, a series of numbers, an address, or a name, etc.  If the fields are not set to a specific limit for information then consistency is even more important. 

•   Uniqueness is the fourth component of high quality information.  In order to add value to any organization, information must be unique and distinctive.  Information is a very essential part of any organization and if used properly can make a company competitive or can keep a company competitive. 

•   A fifth important aspect of information is timeliness.  New and current data is more valuable to organizations than old outdated information.  Especially now, in this era of high technological advances, out-of-date information can keep a company from achieving their goals or from surviving in a competitive arena. Real-time information is an element of timeliness.   

UNDERSTANDING THE COSTS OF POOR INFORMATION

•         The four primary sources of low quality information include:

1.    Online customers intentionally enter inaccurate information to protect their privacy

2.    Information from different systems have different entry standards and formats

3.    Call center operators enter abbreviated or erroneous information by accident or to save time

4.    Third party and external information contains inconsistencies, inaccuracies

·         Bad information can cause serious business ramifications such as :

1.    Loss Of Managerial Control

2.    Hidden Cost

3.    Threat to Security and Confidentiality

4.    Quality problems

5.    Tied to the Financial Well-Being of Another Company

6.    Bad publicity

 

UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS OF GOOD INFORMATION

Why is Information Technology Important

All our work related applications are now completely automated, thanks to the IT sector. IT professionals are people involved in essential management of sensitive data, exclusive computer networking and systems-engineering. The advancement of the IT sector has resulted in automated:

• Administration of entire systems.
• Production and manipulation of sensitive information.
• Cultural development and communication.
• Streamlining of business processes and timely upgrades.

Advantages of Information Technology

• Globalization
True globalization has come about only via this automated system. The creation of one interdependent system helps us to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The collapse of geographic boundaries has made the world a 'global village'. The technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker and round the clock. The wonders of text messages email and auto-response, backed by computer security applications, have opened up scope for direct communication.

• Cost-effective
Computerized, internet business processes have made many businesses turn to the Internet for increased productivity, greater profitability, clutter free working conditions and global clientèle. It is mainly due to the IT industry that businesses have been able to make their processes more streamlined, thereby becoming more cost-effective and consequently more profitable. People are able to operate their businesses 24x7, even from remote locations only due to the advent of information technology.

• Communication
Quick and effective communication is vital to any business anywhere in the world. Information technology gives an entrepreneur or business the tools, like email, video conferencing, SMS, etc., essential to communicate efficiently and effectively. to the business world, and information technology gives your company the resources it needs to communicate quickly and effectively. Not only do people connect faster with the help of information technology, but they are also able to identify like-minded individuals and extend help, while strengthening ties.

• Storing and Protecting Information
IT provides a low-cost business options to store and maintain information that may be important from a business or service point of view. Virtual vaults and other such security systems not only store vital data but also allow control over the access to such information. IT security systems will also protect virtual data from being hacked or wiped out in case of any technical failure.

• Creation of New Jobs
One of the biggest advantages of IT has been the creation of a whole new field of opportunity for skilled personnel leading to new and interesting jobs. Hardware and software developers, computer programmers, web designers, system analyst, the list of new jobs created could go on. IT has also been attributed to be the major cause of surge in the economies of certain Third World nations too.

REFERENCES

Baltzan, Business Driven Information Systems, The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009, New York.

http://operationstech.about.com/od/outsourcing/tp/OutSrcDisadv.htm

quizlet.com/.../chapter-6-7-valuing-organizational-information-storin...

sites.google.com

www.computerbusinessresearch.com

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-of-information-technology.html

                                                                                                       

Facebook Worm Leads to Heavy Infection

The researchers of Danish security firm CSIS warn about a new Facebook worm doing rounds and dropping malware. It spreads by compromising accounts and spamming out the users' friends with a message that contains only a link. If followed, the link takes the potential victim to a page where he or she is offered what appears to be a screensaver for download:

 

Unfortunately, it is not a JPG file, but an executable (b.exe). Once executed, it downloads another executable to the system. "The worm carries a cocktail of malware onto your machine, including a Zbot/ZeuS variant which is a serious threat and stealing sensitive information from the infected machine," warn the researchers. The worm is hosted on a variety of domains, so the link in the malicious message may vary. Other servers are used to collect the data sent by the aforementioned malware and to serve additional malicious software.

The worm is currently detected only by two of the AV software solutions used by VirusTotal, and it has anti-VM capabilities, which makes it impossible for researchers to test it in virtual environments and sandboxes. Needless to say, users are advised to be careful about opening suspicious links contained in Facebook messages. If you're not sure whether the message apparently sent by your friend was actually sent by him, it's better to ask him about it. In this case, if he has not, you can also tell him that his computer has probably been infected and his account compromised.

Posted on 29 Nov 2011 and Source from www.net-security.org                

State software testing hub to contribute to GNP

KUCHING: The setting up of Malaysia Software Testing Hub (MSTH) Sarawak Chapter will contribute to the gross national product (GNP) and create new high-value jobs in the state.
This is because MSTH has taken a holistic approach in developing all the components that make up a software testing ecosystem – market, human capital, technology and policy, said Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof.
He said public-private partnership initiative under the economic transformation plan and new economic model could help drive the country towards a high income and developed nation by 2020.
“I have been keeping close tab on the progress of efforts to develop Malaysia’s software testing industry since the roll-out of the Malaysia Software Testing Hub (MSTH) initiative in 2009 and is indeed encouraging to see that Sarawak is now picking up pace in a similar direction,” he said at the MSTH Sarawak Chapter official launching yesterday.
At the launch, MSTB and Sarawak-based organisations, Unimas, Swinburne Unviersity of Technology, and Independent Data Services signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate the development of the industry.
“In today’s environment, software testing is applicable and relevant across all industries and sectors which makes it an important element of our daily lives.”
With the formation of the MSTH Sarawak Chapter, he is confident the development of the software testing industry in the state would move at a much faster pace.
He believed with the involvement of Swinburne University of Technology in the MSTH Sarawak Chapter, the state would not be short of competent software test professionals needed to support the growth of the industry in time to come.
He added that software testing was not a standalone industry and must co-exist with other software development activities wherever software or software-enable products were deployed.
Meanwhile, recent government initiative to create a strategic framework to drive Malaysia into a new digital economy by
fusing the various ICT programmes across the public and private sectors to form a cohesive ICT ecosystem further reinforces the opportunities in software testing.
Digital Malaysia is expected to drive new wealth creation and enhance the quality of life of Malaysians by maximising the use of information and communication technologies in boosting the economic, social, governance, technology and environment dimensions that make the need for quality software testing all the more pertinent.
Fadillah is confident that Digital Malaysia will achieve its fundamental aim of continuously making Malaysia a productive, creative and innovative nation in a complex competitive global economy.
However, to achieve this, all stakeholders must work together and in convergence towards achieving MSTB objectives.
Also present were MSTB president Mastura Abdul Samah, Unimas deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Peter Songan, Swinburne Sarawak campus academic director associate professor Enn Ong and Independent Data Services chief technology officer Reuben Wee

UTAR joins YTL Communications’ Education Partner Program

Petaling Jaya, 27 July 2010 – Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) joined YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms)’s Education Partner Program (EPP) today and signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to jointly deploy a campus-wide 4G network at the UTAR flagship campus in Kampar, Perak. Subsequently, similar deployments will be carried out at all UTAR campuses at Setapak, Sungai Long, and Petaling Jaya.

UTAR joins YTL Communications’ Education Partner Program

This marks another major milestone in the extensive EPP project spearheaded by YTL Comms to bring 4G converged service, offering data, voice and mobility to all public and main private universities in Malaysia. UTAR is the first private university to join EPP with UTM as the first public institution of higher learning we signed up earlier.

“We believe that being part of EPP will transform the way of life on our campuses. 4G Mobile Internet will provide new levels of interactivity among students and faculty personnel. Also, being a university that delves in extensive research work we are happy with the new innovative functions and capabilities our researchers will have access to with 4G Mobile Internet,” said Ir. Professor Dato’ Dr. Chuah Hean Teik, President of UTAR.

According to Professor Dato’ Dr. Chuah, this partnership will empower 12,000 students in the UTAR Kampar campus, and another estimated 7,000 students in all of the UTAR campuses around the Klang Valley, with enhanced accessibility to both Intranet and Internet facilities throughout the campus grounds.

Under the EPP, all UTAR students will enjoy high-speed, wireless broadband access at anytime and from anywhere within the campuses. Every student will get converged data and voice services totalling 300 Megabytes per user, per month for a period of 3 years.

“As we bring our 4G network capabilities to all Malaysians, it is crucial that we give special consideration to our university students, the pillar of our future. Therefore we are very pleased that UTAR has joined our EPP. We will be working closely together to foster a new generation of progressive, tech savvy and innovative students that are able to create a positive impact to the development of the nation,” said Wing K Lee, CEO of YTL Comms. “Malaysian students are among the first, if not the first in the world to have such pervasive use of the most advanced Internet technology today”.

“Students are constantly moving, always communicating on-the-go, and have this endless need for information to supplement their studies, course-works, and daily lives. Wherever the student sits or ride is a potential seat for learning and development. While on campus, they can open their laptops and immediately connect to the world – anywhere, anytime,” Professor Dato’ Dr. Chuah explained.

Once the infrastructure is up and running, UTAR will be working closely with YTL Comms to nurture the development of Internet applications in the university’s technology degree courses.

“We plan to make YTL Comms’ 4G Mobile Internet the foundation in our center of excellence for the 4G network applications and devices our students are developing. On the Kampar campus alone, we have an immediate sample size of 12,000 users to carry out our research on the 4G network in our efforts to further advance the telecommunications engineering courses”, elaborated Professor Dato’ Dr. Chuah.

Present to witness the signing ceremony was Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik, Chairman of the UTAR Council, members of the UTAR council, Professor Dr. Lee Sze Wei, Vice President (R & D and Commercialisation), UTAR, Jacob Yeoh, Executive Director of YTL Comms, and the senior management of YTL Comms.

 

 

About YTL Communications
YTL Communications is the communications arm of YTL Corporation. The Company plans to provide affordable, world-class services that improve the way people in Malaysia work, learn and play. With a strong financial backing from the parent company and the technological know-how from strategic, best-in-class partners such as Cisco, Clearwire, GCT Semiconductor and Samsung, YTL Communications will roll out a nation-wide 4G mobile Internet network in 2010. The company is committed in bridging the digital divide between the urban and rural communities, improving the quality of life, and supporting efforts to promote technological innovation. For more information, please visit: www.ytlcomms.my.

Creating Malaysia's First 4G Campus-wide Network

Skudai, 1 July 2010 – YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms) today entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in a joint collaboration to provide 4G campus-wide network in UTM Skudai. This effort is in support of the National Broadband Initiative (NBI) aim to reach 50% broadband penetration rate by end-2010.

Creating Malaysia's First 4G Campus-wide Network

This landmark initiative will be the first of an extensive program spearheaded by YTL Comms to bring 4G converged service, offering data, voice and mobility into all public universities in Malaysia.

As a result, YTL Comms will make available that high-speed wireless broadband connectivity to more than 400,000 students by year-end and correspondingly increase broadband penetration rate throughout the country.

“The signing of our agreement with UTM today marks an important milestone to build a new generation of immersive and progressive students that are able to access information and knowledge instantly at their finger tips. The YTL Comms Education Partner Program (EPP) provides the ability for these students to access the IntraNET and Internet anytime, anywhere within the campus. The EPP allows our students to do things differently and bring about a wave of positive changes in a YTL Comms 4G enabled education environment that will eventually contribute to the larger future success of the nation. ” said Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Francis Yeoh, Executive Chairman of YTL Communications.

Under this arrangement, YTL Comms will at its own cost undertake the following:

• Design, build, operate and manage a 4G campus-wide network (for the provision of data and voice services within the university’s Skudai campus).
• To complement and enhance UTM’s existing ICT infrastructure.
• Provides free broadband access to every student, allowing data and voice services of 300 megabytes per user per month within the campus.
• Provides the program for a period of 3 years from launch.

The 4G campus-wide network is a high performance, high-capacity wireless network, which is optimized for dense mobile broadband access with voice services. It will support UTM’s commitment to develop a highly advanced learning environment for all their students and help the University, to enhance its position as a cradle of technology excellence in the nation and the world. Thus, this will make UTM to be more competitive in attracting top-class student applicants and faculty staff.

“We’re on the cutting edge of new technology, the first university in Malaysia to gain exposure to high-speed 4G broadband wireless connectivity,” said Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ir Zaini Ujang, Vice Chancellor of UTM.

“Having 4G campus-wide network makes UTM unique, it provides a competitive edge to demonstrate to prospective students that we are progressive in developing new technologies and also provide current students with immersive learning”, added Dato’ Dr. Zaini.

The low latency, high bandwidth 4G technology supports fast data rates, is highly spectrally efficient, and is developing a robust device ecosystem. As an all-IP technology, it is optimized for web services. Members of UTM Skudai community will soon be using and evaluating new learning approaches enabled by high speed wireless broadband. In particular, they are focusing on immersive learning environments harnessing advanced multimedia techniques.

The event commemorates the launching of YTL Communications EPP and the signing of the MoA with UTM, the first university under this program by YB Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais bin Yatim, Minister of Information, Communications and Culture.

 

 

About YTL Communications
YTL Communications is the communications arm of YTL Corporation. The Company plans to provide affordable, world-class services that improve the way people in Malaysia work, learn and play. With a strong financial backing from the parent company and the technological know-how from strategic, best-in-class partners such as Cisco, Clearwire, GCT Semiconductor and Samsung, YTL Communications will roll out a nation-wide 4G mobile Internet network in 2010. The company is committed in bridging the digital divide between the urban and rural communities, improving the quality of life, and supporting efforts to promote technological innovation. For more information, please visit: www.ytlcomms.my.

About Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is an innovation-led Research University and a leading research-intensive university in engineering, science and technology. UTM’s mission is to lead in the development of creative and innovative human capital and advanced technologies that will contribute to the nation’s wealth creation. This is in line with the aspirations of the country towards becoming a knowledge-based, innovation-led economy grounded in creativity and innovation with high value creation. Through a strategic transformation of its organizational structure, UTM is focused on creating a vibrant academic culture and fertile intellectual ecosystem that inspire creativity and innovation.

FSKTM Students Represented UPM in Imagine Cup

Three students from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FSKTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), were selected to represent UPM at the 2011 Malaysia Imagine Cup competition recently.

Mohamad Najib Basery, The Green P The FSKTM team is led by their mentors, Dr. Lili Nurliyana Abdullah, Dr. Razali Yaakob and Dr. Rohaya Latip. Namely the Green P, they created the 'Botanic Sustainability Smart System', a web based software to identify the type of soil and suitable plants that can be planted with it. A second year student in Bachelor of Computer Science (Computer Networks), Mohamad Najib said the idea to develop the software was drawn from the famine situation in Africa. Thus we are inspired to help them in identifying suitable crops for their land. "It took us almost two months to develop this system as well as data collected from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry (MOA), Institute for Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and assisted by Prof. Dr. Kamaruzaman Joseph from the Faculty of Forestry, "he said at the Malaysia 2011 Imagine Cup competition at the Pullman Hotel, Kuching. In addition, the system is able to analyze the crop price index, which enables those involved in the agricultural industry to determine their budget in order to initiate agricultural projects. Meanwhile, WASPending developed software that combines the teaching of general knowledge, science and math, and also a hero character as well as focused history for students aged 10 to 12 years old. WASPending team leader, Wong Ching Yee said the system called 'Challenge the Difference "was developed in the form of games and educational software. "I hope that this software will draw attention from the children’s education related industry," he said. His friend, Tan Wee Chong, a final year student of Bachelor of Computer Science (Software Engineering) from The Frontiers said his group developed 'The 1 Cent Project' a micro donation system that integrates with telecommunication companies to further promote the culture of giving among students. "Students can donate as low as one cent, and the use of the software can be promoted by the telecommunications company as a community service program (CSR). "By using this system, users can select their donation to be distributed for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the amount to be donated and the identification number and the data will be verified by the telecommunication companies after obtaining confirmation," he said. The 2011 Imagine Cup is a technology competition between the students of the Institution of Higher Education in promoting solutions to global problems. The competition aims to produce talented students in the world of software designers, programmers, game developers and digital media enthusiasts and simultaneously addressing issues related to humanitarian assistance, poverty, education, disease control, health, environment and global issues. Contact: Noor Eszereen Juferi Universiti Putra Malaysia Tel: +60389466013

Mohamad Najib Basery, The Green P Copyright : Wong Ching Yee, WASPending Tan Wee Cheng,The Frontiers Copyright : Wong Ching Yee, WASPending

UKM Places Great Importance to Visual Informatics Research

By Radzuan Ghazali

Pix Mohd Hairul Azmi Jahid

BANGI, 9 Nov. 2011 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) places great importance to research in information and communications technology in line with the National Digital Transformation Plan that can spearhead the country’s economic development.

Deputy Vice Chancellor  (Students and Alumni Affairs) UKM, Prof Ir Dr Othman A. Karim said the university has been allocated a sum of RM44million under the 10^th Malaysia Plan for research in the area against an allocation of only RM3million under the sixth plan.

Speaking at the opening of the International Conference of Visual Informatics at the Equatorial Hotel here today he expressed confidence that the Ministry of Higher Education will continue to support the university to undertake research and innovations in informatics.

The three day conference is organised by the Institute of Visual Informatics UKM and Faculty of Information Science and Technology, UKM with the theme ‘Virtual Informatics: Sustainable Innovations Towards Wealth Creation’.

It is attended by some 150 engineers, academicians and those involved in the industry worldwide. A total of 71 papers have been tabled for discussions.

Chairman of UKM Board of Directors, Tan Sri Zulkifli A Hassan  who officiated the opening on behalf of the Minister of Higher Education said informatics technology plays a very important role in revolutionising and supporting various sectors including education, communications, health care in addition to biotechnology and genetic engineering and visual informatics.

He said visual informatics was especially relevant in education as it has the widest reach compared to the traditional method thus allowing more people in the country to have access to it.

 
Since the setting of the Malaysia Super Corridor (MSC) 2,455 companies including institutions of higher learning have been given MSC status with 2,574 IPs registered.

Prof Dato’ Dr Halimah said the conference is a platform for academics and professionals and experts in visual informatics to share their experiences and information and was confident that participants would greatly benefit from it.

USE TECHNOLOGY TO SEEK KNOWLEDGE

Penang, 31 May: Developments in communications and information technology have brought about changes to society and university students, specifically those in distance education. This group of people should use technology in seeking knowledge.

According to the Acting Vice-Chancellor of USM, Assoc. Prof. Omar bin Osman, technological developments have created societies that are information-based that will enable them to compete globally.

“However, all knowledge available at the finger tips will not be of use if students do not strive to master the technology. The ability to master technology such as the Internet will give students the competitive edge and ensure that they are not left behind in their pursuit of knowledge,” he said at the Distance Education Students Welcoming Ceremony in conjunction with the Distance Education Orientation Week from 28 May to 1 June 2007.



He said that USM has taken the initiative to enhance the e-Learning portal of the School of Education, USM, hence, students are able to attend video conferencing sessions anywhere.

“Commencing this Academic Session, students who face difficulty in attending lectures at the district centres of the School of Distance Education can follow the video conference and download lecture videos if they have Internet lines.”


“Based on the study related to the initiative and feedback from students, we believe that this will greatly benefit students. We are also looking into the technology that will enable students to interact with their lecturers during video sessions which we hope to implement in the near future,” he said.




Through the School of Distance Education e-Learning portal, students can access additional notes, assignment questions, sel-access learning modules and others available at http://el.usm.my/pppjj/.

For the 2007/2008 Academic Session, 1,732 students from all over the country will pursue their Bachelor of Arts [Humanities], Bachelor of Social Sciences, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Management degrees.

From this total, 53 students will undergo the orientation programme at Maktab Sabah, Kota Kinabalu from 5 June and 74 students will undergo this progmme at the Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Hj. Abdillah, Petra Jaya, Sarawak.

USM also accepted 26 senior citizens and 32 students with different abilities.


DISABILITY AND AGE NO BARRIER IN STUDIES
Penang, 31 May 2007: If there's a will, there's a way. Believing in this saying, 32 students with different ability and 26 senior citizens made a vow to continue their studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) to fulfil their dreams of earning a degree.



These students registered for the university's Distance Education Programme on 28 may 2007.

Among them, Norhayati binti Mohd. Yusoff, 27, a polio victim at the age of 13, said that she was determined to take up the challenge to further her studies at the university.

“I dropped out in Form 1. But I realised that importance of knowledge and I continued to study from home on my own. After completing my SPM in 2003 and STPM in 2006, I applied to continue my studies at USM.”


“I believe that I can overcome all obstacles with a strong will. My family members and close friends have always been supportive and they've encouraged me to continue my studies. Their support and encouragement will strengthen me in my journey which I believe will be an uphill struggle,” she said. She's pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Arts.

As for senior citizen, Hj. Ahmad bin Eunos, 62, he will be achieve him aim of continuing his studies as he's offered the Bachelor of Social Sciences programme. He retired in 1998 as the Deputy Commissioner of Commerce at the Foreign Ministy in South Africa. He holds a Diploma in Law.



“I've always wanted to continue my studies but had had to postpone my plans due to work commitments. And now, I'm able to achieve my plan despite my age.”

“I think USM's effort in providing senior citizens with the opportunities to further their studies is commendable. With the initiatives such as reduced fees and a conducive environment, I see no reason why senior citizens like me should reject the offer to continue our studies,” he said.


Another senior citizen student, K. Jayalakshme, 58, describes the opportunity as the university's recognition of their work experience. He was a teacher.

According to him, developments in technological have enabled everyone in all levels of society to continue their studies and this opportunity should be put to good use.


“I believe that age is not barrier in pursuing a degree. USM, for instance, has provided vast opportunities through its e-Learning Portal for its students in their pursuit of knowledge. If there's a will, age is not a barrier,” he said.

Caption: DETERMINATION...Acting Vice-Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Omar bin Osman [right] with Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs), Prof. Dato' Rosihan M. Ali (centre) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Dato' Prof. Muhammad Idiris Saleh sharing their experiences with Norhayati Mohd Yusoff, student with different ability, and senior citizen students at the Welcoming Ceremony for new students of USM's distance education programme today.

About UM SMS Service (2003 - 2008)

History Of UMSMS (2003-2008)

UMSMS stands for University of Malaya Short Messaging Service. UMSMS service was first started in 2003. The initial objective of providing the service was to allow students to access information conveniently via mobile phones alternative to those provided by Umisisweb an internet based system. The move to implement the service was to augment the existing internet based service catering for students who do not have access to internet.

Right from the start of its implementation in 2003, UMSMS service connects seamlessly with the relevant internal systems so as to generate the related info of the student. The UM SMS platform used at that point of time was an independent platform initially using 39339 as its SMS service number. Usage of such service is much lower in volume as compared to its internet based counterpart since access to info via SMS is NOT free.

In early 2008, MAMPU initiated the e-KL initiatives. UM and other government agencies becomes part of the e-KL. The key objective of e-KL is to support the Electronic Government initiative. Middle of 2008, UM SMS ‘ s platform was  redirected from the old number to the new e-KL number which is 15888 in support of the e-KL and to leverage on a lower SMS charges guaranteed by e-KL.

The need to use new means of communication in UM besides existing electronic mail and manual fliers and notices increases late in 2009. It started with Faculty of Medicine who requested to use the SMS service to broadcast special messages according to student groups.

Thus, realizing the fact that , it is possible that in future other Faculties or Administrative office might require similar alternative means of communication, PTM’s UM SMS team from Collaborative application division is now in the process of developing an administrative UMSMS portal to cater for the distributed needs. The development is expected to finish by end of 2010.

WHAT IS GSM   GSM stands for Global System for Mobiles. This is a world-wide standard for digital cellular telephony, or as most people know them Digital Mobile Telephones. GSM was created by Europeans, and originally meant “Group Special Mobile”, but this didn’t translate well, so the now common more globally appealing name was adopted. GSM is a published standard by ETSI, and has now enjoys widespread implementation in Europe, Asia and increasingly America.

WHAT IS SMS   SMS stands for Short Message Service. It is the ability to send and receive “Short Messages” to and from GSM handsets, or as they are named by ETSI ‘Mobile Terminals’ (MT). A “Short Message” can contain up to 160 characters in one message, which is quite a lot when you think about it, most messages are simply a call me back, or pick up the parcel from here. The biggest problem with SMS is getting a big screen big enough on the mobile phone to be able to read them easily. SMS is a really nice feature of GSM, being able to give someone a message without actually speaking to them is a great time saver, and results in less misunderstanding; it is kind of like e-mail in your pocket.

CURENT/EXISTING UM SMS APPLICATIONS   Current UM SMS hosts following functions accessible to UM Undergraduate student: 1. UM YURAN / UM BAKI 2. UM JADUAL 3. UM EXAM 4. UM KURSUS 5. UM PENSYARAH 6. UM RESULT   Go to Umisisweb (panduan sms) for the 'How To Access' instructions.

EXISTING UM SMS ARCHITECTURE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:   1. UM SMS Application Server – located in PTM and managed by PTM 2. SMS Centre – located  in PTM and managed by vendor 3. UM SMS Application server is the server where we put UM’s customized application. a) The server will receive the username and password from a student and query the required result and then send it back to the user via SMS through the SMS gateway. b) UM SMS Centre server is the gateway that passes the result from the application server to the SMS gateway and vice versa. 4. The SMS GATEWAY is a server which is connected to several GSM modem. This is the point where result from UM SMS Centre is sent before it is sent to the GSM networks subscribed by the user. 5. Both UM SMS Centre and the SMS GATEWAY are being managed by the vendor. Therefore, to cater for other SMS application server, extra customization will be required to be done to the server itself. This is beyond the boundary of UM system administrators.                                                      STEPS FOR UM STAFF OR STUDENT WHO ARE INTERESTED IN USING THE EXISTING UM SMS GATEWAY :   There are 2 options to consider: a) Obtain your own GSM Modem (e.g  Wavecom FASTRACK Modem with your own SIM card) b) Use existing UM SMS Gateway.   If you are a UM student who would want to use the SMS as part of your project. It is advisable that you choose option A. If you need consultation on how to set up, you can contact our PTM personnel, Encik Adnan Yahya, at 03-7967 4005.   Otherwise, if you decide to use the existing UM SMS Gateway (option B) then you will need to: 1) write to Pengarah PTM stating your request. (PTM will arrange  discussion and meeting with the vendor who are responsible for the SMS Centre) 2) prepare your own server to host your own SMS Application. 3) prepare your own budget for the usage and extra customization needed to get your sms applications running.