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The article highlights the top five risks and security challenges in the hospitality industry. The following are the top five security risks according to the article. 1. Identity theft leading to credit card fraud - compared to other industries, the hotel industry is at more risk for credit card fraud and identity theft. This is because hotels are highly targeted by hackers. Hotel properties for the most part have credit card information for each and every guest that has stayed at a specific property. Hotels must be ahead of the technology curve when it comes to security however this is not always the case. 2. Silent invasions - This consists of all the cyber attacks that can affect a business by infecting the network. As discussed during the first module, hotels run majority if not all of their business using technology. If a hotel were to have their networks hacked it would leave them in a very bad situation. Since hotels operate their entire business using technology and multiple different systems, they would not be able to operate if they experienced a network breach. 3. Longer or no security audit cycles - Most branded hotels are required by the franchise to have consistent security audits done for each property. Independent hotels are deemed greater at risk for a security attack because they are not mandated to have security audits. These hotels sometimes skip audit cycles to save money. 4. Physical crime - This ranges from professional robberies to drug laps in hotel rooms. Hotels are at risk for armed robbery due to to lower chance of security compared to other industries that operate overnight. 5. Reputation risk - Hotels that experience a security breach almost always will see some sort of loss in competitive advantage. Nowadays with social media and the news travelers are more aware with what is going on and they would be more inclined to book their reservation somewhere else if they heard of the property having a security breach.

The termination of South Carolina Hospitality Association's director of accounting and membership, Rachel Duncan, is the latest development in the Tom Sponseller suicide investigation. CEO Tom Sponseller, leader of the South Carolina Hospitality Association for the past twenty years, was found dead last Tuesday in the company's parking garage after a suicide note was found in his office desk. Although the Feds have been conducting an ongoing investigation into the agency's finances, Sponseller was not their person of interest. The hundreds of thousands of dollars missing from the South Carolina Hospitality Association is tied instead to Rachel Duncan, the agency's former director of accounting. An outside audit of the association's finances is still being conducted however there are several sources of money embezzling being brought forth. Who is to say this tragedy may have been avoided if the Hospitality Association had outside parties conducting internal audits on a regular basis, but it would most definitely have shed light on the situation sooner.

This article introduces the different functions of the hotel accounting software. In hotel financial management, the financial accounting, cost accounting, tax accounting, auditing and managerial accounting that has different purpose to help the hotel effective manage the financial data. Financial accounting records and reports the financial transactions of the hotel. Cost counting records and reports the hotel's expenses. Tax accounting records the data related to the taxes transactions. Auditing checks all the financial data and information. Managerial accounting analyses the financial data and information to make decision. All these accounting is necessary for the hotel. With the hotel accounting software, the manager of the hotel can manage the hotel easily and more convenience.

This article provides an overview of the importance for hotels to have a centralized function and not outsourcing the hotel accounting, meaning that hotels should not use a third party provider. Companies are compelled to change, to innovate, and in need to keep up with the competition. It says that some hoteliers are choosing to outsource because is trendy, but not always function in their best interest. This article emphasizes the pros and cons, but mostly all the negative results of outsourcing, using other companies to do the work that should be centralized.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4083889.html My article highlights the cons of outsourcing a hotel's accounting system from a third party provider. The author mentions that in the hotel industry, technology is constantly changing and every hotel is trying to stay on trend and "keep up with Jones'". The main issue with outsourcing is the reduced level of service. "In a full-service hotel, the accounting department provides a long list of services: receivables, payables, payroll, revenue control, cash management, systems oversight, audit, food and beverage controls, purchasing, receiving, general accounting and budget/forecasting to name but a few." When you outsource, there is reduced attention to these details. If a hotel's own accounting department handles these daily operation segments, there is less likelihood for error and they will be able to work with the various departments to correct the issues. It also saves tons of money to handle accounting in-house. Another important issue that was raised is that if accounting is outsourced then there is no room for development for an accounting department; no growth, no promotions. A pro is that outsourcing gives a financial manager the ability to focus on the bigger picture and see where changes can be made. If they are bogged down with little details, they might not be able to be the leader the hotel needs.

The article discussions the pros and cons of whether a Hotel should out source their accounting to a third party. The author of this article strongly agrees that Hotels should not out source their accounting. The author finds it "unintelligent move". Many Hotel owners believe it's "trendy" and necessary to out source their accounting to keep up with their competitors. I agree with the author, that Hotel should do their accounting on site. Management would have better control over functions and departments such as; payroll, auditing, food and beverage management.

This article describes how technology will affect accounting system, and the reason to adapt new technology. The world has been dramatically changed over 20years. Paper was dominant back in 1990' but now most jobs are done by computer and Internet, and furthermore, the monthly fee for the Internet has been going down a lot. Everyone in the world enjoys the advantages of the Internet, and job efficiency increases. Especially, this article said technology will impact accounting profession a lot in the future. When we consider the current technology development in accounting area, the Web, mobile and social media have had a huge impact on company's operation. This article introduces that artificial intelligence(AI), cognitive computing/machine learning, natural language processing and blockchain will be adapted highly in next 20 years. For example, tax systems will guide us through the calculations and highlighting review section, and provide advice. A Huge amount of data will be collected and generate real meaning about the data and guide the business. Furthermore, continuous and real-time audit will be available. Fraud detection also will be faster and easier. As can be seen here, the profession will evolve very rapidly in next 20 years, which means it will be completely different from what we see today. This disruption challenges us to catch up with the fast pace of change but the potential of new technology provides opportunity, so adjustment for new pace is needed.

Expenses relating to telecommunications in the hospitality industry have seen an increase despite a decline in returns for products offered to guests like fees for phone calls and internet. The article explains the rising costs and how operators can control costs regarding telecommunications. "Between 2015 and 2019 telecommunications costs went up faster than operating costs across the board." One reason was due to the complimentary phone and internet offered at some properties. IT Audits, consolidation of telecom providers, and technology upgrades are three ways organizations can manage costs. IT audits involve looking at an organization's current tech plan and its performance. What does it need beyond what it has? Then consolidating the vendors used. Controlling costs especially when technology is changing will benefit owners and operators as it helps them "limit disruption and use the best tech".

Coming from a culinary background controlling costs is everything especially when it comes to food. In tech, it's way more than just what the customer sees or eats. I think IT audits would be a must nowadays in the hospitality sector as it provides a clear view of what is being utilized and a road map to where we can go and how we can skim the fat to make a better product for management and customers. I suppose consolidating tech would be like using one provider for a variety of tech solutions or software that includes many BOH applications in one place. That would be handy to have and management effectiveness would increase as you wouldn't need to educate employees on multiple platforms.

The Pestana Group (owns and operates 90 properties) has invested in MICROS Systems, Inc. (MICROS OPERA Enterprise Solution and MICROS POS). The Pestana Group invests in innovative technology as a competitive advantage and believes that the MICROS technology will grow with the firm. The Pestana Group has also invested in the MICROS Consulting Solutions to conduct audits on system. I think that the Pestana Groups success is partly attributed to their willingness to adapt and take risks.

This article talks about the many functions an HRIS has and how a business can benefit from having one. From managing payroll efficiently and properly to alerting you of any updates to the FLSA. Having such a system in place can help the HR department comply with the regulations of payroll needs and government audits.

The IRS and auditing as been behind the curve on technology in the past. This new audit process will help and improve the process. The software does depend on the cloud, so in will be interesting to see what kind of security measures will taken.

the article highlights how companies can benefit from sustainable design and gives tips on preventive maintenance

This article summarized the advantages and disadvantages of using human resource information system. An HRIS is used for employment actions such as applicant tracking, performance management, attendance, compensation and benefits management, work force analyses, and scheduling. A very popular use of HRIS is employee self-service. There are a lot of advantages of HRIS, such as it is monitored by qualified specialists who know technology and HR functional and tactical processes can manage compliance with federal and state laws, streamline processes for recruitment and selection, and produce analyses, data and reports for internal and external use. What's more, it is easy to use for qualification computer technology specialists, accuracy of information and the ability to perform HR audits using any combination of parameters. It saves a lot of time. The disadvantages included that HRIS may involve human error during information input, costly technology to update the system and malfunctions or insufficient applications to support the human resources needs. There should be a qualified specialist with human resources functional area knowledge to manage this system. The cost to hire an HRIS specialist may be far above the average salary for a computer technology specialist.

With the development of high-tech management system, HRIS is no long strange for us. The HRIS is a software or online solution to data tracking, data management, or all of the data needs of the company within the human resources department. The reason why HRIS is becoming  more popular is that it has some useful functions such as the employee self-service through which employees can find answers to common questions by themselves while not ask a human resources representative. This system can help to save time and money for the company in certain aspects. But in this article, the author compares the advantages and disadvantages that HRIS brings to the company.The disadvantages can be that it may involve human errors during information input, costly technology update and so on. So if a company wants to apply this system, it should also look at these disadvantages, compare them with the advantages and then make a final decision in order to avoid suffering from the bad sides of the system. 

The HRIS is used for applicant tracking, performance management, attendance, compensation and benefits management, work force analyses, and scheduling. HRIS can be also used for employee self-service. The human resources department staff can find answers to common questions they would have asked a human resources representative from the HRIS. HRIS has many advantages. It can help organization manage compliance with laws, streamline processes for recruitment and selection, and produce analyses, data and reports. The ease of use for qualified specialists, accuracy of information and the ability to perform HR audits using any combination of parameters. However, there are still some disadvantages, such as human error during information input, costly technology to update your system and malfunctions or insufficient applications to support human resources needs. In addition, the cost of hiring an HRIS specialist is also a problem for the small business.

In this article, basically, it tells us two main reason why Bomgar Reomote Support for 20,000 POS. Just like the autor talked in the passage: this software can stay in compliance with the regulations of both the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) and Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), which fulfilled all of their current requirement. Another reason is it heavily invest in Saleforce.com, which offers users the most secure access to POS while it also gives them enough guidances of how to use it, which become the most important reason for users to select this software because it's imperative that thy access them in a highly secure and completely auditable manner. In my eyes, it did really well in reduce users top anxierty of security. Personally, I think if every technology can solve consumers' top securiy problem it will be the biggest success.

This article discussed the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's security system upgrade to SAMS, from InvoTech Systems, and how they scored 98.8 out of 100 on an independent security audit. Mandarin's director of safety and security is Nelson Ballester, and after coming into his position, he upgraded from just using SAMS' key tracking solution to four other SAMS modules: Patrol Monitor, Security Logs, Incident Reports, and Lost and Found. According to Ballester, the SAMS system has made security at the Mandarin much more effective and efficient. In discussing security within the hospitality industry, it is important to realize that while guests want to feel safe and secure, too much, or the wrong kind of security gives the impression of danger. Thus, properties have to come up with innovative ways to have strong security measures without frightening guests. Nelson Ballester spoke really highly of the SAMS system, crediting it with the reason for his property's high score on the security audit. It appeared that two key areas that SAMS really benefited the property were with the processing and tracking of keys and being able to have greater control and knowledge of who's entering and exiting the building. SAMS' ability to integrate with multiple processes makes employees' jobs easier, and hopefully translates into providing greater customer service.

A report from CBRE analyzed the costs of phone and internet services within the information and telecommunications systems department of nearly 3000 hotels. There is an upward trend in telecom-related expenditures with a decline in revenue generation from phone call charges and internet access. Three ways to control these costs are undergoing IT audits, consolidating vendors across portfolios, and upgrading technologies.

There is a significant increasing cost of phone and internet service in hotels. In order to survive this changing landscape organizations are undergoing IT audits, consolidating telecom vendors and upgrading certain technologies. Another concern would be to limit disruptions in service.

In the article, "How to Select Human Resources Information Technology," it talks about how they are essential for companies to manage their benefits plans and their employee history. One question that they felt was important before purchasing an HRIS was, what is the degree of flexibility and scalability that it provides? Their answer was that HR professional should determine if the software could import data from paper documents, and excel sheets. "Many online enrollment solutions require that data be manually manipulated before it can go to a carrier to update their systems. Automation of the update format, transmission schedule and delivery method can help to eliminate billing and eligibility issues." This will save the company a lot of time just by investing in this system. The Human Resources Organization is group that owns this data and companies should be able to transport their data to any application service. In addition to enabling HR to approve transactions it also provides capabilities for HR to serve as the gatekeeper in auditing carrier billings. Overall, this article shows many benefits to having an HRIS, the question is if the company is willing to invest in one.

It is all about tourism revolution. This article introduces how a hotel emarketing plan works. As the author mentions, the concept of emarketing has gone beyond the traditional 4 "P"s of marketing, but with an eye towards greater homogenization. And he concludes 10 key areas of the actions: e-research, e-branding, e-marketing, e-prcing, e-communication, e-promotion, content management, e=commerce, customer loyalty and marketing e-audit.

The AutoClerk Property Management System (PMS) is designed to be the most powerful, intuitive PMS on the market. At the core of every hotel operator's business is the guest experience. It is the yield management tool. AutoClerk Yield Management Rules offer sensitivity to your occupancy by allowing you to define what levels will trigger different room rate tiers. These rules can also take into account the number of days into the future the guest is booking the room. In that way, quoting a guest a room rate is kept quick and easy. It is the room allotments. AutoClerk has built-in support for wholesaler room allotments with rolling cut-off dates and pickup reports. Each day of an allotment can have its own setting for number of rooms allotted, and AutoClerk will not allow reservation entry which overbooks a given allotment. Is also called guest history and profiles. AutoClerk's "profile lookup" searches the entire AutoClerk database, including past stays, current check-ins and future reservations. Profile lookups can identify by guest, company, group, or travel agent and can be made to be automatic, so that a reservation name entry will invoke a profile list of matches. Besides, channel auditing, availability snapshot, easy audit, customer packages, email options and housekeeping exist as some other functions.

This article talks about third-party professional who checks the effectiveness of sustainable practices applied and these properties have been audited by a qualified to help to build a Green Hotel Directory.

Aptech Profivne offers software that allows enterprises not only to efficiently handle back office processes, and performance management but also to properly plan on using resource for properties. Horizon Hospitality Management started to use Aptech Profivne back office solution in order to efficiently perform accounting processes across its multiple branded properties, such as Hampton Inns, Homewood Suites, and Cambria Suites. The first reason Horizon Hospitality chose the Profivne system is to have control over multiple properties. This system enables Horizon Hospitality to supervise all financial processes, such as income audit and general ledger entries, through a centralized platform strategy. Another reason is the hospitality industry experience Aptech has. With the wealth of experience, Aptech can provide differentiated systems adapted for hotels.