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This article talks about how hotels are trying to upgrade the in room phones to better serve the guest they receive. They have started to think of ways to integrate the phones to have USB ports for charging smart phones or thinking of ways to actually have a tablet available on the night stand. Some companies have even decided to downgrade their phones to save on maintaince cost since most people have smart phones or tablets with all their information on it.

I think this is a great article that you found. It is true that people do not really use the in-room telephones anymore unless it is to call down to the front desk and then still the hotel is not making money on it. If they had an all-in-one phone, alarm, USB port, mp3 people would get a lot more use and be happier with it. These devices should start to come to major hotels and see how they work and then go from there to be everywhere

This article mainly talks about icloud basics and the cost of icloud. Icloud has lots of benefit for the customer who uses apple devices. Icloud do not replace local storage on iPhones, ipads and iPod touches. Icloud keep data in sync between any apple device and PC that you own. Every data are available across devices from Iphone to ipad. All the documents can be shared in any apple devices and people do not need e-mail or USB to store and transfer files. It brings lots of conveniences to the customers. Also, icould provide excellent backup function for customers. Another advantage of apple devices is that third party apps are able to use icloud as well. The cost of this service is not really expensive and apple will provide 5GB I cloud storage for free. Apple charges some extras money for additional storage, but it is not very expensive. Icloud will help apple not only enhance current market, but also can expand the future PC and other digital devices market. People who own multiple iOS devices will get the most out of iCloud, because it saves the hassle of manually transferring data between iPhones, iPads and so on. Therefore, more and more people will purchase apple devices in order to get the most out of icloud.

The thunderbolt will have high-speed data connection technology that provides a maximum of 10 GBPS transfer rate. This will be the first thunderbolt motherboard to be certified by Intel. By having a motherboard as unique as this one, computers will be able to operate a higher speed, which can optimize work performance. This motherboard will also have six USB ports, 4 PCI Express slots and much more accessories. I believe having a Computer with this hardware can be beneficial to any company, especially when working with various projects and software. How do you feel this motherboard can impact a business on a day to day basis? below i have included the webpage for you to check out the articles on this motherboard.

Setting up an electronic system to match with your current manual system has three major advantages: * Potential reductions in calculation errors * Increased ease of reporting data in useful formats * Improved safety and permanency of stored data The advantage of matching the systems is that the staff is already familiar with working with the manual systems, thus making it easy for them to continue identifying their entries in the new system. To better transition to the new system pick a group of people from your staff that will help identify any problem areas that can be fixed in the new system. Buying a software that fits your specific needs will also help you save on costs so that programmers don't have to start from scratch and can just modify the software to your business precise needs. You need to test the software before you switch over to the electronic system, as it is easier to correct any errors before all the data has been transferred. It is also very important to train all the staff including the managers on the new system. Provide information on any new procedures and allow the staff to compare the reports from the manual to the electronic system. Backing up your data on regular basis to an icloud storage or a personal USB drive is also important so that no issues arise. Companies could suffer large financial losses if important data is lost or stolen.

Backup and recovery describes the process of creating and storing copies of data that can be used to protect organizations against data loss. This is sometimes referred to as operational recovery. The purpose of the backup is to create a copy of data that can be recovered in the event of a primary data failure. Primary data failures can be the result of hardware or software failure, data corruption, or a human-caused event. Storing the copy of the data on separate medium is critical to protect against primary data loss or corruption. This additional medium can be as simple as an external drive or USB stick. The possibility of weather-related events may justify having copies of data at remote locations. For best results, backup copies are made on a consistent, regular basis to minimize the amount data lost between backups.

Restaurants and hotels were among the first businesses to offer mobile-friendly websites as a way to improve the customer experience. Now, the hospitality industry is looking for new ways to reach consumers who have come to see technology as an integral part of the customer experience.

New technology brings new capability. Within the retail POS hardware industry, new technology is driving change in retail hardware platforms. Cloud-based software, coupled with the emergence of powerful and feature-rich mobile devices, offers new possibilities for retailers to better serve and engage their shoppers at the Point of Purchase. Typical construction of a Point of Sale cash register is centered on a PC workstation. These cash register systems are often positioned in one or more fixed locations in the retail store. They might be served by an array of peripheral devices: a touch display, a customer pole display, a handheld scanner, a receipt printer, and a cash drawer. These peripheral devices are typically configured with serial or USB interfaces and connect to a port on the PC workstation dedicated to each device. Software developers engage each device through OPOS or native DLLs drivers created by the hardware manufacturer. In this setting, a shopper is compelled to queue up at the cash register and stage their goods for itemized sale. By contrast, software functionality and mobile device technology allow a retailer to bring the Point of Sale transaction to the shopper at their Point of Purchase. In this way, a retailer can increase shopper loyalty by providing a more convenient, more personalized, and more interactive transaction experience. A purpose-built Point of Sale solution can be developed from the ground up for the mobile transaction faster than ever. Hardware manufacturers are creating new solutions to support this trend. By selecting hardware that maximizes the benefits of a mobile transaction, a retailer can significantly improve system performance and significantly reduce the total cost of the system. However, the current PC-centric workstation architecture presents several technical challenges as a retailer chooses to deploy a mobile POS solution. Consider this example: A mobile credit transaction performed on a smart phone

Bluetooth proximity marketing was the new and upcoming marketing technique back in 2014. As learned this week in class this kind of marketing is used to connect with potential and existing consumers. There are four different types of proximity marketing that should be considered:  Internet enabled device (cell phone, tablet, etc) with GPS.  WiFi device (cell phone, tablet, etc) within range of a transmitter  Bluetooth device (cell phone, tablet, etc) being within range of a transmitter  NFC enabled phone that can read a RFID chip on a product or media. The main one described in this article is Bluetooth. An example of Bluetooth proximity marketing would be a retailer adds a transmitter to a specific promotional spot, and the person with a Bluetooth enabled phone may receive a coupon for the products found at that promotional spot or a complimentary product. The target is to directly market the consumer, you can send coupons, engage the costumer, send relevant information, etc.

This article mainly talks about the use of internet in hotels. For things like email and basic internet use it isn't too bad, but for video streaming and things with high levels of data use they might need to start charging. Travelers are not a big fan of little stupid hotel fee's though. A lot of travelers are now tethering through their smart phones or using a 4G usb drive that connects to their laptops. Hotels need to figure out what they're going to do; travelers have many options so you want them to choose you.

Wi-fi is a service everyone expects everywhere, especially in hotels. It seems easy enough to install but proposes numerous questions and challenges for a hotel providing wi-fi, such as whether or not to charge a fee, who manages it and problem-solves, and how much and what type of hardware is required? This article reiterates much of what we already know about wi-fi but also poses some new ideas, including how wi-fi will develop and change and what that means for hotels.

This article deals with the theft that happens on a daily basis in the hospitality field. It happens when credit cards are used to pay for something, like a reservation, and thieves want the information, so they can use your credit card number for whatever intentions they may have. As the article states, "our data is under attack". I can relate to those people that have had credit card numbers stolen, because it has happened to my husband and me, and it is a horrible feeling trying to get your life back on track and recover your money.  I think it would be a great idea, with some research, to get the point to point encryption technology in a field where credit cards are used so often, not only to cover the business (hotel), but also to protect the guest, so they feel at easy when they travel on vacation or business.  The overall point of this technology is to encrypt the information as close to the point of entry, i.e. the swiping of the credit card, as possible. This would in turn "significantly reduce a merchant's card data environment", as the program would encrypt the information so that hackers cannot access the customer's information. As I mentioned earlier, questions should be asked before buying this technology, as there is always something new on the market that may be better. Credit cards are not always swiped, but can also be manually placed in the system, so you want to make sure, that both transactions are protected. Overall, the establishment should always be concerned about the customer and their safety, whether physical or mental and always be prepared for the worse.

Great article! Personally after being a victim of credit card fraud, I'm very apprehensive of where I shop, who handles my card and how long it takes them to return it. I recently cancelled a large purchased after the cashier insisted on rubbing my card number on the reciept after the transactions had be approved. In my mind, I was thinking "If I let you do that, then I've open the door for anyone to charge thousand of dollars. I don't think so." As a manager, who hands credit card numbers for manual input, I'm very cautious of them and want to insure that they don't get into the wrong hand. Aftern each transactions is approved, that number is shredded and the credit card machine is batched out. Companies don't realize how important it is to PCI compliant. The risk in exposing sensitive information of our clients and customers can cost thousand of dolllars in fines and fee, in addition to the lost of that customer/client.

Marilyn, Great Article...as a Front Desk Manager, it is my responsibility to randomly check our computers to ensure employees are not placing USB driver to collect data from our system. Our company has taking this a step further by putting metal locked case around the PC to avoid possible fraudulent activity. If we have to open a PC, we must log it to show proof why a PC became unlock. Companies should adopt similar procedures to protect the consumers/guests. Nelson

Fujitsu has released a 2-inch mobile receipt printer that is compatible with apple iOS, blackberry, and android systems. It also has bluetooth and USB interfaces to support connectivity with various mobile computing devices.

We love technology but we don't always know how to use it or even want to spend the time figuring it out. Thats why Sam Grobart is set out to take the mystery from some common questions that are being asked about todays technology problems.100 questions were asked and 25 of them were answered on his Gadegetwise blog.

Before hotels had the same number of tv channels, but now it's a race to see what hotel can bring more technological advances to the table to increase ROI. Hilton worldwide has adopted an AI-driven concierge in 2016 at a property which is powered by IBM Watson. The article also talks about 5 top emerging hotel technology trends. The first one is Smart guest rooms, the second one is obtaining more data, third is energy conservation. The fourth one is VR and AR which can show people special maps of guest rooms, while the fifth one would be mobile technologies, such as mobile key, room service request.

Hotels are using IT information to "maximize" the guest experience.

"Big Brother is Watching", but in a good way. Hotels are now using guest information to "personalize" their stay. Let's face it, technology is here to stay whether we like it or not. How businesses choose to utilize this technology could be the "key to their success or failure". Hoteliers must now sift through a mountain of information with regards to guest satisfaction. We live in a "microwave" world, and we want results now, faster is better. Hotels must continue to gather information on guest preferences, but utilize this information carefully. Businesses must walk the fine line between excellent service and "stalking".

It is interesting what technologies customers latch onto when traveling. The big fancy technology typically does not wow the guests as much as you would thing. It is actually the tiny details they notice more in terms of technology. My hotel is very technologically advanced and was built with the new technology implemented by our brand, The interesting thing that everyone notices though is the usb connectors in every outlet.

This article discusses a prominent topic discussed this week: off-site back ups. It is crucial to any company, or even for personal use to keep an off-site back up of all important data and information you have. This is to ensure that no matter what happens to your system, or the location is is at; there will be a back up to go to.

Hotels continue to implement the latest technology to enhance the guest experience. Many hotels are now experimenting with robot butlers, adjustable beds, ipads that allow guest to control all room controls. Many hotels are also using proximity marketing while on the property. Keyless entry using a smartphone, is becoming more and more common as well. There is even a hotel in Japan that wants to handle 90% of its staffing with robots.

I feel like every business wants to implement the latest technology, why not? People love to see new features and compare it to the latest trends. This can be either beneficial or drive people away from your business. It really depends on what type of customers you are trying to attract.