Scrum Artifacts

Scrum contains three main artifacts: product backlog, sprint backlog, and the burn-down chart. These artifacts are the by-products of the Scrum activities and help give direction and transparency to the team. In addition to these main artifacts, there is also an important secondary artifact: acceptance criteria.

Product Backlog
The product backlog is a list of all work remaining on a project that the team needs to complete. This list represents the customer�s product needs and wants. At the heart of this list is the user story, a key component of Scrum. It defines the increment of value to the customer that the developer is trying to deliver.

The product backlog is managed by the product owner, who is responsible for adding and removing user stories to and from the list. The product backlog is constantly prioritized by both the product owner and the customer. This constant prioritization is the key to Scrum. It ensures that the user stories that provide the greatest value to the customer are listed at the top of the product backlog. As user stories are added, they are compared to the user stories already on the list to see where they fit in value to the customer. During a sprint, user stories can be added to the product backlog, however, they will not be presented to the team until after the current sprint is completed.


User Stories
As mentioned earlier, the product backlog is nothing more that a prioritized list of user stories. A user story is a card that describes an increment of value to the customer. The user story is written for the developer in order to express the increment of value. The key to a good user story is that it is a vertical slice through the product. A horizontal slice is a feature that just touches one level, such as the database level or the UI (user interface) level. A vertical slice, on the other hand touches all the levels of the product. This is the smallest amount of work that touches all levels of the product and still provides value to the customer. By writing the user stories in a way that allows for vertical slicing, you can create basic functionality in the first user story and then easily add functionality to this feature as the customer needs it.

A way to make sure that a user story accomplishes the goal of being a vertical slice through the system is to make sure that it fits the INVEST acronym. INVEST2 stands for:
� Independent: The user story should be self contained, so that there is no inherent dependency on another story.
� Negotiable: User stories, up until they are a part of a sprint, can always be changed and rewritten.
� Valuable: A user story must deliver value to the end user.
� Estimable: You must always be able to estimate the size of a user story.
� Sized appropriately: User stories should not be so big as to become impossible to plan/task/prioritize with a degree of certainty.
� Testable: The user story or its related description must provide the necessary information to make test development possible.


Backlog Sizing
Sizing the product backlog is a measure of the pace at which the Scrum team can deliver items. People are not good at estimating work. We all know how terrible we are at accurately estimating how long something will take us to complete. How many times have we heard or said ourselves, �I am 80 percent complete on this. The remaining 20 percent will be done in an hour.� Yet two days later, it�s still not done. People are just naturally bad at estimating.

We may not be good on our estimates, but we are great at comparing things. For example, we are able to look at two cooking recipes and tell which one is more complex without being a professional chef. We can look at two items and see that one is larger than the other. Sizing the backlog is all about making decisions based on the complexity and amount of work, not on how long it will take to do the work. Sizing is not equal to estimating.

You may ask: how do I know how long something will take? Consider, as an example, a manager who wants to know how long it will take your team to produce a widget. You can derive the time estimate of completing the widget from the complexity of the widget. After your team has gone through a sprint, you can then look at that sprint and calculate how long it took the team to complete it. The team is only concerned with how complex a task is.

To perhaps better explain the idea of estimating the amount of work over the time to complete it, let�s compare it to painting your house. Let�s say you went to your local hardware store and bought several gallons of paint to paint your house. Then you call three contractors to give you an estimate on painting the house. The first contractor comes out and walks around the house, looks at all the buckets of paint you bought, and explains that he has old rusty ladders and handheld brushes and a scrawny kid to help him, so it will take him two days to do the job.

The second contractor comes out and walks around the house, looks at the buckets of paint, and explains that he just recently purchased new ladders and brushes, and the local high school varsity football team is working for him that weekend. With all those hands and the new equipment it will only take him a day to paint your house.

The third contractor comes out, walks around the house, looks at the paint, and explains that he owns some brand new mechanical paint sprayers and top-of-the-line machinery and he can have the house painted by lunch time.

What you see in this story are three contractors with three different time estimates on how long it will take to paint the house, but there is one thing that did not change throughout all of this and that is the size of the house and the amount of paint. No matter who was doing the job, the house size never changed, even though the time estimates did. The moral of the story is to do your best not to estimate the duration of the work, but instead estimate the amount of effort it will take to complete the work. Once you have the estimation of the amount of work, you can derive the duration to complete the work.


Sprint Backlog
The sprint backlog is a list of all work remaining in a sprint that needs to be done by the team. Think of the sprint backlog as a subset of the product backlog. Whereas the product backlog lists all the user stories remaining for the product, the sprint backlog contains all the user stories and tasks remaining for the sprint. Typically when a user story is chosen for a sprint, the team will split that user story into tasks. A task is a small chunk of the user story that can be done by any member on the team. Examples would be a task to implement the database changes needed for the user story, or a task to implement the UI for the user story. These tasks are displayed on a task board�also known as a Kanban3 board�that is visible to the entire organization. Other items can appear on this board as well, including information on set-up meetings to gather requirements, review checks, research, testing, design, and stages of coding.
Team members take a card from the board and during the sprint commit to doing the task the card describes. As team members work through tasks, other tasks may emerge and original estimates are adjusted. All members of the team are responsible for updating the Kanban board based on new information gained on the feature being worked on.

The sprint backlog supplies the information needed by the burn-down chart. At the end of each sprint, the sprint backlog is emptied. Any remaining items on the backlog are pushed back to the product backlog, where they are reprioritized against user stories currently in the product backlog, in addition to any new user stories that were added during the sprint.


Burn-down chart
A burn-down chart is a visual way to track how the sprint is progressing. The chart graphically shows the amount of remaining work on any given day of the sprint. It is usually displayed in a public area where anyone can see it. This aids the communication among team members and anyone else in the organization. This chart can also act as an early indicator that there is a problem in the sprint and the team may not be able to fulfill the commitment.


Acceptance Criteria
Although product backlog, sprint backlog, and the burn-down chart are the primary parts of Scrum, acceptance criteria is a very important secondary artifact in the Scrum process. Without good acceptance criteria a project is doomed to fail.

Acceptance criteria is essentially a clarification of the story. It gives the developer a set of steps that must be completed before the story can be considered done. The acceptance criteria are created by the product owner with the help of the customer. It sets the expectation of the user story. With this in place, a developer has a great starting point in which to write automated tests or even use test-driven development (TDD). In this way, the developer is creating something that the customer needs and wants with the understanding of how the customer will use it.

Another benefit of acceptance criteria appears when a feature cannot be completed in a sprint and needs to be spread out across sprints. Then the team can use the acceptance criteria as a tool to see where the user story could be broken into smaller pieces that still provide value to the customer, but can be completed in a sprint.
Source of Information : Pro Agile .NET Development with SCRUM

What Actually is a Safe Site?

I asked this question because according to a NCSA Cyber Security Survey conducted by McAfee, we as consumers seem to have a knowledge gap between what we claim to know and our actual ability to prove we are Internet savvy. For example their telephone survey revealed that 98% of Americans do not know the risk level of a website before they visit it. Additionally, 64% do not know how to determine if a site is safe and another 78% admit when viewing search results, they have no idea how to tell if any of them might lead to a high-risk website.

To Know the Answer is to Know Your Objective

The answer basically depends upon what you are trying to do. Do you want to determine if your purchase transaction is being processed securely? Do you want to know if a site is safe for your child to be on? Or, do you wish to know if a site is simply guilty of uploading spyware, malware, adware or some other unwanted problem onto your PC's operating system. Lets review a couple of proactive measures that can point us in a more positive direction and enhance a safer Internet experience.

Basic Data Encryption Protects Purchase Transactions

When you make a purchase online you ultimately end up sending out confidential information such as a user name, password, credit card number or something you wouldn't normally publish in a newspaper for everyone's viewing and subsequent use. Well, the Internet (www) is a world wide web for the exchange of free information. This is nice but some things need to be private to avoid identity theft. So, when you get to a shopping cart to make your purchase of a product or service, you want to be sure the transaction data is encrypted. Two basic ways to tell this information is being sent securely is to verify that information by looking for a small padlock in the browser window (usually in the lower right hand window). You should also take note it should appear to be in the locked position. You might also see it next to the address bar if for example you are using Internet Explorer 7

A web address (URL) (Sample= [https://www]. somesite . com ) that begins with this https, is short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer. This https is a secure method of accessing information on a web page and/or sending information across the Internet and to a secure website. What this means is the confidential information (data) you type into this browser window, as plaintext will be encrypted before being sent which is designed specifically to safeguard the data and improve/protect your security. These two measures are designed to announce to you that an Internet web page is safe and secure.

What is a High-Risk Website?

A high-risk website is a web page considered dangerous because it introduces threats such as spyware, adware, malware, online scams, spam, intentional redirects to unfavorable sites and a slew of other threats designed for stealing, prying into or eradicating files on your computer.

How Do You Know High-Risk Websites Before You Go?

There are free Web safety tools (utilities) that help keep you safe from adware, spam and online scams as you search and browse the Web and these software enhancements are best known as site advisoriers. These programs review sites and assign safety ratings that display adjacent to or over a web address you are about to click on and subsequently access. They are in fact powerful tools that enforce Internet safety. These utilities assign a site rating of red, yellow or green pretty much like a traffic light. A color of grey is a basic advisory that a site has not yet been analized and rated.

Two of the more popular utilities programs are Site Advisor and WOT. For more information about these utilities and free downloads it is worth your time to visit both their sites at siteadvisor(dot) com and mywot (dot) com. Bear in mind that there are millions upon millions of websites under constant review and although these utilities do a great job enhancing security efforts, the task of evaluation is a daunting task to keep up with their efforts to provide risk-free surfing; they do not provide absolute protection. View these utilities as just one layer of protection. Every computer should also at a minimum employ an anti-virus software, an enabled firewall and have anti-spyware software installed.

Protecting Your Children from Crime

There are a lot of companies that offer free and low cost software designed and employed to protect children from sexual deviants, cyber crime, identity theft and the whole boatload of unfortunate criminal activities on the web. Some great examples are listed at registryfixing (dot) com under their Child Safe Surf, PC Tools, Privacy Controls, ZoneAlarm and other Navagation Buttons. Bear in mind as well there are parental control options available on your home computer as well. For guides on How to Set "Parental Controls" Using Windows , Comcast, Internet Explorer, Fire Fox, Linux and just about everything else do a web search for "setting parental controls"an you are sure to find a step-by-step guide for just about every situation.

I hope, this highly condensed guidance is noteworthy and a good proactive start in your ever-increasing need to be computer savvy and safe on our modern day Internet. Remember, it takes our combined effort to avoid crime and protect ourselves and loved ones in a world so much more condensed and accessible with our abilities to communicate freely. If you think this article is beneficial, do not by shy about sharing it with family and friends.

Ronald Hudkins administers a site dedicated to software downloads that primarily focus upon PC registry repair, optimization and security. He sponsors programs, services and resources dedicated to protecting consumers from identity theft. His site gives away free Books on vital consumer awareness issues. For more information visit http://www.registryfixing.com

Protecting Your Computer From Security Threats

With all the great information and tools that the Internet can offer, it is also important to realize that it can be a landmine of potential harm as well. Because some small percentage of destructive people have malicious intentions, they make the Internet relatively unsafe for your computer and your personal information. That is why it is vital to protect your computer from cyber threats such as "worms" that can damage your computer programs and those of people in your email address book, viruses that can wipe out your data in a matter of minutes, and spyware that does exactly as it states by spying on your computer activities and personal information on it.

One means of protecting yourself is through programs that protect your computer and its data. One in particular is making some noise as an excellent addition to Norton and some of the other well-known security software. It is called PC Security Test and offers a different method of protecting your computer. This software actually simulates an attack against your computer so it can verify the efficiency your current protection offers in warding off attacks. PC Security Test is a free program that helps you understand the degree of safety your computer actually has to guard itself against worms and viruses.

Check out the PC Security Test site (pc-st dot com) to learn more and download a copy for your computer. This program should be used with your normal security scanning software such as your firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware programs.

Most new computers are actually protected well against viruses and Trojans, but many are not protected against spyware. This is why you need an updated anti-spyware program so that when you have spyware on your computer it can be promptly removed. Along with the test that PC Security Test offers, you should find out how much more protection you may need to keep the threats on the Internet exactly where they are.

This is especially important if you use Microsoft Internet Explore (IE), which is an open target because it is the most commonly used browser. Programs that open in IE are the most vulnerable to spyware and viruses because some of these threats attach themselves to IE and create hassles that are difficult to eliminate. If any of this sounds like your sad experience, make sure you take the time to try PC Security Test to see how well it protects you.

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Free AVG Download - How to Get It and Benefit From It!

There are several benefits of a Free AVG Download. Most people understand the importance of downloading antivirus software to protect their computers from virus attacks. The AVG download virus protection is a popular choice by many of these consumers appreciating its cost free status and the highly dependable security it offers to consumers.

Many people however, do not gain maximum benefit from their download, perhaps due to inexperience in setting up the software initially, or maintaining up-to-date software to ensure the latest version of the software is installed on their computer. Knowing how to achieve the benefits of antivirus software is the best way of protecting your computer from serious damage caused by cyber criminals and hackers.

Setting up Anti Virus Software:

When you first start your free AVG download antivirus software you will need to spend time setting the protection functions and scheduling regular downloads of the latest versions of the software. Scheduling regular scans of your computer operating system and all hard drives, folders and files is also an essential step in ensuring your protection.

AVG offers a simple wizard to help aid consumers to perform this set up and this makes the process very easy. The wizard requires you to click boxes that set the various functions as well as the level of security you wish to set your protection. Full technical support is available to assist this process if you are unsure as to which protection suits your surfing requirements best.

Essential Updates of Protection:

It is most important you click on the "check updates" available icon, which enables regular background checks by the program for updates that protect against any newly identified viruses. These updates are downloaded regularly and you can trial test with a Free AVG Download.

It is advisable, in the current climate of cyber crime to ensure this update check happens several times a day. While this may seem excessive, it is important to remember that 20-30 new viruses are discovered every day. Although many of these are simply modifications of existing ones, they represent a new potential infection for your computer and the only way to protect it is to have up to date protection against those modified viruses, as well as existing ones at the time you first downloaded your software.

Free AVG Download provides an easy updating function as part of the installation wizard and the option settings in the program itself to ensure your computer is always protected from potential and new threats.

Upgrade Options:

The functions of the free AVG download provide all basic protection requirements that the average user of a personal computer should require. It provides protection when completing your online banking, shopping or surfing on the Internet, interacting on social network websites, and provides regular information on the latest virus and other malware threats to your safety and protection.

If you require a more specific and higher level of protection, you may consider upgrading from free AVG download to one of the paid options that provide extra functions for a once only charge for the life of the license.

Click Here to Start Your Risk-Free Free AVG Download Today!

Internet Security - Important For Safe And Secure Computing

The number of Internet users has increased significantly in these days. More and more people are now getting the benefits of the internet. But for the kids or for those who have just started using the internet the World Wide Web could be a scary place. There are various malicious objects that could infect your computer and can offer you many sleepless night if proper precaution is not taken. Cyber criminals, known as hackers employ new techniques to break into the computer of the users and steal their personal and sensitive information. To block them, you can consult an online computer repair company for remote tech support. In this article we are going to talk about internet safety tips so that you can enjoy safe and secure computing.

Social networking is now widely popular. This has brought a revolution in the way people communicate with friends and family. While using these sites, the user should be extra cautious. It is recommended not to add strangers to your list without knowing. You should also not give any personal information to anyone you meet online. These include your first or last names, phone numbers, passwords, birth dates or years. In addition, it is strongly recommended not to reveal your credit card information online.

For all your accounts, you should use strong passwords. Don't know what exactly strong passwords are? Well, strong passwords mean it should be at least greater than 15 characters and it should be a combination of CAPITAL as well as small letters and also special symbols.

There are viruses, spyware and other malicious objects flying on the web. Developed by the cyber criminals these tools are intended to harm your computer. While your computer gets connected to the Internet these malicious objects keep on trying to invade your computer. To block them, you should install an antivirus on your computer. There are tons of antivirus software programs available on the internet. Many of these are free while for some you need pay. You can pick powerful antivirus software and install and update it regularly. Remember, if the software is not updated on a regular basis, it will not be much effective.

Spyware is another common malicious object that sneaks into your computer and steal your personal information including your internet surfing habits. Remember, Viruses and Spywares are not same. So, there should be Anti-Spyware software on your computer. There are some of the antivirus software programs available in the market that have anti spyware built-in.

For the best protection, you need to install a firewall. This is very essential for a net user. A firewall blocks malicious objects and protect the systems on the network. Some of the popular firewalls are ZoneAlarm, SonicWALL, etc.

Computer repair New Zealand is a renowned remote tech support provider. It offers round the clock tech support to the computer users for fixing any and all types of PC issues.

Ethical Considerations of Privacy and Cyber-Medical Information

In 1818, British author Mary Shelley's tale of Dr. Frankenstein's infamous creation startled and captivated a receptive audience. Just as the macabre, but resourceful, doctor created life from non-life that terrorized the local countryside, we have created a "cyberspace monster" that "lives" and knows no boundaries. It may not actually terrorize us, but we are likewise captivated by it. It profoundly influences and impacts our everyday activities, but it is also out of control and has spawned many controversial issues involving free speech, censorship, intellectual property, and privacy. The free market and society norm may, in some measure, be capable of regulating these issues and eventually help allay many of our concerns. A major and controversial concern that requires additional discussion is safeguarding the confidentiality of private medical information.

Expectations of Privacy and Private Medical Information

According to attorney and privacy law specialist, Ronald B. Standler, "Privacy is the expectation that confidential personal information disclosed in a private place will not be disclosed to third parties, when that disclosure would cause either embarrassment or emotional distress to a person of reasonable sensitivities" (Standler, 1997). Another theorist, Ruth Gavison, defines privacy as "the limitation of others' access to an individual with three key elements: secrecy, anonymity, and solitude." Secrecy or confidentiality deals with the limits of sharing knowledge of oneself. Anonymity deals with unwanted attention solitude refers to being apart from others (Spinello, 2003). Basically, we want to protect the integrity of who we are, what we do, and where we do it. Regardless of our definition, the right of privacy usually concerns individuals who are in a place reasonably expected to be private. Information that is public record, or voluntarily disclosed in a public place, is not protected.

The open architecture of the modern phenomenon that we call the Internet raises very unique ethical concerns regarding privacy. Information is sent effortlessly over this vast global network without boundaries. Personal information may pass through many different servers on the way to a final destination. There are virtually no online activities or services that guarantee absolute privacy. It is quite easy to be lulled into thinking your activity is private when actually many of these computer systems can capture and store this personal information and actually monitor your online activity (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2006). The Net's underlying architecture is designed to share information and not to conceal or protect it. Even though it is possible to develop an adequate level of security, with an acceptable risk level, it is at enormous cost and considerable time.

Medical records are among the most personal forms of information about an individual and may contain medical history, lifestyle details (such as smoking or participation in high-risk sports), test results, medications, allergies, operations and procedures, genetic testing, and participation in research projects.The protection of this private medical information falls under the area of medical ethics. The realm of medical ethics is to analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas that arise in medical practice and biomedical research. Medical ethics is guided by strict principles or standards that address: Autonomy, Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Fidelity, and Justice (Spinello, 2003). The principle of Autonomy includes a person's right to be fully informed of all pertinent information related to his/her healthcare. A discussion of medical ethical principles and patient rights leads us to further discuss legislation designed to maintain and protect these cherished rights.

Access to Private Medical Information and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

Since 400 B.C. and the creation of the Hippocratic Oath, protecting the privacy of patient medical information has been an important part of the physician' code of conduct. Unfortunately, many organizations and individuals not subject to this strict code of conduct are increasingly requesting this private information.Every time a patient sees a doctor, is admitted to a hospital, goes to a pharmacist, or sends a claim to a healthcare plan, a record is made of their confidential health information. In the past, all healthcare providers protected the confidentiality of medical records by locking them away in file cabinets and refusing to reveal them to anyone else. Today, we rely on "protected" electronic records and a complicated series of laws to maintain our confidential and private medical records.

Congress duly recognized the need for national patient record privacy standards in 1996 when they enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA). This act was effective April 14, 2003 (small health plans implementation date was April 14, 2004) and was meant to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's healthcare system. For the first time, federal law established standards for patient medical record access and privacy in all 50 states. The act includes provisions designed to save money for health care businesses by encouraging electronic transactions, but it also required new safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of that information (Diversified Radiology of Colorado, 2002).

There are three essential parts to HIPAA: Privacy, Code Sets, and Security. The Security section is further subdivided into four parts: Administrative Procedures, Physical Safeguards, Technical Security Services (covering "data at rest"), and Technical Security Mechanisms (covering "data in transmission").

PRIVACY:

The intent of the HIPAA regulations is to protect patients' privacy and allow patients greater access to their medical records. The Act specifically addresses patients' Protected Health Information (PHI) and provides patients with greater access to and modification of their medical records. Prior to providing patient services, the Covered Entity must first receive the patient's consent to share PHI with such organizations as the insurance billing company, the billing office, and physicians to which the patient may be referred. Individuals must be able to access their records, request correction of errors, and they must be informed of how their personal information will be used. Individuals are also entitled to file formal privacy-related complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights.

CODE SETS:

Under HIPAA, codes are standardized to improve safety and security of health information. According to these new standards, a code set is any set of codes used for encoding data elements, such as tables of terms, medical diagnosis codes, procedure codes, etc.

SECURITY:

The security section is divided into four major parts:

1. Administrative, which requires documented formal practices, the execution of security measures to protect data, policies and procedures regulating conduct of personnel in protecting data, security training, incident procedures, and termination policies.

2. Physical Safeguards relate to the protection of physical computer systems, network safeguards, environmental hazards, and physical intrusion. One must consider computer screen placement, pass code protection, and computer locks to control access to medical information.

3. Technical Security Services refers to PHI stored on the computer network and how it is securely stored and accessed. Those using the PHI must be logged on and authenticated. An audit trail of authenticated access will be maintained for 6 years.

4. Technical Security Mechanisms refers to PHI transmitted over a communication network such as the Internet, frame relay, VPN, private line, or other network. PHI transmitted over a communication network must be encrypted.

There are also some noticeable shortcomings to HIPAA. The act did little to actually make health insurance more "portable" when an employee changes employers. Also, the Act did not significantly increase the health insurers' accountability for wrongdoing with provisions that are often difficult to monitor and enforce. There is also much confusion for patients, as well as healthcare providers, in regard to the interpretation of the act (Diversified Radiology of Colorado, 2002).

Other Laws, Regulations, and Decisions Regarding Private Medical Information

Besides HIPAA, there are important state regulations and laws, and federal laws and legal decisions, concerning the privacy and confidentiality of medical information (Clifford, 1999):

The Privacy Act of 1974 limits governmental agencies from sharing medical information from one agency to another. Congress declared hat "the privacy of an individual is directly affected by the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of personal information ...," and that "the right to privacy is a personal and fundamental right protected by the Constitution of the United States ..." (Parmet, 2002).

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Act, passed in 1988, establishes confidentiality for records of patients treated for alcohol or drug abuse (only if they are treated in institutions that receive federal funding).

The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, prohibits employers from making employment-related decisions based on a real or perceived disability, including mental disabilities. Employers may still have access to identifiable health information about employees for reasonable business needs including determining reasonable accommodations for disabled workers and for addressing workers compensation claims.

Supreme Court decision in Jaffee v. Redmond: On June 13, 1996, the Court ruled that there is a broad federal privilege protecting the confidentiality of communication between psychotherapists and their clients. The ruling applies to psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.

Freedom and Privacy Restoration Act of 1999: Designed to prohibit the creation of government unique medical ID numbers.

Managed Care and Cyber Threats to Private Medical Information

The introduction of the Internet and the advances in telecommunications technology over the last two decades allows us to access vast amounts of medical information, regardless of time, distance, or remoteness, with relative ease. This cyber access to medical information has profoundly changed how healthcare providers treat patients and offer advice. No longer are there barriers to the efficient exchange of health information and critical life-saving medical information. In addition to the many benefits of cyber access to medical information, there are also serious threats to our personal privacy and our medical information.

The intense interest for the protection and privacy of medical information is driven by two major developments. The first is the growth of electronic medical record keeping that has replaced paper records. A report from the National Academy of Sciences states that the healthcare industry spent between $10 and $15 billion on information technology in 1996 (Mehlman, 1999). This was the year that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed with most of the expenditure attributed to converting hard-copy information to electronic formats.Electronic medical records (EMRs) present a significant threat to maintaining the privacy of patient-identifiable medical information. This medical information can be retrieved instantaneously by anyone with access and passwords. Although hard-copy medical information can be easily copied, electronic records are much more easily copied and transmitted without boundaries.

The second major development that concerns the privacy of patient information is the overall growth of managed care organizations. There is a demand for an unprecedented depth and breath of personal medical information by an increasing number of players. In contrast to traditional fee-for-service healthcare, the provider of care and the insurer can be the same entity. In this situation, any medical information in the possession of the provider is also known to the insurer. This is common in all forms of managed care, but most evident in closed-panel HMOs. This sharing of information increases the fear that the insurer may use the data to limit benefits or terminate insurance coverage (Mehlman, 1999).

Some managed care companies are reporting private medical information to an extreme in requiring providers to report to case managers within twenty-four hours any case that is considered a high risk potential for the client, a second party, the employer, or the managed care company. Examples include such things as possible danger to self or others, suspected child abuse, potential threats to national security or the client organization, client's request for records, complaint about Employee Assistance Program services or threat of a lawsuit, and potential involvement in litigation including confession or knowledge of criminal activity. No mention is made concerning client privacy or rights regarding the release of this information. Nothing is also said about what will be done with the information that is shared (Clifford, 1999).

Another issue with managed care companies is the large volume of data processed and the carelessness in handling medical information. A salient example deals with lost records as noted in a 1993 survey sample of San Francisco Bay Area psychologists. In this survey, 59% of reports were mailed or faxed to wrong persons, charts accidentally switched, or proper authorization not obtained (Clifford, 1999).

Maintaining and Protecting Electronic Private Medical Information

In order to maintain and protect valued private medical information, we must always be vigilant and proactive. Basic steps can be taken prior to using electronic information sharing. For example, when signing a "Release of Information" form, read everything carefully. If not clearly understood, ask questions. Also, remember that HIPAA grants you the right to request that your healthcare provider restrict the use or disclosure of your medical information. Make sure those who ask for information are properly identified and authorized to collect this information. Finally, make sure that the person collecting information uses at least two "identifiers" to ensure proper identification of patient (e.g. name, last four of social security number, address, telephone, number, birth date etc.

When dealing with electronic and computerized medical information, the situation gets more tenuous and much more complex. Secure networks and websites, passwords, firewalls, and anti-virus software, are unquestionably the first steps in a plan of protection. Passwords must be complex, using numbers, letters, and cases, yet also easily remembered. To maintain security, experts suggest that passwords be changed every 90 days or if they are believed to be compromised. In addition, any private medical information sent on the NET or non-secure networks should be encrypted. Encryption (64 or 128 bit) is translating information into a secret code where a key or password is required to read the information.

Further security is provided by using privacy enhancing P3P frameworks, filtering software (e.g. MIMESweeper), message authentication codes "(MACs), and "digital signatures." The Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) is a technological framework that uses a set of user-defined standards to negotiate with websites regarding how that user's information will be used and disseminated to third parties (Spinello, 2003). This P3P architecture helps define and improve cyberethics, improves accessibility, improves consistency, and increases the overall trust in using cyberspace. MACs utilize a common key that generates and verifies a message whereas digital signatures generally use two complementary algorithms - one for signing and the other for verification.

There has also some creative technology proposed for maintaining and protecting private medical information. In October 2004, the "VeriChip" was approved by the FDA for implantation into the triceps of patients. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and is inserted under the skin during a 20-minute procedure. This invisible chip stores a code that can scanned to further release a patient's private medical information. This code is then used to download encrypted medical information. The procedure cost is about $150-200 (MSNBC, 2004).

Another more commonly used medical information tool is the "smart card," a credit card sized device with a small-embedded computer chip. This "computer in a card" can be programmed to perform tasks and store important information. During an emergency, paramedics and emergency rooms equipped with smart card readers can rapidly access potentially life-saving information about a patient, such as allergies to medication, and chronic medical conditions. There are different types of smart cards: memory cards, processor cards, electronic purse cards, security cards, and JavaCards. These cards are tamper-resistant, can be PIN protected or read-write protected, can be encrypted, and can be easily updated. These unique features make smart cards advantageous for storing personal medical information and are popular throughout the world. In Germany and Austria, 80 million people have the capability of using these smart cards when they visit their doctor (Cagliostro, 1999).

There is also a recent proposed government plan to create a national system of electronic health records (EHRs). Details include the building of a National Health Information Network that will electronically connect all patients' medical records to providers, insures, pharmacies, labs, and claim processors. The sharing of vital information could improve patient care, include more accurate and timely substantiation of claims, and be an asset to public health in emergencies. The goal is to have it operational by 2009. Even with laudatory goals of saving money, making medical care more efficient, and decreasing drug reactions and interactions, there are still inherent dangers to this national plan. There are valid concerns that pharmaceutical companies may attempt to market a new drug or device for your specific medical condition. There are also strong worries of exploitation and abuse of personal data. Who will monitor access to the information? There are also concerns that lenders or employers may rely on private medical information to make business decisions. Then there is always the ever present fear of hackers and pranksters retrieving your personal information. There are still so many questions unanswered (Consumer Reports.org, 2006).

In conclusion, we are now stuck with a "Cyberspace Monster" and all of its advantages and shortcomings. When we use cyberspace, we can have no expectations of privacy and we must accept a level of risk. Therefore, when transmitting and sharing private medical information, we must be always aware to take precautions in safeguarding our privacy as much as possible by using secure networks, P3P architecture, passwords, firewalls, encryption, message codes, digital signatures, and devices like smart cards and "VeriChips." Medical records are among the most personal forms of information about an individual, but we are challenged to find a balance between society's interest in protecting medical confidentiality and the legitimate need for timely access to critical medical information especially with fears of influenza pandemics and bioterrorism. When this information is transferred into electronic format, we have heightened concerns about maintaining and protecting this private data. With managed care, there is a demand for an unprecedented depth and breath of personal medical information by an increasing number of players. While the HIPAA provisions are a welcomed start in protecting our private medical information, we must remain vigilant of the ever increasing need to protect this special information.

References:

Cagliostro, C. (1999) Smart card primer.

Clifford, R. (1999) Confidentiality of records and managed care legal and ethical issues.

Consumer Reports.org (2006). The new threat to your medical privacy.

Diversified Radiology of Colorado (2002) History: HIPAA general information.

Mehlman, M. J. (1999) Emerging issues: the privacy of medical records.

MSNBC (2004) FDA approves computer chip for humans.

Parmet, W. E. (2002) Public health protection and privacy of medical records.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (2006) Internet privacy resources.

Spinello, R. A. (2003) CyberEthics: Morality and law in cyberspace. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA

Standler, R. B. (1997) Privacy law in the USA.

Mr. Klemens is an accomplished author, writer, and practicing pharmacist. He has authored a book on integrative medicine (Mountains and Rivers: Complementing your Healthcare with Alternative Medicine, ISBN: 1-4033-8672-2) and numerous articles in local, national, and international magazines, and web sites. Topics include integrative medicine, Oriental medicine, herbs and supplements, health and fitness, Scottish culture, and leadership and ethics. He is also listed in the Marquis Who's Who in America, a member of Clan Gregor, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

http://www.writers.net/writers/22138

http://jksamurai.googlepages.com/home

Spyware - Are You Safe Online?

Arguably one of the greatest inventions the world has ever known. The internet has opened up the business world; it allows people to communicate across vast distances, cheaper and easier than ever before. There is a world of information at your finger tips. More and more people are getting connected and taking advantage of the great wealth afforded by the net. There are however some fairly serious down sides, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes. By taking advantage of unprotected surfers, stealing their personal details, hackers can run up huge bills in someone else's name and walk away undetected.

They say 90% of all PCs are infected with some form of spyware. Spyware is simply a little piece of software that installs itself onto your PC and literally spies on anything you do online. One way, the creators of such software nasties, are using to deliver their cargo is exploiting the popularity of Internet video clips, piggy backing on the latest funny videos. Spyware comes in many guises, Mal-ware, Ad ware, Key Loggers to name but a few. They all aim to do the same thing, that is rob you of your personal data and generate revenue for there creators.

Key loggers for example, simply record every keystroke you make whilst online; broadcasting this data to someone else's PC somewhere out there in cyber space. Not a good thing when you are buying your latest 'widget' from 'widgets R us' and are typing in your credit card details, or when you are moving money around through online banking. Unfortunately however secure the website at 'widgets r us' is, the problem lies on the PC in front of you now. The key logging software is sat on your PC recording all the details you type in and sending this data to some remote computer. It could be too the far side of the world, or it could be to a PC next door, who knows where it ends up.

There is little 'widgets R us' can do as the next time you appear to visit their website they see the same details typed in, the same passwords and they greet you back again. The difference is of course it's not you this time, it's some cyber thief, buying your favourite widgets and you're the one paying for it.

The good news is it's not that complicated or expensive to protect yourself in the cyber world.

The first step to online security is to get a personal firewall. This monitors the data coming and going over your internet connection, acting as a shield alerting you to anything suspicious trying to broadcast from your PC.

The next essential thing on the list is a good spyware removal software; this will clean up your computer. The good news is there are a few freebies that work really well. You'll be amazed after running a clean up tool at just how much faster your PC will run. There are also a couple of software packages that act as a firewall specifically for spyware and ad ware, these will alert you should you be straying into an area on the internet known for spyware.

The final piece of your security armoury is a good anti virus software; this will protect you against viruses, worms Trojan horses and other viral software. That attempt to spread your data around the globe.

By investing in these three software defences you can feel confident in being able to cruise the internet super highway in safety.

Find out more about detecting spyware and PC security, download free spyware removal tools.

spyware-at.thecomputersite.org.uk

What Are Mobile Devices Teaching Your Kid?

The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.

The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.

In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:

� 59 percent have a cell phone

� 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone

� 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet

A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.

Mobile Education 101

Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.

Benefits of mobile learning include:

Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.

Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.

Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.

Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.

Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.

Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.

Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.

Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."

When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)

But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.

What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning

Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.

Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.

The Future

The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.

More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.

Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.

Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.

If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:

To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.

Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.

Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.

The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era

Mobile Learning Experience 2011

Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.

Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.

To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.

About the Author

Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.

Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.