The Data Inscription Standard Computer Science Essay

The Data Inscription Standard Computer Science Essay Whenever data is exchanged electronically many times the privacy of the data is a required. Encryption is used to restrict unintended recipients from viewing the data, which are deemed confidential and potentially dangerous if made known to irresponsible parties. In other word, encryption is the procedure of transforming plain text data that can be read by anyone to cipher text data that can only be read by someone with a secret decryption key.A message before being changed in any way is called plain text. Plain text messages are converted to ciphertext via some encryption method. An enryption method is called a cryptosystem. In 1972, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, initiated a program to develop standards for the protection of computer data. The Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology (ICST), one of the major operating units of the National Bureau of Standards, had been recently established in response to a 1965 federal law known as the Brooks Act (PL89-306) that required new standards for improving utilization of computers by the federal government. Computer security had been identified by an ICST study as one of the high-priority areas requiring standards if computers were to be effectively used. A set of guidelines and standards were defined by the ICST that were to be developed as resources became available in computer security. The guidelines were to include areas such as physical security, risk management, contingency planning, and security auditing. Guidelines were adequate in areas not requiring interoperability among various computers. St andards were required in areas such as encryption, personal authentication, access control, secure data stor-age, and transmission because they could affect interoperability. Standards can be divided into different sections: basic, interoperability, interface, and implementation. 1. Basic standards (also called 4standards of good practice) are used to specify generic functions (services, methods, results) required to achieve a certain set of common goals. Examples include standards for purity of chemicals, contents of food products, and in the computer field, structured programming practices. 2. Interoperability standards specify functions and formats so that data transmitted from one computer can be properly acted on when received by another computer.The implementation (hardware, firmware, software) or structure (integrated, isolated, interfaced layers) need not be specified in interoperability standards, since there is no intent of replacing one implementation or structure within a system with another. 3. Interface standards specify not only the function and format of data crossing the interface, but also include physical, electrical, and logical specifications sufficient to replace one implementation (device, program, component) on either side of the interface with another. 4. Implementation standards not only specify the interfaces, functions, and formats, but also the structure and the method of implementation. These may be necessary to assure that secondary characteristics such as speed, reliability, physical security, etc. also meet certain needs. Such standards are often used to permit component replacement in an overall system. Services or Applications The basic DES algorithm can be used for both data encryption and data authentication. 1. Data Encryption: It is easy to see how the DES may be used to encrypt a 64-bit plaintext input to a 64-bit cipher text output, but data are seldom limited to 64 bits. In order to use DES in a variety of cryptographic applications, four modes of operation were developed: electronic codebook (ECB); cipher feedback (CFB); cipher block chaining (CBC); and output feedback (OFB) [26] (Figs. 1-4). Each mode has its advantages and disadvantages. ECB is excellent for encrypting keys; CFB is typically used for encrypting individual characters; and OFB is often used for encrypting satellite communications. Both CBC and CFB can be used to authenticate data. These modes of operation permit the use of DES for interactive terminal to host encryption, crypto-graphic key encryption for automated key management applications, file encryption, mail encryption, satellite data encryption, and other applications. In fact, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a cryptographic application where the DES cannot be applied. Figure 1: Electronic codebook (ECB) mode. Figure2: Cipher block chaining (CBC) mode. History of encryption In its earliest form, people have been attempting to conceal certain information that they wanted to keep to their own possession by substituting parts of the information with symbols, numbers and pictures. Ancient Babylonian merchants used intaglio, a piece of flat stone carved into a collage of images and some writing to identify themselves in trading transactions. Using this mechanism, they are producing what today we know as digital signature. The public knew that a particular signature belonged to this trader, but only he had the intaglio to produce that signature. Of course, technology today has evolved at such rapid pace that the need to protect information grows with the lessening reliability of older encryption techniques. Basic modern encryption is not much different from the ancient civilisations substitution using symbols. Translation table, lends itself very well in making a piece of data generally unreadable. However computers today are much too advanced that translation table is easily broken and thus no longer viable. Instead encryption today has grown into such specialised field that involve mathematical, non-linear cryptosystem that even a relatively powerful computers take months or even years to break the ciphertext. The origins of DES go back to the early 1970s. In 1972, after concluding a study on the US governments computer security needs, the US standards body NBS (National Bureau of Standards) now named NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) identified a need for a government-wide standard for encrypting unclassified, sensitive information.[1] Accordingly, on 15 May 1973, after consulting with the NSA, NBS solicited proposals for a cipher that would meet rigorous design criteria. None of the submissions, however, turned out to be suitable. A second request was issued on 27 August 1974. This time, IBM submitted a candidate which was deemed acceptable a cipher developed during the period 1973-1974 based on an earlier algorithm, Horst Feistels Lucifer cipher. The team at IBM involved in cipher design and analysis included Feistel, Walter Tuchman, Don Coppersmith, Alan Konheim, Carl Meyer, Mike Matyas, Roy Adler, Edna Grossman, Bill Notz, Lynn Smith, and Bryant Tuckerman. NSAs involvement in the design On 17 March 1975, the proposed DES was published in the Federal Register. Public comments were requested, and in the following year two open workshops were held to discuss the proposed standard. There was some criticism from various parties, including from public-key cryptography pioneers Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie, citing a shortened key length and the mysterious S-boxes as evidence of improper interference from the NSA. The suspicion was that the algorithm had been covertly weakened by the intelligence agency so that they but no-one else could easily read encrypted messages.[2] Alan Konheim (one of the designers of DES) commented, We sent the S-boxes off to Washington. They came back and were all different.[3] The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reviewed the NSAs actions to determine whether there had been any improper involvement. In the unclassified summary of their findings, published in 1978, the Committee wrote: In the development of DES, NSA convinced IBM that a reduced key size was sufficient; indirectly assisted in the development of the S-box structures; and certified that the final DES algorithm was, to the best of their knowledge, free from any statistical or mathematical weakness.[4] However, it also found that NSA did not tamper with the design of the algorithm in any way. IBM invented and designed the algorithm, made all pertinent decisions regarding it, and concurred that the agreed upon key size was more than adequate for all commercial applications for which the DES was intended.[5] Another member of the DES team, Walter Tuchman, stated We developed the DES algorithm entirely within IBM using IBMers. The NSA did not dictate a single wire![6] In contrast, a declassified NSA book on cryptologic history states: In 1973 NBS solicited private industry for a data encryption standard (DES). The first offerings were disappointing, so NSA began working on its own algorithm. Then Howard Rosenblum, deputy director for research and engineering, discovered that Walter Tuchman of IBM was working on a modification to Lucifer for general use. NSA gave Tuchman a clearance and brought him in to work jointly with the Agency on his Lucifer modification.[7]and NSA worked closely with IBM to strengthen the algorithm against all except brute force attacks and to strengthen substitution tables, called S-boxes. Conversely, NSA tried to convince IBM to reduce the length of the key from 64 to 48 bits. Ultimately they compromised on a 56-bit key.[8] Some of the suspicions about hidden weaknesses in the S-boxes were allayed in 1990, with the independent discovery and open publication by Eli Biham and Adi Shamir of differential cryptanalysis, a general method for breaking block ciphers. The S-boxes of DES were much more resistant to the attack than if they had been chosen at random, strongly suggesting that IBM knew about the technique in the 1970s. This was indeed the case; in 1994, Don Coppersmith published some of the original design criteria for the S-boxes.[9] According to Steven Levy, IBM Watson researchers discovered differential cryptanalytic attacks in 1974 and were asked by the NSA to keep the technique secret.[10] Coppersmith explains IBMs secrecy decision by saying, that was because [differential cryptanalysis] can be a very powerful tool, used against many schemes, and there was concern that such information in the public domain could adversely affect national security. Levy quotes Walter Tuchman: [t]he asked us to st amp all our documents confidential We actually put a number on each one and locked them up in safes, because they were considered U.S. government classified. They said do it. So I did it. Bruce Schneier observed that It took the academic community two decades to figure out that the NSA tweaks actually improved the security of DES. Encryption Now a Days Industrial espionage among highly competitive businesses often requires that extensive security measures be put into place. And, those who wish to exercise their personal freedom, outside of the oppressive nature of governments, may also wish to encrypt certain information to avoid legalities that entailed possession of such. With respect to the Internet, there are many types of data and messages that people would want to be kept secret. Now that commercial trading on the Net is a reality, one of the main targets of data encryption is credit card numbers. Other information that could otherwise benefit or educate a group or individual can also be used against such groups or individuals. Security Problems That Encryption Does Not Solve While there are many good reasons to encrypt data, there are many reasons not to encrypt data. Encryption does not solve all security problems, and may make some problems worse. The following sections describe some misconceptions about encryption of stored data: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Principle 1: Encryption Does Not Solve Access Control Problems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Principle 2: Encryption Does Not Protect Against a Malicious Database Administrator à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Principle 3: Encrypting Everything Does Not Make Data Secure Principle 1: Encryption Does Not Solve Access Control Problems Most organizations must limit data access to users who must see this data. For example, a human resources system may limit employees to viewing only their own employment records, while allowing managers of employees to see the employment records of subordinates. Human resource specialists may also need to see employee records for multiple employees. Typically, you can use access control mechanisms to address security policies that limit data access to those with a need to see it. Oracle Database has provided strong, independently evaluated access control mechanisms for many years. It enables access control enforcement to a fine level of granularity through Virtual Private Database. Because human resource records are considered sensitive information, it is tempting to think that all information should be encrypted for better security. However, encryption cannot enforce granular access control, and it may hinder data access. For example, an employee, his manager, and a human resources clerk may all need to access an employee record. If all employee data is encrypted, then all three must be able to access the data in unencrypted form. Therefore, the employee, the manager and the human resources clerk would have to share the same encryption key to decrypt the data. Encryption would, therefore, not provide any additional security in the sense of better access control, and the encryption might hinder the proper or efficient functioning of the application. An additional issue is that it is difficult to securely transmit and share encryption keys among multiple users of a system. A basic principle behind encrypting stored data is that it must not interfere with access control. For example, a user who has the SELECT privilege on emp should not be limited by the encryption mechanism from seeing all the data he is otherwise allowed to see. Similarly, there is little benefit to encrypting part of a table with one key and part of a table with another key if users must see all encrypted data in the table. In this case, encryption adds to the overhead of decrypting the data before users can read it. If access controls are implemented well, then encryption adds little additional security within the database itself. A user who has privileges to access data within the database has no more nor any less privileges as a result of encryption. Therefore, you should never use encryption to solve access control problems. Principle 2: Encryption Does Not Protect Against a Malicious Database Administrator Some organizations, concerned that a malicious user might gain elevated (database administrator) privileges by guessing a password, like the idea of encrypting stored data to protect against this threat. However, the correct solution to this problem is to protect the database administrator account, and to change default passwords for other privileged accounts. The easiest way to break into a database is by using a default password for a privileged account that an administrator allowed to remain unchanged. One example is SYS/CHANGE_ON_INSTALL. While there are many destructive things a malicious user can do to a database after gaining the DBA privilege, encryption will not protect against many of them. Examples include corrupting or deleting data, exporting user data to the file system to e-mail the data back to himself to run a password cracker on it, and so on. Some organizations are concerned that database administrators, typically having all privileges, are able to see all data in the database. These organizations feel that the database administrators should administer the database, but should not be able to see the data that the database contains. Some organizations are also concerned about concentrating so much privilege in one person, and would prefer to partition the DBA function, or enforce two-person access rules. It is tempting to think that encrypting all data (or significant amounts of data) will solve these problems, but there are better ways to protect against these threats. For example, Oracle Database supports limited partitioning of DBA privileges. Oracle Database provides native support for SYSDBA and SYSOPER users. SYSDBA has all privileges, but SYSOPER has a limited privilege set (such as startup and shutdown of the database). Furthermore, you can create smaller roles encompassing several system privileges. A jr_dba role might not include all system privileges, but only those appropriate to a junior database administrator (such as CREATE TABLE, CREATE USER, and so on). Oracle Database also enables auditing the actions taken by SYS (or SYS-privileged users) and storing that audit trail in a secure operating system location. Using this model, a separate auditor who has root privileges on the operating system can audit all actions by SYS, enabling the auditor to hold all database administrators accountable for their actions. See Auditing SYS Administrative Users for information about ways to audit database administrators. You can also fine-tune the access and control that database administrators have by using Oracle Database Vault. See Oracle Database Vault Administrators Guide for more information. The database administrator function is a trusted position. Even organizations with the most sensitive data, such as intelligence agencies, do not typically partition the database administrator function. Instead, they manage their database administrators strongly, because it is a position of trust. Periodic auditing can help to uncover inappropriate activities. Encryption of stored data must not interfere with the administration of the database, because otherwise, larger security issues can result. For example, if by encrypting data you corrupt the data, then you create a security problem, the data itself cannot be interpreted, and it may not be recoverable. You can use encryption to limit the ability of a database administrator or other privileged user to see data in the database. However, it is not a substitute for managing the database administrator privileges properly, or for controlling the use of powerful system privileges. If untrustworthy users have significant privileges, then they can pose multiple threats to an organization, some of them far more significant than viewing unencrypted credit card numbers. Principle 3: Encrypting Everything Does Not Make Data Secure A common error is to think that if encrypting some data strengthens security, then encrypting everything makes all data secure. As the discussion of the previous two principles illustrates, encryption does not address access control issues well, and it is important that encryption not interfere with normal access controls. Furthermore, encrypting an entire production database means that all data must be decrypted to be read, updated, or deleted. Encryption is inherently a performance-intensive operation; encrypting all data will significantly affect performance. Availability is a key aspect of security. If encrypting data makes data unavailable, or adversely affects availability by reducing performance, then encrypting everything will create a new security problem. Availability is also adversely affected by the database being inaccessible when encryption keys are changed, as good security practices require on a regular basis. When the keys are to be changed, the database is inaccessible while data is decrypted and re-encrypted with a new key or keys. There may be advantages to encrypting data stored off-line. For example, an organization may store backups for a period of 6 months to a year off-line, in a remote location. Of course, the first line of protection is to secure the facility storing the data, by establishing physical access controls. Encrypting this data before it is stored may provide additional benefits. Because it is not being accessed on-line, performance need not be a consideration. While an Oracle database does not provide this capability, there are vendors who provide encryption services. Before embarking on large-scale encryption of backup data, organizations considering this approach should thoroughly test the process. It is essential to verify that data encrypted before off-line storage can be decrypted and re-imported successfully. Advantages EFS technology makes it so that files encrypted by one user cannot be opened by another user if the latter does not possess appropriate permissions. After encryption is activated, the file remains encrypted in any storage location on the disk, regardless of where it is moved. Encryption is can be used on any files, including executables. The user with permission to decrypt a file is able to work with the file like with any other, without experiencing any restrictions or difficulties. Meanwhile, other users receive a restricted access notification when they attempt to access the EFS encrypted file. This approach is definitely very convenient. The user gets the opportunity to reliably and quickly (using standard means) limit access to confidential information for other household members or colleagues who also use the computer. EFS seems like an all-around winning tool, but this is not the case. Data encrypted using this technology can be entirely lost, for example during operating system reinstallation. We should remember that the files on disk are encrypted using the FEK (File Encryption Key), which is stored in their attributes. FEK is encrypted using the master key, which in turn is encrypted using the respective keys of the system users with access to the file. The user keys themselves are encrypted with the users password hashes, and the password hashes use the SYSKEY security feature. This chain of encryption, according to EFS developers, should reliably protect data, but in practice, as explained below, the protection can be ultimately reduced to the good old login-pass-word combination. Thanks to this encryption chain, if the password is lost or reset, or if the operating system fails or is reinstalled, it becomes impossible to gain access to the EFS-encrypted files on the drive. In fact, access can be lost irreversibly. Regular users do not fully understand how EFS works and often pay for it when they lose their data. Microsoft has issued EFS documentation that explains how it works and the main issues that may be encountered when encrypting, but these are difficult for regular users to understand, and few read the documentation before starting to work. Data Encryption Challenges In cases where encryption can provide additional security, there are some associated technical challenges, as described in the following sections: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encrypting Indexed Data à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Generating Encryption Keys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Transmitting Encryption Keys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Storing Encryption Keys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Changing Encryption Keys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encrypting Binary Large Objects Encrypting Indexed Data Special difficulties arise when encrypted data is indexed. For example, suppose a company uses a national identity number, such as the U.S. Social Security number (SSN), as the employee number for its employees. The company considers employee numbers to be sensitive data, and, therefore, wants to encrypt data in the employee_number column of the employees table. Because employee_number contains unique values, the database designers want to have an index on it for better performance. However, if DBMS_CRYPTO or the DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT (or another mechanism) is used to encrypt data in a column, then an index on that column will also contain encrypted values. Although an index can be used for equality checking (for example, SELECT * FROM emp WHERE employee_number = 987654321), if the index on that column contains encrypted values, then the index is essentially unusable for any other purpose. You should not encrypt indexed data. Oracle recommends that you do not use national identity numbers as unique IDs. Instead, use the CREATE SEQUENCE statement to generate unique identity numbers. Reasons to avoid using national identity numbers are as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There are privacy issues associated with overuse of national identity numbers (for example, identity theft). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sometimes national identity numbers can have duplicates, as with U.S. Social Security numbers. Generating Encryption Keys Encrypted data is only as secure as the key used for encrypting it. An encryption key must be securely generated using secure cryptographic key generation. Oracle Database provides support for secure random number generation, with the RANDOMBYTES function of DBMS_CRYPTO. (This function replaces the capabilities provided by the GetKey procedure of the earlier DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT.) DBMS_CRYPTO calls the secure random number generator (RNG) previously certified by RSA Security. Note: Do not use the DBMS_RANDOM package. The DBMS_RANDOM package generates pseudo-random numbers, which, as Randomness Recommendations for Security (RFC-1750) states that using pseudo-random processes to generate secret quantities can result in pseudo-security. Be sure to provide the correct number of bytes when you encrypt a key value. For example, you must provide a 16-byte key for the ENCRYPT_AES128 encryption algorithm. Transmitting Encryption Keys If the encryption key is to be passed by the application to the database, then you must encrypt it. Otherwise, an intruder could get access to the key as it is being transmitted. Network encryption, such as that provided by Oracle Advanced Security, protects all data in transit from modification or interception, including cryptographic keys. Storing Encryption Keys Storing encryption keys is one of the most important, yet difficult, aspects of encryption. To recover data encrypted with a symmetric key, the key must be accessible to an authorized application or user seeking to decrypt the data. At the same time, the key must be inaccessible to someone who is maliciously trying to access encrypted data that he is not supposed to see. The options available to a developer are: Storing the Encryption Keys in the Database Storing the Encryption Keys in the Operating System Users Managing Their Own Encryption Keys Using Transparent Database Encryption and Table space Encryption Storing the Encryption Keys in the Database Storing the keys in the database cannot always provide infallible security if you are trying to protect against the database administrator accessing encrypted data. An all-privileged database administrator could still access tables containing encryption keys. However, it can often provide good security against the casual curious user or against someone compromising the database file on the operating system. As a trivial example, suppose you create a table (EMP) that contains employee data. You want to encrypt the employee Social Security number (SSN) stored in one of the columns. You could encrypt employee SSN using a key that is stored in a separate column. However, anyone with SELECT access on the entire table could retrieve the encryption key and decrypt the matching SSN. While this encryption scheme seems easily defeated, with a little more effort you can create a solution that is much harder to break. For example, you could encrypt the SSN using a technique that performs some additional data transformation on the employee_number before using it to encrypt the SSN. This technique might be as simple as using an XOR operation on the employee_number and the birth date of the employee to determine the validity of the values. As additional protection, PL/SQL source code performing encryption can be wrapped, (using the WRAP utility) which obfuscates (scrambles) the code. The WRAP utility processes an input SQL file and obfuscates the PL/SQL units in it. For example, the following command uses the keymanage.sql file as the input: wrap iname=/mydir/keymanage.sql A developer can subsequently have a function in the package call the DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT with the key contained in the wrapped package. Oracle Database enables you to obfuscate dynamically generated PL/SQL code. The DBMS_DDL package contains two subprograms that allow you to obfuscate dynamically generated PL/SQL program units. For example, the following block uses the DBMS_DDL.CREATE_WRAPPED procedure to wrap dynamically generated PL/SQL code. BEGIN SYS.DBMS_DDL.CREATE_WRAPPED (function_returning_PLSQL_code()); END; While wrapping is not unbreakable, it makes it harder for an intruder to get access to the encryption key. Even in cases where a different key is supplied for each encrypted data value, you should not embed the key value within a package. Instead, wrap the package that performs the key management (that is, data transformation or padding). An alternative to wrapping the data is to have a separate table in which to store the encryption key and to envelope the call to the keys table with a procedure. The key table can be joined to the data table using a primary key to foreign key relationship. For example, employee_number is the primary key in the employees table that stores employee information and the encrypted SSN. The employee_number column is a foreign key to the ssn_keys table that stores the encryption keys for the employee SSN. The key stored in the ssn_keys table can also be transformed before use (by using an XOR operation), so the key itself is not stored unencrypted. If you wrap the procedure, then that can hide the way in which the keys are transformed before use. The strengths of this approach are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Users who have direct table access cannot see the sensitive data unencrypted, nor can they retrieve the keys to decrypt the data. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Access to decrypted data can be controlled through a procedure that selects the encrypted data, retrieves the decryption key from the key table, and transforms it before it can be used to decrypt the data. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The data transformation algorithm is hidden from casual snooping by wrapping the procedure, which obfuscates the procedure code. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ SELECT access to both the data table and the keys table does not guarantee that the user with this access can decrypt the data, because the key is transformed before use. The weakness to this approach is that a user who has SELECT access to both the key table and the data table, and who can derive the key transformation algorithm, can break the encryption scheme. The preceding approach is not infallible, but it is adequate to protect against easy retrieval of sensitive information stored in clear text. Storing the Encryption Keys in the Operating System Storing keys in a flat file in the operating system is another option. Oracle Database enables you to make callouts from PL/SQL, which you could use to retrieve encryption keys. However, if you store keys in the operating system and make callouts to it, then your data is only as secure as the protection on the operating system. If your primary security concern is that the database can be broken into from the operating system, then storing the keys in the operating system makes it easier for an intruder to retrieve encrypted data than storing the keys in the database itself. Users Managing Their Own Encryption Keys Using Transparent Database Encryption and Table space Encryption Transparent database encryption and table space encryption provide secu

Case Brief Santa Fe Independent Essay

Facts: In Santa Fe, Texas, students were elected by their classmates to give pre-game prayers at high school football games over the loud speaker that were mainly Christian. A Catholic and a Mormon family felt this was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. The school district has always done pre-game invocations before each game however while the case was pending the school district changed their policy, still permitting student led prayer but not requiring them as they were before. The District Court ordered that only nonsectarian and nonproselytizing prayers could be given. When the case went to The Court of Appeals, they found that the policy was still invalid. The district filed a writ of certioran claiming the new policy was not a violation of the Establishment Clauses because they could be considered a private student speech because they were no longer required at all home games and they were not a public speech. Issue: Does a prayer delivered by a student over a loud speaker violate the Establishment Clause? Holding: In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that the prayers given by students over the loud speaker doe violate the Establishment Clause Reasoning: The Court reasoned with the facts that a prayers given at the football field or any sporting event were not private speeches that were authorized by government policy on government grounds during school events that are funded by the government. As the student is giving the prayer there is no open forum as would be the case during public speeches. Without this in place, prayers before sporting events are not considered to be public speeches but are considered to be sponsored by the school. The new policy the school had to elect students to be the spokespersons to deliver the prayers was also criticized, leading the justices to believe the school was still controlling the process.

Tracing My Career Path as An IT Contractor - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 831 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/02/05 Category Career Essay Level High school Tags: Career Path Essay Did you like this example? Once I complete my college education, I plan to seek a career opportunity as an IT contractor. This decision stems from my observation and detailed research of the fast pace with which the IT world is creating lucrative job opportunities for contingent workers. For example, a recent report by TEKsystems indicates that 26 percent of managers in the IT sector was projected to increase the headcount of contingent professionals during the last six months of 2017 (Bednarz). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Tracing My Career Path as An IT Contractor" essay for you Create order As an IT contractor, I intend to contribute niche skills to various teams, secure my financial security through savings and investments, and be part of a network of professionals with valuable insights for the future. In the words of Jason Hayman, a TEKsystems’ manager in market research, â€Å"the current environment for IT workers is one of opportunity, as unemployment remains low and demand continues to rise† (Bednarz). At a time when unemployment is on the rise in many industries, Hayman’s analysis is of great motivation for me as I look forward to filling a gap in the provision of IT skills to the industry players who often prefer contractors. In order to maximize my opportunities for growth in the IT profession, I will avoid complex projects in the early stages of my career and progress gradually as I gain more experience. Although I expect to enhance my IT skills and knowledge through rigorous training and working with those with established careers in the field, I will choose contract rates and projects that will allow me to grow at my own pace. Moreover, contractors enjoy great flexibility in terms of their choice of work, the companies they work for, and what they consider as reasonable compensation (Keeble). Therefore, I will maximize this flexibility to ensure that I deliver the highest standards of service as I become more marketable among the clients. According to Ken Rubin, an IT consultant at High Road Data in Orange County, â€Å"I like the freedom and flexibility to set my own schedule† (Bednarz). Indeed, this is one of the most attractive aspects of working as a contractor. However, there is no job security, paid vacations, and retirement benefits that one should expect to enjoy as full-time employees do. In this regard, I will secure my financial stability by having a culture of saving and investing my income in different long-term ventures such as real estate and government bonds. As an IT contractor, I expect to make earnings of between $60 and $80 per hour. Despite such an attractive package, the workflow is not guaranteed because companies seek the services of contractors depending on workloads, the urgency of a project, and the need to get key expertise or skills. Therefore, I will develop personal discipline when it comes to the management of my income because I will be responsible for my healthcare needs, payment of taxes, vacations, and financial security after retirement. These are huge responsibilities that I intend to prioritize so that I can get maximum benefits from my profession. Working as an IT contractor will also require a strong initiative for personal and professional growth because there is no employer to organize training programs, seminars, or workshops on my behalf. Furthermore, I will be my own boss. Therefore, I will take advantage of the flexible working hours to not only market myself to potential clients, but also enroll for further studies or improvement courses whenever necessary. By so doing, I will tap into the current IT knowledge and opportunities since my choice for further training will be informed by a strict analysis of the skills that I need to progress in my career. In other words, I will expand my knowledge based on the relevance and the potential to improve service delivery to clients. In order to be fully committed to professional excellence and to maintain the momentum of continuous improvement, I will be part of a network of professionals with similar interests. Moreover, the IT profession is highly dynamic and one must be a team player in order to overcome the challenges of this profession, especially when working as a contractor. Without being part of a team of professions, career progression can be much slower because contracting depends a lot on knowing people and establishing good relationships with them. One of the most important benefits that I shall derive from being part of a network of professionals is the opportunity to market myself. It is important to appreciate that I may not be trained in marketing by the time I begin my career as an IT contractor. Even when I eventually get this training, I will still need the business network because that is where professionals meet, discuss, and learn how to grow as a team through referrals. Therefore, I will prioritize my membership to the appropriate group of IT professionals so as to increase my prospects for contracts. At the same time, I will seek to develop my own marketing skills by enrolling for the relevant training in IT contractor marketing.

Portrayal of Utopia in The Tempest by William Shakespeare...

Utopia in The Tempest In The Tempest, Shakespeare allows the audience to appreciate the possibilities of utopian society, the good, and bad, so that they can understand the problems that the pursuit of a utopian environment may cause. The Tempest is a window into the dimensions of utopian societies. Shakespeares play portrays the good and the evil sides of the perfect life. While his characters take on the role of the leaders of the utopian societies, Shakespeare portrays the social questions and beliefs of society of how a utopian environment should be. Essential to the discussion of this aspect of The Tempest is the definition of a Utopia. For different characters this utopia means different things. First of†¦show more content†¦His evil intentions and deceitful gain of power were what people of that time would have labeled a dystopia, the opposite of a utopia. Mirandas utopia is a very naive one. All her life she has been isolated on the island seeing no-one but her father and Caliban, and therefore upon seeing other beings is amazed and overcome by her new discovery. Her role in the play, along with Ferdinand is to unite enemies (Prospero Alonso), and this links in to Ferdinands utopia which represents true love (as it has passed Prosperos tests). Ferdinand therefore finds a utopia on the island, because in marrying Miranda his life changes, for the better. In meeting Miranda he also therefore plays a major role in Mirandas utopia. Alonsos utopia is revealed at the end of the play as he wants freedom from guilt, freedom from his past sins. He also wishes to play a more involved role within his family. Therefore his utopia is one of goodness and again shows he has found a utopia on the island, as his personality has totally changed. This also contributes to Miranda finding a utopia as it shows her the power of repentance. Prosperos utopia lies in his desire to be free from the stage as he requests at the end in his epilogue, release me from my bands with the help of your good hands. However Prospero is unable to escape responsibility as he has control over the whole island, which is why it is he who requests the audiences applause atShow MoreRelated Portrayal of Utopia in The Tempest Essay example1652 Words   |  7 PagesPortrayal of Utopia in The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Tempest, Shakespeare allows the audience to appreciate the possibilities of utopian society and whatever this may posses.   Being the good, and bad so that they can see that problems can arise in such a society. The Tempest can be thus seen as a window into the dimensions of utopian societies. While his characters take on the role of the leaders of the utopian societies, Shakespeare uses his creation to portray the social questions and beliefsRead More Conflict and Harmony in The Tempest Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesConflict and Harmony in The Tempest   Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare describes a utopic world saturated with supernatural images and ideas which works to create the mysterious island where The Tempest takes place.   This is one of Shakespeares best examples of how a natural harmony reveals itself through the actions of discourse and confusion.   To illustrate this idea best one must examine the historical context upon which The Tempest is based.   Because this play was published in the early 1600sRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Tragicomedy The Tempest1935 Words   |  8 Pagesstand alone, frequently including elements from other influences. William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Tempest (c:1611) is a play that uses intertextuality to enhance ideas about natural order. Banished to an island, Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, conjures up a tempest that brings him his usurping brother, Antonio in an attempt to restore his Dukedom. The play’s amalgamation of tragicomedy and the pastoral genre allows Shakespeare to warn his audience about unbalance, criticising the lavish lifestyle

Physical, Social, And Cognitive Development - 1403 Words

In order to answer questions about ones physical, social, and cognitive development we must first know what that means. Physical development involves growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills, health and wellness. Cognitive development involves learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity. Psychosocial development involves emotions, personality, and social relationships. 1) Chapter 10: Emotion and Motivation Motivation describes the wants or needs that direct behavior toward a goal. In addition to biological motives, motivations can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are performed because of the sense of personal satisfaction that they bring, while†¦show more content†¦Our personalities are thought to be long term, stable, and not easily changed. Infants who are just a few weeks old display differences between each other in how active they are, how responsive they are to change, and how irritable they are. Some infants cry constantly while others seem happy and stay fairly quiet. Temperamental traits are enduring personality characteristics that are neither good nor bad. Early on, parents can work with the child s temperamental traits rather than oppose them. Later, as the child grows up, parents can help the child to adapt to his or her own world in spite of inborn temperament. Whereas children and adolescents are generally supported by parents, adults must make their own living and must start their own families. One of the major markers of adulthood is the ability to create an effective and independent life. Despite the challenges of early and middle adulthood, the majority of middle-aged adults are happy. These years are often very satisfying, as families have been established, careers have been entered into, and some percentage of life goals has been realized. The role changes that accompany old age especially in work and family roles. The adjustments are made slowly and less frequent as aging advances. Firstly, there is a focus on the maintenance of one s life and quality of lifestyle rather than on discovery and creativity. Secondly, the task center on happening on what is occurring in lives of others.Show MoreRelatedCognitive, Social, And Physical Development936 Words   |  4 PagesCognitive, Social Physical Development Early Childhood Education emphasizes the development of the whole child: Cognitive, social and physical. Some educators emphasize the cognitive domain, neglecting social and physical development. Student learning is enhanced when teachers incorporate the three domains into planning and implementation of curriculum. This paper will investigate how cognitive, social, and physical domains of development are inextricably linked and how they affect the developmentRead MorePhysical, Cognitive, And Social Emotional Development1340 Words   |  6 PagesTypical Physical, Cognitive, and Social-Emotional Development This group of students is quite diverse. This group of fourth grade students also exhibit diversity from their home life, culture, and socioeconomic areas. This school has over an eighty percent ration of students on free or reduced lunches. Religious diversity also plays a part in this group of children. These children break up into social groups based along these lines of diversity. Physical Development Normal physical developmentRead MoreLife Span Development : Cognitive, Social, And Physical Development933 Words   |  4 Pagesspan development: cognitive, social, and physical development. This class is not simply a discussion of nature vs. nurture, it explores the interaction between genetic and environmental factors that orient us towards specific behaviors. Initially, my views on life span development were limited to more sociological factors, and did not take into consideration physical developments of the brain. In relation to my personal and professional identity this course has made me realize that development occursRead MoreFactors That Influence Cognitive, Social And Physical Development1326 Words   |  6 PagesThere are factors that can influence cognitive, social and physical development. Everyone develops at a different pace. Tyra Beckett development was different and not easy. But she overcame her challenges and became the person she is today. Tyra Beckett is a nati ve New Yorker, who moved to Virginia. She has faced many obstacles in her life such as not speaking until three, having a speech impediment, losing her father, being bullied and stressing in college. She plans on finding a career in HumanRead MoreDevelopment Of The Cognitive, Physical And Social Emotional Domains Within Middle Childhood980 Words   |  4 PagesThis essay aims to analysis the development of the cognitive, physical and social-emotional domains within middle childhood. This essay will discuss how the development of these domains can be seen throughout the movie ‘Boyhood’. Cognitive development is defined as â€Å"the process of growth and change in intellectual/mental abilities such as thinking, reasoning and understanding and includes the acquisition and consolidation of knowledge† ( ). Physical development can be defined as â€Å"changes in bodyRead MoreMy Virtual Child Program : Physical, Social, Emotional, And Cognitive Development1528 Words   |  7 PagesMy Virtual Child program basically covers physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development at several age levels. Various personalized questions were asked and given scenarios that would shape my child’s physical development, cognitive development, and affect his personality. My Virtual Child has a unique set of characteristics at birth, some of which were influenced by how I answered and completed the assessment when I first logged into My Virtual Child. These characteristics gradually emergedRead MoreThe Impact Of Electronic Media On Physical, Cognitive, Social And Behavioral Development Of Children1749 Words   |  7 Pages IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA ON PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN Manal S.El Defrawy MD1, Ola G. Behairy MD1, Mona A. Elawady MD2, Doaa Mohammad MSC1 Pediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Egypt1 Community Department, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Egypt2 Abstract Background: Our lives become saturated with technology and mobile phones are an essential part of our daily activity, and many of our entertainment is provided through theRead MorePhysical, Cognitive, And Social Development Of Harper, A 3 Year Old Girl952 Words   |  4 PagesOn March 19, 2016, I had the opportunity to observe the physical, cognitive, and social development of Harper, a 3 year old girl. The observations were conducted at Building Blocks Daycare Center, Brandon, Iowa and the infant’s parents consented to participate in the live observations. The parents are Bryan and Brittney they are expecting a second child and today is the reveal party for the second. Harper appears to be happy about the day, she is running and playing with the other children thatRead MoreAn Early Childhood Educator : Understanding The Physical, Social, Emotional, And Cognitive Development Of Each Child1024 Words   |  5 Pages As educators we should set up a high quality classroom environment where the child can grow, learn and explore at his or her own developmental level. I believe that as an early childhood educator my goal is to promote the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of each child. Also educators must find a good balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. Many influential early childhood educators have given me a wonderful perspective on how I would like to teachRead MoreSupport The Positive Parenting Of A Child s Physical, Cognitive And Social Emotional Learning Development2812 Words   |  12 Pagesstrategies which include a strength based approach to support the positive parenting in respect of a child s physical, cognitive and social emotional learning development. The first two years of any child s life are the most critical and important when it comes to their personal development when growing up. They are essential to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. Many theorists have suggested that is a child is brought up where their developmental needs are not being met

About Myself Free Essays

Nuclear Power is produced when a nucleus absorbs a neutron and splits into two lighter nuclei. This releases enormous amounts of energy which in turn produces heat. In fact the Uranium, which is the most common element used to produce nuclear power today, has an energy content about 3 million times greater than that of fossil fuel. We will write a custom essay sample on About Myself or any similar topic only for you Order Now Consequently 1 gram of Uranium is equivalent to approximately 3 tones of coal. Nuclear reactors harness the heat which is produced from the energy released when the atom splits and convert it into electrical energy. Current Nuclear Power plants require the the use of the rare Uranium isotope U-235 and consequently only use one fifth of the total energy content. Next generation reactors forecast to be available in 2020’s will use all the energy in Uranium or the more abundant Thorium. Nuclear reactors produce vast amounts of radioactive waste including large amounts of very long lived radioactive atoms. These radioactive particles are a product of the splitting of the atom. We are constantly exposed to low-level radioactivity from cosmic rays from outer space and naturally occurring radioactive isotopes which in general do not cause any harm. However at high levels of exposure there are numerous biological effects of radiation. These cause cell death, cancer induction and can cause genetic damage. The waste of nuclear reactors is highly radioactive and long lived, and as a consequence must be isolated from humans for around 100,000 years. The current consensus is that Nuclear Waste should be disposed in secure containers and placed deep underground. Future technology promises to turn the long lived radioactive particles into shorter lived atoms. How to cite About Myself, Papers

Coder Job Description free essay sample

Coder Job Description: Inpatient Coder: As a managerial health care professional, an Inpatient Coder is responsible for reviewing and organizing all patient files for accuracy, and coding that information into the computer system so that the records will indicate all relevant data, such as the reason that the patient was admitted, type of illness and breakdown of the treatment that was prescribed and received. Some examples of how the Inpatient Coder is required to do the coding are: Guidelines: Follows official coding guidelines to review and analyze health records. Feedback: Provides feedback and education to physician and professional staff regarding changes in coding methodology and enhanced documentation procedures for optimizing reimbursement. Billing etc: Coders who also serve as billers must be familiar with the physician’s personal fee schedule, the Hospital charges and packages etc. They should also know how to record and account for reimbursements and use the billing software and use the indices in all the coding books effectively. We will write a custom essay sample on Coder Job Description or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Software: They should be competent in using Medical Coding ICD-9 Software. This is a  diagnosis  and  procedure  categorization search tool based on the latest  . NET  Framework Technology. Adding, modifying or deleting ICD-9-CM codes with the click of a mouse. Chart Review: An inpatient coder must thoroughly review all patient medical charts in an effort to ensure that all information is accurate and reliable. He should do chart review by extracting pertinent data from the patient’s health record, and determine appropriate coding for reports and billing documents. Compliance: All information entered into the database by an inpatient coder must be done so in accordance with the policies and procedures of the medical facility. They should maintain compliance with both external regulatory and accreditation requirements, and with State and Federal regulations. Staff Interaction: When discrepancies and other anomalies are discovered in files, an inpatient coder must communicate with medical staff members such as nurses and doctors to resolve the issue immediately without delay. Education: In order to gain employment as an inpatient coder, the candidate must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent and have taken coursework in medical terminology, physiology and anatomy. Coding for Hospice Care: Hospice Care typically work to maintain the comfort and maximize the quality of life of fatally ill patients On admission, the coder must identify and code the diagnosis that qualifies the patient to meet the hospice certification of â€Å"life expectancy of 6 months or less†. During the hospice episode, the additional disorders/diseases may be added and should be updated upon recertification. End-stage diagnoses are not usually captured by the ICD-9-CM code (the medical coding software). Secondary diagnoses also are coded because patients other have multiple medical conditions at the end of life. Eligibility criteria by diagnosis are guided by the LCD. (Example: End Stage Heart Failure is characterized when the patient already has been optimally treated for heart disease). Hospice coders should be familiar with these criteria to determine appropriate coding of terminal diagnosis and co morbidities. Coder Job Description: Outpatient Coder: An outpatient coder must know how to code multiple areas efficiently, related to the services performed at an outpatient hospital or a hospital owned facility that is classified as outpatient. The types of coding this type of coder must know are CPT procedures, ICD-9 diagnosis codes, and HCPCS supply and service coding. A coder must know medical terminology and anatomy. Outpatient Coder would be responsible for abstracting, coding, and sequencing the classification of medical and surgical procedures, professional services, diagnosis, supplies and treatment modalities. Some of the core tasks are: Selection: He should selects the most accurate and descriptive codes from the listings of American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) Coding system, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM); and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS). Assigning and Complying: Assigns Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) and performs coding compliance reviews. Abstracts and codes pertinent medical data into multiple software programs. Daily Activities: An outpatient coder must determine the most appropriate coding from either a paper chart record or an electronic chart record. Computer Software Used: Most facilities have a specific type of computer software the coder uses to determine the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) used by government payers and many third-party insurance carriers. Ability to Override: The Outpatient coder must have a good understanding of when the data does not explain the whole picture. They have the ability to override the computer code outcome for more appropriate choices of codes or APC.