Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the "IT" in IT Research—A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact

The field of information systems is premised on the centrality of information technology in everyday socio-economic life. Yet, drawing on a review of the full set of articles published in Information Systems Research (ISR) over the past ten years, we argue that the field has not deeply engaged its core subject matter—the information technology (IT) artifact. Instead, we find that IS researchers tend to give central theoretical significance to the context (within which some usually unspecified technology is seen to operate), the discrete processing capabilities of the artifact (as separable from its context or use), or the dependent variable (that which is posited to be affected or changed as technology is developed, implemented, and used). The IT artifact itself tends to disappear from view, be taken for granted, or is presumed to be unproblematic once it is built and installed. After discussing the implications of our findings, we propose a research direction for the IS field that begins to take technology as seriously as its effects, context, and capabilities. In particular, we propose that IS researchers begin to theorize specifically about IT artifacts, and then incorporate these theories explicitly into their studies. We believe that such a research direction is critical if IS research is to make a significant contribution to the understanding of a world increasingly suffused with ubiquitous, interdependent, and emergent information technologies

Accounting for the Contradictory Organizational Consequences of Information Technology: Theoretical Directions and Methodological Implications

Daniel Robey, Marie-Claude Boudreau

Department of Computer Information Systems, College of Business Administration, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-4015
Department of Computer Information Systems, College of Business Administration, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-4015

Although much contemporary thought considers advanced information technologies as either determinants or enablers of radical organizational change, empirical studies have revealed inconsistent findings to support the deterministic logic implicit in such arguments. This paper reviews the contradictory empirical findings both across studies and within studies, and proposes the use of theories employing a logic of opposition to study the organizational consequences of information technology. In contrast to a logic of determination, a logic of opposition explains organizational change by identifying forces both promoting change and impeding change. Four specific theories are considered: organizational politics, organizational culture, institutional theory, and organizational learning. Each theory is briefly described to illustrate its usefulness to the problem of explaining information technology's role in organizational change. Four methodological implications of using these theories are also discussed: empirical identification of opposing forces, statement of opposing hypotheses, process research, and employing multiple interpretations

A Conceptual and Operational Definition of Personal Innovativeness in the Domain of Information Technology

Ritu Agarwal, Jayesh Prasad

Information and Management Sciences Department, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1110
University of Dayton, Department of MIS and Decision Sciences, Dayton, Ohio 45469-2130 Key Words: Instrument Development; Innovation; IT Adaption; World-Wide Web; IT Implementation; Personal Innovativeness

The acceptance of new information technologies by their intended users persists as an important issue for researchers and practitioners of information systems. Several models have been developed in the literature to facilitate understanding of the process by which new information technologies are adopted. This paper proposes a new construct that further illuminates the relationships explicit in the technology acceptance models and describes an operational measure for this construct that possesses desirable psychometric properties. The construct, personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology, is hypothesized to exhibit moderating effects on the antecedents as well as the consequences of individual perceptions about a new information technology. The construct was developed and validated in the context of the innovation represented by the World-Wide Web. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Protect Your Computer Against Viruses With a Good Backup Plan

Didn't the antivirus just say it cleaned the infection? So why's it back? Because the antivirus has been taken over by the virus. It can only stop something that it either knows about, or looks like something it's seen before (heuristics). If it didn't catch the virus in the act, it's too late. The warning could have been the virus trying to make you feel like it was removed and not think about it anymore.

But I did everything right!

Most security professionals are brave enough to admit that they've fallen victim to malware once or twice. The delivery mechanisms play on our instincts, and all the knowledge in the world will occasionally fail when we're enticed by something that goes straight to the core of our being.

So you did everything right, and got a virus. Now what?

This is why you back your stuff up

This is why you do it. It's for when all the best practices and precautions fail. Backups are the panic button. You press it and hope your backup scheme was good enough.

You might as well reinstall everything

That's probably not what you wanted to hear. You'll never be sure it's gone unless you restore everything from a clean backup. Find all your installation CDs, get your backup disks, write down what needs to go where and go at it.

You should probably make up a restoration plan in advance of needing it. Even people who always remember to backup often forget to plan the restoration. A restoration plan is a check on the backup plan.

But backing up is hard

It's only hard if you don't plan ahead. As long as you have your operating system and application installation disks, you only need to back your personal files up. This is where good organizational systems shine. If you scatter documents and files all over your hard drive, you'll have a rough time backing up. If you keep it all in a few well-planned paths, you just copy them over to your backup media.

Don't let it happen again

So you've recovered, have your backup and restoration plan, and are more confident. So what now? The best thing you could do is practice not being tricked by deceptive e-mail subjects from malware distributors. Go in to your spam folder and start looking. Seek out lists of common malware spam subjects. If you know your enemy, they're less likely to win again.

The 3 Tips on Laptop Backup Solutions

In this article I give a few tips on how to backup your Laptop. For the Dutch audience I suggest that you look also for different providers than the typically Dutch ones like KPN and UPC.

Tip 1

Of course you can choose an extra hard disk to backup your documents. When you choose the backup facilities of the provider of your anti-virus maker like Norton 360 it works fine, but what happens when your hard disk and laptop is stolen or if your children borrow your backup hard disk to download their favorite CSI series and they throw away your previous backup from your hard disk hard disk?

Tip 2

Then consider looking for an online backup system. It is easy to use and you don't have to think about what was your last backup. Another advantage is that the online providers store up to 28 days of your backups. So, if a virus hits your computer you can go back a few days before the attack.

Tip 3

If you consider to backup your computer through an online provider look for possibilities in the US. In the Netherland there are some very good providers, but if you look at their price/service ratio it is worth looking in the US or England. Due to the exchange rates they are much cheaper. For instance a two year contract with Mozy compared with KPN safes you around 25 dollars.

Actually if you compare the service of online backup with the price of a external hard disk, do not wait and go for the online system. The three major parties in Netherland are KPN, Mozy and Carbonite.

Click Read More If You Want To Know More About Online Backup? To find out more about the specific Laptop Backup Solutions from Mozy click here. Or visit our website greatbackupsoftware.com

Carbonite Vs Mozy - A Legit Comparison

When it comes to the industry of online backup services, there are always two names that enter the pictures: Carbonite and Mozy. These are considered to be two of the most popular online backup utilities existing on cyberspace. If you want to get the best out of backing up your files online, then it is just the right thing to see a legit comparison between Carbonite and Mozy to see how one is different from another.

Carbonite has been present on the web for four years now and it is very well known for its reliability on recovering backed up files ever since 2006. On the other hand, Mozy was founded in 2005 and has been tendering unlimited and accessible storage ever since as the most convenient way of backing up and accessing files. Simply put, both Carbonite and Mozy work at its best in order to give out superior services as far as online backing up of files is concerned.

Looking at the pros of Carbonite, you can see how advantageous it is. The interface of Carbonite can be easily understood and used. While you are working on your computer, Carbonite does what it has to do without sacrificing the speed of your computer.

There is also no problem about major issues such as storage capacity because Carbonite offers unlimited storage for both Windows PC and Mac users. Data are encrypted in order to safeguard them from unauthorized access. Wherever you are and anytime you want, you can access your files that are backed up using Carbonite. Another good thing is its being an automatic backup service which means there is no more need to worry about backing up the files.

However, there are noticeable cons that Carbonite still needs to resolve. For one, its technical support is only available during weekdays at office hours. Beyond that designated hours, you can still be able to call, chat or email but the response needs additional fees. Another issue has something to do with the slowing down of the backup process after reaching a particular amount of storage. Also, there is a tendency for more than 4GB files to be skipped over which necessitates the user to manually add the files to the list instead.

There are also other good points about Mozy. Free subscription is available for up to 2GB of files. If you want unlimited storage, you can pick MozyPro which also makes it possible for a multiple computers to have web-based backup that has an unlimited storage space. Regarding technical support, Mozy offers an around the clock tech support that can be taken advantage of any time of the day, any day. Backing up of files with Mozy is hassle-free because it is fast, automatic, and secure. Encryption of data is prioritized by Mozy so that unauthorized access of files cannot be done. Furthermore, the interface of Mozy is more than just user-friendly

Categories of Autoloading DVD Duplicators

DVD duplication technology uses a red laser to make copies of DVDs on recordable discs. DVD duplicators can also be used to duplicate CDs and most disc copiers feature a dual drive that can support both CD/DVD-R and CD/DVD+R formats. Some disc copiers can also be used for printing. The principle advantage of autololoading (or automated) disc copiers is that they minimize the need for human intervention in the CD and DVD duplication / production process. Unlike manual DVD copiers, they don't require an operator to load and unload the drives. Users only need to load blank discs into the machine, start it, enter the number of copies needed and return to pick up the duplicates. There are three main classes of autoloading dvd copiers:

- Standalone Autoloading DVD duplicators: These disc copiers are simple to use and operate very much like manual standalone CD or DVD towers, with the added benefit of automation. They are available in smaller models that are compact and portable, as well as larger copiers suitable for the duplication of large volumes of DVDs and CDs.

- PC-Based Autoloading DVD duplicators: These models are connected to a PC via either a USB or Firewire interface - or a combination of the two. The PC connection allows you to create your CD and DVD directly from a host PC, giving you more control over duplication / publishing since you can run application and production software on the PC. The operator doesn't need to burn a master disc before the duplication process because the system creates disc images on the host PC hard drive.

- Networkable Autoloading DVD duplicators allow network-wide access from multiple clients to the autoloading dvd copiers.

Determining Which Disc Copiers Best Suit Your Needs

Given the extensive variety of DVD duplicators available on the market today, deciding which disc copier or duplication / publishing system to buy can be quite confusing. The general guidelines below highlight some of the factors you should consider when choosing disc copiers.

--> The speed factor: both manual and autoloading dvd copiers feature drives that record at different speeds. If speed of recording is a primary concern, select the disc copier with the highest recording speed that you can afford. Keep in mind that manual disc copiers are faster then autoloading DVD duplicators because there is practically no limit to the number of drives that can be added. Also, manual loading and unloading is generally faster than autoloading. If you need to copy DVDs and CDs quickly and at low cost, your best option is probably a manual tower duplication system

---> Minimal user intervention, ease of use and portability: Nothing is better than standalone autoloading DVD duplicators if what you need is ease of use and unattended operation. Compact models are more suitable for use in remote locations since they are easy to transport.

--->What kind of end product do you need? Choose a DVD duplicator system that both copies and prints if you need custom printed discs, but if all you need is duplicates of the master (original) disc, then a standard disc copier is a better choice

--->Volume or size of duplication tasks: Autoloading DVD duplicators are recommended for high volume duplication. Although manual disc copiers are typically faster, automated disc copiers require almost no physical intervention

---> Multiple duplication jobs: PC-based or PC-connected autoloading dvd copiers allow users to run multiple jobs using a host PC, without any human intervention for fast production of archived jobs, while providing more control over the production process

---> If your organization has multiple clients or users who need access to DVD disc duplicators, your obvious choice is to invest in networkable autoloading dvd copiers that make it easy to create large numbers of custom discs with very little user intervention

Whether you need corporate disc copiers to distribute business-related information (sales brochures, training manuals, etc.), or you simply want to make copies of CDs and DVDs to give to your friends, you'll find exactly what you need among the extensive array of manual and autoloading DVD duplicators on the market.