technology analyst

The increasing importance of technology in every industry continues to drive the need for a diverse group of qualified professionals to manage the implementation and changes in technology. Pursuing a degree at a technology management graduate school can be the right step for beginning a rewarding career in the management of everything from computer hardware to information security within an organization.

Overview of Technology Management

Technology management professionals are in high demand because of the unique set of skills they possess. In this field, professionals are able to make leadership and management based decisions, develop solutions to technology issues, and approach the management of technology from a systems thinking perspective.

For any management professionals, some of the skills that are required include being able to manage personnel, organizational design and communication, and financial analysis and decision making. Technology management professionals combine this knowledge with specific information technology and systems technology skills and knowledge to effectively lead and make decisions for the assessment, forecasting, strategies, and decision making with a number of different information technology departments.

Technology Management Graduate Degree Curriculum

There are a number of technology_management graduate school choices for prospective students. While there are differences depending on the individual program and school, students most often complete a set of core courses, electives, and a graduate program in order to complete the graduate degree. This combination helps to prepare graduates to transfer relevant, useful skills into the workforce.

From graduate level courses in technology to business, students are able to learn a variety of skills and gain valuable knowledge. Some courses in technology often included information technology_management, operations, emerging technologies, and ethics. Additionally, students will take business and management courses such as supply chain management, sales and marketing, and accounting for technology.

These courses give students the opportunity to gain a broad foundation to develop an understanding of the basic fundamentals of technology management. The electives and the master’s project build on that foundation to help students begin to focus their education on a specific area of technology_management. Some examples of electives include knowledge management and relationship management. The master’s level project combines the knowledge, theory, and skill a graduate student has gained though academic coursework to examine how that ability can be transferred to a real-world, challenging business issue or problem in order to find a solution or manage a specific scenario.

Career Development with a Technology Management Graduate Degree

Technology professionals must develop a variety of skills. In addition to understanding information technology, professionals in this field must also be able to manage change with technology and technology systems, integrate functional areas of business, leveraging technology, and business management principles to effectively lead the technology driven functions of a business.

These skills are needed in many different types of positions across all types of workplaces, from the federal government to non-profit and educational organizations to private corporations. From the chief information officer to information technology manager, a degree in technology_management is a helpful tool to gain the experience and skills needed for all types of management positions of technology-driven departments.

In the last half of the 20th century it was President Kennedy who took up the gauntlet of outlining a national directive focusing on science and technology. The course that the United States chartered then propelled America into the space age. No longer was man confined to this planet alone. We reached for the stars and did the impossible. We put a man on the moon, built the International Space Station, launched the Hubble Telescope which opened up the universe for all of mankind, and sent the Voyager on a never ending quest to “boldly go where no man has gone before.”

This all came about because a sitting President had the courage and took the leadership to lay the groundwork for the United States to act on a decisive plan of direction which open up so many windows of opportunity for millions of Americans. Some how for the past five decades the United States lost the exuberance that prevailed when President Kennedy pointed this country in a new direction.

Sure, there have been many marvels along the way in technology, science, and medicine. The Internet for one has opened up a whole new world filled with opportunities never before imagined. Heart transplants are now almost a routine procedure. So many more wonders have come into existence since the early 1960′s but, the leadership to identify and implement a national plan of direction that would put the United States onto the path toward that brighter future hasn’t happened since we put a man on the moon. It is within National Economic Reform where there is a direct plan of direction for the United States. Article Six is probably the most ambitious directive there is. But, this component is vital for the future of America and really the rest of the world. Implementing National Economic Reform is crucial for the future of not only the United States but for all of mankind especially when the Science and Technology Directives are realized.

The United States must recognize and take decisive action on five fronts now outlined in Article Six of National Economic Reform. One of the most important issues is the extent of Global Warming has on humanity and economies all over the world. This first directive is probably one of the more contentious and ambiguous issues today. We have to accept the facts as they present themselves.

First of all mankind has relied on the fuel of the first and second industrial revolution for far too ling. Today’s technology has afforded the United States to dispense with any and all types of fossil fuel while at the same time ushering in alternative lower cost green energy to supply the energy needs of this nation. There is no excuse other than Greed to keep the American public held hostage by the major fossil fuel conglomerates. Energy independence is realistic now using affordable alternative energy. The Third Industrial Revolution is now beginning and it is under the directive of Science and Technology in National Economic Reform that the energy of the tomorrow will emerge. We must remember that when the first Industrialized Revolution unfolded the fuel that ushered in a new found way of life was all based on fossil fuels. What followed was a feeding frenzy of drilling and mining which only created and environmental catastrophe that is unfolding today. Yet, in the United States our governmental officials for the most part are in a state of continued denial that our industrial infrastructure, that by the way was built and continues to use fossil fuel, is the cause of all the environmental impact that global warming is having all around the globe.

All of civilization is at a critical juncture today. We have developed more technologies in the shortest amount of time than in any other period in history. The sad fact today is that there are multitudes not only in the United States but all over the world that are left with-out the benefits that these technologies could bring. More and more people are facing dire living conditions here and over seas. Over one billion people are literally starving to death. The threat of Global Pandemics is as real as it gets. We have and are continuing to develop better technologies to eradicate hunger and the threat of a Pandemic today. But, the resolve to use the technologies that we have and develop more for the betterment of all of mankind is predicated by the implementation of National Economic Reform’s Science and Technology Directive.

The scientific community all support that drastic changes in the earths delicate condition will cause events of biblical proportions if man continues the use and consumption of fossil fuel. The world today faces mass extinctions of marine life caused by mans destructive nature in pollution of our oceans. It is imperative that the United States change direction, the continued misguided ideologies and attitudes that have prevailed for far too long if this nation is ever going to rise out of the ashes of our economic crisis. Within the Science and Technology Directive like a Phoenix rising to lead the world in alternative energy. It reminds one of that opening to the Six Million Dollar Man,” We have the technology to make him better, faster, and stronger.” Well guess what people, we actually do.

To understand what has occurred in the last hundred years of the industrial revolutions that has caused a global crisis is to look at when the peak of the second industrial revolution occurred. In 1980 is when scientists first really became concerned of the effects of all the carbon being released into the atmosphere by the industrial complexes and our modes of transportation was having. It seems that all through-out history whenever their is a industrial shift using newer technologies an economic revolution also occurs. These new emerging energy sources make it possible to create more independent economic activity. This in turn gives rise to providing more avenues to expand more commercial activity as well. Accompanying all of this newer technology are communication upgrades or so called revolutions which become the foundations where mans ability to organize, manage, and control the newer more stable set of spatial dynamics. All from evolving energy technologies.

By 1994 a new convergence of communication and energy was now infiltrating societies. Internet technology and the reemergence of renewable energy sources were about to merge in creating a powerful new infrastructure that will fuel the Third Industrial Revolution. This third industrial revolution has already begun. And, it is about to change the world forever. Just think in the next 50 or so years hundreds of millions of people the world over will be able to produce their own green energy in their homes, in offices, and in factories. Humanity will be able to share with each other an “energy Internet,” just like we are able to now create and share information online today. The democratization of energy will bring with it a fundamental reordering of all human relationships, impacting the very way we conduct business, govern society, educate and engage in civic and cultural activities.

It is to this purpose that the Scientific and Technological Directive in National Economic Reform initiate the further development and deployment of Internet energy systems across the country. To date the United States has yet to capitalize of this emerging source of the energy that will revolutionize the whole spectrum of energy consumption the world over. Government procrastination, denial, apathy and indifference have only confounded the American populace as to why the United Stats continually lags behind other industrialized countries in developing new renewable energy systems. Just take a look; in 2006 the European Union laid the groundwork for further development of this Internet technology for energy. Green technologies have all given rise to new medium of communications and infrastructure. It is in Europe and in Japan that have taken the lead in developing and the implementation of renewable green and Internet energy. meanwhile the US is stuck with our antiquated energy policies and infrastructure that still rely of fossil fuel. This is more than enough reason to implement National Economic Reform and it’s Science and Technology directives.

The second directive has to be the focus on enough clean fresh water being made available for every American and eliminate the prospect of another drought that caused irrevocable damage to this past summers harvested crops. Again, the United States has the technology to supply fresh water to areas where there are shortages. An intercontinental aqueduct that crisscrosses the country bringing water to areas that need it most is a priority that can’t wait any longer. To those skeptics that continue to say we can’t afford to spend billions of dollars to build the infrastructure that would accommodate this monumental undertaking forget one of the biggest reasons and purpose behind National Economic Reform and that is to have the United States regain it’s financial capabilities. If we constructed the oil pipeline from Alaska we can do likewise for water, our most precious natural resource.

The third directive concerns the eventuality of natural disasters. Earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and major power outages all are facts of life. But what the United states must do to minimize the devastation caused is to have in place better warning systems, safer and sturdier construction that will be able to withstand any contingency that arises out of a natural catastrophe, and have in place relief efforts readily available so that another Katrina like episode will never happen again.

The fourth directive is already being considered by scientists the world over. To make what President Kennedy started become more of a reality for deep space travel and realistically transport men and equipment to distant planets space travel has to be reinvented sort of speaking. This is because our known laws of physics has only kept humanity very limited in space exploration. That is until now. It is this forth directive that will have far reaching implications to say the least.

We must remember that since the dawn of mankind man has always looked up to the heavens and pondered that ageless question whether we are alone or are there other life forms some where out in the Universe. From the first time man notices those shinning stars above we have become fascinated by the reality of what is really out there. Humanity has always pondered the possibilities of other life forms that could very possibly be inhabiting other worlds. Through-out history even before Ancient Egypt the question of was mankind influenced by Alien life forms has always sparked debate. Stonehenge is one example of just maybe mankind was assisted with the building of that monument. And, there are other all over the world that to this day cannot be explained using our present knowledge and technology.

The Roswell case and Area 51 come quickly when we think of Alien visitors. What happened that night in 1947 indicates that we may have just had a visit from some alien life form. To this day there are still conflicting reports of what actually occurred in Area 51. Is there still a cover up of what happened or is it all a hoax in an attempt to create more speculation of the existence of Alien life forms? It really is difficult to comprehend considering the vastness of space and the abundance of other galaxies to think that mankind on earth are the only life forms in the entire universe.

This fourth directive has to do with the facts that man by nature is inquisitive, always searching for meaning, answers to the what if’s, the facts of life’s existence and the answers to what really is out there in the cosmos. This has stirred the never ending pursuit to find the answers. Finding those answers lies with developing the technologies that would make it feasible to actually secure the knowledge of what the Universe holds for mankind.

The United States was just beginning to develop the technology that would enable man to actually solve some of the mysteries of the Universe with the deployment of the Supercollider that was almost completed in 1993. The experiments that were to be conducted would have enabled scientists to finally realize what Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity entailed. Part of the answers remain hidden but, what we do know now that nuclear fusion and atoms accelerate to the speed of light. Roughly one hours ride to Jupiter. The whole concept behind the Supercollider project was to create and prove molecules can move as fast as atoms. We were very close in achieving molecular momentum accelerating to the speed of light and nuclear fusion. Unfortunately congress in their shortsightedness failed to renew the funding for the completion of the Supercollider project. The reality hit home because the cost to dismantle what was already constructed cost much more in tax payers money than that what was needed to finish construction. Just another way Congress still can’t get it right. Today, there has been a renewed interest from the international scientific community. A new smaller version has been completed under the Swiss and French boarder and is more than capable of finishing what the United States tried to do in 1993.

Involved in the fourth directive is proving and achieving molecular acceleration equal to that of atomic acceleration. Once we do mankind just might be able to greatly expand our knowledge of our own galaxy and others as well. Albert Einstein proved that atoms accelerated to the speed of light. It is now up to this directive and involving the rest of the worlds scientific community to figure out molecular reconstruction and reconstruction of when molecules achieve the acceleration point of atomic particles and reconstruct the same molecules as before after the acceleration has been achieved. All one has to do to visualize this is look at any Star Trek shows when they say “beam me up.” It isn’t so far from becoming a reality. Without gaining this knowledge mankind will find it next to impossible to be able to reach and explore the far reaches of our own galaxy let alone the rest of the universe.

Technology & HR-Leverage one for the other: “Technology and HR are enablers of business. Integration of the two would mean not only harmonious co-existence but also leveraging one for the other. Leveraging of technology for HR would mean digitizing the mundane HR activities and automating the back office and transactional activities related to recruitment, performance management, career planning, and succession planning, training and knowledge management. Leveraging HR for technology implies managing change associated with technology by way of communication, training, hiring, retraining, stakeholder analysis and conscious keeping. Thus they can play complementary roles.”

Technology and HR both have one thing common i.e., both these are enablers of business.

In recent times, technology has become synonymous with information technology, as hardly any other technological development of the past would have impacted all spectrum of business as information technology has impacted. Irrespective of the kind of business you are in i.e., services or goods, commodity or branded, trading or manufacturing, contemporary or traditional deployment of information technology in one form or the other is a foregone conclusion. To manage and deploy technology in an effective way, all business Organizations would need knowledge workers. Managing of these knowledge workers is the responsibility of HR function. Hence the integration of technology and HR is an absolute must.

Having understood technology and HR in the present context we must understand integration in this context. Integration would not only mean harmonious co-existing but would also mean one enhancing and complementing the other i.e., technology is used to enhance effectiveness of HR and HR functions helps in adopting and managing change which technology deployment brings in.

Leveraging technology for HR

HR management as a function is responsible for deliverables like business strategy execution, administrative efficiency, employee contribution and capacity for change. All these are accomplished through what HR people do i.e., staffing, development, compensation, benefits, communicate organization design, high performing teams and so on. In majority of these areas technology is being deployed.

e-Recruitment

Recruitment is one area where all the companies worth their name leverage IT. There are two different models of e-recruitment, which are in vogue. One is recruitment through company’s own sites and the other is hosting your requirement on the other sites e.g., monster .com, jobsdb.com, jobsahead.com, naukri.com, and jobstreet.com and so on so forth. The first models is more popular with the larger companies who have a brand pull for potential employees e.g., G.E., IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, HCL, ICICI, Reliance, Mindtree consulting etc. Other companies prefer to go to the job sites. Some are adopting both.

E-recruitment has gone a long way since its start. Now these sites have gone global. Sites like jobsahead.com and monster.com have established global network, which encompasses separate sites for jobs in Australia, Denmark, Belgium, and Canada etc. Job seekers are able to search job by region or country and employers target potential employees in specific countries. For example, 3 Com recently posted a company profile on the Ireland site that highlights the contributions of 3 com’s Irish design team in its global projects.

In the early days e-recruitment was plagued with flooding the employers with low-quality bio-data’s. Again technology has come as a savior. Now pre-employment testing like the one introduced by Capital One, a US based financial company, help in filtering the applicants. These tools test online e.g., applicants for call centers. ‘Profile International’ a Texas based provider of employment assessments, has developed tools that allow instant translation of assessment tests between languages. Further developments like video- conference specialized sites, online executives recruitments and combining online and offline methods are leading to more and more companies adopting e-recruitment at least as a secondary recruitment method. Arena Knights Bridge, a US based IT company conducts video based interview of its prospective employees and only short listed employees are met in person. Even Cisco was to launch the same.

Employee Self Service

Employee self-service is perhaps one utility of IT, which has relieved HR of most of mundane tasks and helped it to improve employee satisfaction. Employee self services is a plethora of small activities, which were earlier carried out by employee through administration wing of HR. These are travel bookings, travel rules information, travel bills, leave rules, leave administration, perk administration, etc. Earlier all these rules and information were in the custody of HR. Every user employee was expected to reach out to HR and get it done. Now with deployment of ESS in most of the companies, employee can request for travel related booking online, fill his/her T.E. bills, apply for leave, log time sheet and see his perks value disbursed and due etc. E.g., in Ballarpur Industries Ltd. leave administration is completely digitized in its corporate office. It is working towards digitizing travel related activities, perks and even compensation management and performance management administration. ‘Digitize or outsource all the mundane and routine focus only on core and value add’ – Vineet Chhabra V.P. -PDC BILT.

Communication

Communication which is most talked about management tool has always been a gray area in HR management. In large companies with vast geographical spread communicating with all employees had really posed formidable challenge to HR professionals. Technology has again come for rescue. Starting with telephones, faxes, e-mails and maturing into video conferencing, net cast, web cast etc. communication is one area of HR, which has been greatly benefited by technology. Mouse & click companies like Oracle, IBM has an intranet which caters to most of the information needs of its employees. Brick & Morter companies like BILT also have made a foray into deploying intranet for internal communication, which has corporate notice board, media coverage, and knowledge corners.

Knowledge Management

Another area of HR, which is leveraging technology, is employee development. Programmed learning (PL) i.e. learning at its own pace is one of the most effective ways of adult learning. Use of technology for this purpose can’t be over emphasized. Aptech Online University and ‘The Manage mentor’ are some of the Indian sites, which are in this business knowledge management, which is an integral part of any learning organization, which cannot become a reality without technology. Companies can harness the knowledge of its employees by cataloging and hosting it on the intranet. Talk to ‘Big-5′ or not ‘so big’ consulting companies you will find that main stay of their business is the knowledge repository. Technology has enabled them to retrieve it swiftly. In the competitive environment where speed is the name of game technology driven Knowledge Management constantly provides a strategic advantage.

Getting your site to show up when someone searches for a term related to your site is key to getting tons of free traffic. In order to get your site to place higher in search engine results you’ll need to use several search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. There are quite a few different on sight and offsite strategies. Building backlinks is one of the most effective offsite ways. A backlink is any link to a site that is posted on another website.

There are many ways to build backlinks. Some will help your ranking others will hurt it. The best strategy is to get other people to do it for you. This is called organic link building. By creating content that they then share on social media or on their own sites. In order to accomplish this you’ll first want to research what keywords you want to rank for. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to do this. Creating content that is of the highest quality and relevant to your site is key.

There are many ways to get backlinks built automatically. Most are paid services some are free. Be weary of these as search engines will notice if thousands of links show up all at once and may penalize your sites rank. One way to get auto backlinks is to use article spinning software. This takes an article you wrote and rewrites it so that it is original. Then you can post similar but original articles to many sites or blogs. Search engines look at content and how unique it is when ranking a sites link. So posting a bunch of identical content is also bad.

Another good way is to join forums. Most will allow you to add a link to your signature. So every time you comment or write a post it will create a link. It’s best to find people asking questions that you know the answers to. By answering them you’ll also build a reputation that can benefit your brand.

Social media is one of the best ways to build backlinks along with your brand. Creating a viral video or post with your backlink attached is a very fast way to get backlinks. It is very difficult though. It takes many posts to learn what people will share. If you create a Facebook page with a group you can gain followers and engagement of your posts. They are more likely to get shared. All of the social sites are a good way to build backlinks and get traffic to your site.

Web 2.0 sites are another source. They are sites like Hubpages and Tumbler. Kind of a cross between a blog and a social site. They allow you to create content and add backlinks. One of the thing to look at when building links is the rank of the site that the link is on. The higher the rank the more it will effect your site’s rank.

Today, we are living in the era of the internet. These days everything is done online including business and celebrations. As a matter of fact, both businesses and buyers get in touch with each other through virtual platforms. So, it is important for every business to have a virtual presence in the form of websites and blogs. If you have a small business website, we suggest that you hire the services of a good SEO company. In this article, we are going to talk about 10 industries that have been using the services of SEO professionals. Let’s find out more.

1. Professional Services

In startups, independent service providers take care of a lot of tasks. This includes experts in different fields, such as Lifestyle coaches and IT Consultants. For these professionals, Search Engine Optimisation is of essential importance, as they want to get the word out about the company they are working for.

2. Home Repairs

Today, homeowners need a lot of service providers, such as plumbers, electricians, and car mechanics, to name a few. Although these businesses are small, they have a huge demand. For these small businesses, local SEO is immensely important.

3. Medical Care

Again, local SEO is essential for other service businesses, such as diagnostic centers, physicians, and dentists. Search Engine Optimization is important for these service providers as there is a lot of competition in the medical care industry.

4. E-Commerce Websites

Professionals that offer online services, products, and classes depend on Search Engine Optimisation for the success of their business. Therefore, they have no choice but to look for SEO companies. They help these businesses design e-commerce websites and social media pages.

5. Realty Industry

Today, the demand for builders is on the rise, as more and more people are putting money into Real Estate. Therefore, the importance of SEO in the field of real estate is also on the rise. Without any doubt, real estate is a huge industry.

6. Hospitality

SEO companies have also been serving the hospitality industry, which includes confectioneries, cafeterias, and restaurants, to name a few. There is a huge competition between these businesses, which is why they hire the services of Search Engine Optimisation professionals.

7. Multi-Location Business

Some businesses have their service centers at different locations in the world. Therefore, they hire the services of SEO experts to make sure their business is visible in every region. Again, these businesses hire the services of SEO professionals to optimize their websites for search engines.

8. Pet Services

Pet service providers also require the services of Search Engine Optimisation companies. With the passage of time, the demand for domestic pets has been on the rise. Therefore, the demand for pet services has been increasing day by day. Today, there are a lot of veterinary doctors, pet Day Care Centres, and food stores for animals.

9. Green Stores

Green stores also benefit from the services of SEO professionals. This includes green stores that sell plants and the relevant staff.

10. Homemade

Over the years, the demand for homemade products has been on the rise. Some products are designed for local businesses, such as bath salts, sweets, and savories, handbags, just to name a few. This business has also required the services of a Search Engine Optimisation professional.