COMDDAP REFLECTION

COMDDAP (Computer Manufacturers, Distributors And Dealers Association Of The Philippines) held a three days seminar at the Grand Ballroom, Apo View Hotel Davao City, which was held last July 2-4, 2009. The venue for the seminar was divided in two parts; there was a place for the exhibit of different things that the participants can buy some of the gadgets that they want, such as laptops, printers and a variety of cameras.
There were also some booth that offers freebies such as the sling from sandbox and free photo printing from the booth that sells inks. The other division of the venue was the rooms where the seminar or the presentations of the respected topics are being held. But the room for the seminar was a little bit small for the number of participants that are participating in the event. Well maybe because they have based the room capacity from the number of participants that have registered in their site ahead of time.

I went to the COMDDAPP Seminar at the second day which is July 3, 2009 Friday. The first speaker is Mr. Santos which presented the DMS or the Dealer management System. DMS is an Enterprise Resource Planning System inn the Philippines which is a 100% Filipino owned and has been in the business for 24 long years. DMS mostly deals about cars or any kind of vehicles. This system has really a lot to offer when it comes to vehicles such as the end to end for auto/vehicle management, back office operations, financial reporting, customer relationship management, vehicles sales and administration and the Service Management which has general features of, advance booking, operation maintenance, repair orders and estimates, customer service history, service invoicing and the reports and queries.
DMS is such a helpful tool for those people who plans to get a car so that they can choose the right car for them and so that they can be at peace that they can have the right terms and care for their car.
Actually I got a little bored with this topic because I can't relate with it. It was about cars and I don't really that much information about cars. Also the presenter was so serious and he don't communicate with the participants in a way that we could relate to his topic knowing that most of his crowds are students and not car agents. But the presentation was good in fairness to him.

The Second speaker presented the HP Thin Client. Most of the crowd in the room was excited of the topic because some of our classmates that have attended the seminar at the first day said that this topic is really interesting and that we can really relate with it and get good information from it.
HP Thin Client is a device that serves as an access device on a network. This solid-state device connects over from a network to a server where the bulk of the processing takes place. It is a computing device which has no hard drive, but displays data and applications from remotely located servers, blade personal computers or virtual desktops. With no hard drive and fan, thin clients have a much longer lifespan than standard computers and use significantly less power.
The typical computing solution for most enterprises is an unmanaged network.
Unmanaged PC computing has its advantages: user autonomy, the ability to work independent of a network, and the ability to utilize graphics-intensive applications. However, unmanaged computing has significant drawbacks that lead to higher costs: lower security, increased downtime, and increased soft costs. Users are able to add, delete, and modify programs and data. Diskette drives allow for users to remove confidential data and load (intentionally or otherwise) harmful viruses.
While the Thin Client Server a low maintenance device. As software application updates, virus scanning and patches can be executed on the server. Deployment costs are also reduced as thin clients can be remotely configured and do not need to be set up individually. Break-fix simply requires replacing the thin client. The Thin Client Server Computing model provides global integration that can significantly lower the cost of ownership to customers looking for mission-critical, centralized server-based computing with maximum security, standardized desktop deployment, and 100% remote client management tools. These are list of the major benefits offered by thin clients:
Rapid device/application deployment
Simplified IT management
Increased reliability and security

There are still many advantages of Thin Client Server and these are the following in different category:
Deployment (installs/adds/changes) The TCSC model allows a network administrator to deploy images and software locally to a server, which can be accessed by multiple thin client devices. The TCSC solution can reduce the time spent delivering upgrades and user downtime since applications don’t have to be deployed on individual clients.
Retirement and Moves The operational lifespan for a thin client is longer because a thin client is a solid-state device. Since all data and applications reside on the network, moves can be accomplished quickly and easily. There is no PC staging or hard drive management for, which means that new clients can be up and running in minutes.
Change Management Technology & Process Because software can be deployed to servers and accessed remotely on thin clients, there is little to no disruption to the end user. The administrator is able to configure user and network settings remotely.
Virus Protection Because there’s no data on the thin client, there’s no risk of a virus attack on mission critical data on the client. Additionally, administrators can ensure the server is fire walled and virus protected. Virus protection will vary from one operating system to the next. Please check with the software manufacturer for more information.
Data Management In server-based computing with thin clients, critical information is stored on network storage, automating data backup with no end user labor.
Performance Monitoring and Event Management
Thin client management software allows network administrators to remotely browse, diagnose, and repair problems without leaving their desks. Since all software resides on the server and a common image is deployed to all thin clients, troubleshooting is greatly simplified. Thin clients are inherently redundant. Each thin client device on a TCSC network provides an identical user experience. Load balanced servers can increase uptime and reliability.
Security Because all data resides on the server, end users typically cannot remove data or destroy it unintentionally.
Standards Compliance Thin clients allow administrators to choose what images and software can be deployed to the server and accessed by the thin clients. This ensures that clients all conform to standards set out by a company or organization.
Repair and Maintenance Because thin clients have no moving parts, they are more reliable mechanically than PCs. As a result, they rarely break down or require a service call. If a client becomes inoperable for some reason, it can be quickly and easily replaced. Since data, applications and user settings residing on the network, a user can be up and running in minutes with no loss of data and no need to reconfigure their system settings.

I was really amazed with what Thin Client Server can do. For me, it was amazing the features and even its appearance. Although it's small but, it's powerful. You really can't judge a thing by their appearance. I really like this topic. After the presentation, some questions were asked with t-shirts and flash drives as the prizes. Unfortunately I was not that lucky enough to answer a question. Well, better luck next time…

The third speaker talks about Windows Server 2008. Windows Server 2008 is an operating system designed to power the next- generation of networks, applications and Web services. It can develop, deliver and manage rich user experiences and applications, provide a highly secure network infrastructure, and increase technological efficiency and value within your organization. New web tools, virtualization technologies, security enhancements and management utilities help save time, reduce costs, and provide a solid foundation for your information technology infrastructure.

This was the longest presentation among the three presentations that I had witnessed. The presentation is good and students can really relate to it. It also has a topic on networking which is interesting. And same as the second presentation, at the end of the presentation there was a question and answer portion. Again better luck next time to me….

COMDDAP was a great event for students and also for individuals who has the fond of knowing more on the new technology nowadays that can help them in choosing on what and where to go to cater there needs in areas of Information Technology, and many more. It is also a good event so that we could know which is better to use and also it is an event that could help students understand more the new technology and also the existing technology that has been in the market. I just hope that we could utilize what we have learned. And that more learning event like this would be pushed through in the future so that more and more individuals would have the chance to experience what we have experienced.