But here are the basic steps to get a working copy of TrueCrypt:

After clicking on “TrueCrypt Setup.exe”, you will see the following configuration screen where you click “Create Volume”

And click “next” to create the standard volume:

Select a volume location.  You could specify an external device such as USB:

Next we need to select an encryption algorithm.  You can select one of the following:

1. AES: FIPS-approved cipher.  256-bit key, 128-bit block, 14 rounds (AES-256). Mode of operation is XTS.
2. Serpent: 256-bit key, 128-bit block. Mode of operation XTS. (An AES finalist)
3. Twofish: 256-bit key, 128-bit block. Mode is XTS. (An AES finalist)
4. AES-Twofish: Two ciphers in a cascade opearting in XTS mode. Each block is first encrypted with Twofish (256-bit key) and then with AES (256-bit key). Each cipher uses its own key.
5. AES-Twofish-Serpent: Three ciphers in a cascade operating in XTS.  Each block encrypted with Serpent (256-bit key), then Twofish (256-bit key), and then AES (256-bit key).
6. Serpent-AES: Two ciphers in a cascade operating in XTS mode. Each block encrypted with AES (256-bit key) and then Serpent (256-bit key).
7. Serpent-Twofish-AES: Three ciphers in a cascade in XTS mode. Each block encrypted with AES (256-bit key), then Twofish (256-bit key), and finally Serpent (256-bit key).
8. Twofish-Serpent: Two ciphers in cascade operating in XTS. Each block encrypted with Serpent (256-bit key) and then Twofish (256-bit key).

We also must choose a Hash Algorithm:

1. RIPEMD-160
2. SHA-512
3. Whirlpool

I liked Whirlpool’s security statement:

“Assume we take as hash result the value of any n-bit substring of the full WHIRLPOOL output. The design of WHIRLPOOL sets the following security goals:

• The expected workload of generating a collision is of the order of 2^n/2 executions of WHIRLPOOL.
• Given an n-bit value, the expected workload of finding a message that hashes to that value is of the order of 2ⁿ executions of WHIRLPOOL.
• Given a message and its n-bit hash result, the expected workload of finding a second message that hashes to the same value is of the order of 2ⁿ executions of WHIRLPOOL.
• It is infeasible to detect systematic correlations between any linear combination of input bits and any linear combination of bits of the hash result, or to predict what bits of the hash result will change value when certain input bits are flipped (this means resistance against linear and differential attacks).”(Barreto, 2008)

We then click Next 

Now we select the volume size:

Now a Volume Password:

And then Format, which normally will be NTFS:

After we click “format” we will see the following message:

And clicking “ok” will display the next message:

Clicking Exit takes us back to where we specify the drive letter we want to use (I chose “X”). In the Volume area click the “Select File” button, and browse to the folder and file that you specified for the TrueCrypt volume.  Click and Open it so it shows in the Volume window as mine does below.  Then click “Mount”.

This will ask us to provide our password.  Supply this and click OK.

You should see a screen like the following, showing your path, size, encryption:

In the above window you will see that I allocated 250 MB for TrueCrypt, and have used AES-Twofish-Serpent, getting 3 cascading 256-bit ciphers!   Cool, huh.

If I double click on the X Drive in that window where it specifies my path, it will react just like Windows Explorer and open up as follows:

I also will include a view of 2 JPG images that I stored in my TrueCrypt partition space.  Both of these files are safely stored within TrueCrypt:

A “dismount” of my drive will close and secure my data.  Before the dismount I can also open up Windows Explorer and see what is in Local Disk X.  I can move any files in and out with ease.  Above shows what it looks like before the dismount.  At the risk of no steganography to hide my sense of humor, I must add that the file “today.JPG” also shows no dismount.

After dismounting, there no longer is an X drive to access, nor is there any possibility of viewing the files within the volume.  It is encrypted until I open it again with TrueCrypt and supply my password (which must be remembered).

TrueCrypt 7.0 is pretty top notch for an open source product.  Some CPUs support hardware-accelerated AES encryption which means really fast encryption.  The default type of processor is the ones with Intel AES-NI instructions available.  “TrueCrypt, one of the popular open-source programs for on-the-fly encryption, is out now with version 7.0. Most notably, the TrueCrypt 7.0 release provides hardware-accelerated AES support.” (Larabel, 2010)

LP

References:

Barreto, P. S. (2008, Nov 19). The Whirlpool Hash Function. Retrieved Dec 27, 2011, from LARC – Laboratory of Computer Networks and Architecture: http://www.larc.usp.br/~pbarreto/WhirlpoolPage.html

Larabel, M. (2010, July 20). TrueCrypt 7.0 Released With Hardware-Accelerated AES. Retrieved Dec 12, 2011, from Phoronix.Com: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODQyNw

I first created a folder on my “C” drive, and some files within that folder.  I then encrypt the folder, as shown below where it shows “Encrypt contents to secure data”:

Upon clicking OK and OK, I got the following message which confirmed that encryption was going to take place on not only the folder level, but also the document level. This will become an important step as we will see later in regards to the results when moving documents around.

The first test for success is simply making sure that the text of the folder name was green, which it was. This color indicates that folder or files are encrypted.

When either remote connecting with another ID, or logging on with another ID, I was able to browse and open the remote folder.  I was able to see the content within the folder, but I could not open the files within.

If I tried to open the files, I would get the following error:

To verify encryption was in place I used the “command-line” cipher command to check status of my folder. There was an “E” attribute preceding the file names indicating these were indeed encrypted.

I also tried dragging a file from an unencrypted folder over to the encrypted folder.  All files in the encrypted folder were green, including the unencrypted file after being moved there.

I also used the more sure fire method of seeing what is encrypted. I ran the “cipher” command on the encrypted folder, and all files were encrypted:

I then took the original unencrypted file that had become encrypted back to the unencrypted folder. The “green” (encryption) followed, which I also verified with the “cipher” command.

In essence I was able to set encryption property on my file by simply dragging it to the encrypted folder and back again. However, it does give me a warning that “new files added to this directory will not be encrypted.”  The reason for this is simple.  Though the file had become encrypted and retained this property setting, the unencrypted folder retains its unencrypted property too.

If you go back 2 posts to my post entitled “Using the Windows Encrypting File System”, and read the “Fourth EFS Warning”, you will see the importance of backing up the windows system certificate and storing it safely in another location.   I’ll conclude my EFS experience with showing how this is done:

Within my IE session I went into Internet Options, then Content, then Certificates.  I then I selected my computer’s Certificate ID.

I ran the “Export” function, and it exported my certificate onto my desktop.  I could then encrypt and store this in a safe place.

I hope this little exercise shows how easily we can encrypt files and folders with EFS, and how the encryption property rights get retained.

LP 

EFS reduces the risk where we are “susceptible to attack by techniques that circumvent the restrictions of access control lists (ACLs). In a shared system, an attacker can gain access by starting up a different operating system. An attacker can also steal a computer, remove the hard drives, place the drives in another system, and gain access to the stored files. Files encrypted by EFS, however, appear as unintelligible characters when the attacker does not have the decryption key”. (Microsoft, 2005)

Another benefit is the relative ease with which we can encrypt or decrypt files with “drag and drop” ease into folders.  I will be showing this in my next post where I perform a few of these techniques on my own laptop.  “The encryption attribute can also be set for a file folder. This means that any file created in or added to the folder is automatically encrypted”.  (Microsoft, 2005)

As we will see in my next post, files and folders can be encrypted using My Computer, the “cipher command”, or by right-clicking a file or folder.   I’ll be showing some of these with screenshots accompanying my actions.

LP

References:

Microsoft. (2005, Nov 3). Using Encrypting File System. Retrieved Dec 28, 2011, from Microsoft TechNet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457116.aspx

I’m going to do a several part blog on Windows EFS.  The focus will be with Windows 7 because that is what I’m using and thus able to share current testing and experiences with.  I’ll progress in the coming days to other “open source” encryption systems but begin with my local Windows 7.

First EFS Warning:  

If you lock yourself out, you will be locked out.  EFS is supported on NTFS formatted drives, which is the default disk format for Windows as well as many hard disk and drives.  If you have encrypted files or folders and back that up to an NTFS drive, it also will be encrypted.  “Thus if you lose your encryption key, or if something else goes wrong, then you’ll not only lose access to the files on your hard drive, but you’ll also lose access to your backup copy too.  It’s a warning that EFS doesn’t tell you about and it’s a mistake I’ve seen too many people make.” (Halsey, 2011)

Second EFS Warning:

The crypto in EFS is solid, but you must be aware of what it is doing.  It will encrypt what you tell it to encrypt and no more.  There might be metadata scattered about on a drive, or even unencrypted original versions of your document that were only erased visibly from your FAT table, and still there.  Forensics could perhaps find these earlier versions that are unencrypted.

Third EFS Warning:

In general if your system was stolen any EFS protected files will be safe, but only to the extent of your Windows password strength.  The encryption keys EFS uses are unlocked by your Windows user password.   

Fourth EFS Warning:

Backup your certificate because if your certificate on your system gets corrupted it will also lock you out.    So always make an encrypted backup of your certs with a strong password, and keep the copy elsewhere for safety sake.

LP

References:

Halsey, M. (2011, July 8). Avoiding EFS Encryption Disasters in Windows. Retrieved Dec 28, 2011, from ghacks.net: http://www.ghacks.net/2011/07/08/avoiding-efs-encryption-disasters-in-windows/

“For Histiaeus, when he was anxious to give Aristagoras orders to revolt, could find but one safe way, as the roads were guarded, of making his wishes known; which was by taking the trustiest of his slaves, shaving all the hair from off his head, and then pricking letters upon the skin, and waiting till the hair grew again. Thus accordingly he did; and as soon as ever the hair was grown, he dispatched the man to Miletus, giving him no other message than this- “When thou art come to Miletus, bid Aristagoras shave thy head, and look thereon.”  Now the marks on the head, as I have already mentioned, were a command to revolt. All this Histiaeus did because it irked him greatly to be kept as Susa, and because he had strong hopes that, if troubles broke out, he would be sent down to the coast to quell them, whereas, if Miletus made no movement, he did not see a chance of his ever returning thither.  Such, then, were the views which led Histiaeus to dispatch his messenger; and it so chanced that all these several motives to revolt were brought to bear upon Aristagoras at one and the same time.”   (Herodotus)

We do know from his writings “The Histories” which I quoted from above, that Herodotus was born in what is now known as Bodrum, in southwestern Turkey. Here is a modern statue of Herodotus in Bodrum, with some good background history on him.  (Lendering)

 LP

References:

Herodotus. (n.d.). The History Of Herodotus. Retrieved 26 2011, Dec, from Classics.MIT.Edu: http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.html

Lendering, J. (n.d.). Herodotus of Halicarnassus. Retrieved Dec 27, 2011, from www.Livius.Org: http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodotus/herodotus03.html

In our security world, there is a carrier or graphic file that is used to hide messages. There is a double benefit for the confidential need. One is that you can encrypt, and the other is that it is hidden in the first place – slipped in so nobody even knows it is there. It is not really tailor-made for emailing, as there are a couple little extra steps needed in the process that would slow things down. But for top secret messages or very sensitive data that you wanted to get from point A to point B, it could be quite useful as it has been for centuries!

How old is steganography?

Our earliest documentation of this type of security was from Herodotus, the Greek historian from the fifth century BC.

I’ll provide a little history on Herodotus and and example of steganography from that era in my next post.

Experimenting with software:

I downloaded one flavor of free open source steganography software. It was extremely easy and user friendly. I wrote some secret messages and encoded them within pictures.  With a little attention to the settings I could create the picture with the hidden message so that it looked very much like the original.  Using the software one can then decode and pull the hidden message back out from the picture.  You can either write a message with the software or select a file to hide. It defaults to compressing the data with a mandatory passphrase required to decode, but… you can enable encryption as well.  Here is a copy of a picture with a hidden message, which is hidden.  Pretty cool eh.

Oh what Herodotus could have done with today’s software!

LP

References:

Canterbury. (2011, Dec 20). Library Subject Guides. Retrieved Dec 23, 2011, from University of Canterbury: http://canterbury.libguides.com/content.php?pid=29248&sid=1851189

I have been studying data warehouse implementations this week and what makes some less successful than others. Probably the initial and biggest problem is lacking ability to not only communicate effectively but to lead as one corporate entity. It is a matter of bringing together disparate data in an understandable way that can be communicated.

A couple of industry names for this need would be enterprise data management or unified data management. These deal with how to evolve into a more “cohesive corporate climate”. To keep the main points easy to remember, I came up with a formula that I will refer to as C³. Diverse silo approaches of the past have to give way to a unified presence in order for C³ to achieve its goal which is: “current creative collaboration”. Cultivating a friendly atmosphere of sharing with a unified data approach allows knowledge and strength to be leveraged for success in today’s competitive market. The term “current” applies to the data or information sharing and means we are dealing with something vital and of value to management for decision making. “Creative” means an atmosphere that allows ideas and expertise to shine. “Collaboration” within the C³ formula means both a unified data approach and an environment that allows the organization to come together to leverage and share that data. The C³ data warehouse formula:

       Cohesive corporate climate = current creative collaboration

C³ represents an approach for bringing power to the corporation through a loosening of the reigns and motivation of the masses. It must be continually refined and managed to keep it relevant and current. Columbus arrived on the shores of a new world which is here to stay, but the information world is ever changing. If you are in a dynamically changing environment with daily changes that are important, then your data warehouse may need to be refreshed on a frequent basis to meet the ever changing need.

Two other factors in a successful data warehouse are accessibility and performance. The data has to be available or it is not going to help. While talking availability, it would be wise to give adequate attention to interface needs and how information delivery will occur. Regardless of dashboards, web-based reporting, email, or whatever the medium, there should be a continual plan in place for updating the data to keep it current and vital.

LP

In my example I have created a simple MOVIES DB with SQL Server 2008 R2. I won’t bother showing the Create Table statements, as that part of the process ran without error. Assume at this point I’ve already successfully created the MOVIES DB with the following 7 tables as follows:

I need to point out that there are constraints with foreign keys as follows:

· Shelf has a foreign key pointing to DVDCase

· Movie has foreign keys pointing to Shelf and Genre

· Filmography has foreign keys pointing to Actor and Movie

· Review has a foreign key pointing to Movie

Following are my SQL Insert commands to add rows of data to my tables.

USE MOVIES

GO

INSERT DVDCase (CaseID, CaseName)

VALUES (1, ‘Eastwood/Westerns’),

            (2, ‘Comedy/Romance’),

            (3, ‘Mystery’),

            (4, ‘Science Fiction’),

            (5, ‘Drama’)

INSERT Shelf (ShelfID, ShelfName, CaseID)

VALUES (1, ‘Romance’, 2),

            (2, ‘Mystery’, 3),

            (3, ‘Eastwood’, 1),

            (4, ‘Bogart/Bacall’, 3),

            (5, ‘Comedy’, 2),

            (6, ‘Wayne Westerns’, 1)

INSERT Movie (MovieID, Title, ShelfID, GenreID, MovieYear)

VALUES (1, ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’, 3, 3, ’1966′),

            (2, ‘Dirty Harry’, 3, 2, ’1971′),

            (3, ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’, 3, 3, ’1976′),

            (4, ‘Sudden Impact’, 3, 2, ’1983′),

            (5, ‘Bridges of Madison County’, 3, 1, ’1995′),

            (6, ‘Unforgiven’, 3, 3, ’1992′),

            (7, ‘Gran Torino’, 3, 2, ’2008′)

INSERT Genre (GenreID, GenreTitle)

VALUES (1, ‘Romance’),

            (2, ‘Drama’),

            (3, ‘Western’),

            (4, ‘Science Fiction’),

            (5, ‘Mystery’)

INSERT Actor (ActorID, FName, LName)

VALUES (1, ‘Clint’, ‘Eastwood’),

            (2, ‘Burt’, ‘Reynolds’),

            (3, ‘Lee’, ‘Marvin’),

            (4, ‘Sally’, ‘Field’),

            (5, ‘Humphrey’, ‘Bogart’)

INSERT Filmography (ActorID, MovieID)

VALUES (1, 1),

            (1, 2),

            (1, 3),

            (1, 4),

            (1, 5),

            (1, 6),

            (1, 7)

INSERT Review (Comments, MovieID)

VALUES (‘Action packed for Dirty Harry lovers.’, 2),

            (‘Josey Wales is one of his best western heroes!’, 3),

            (‘Where it all started. Spaghetti western fans!’, 1),

            (‘Really enjoyed scenery.’, 3),

            (‘Little rough for youngsters, but good movie.’, 2),

            (‘This is the classic for the man with no name.’, 1)

The above looked good, but when executing against my MOVIES DB I received the following errors:

Msg 547, Level 16, State 0, Line 15  —-  The INSERT statement conflicted with the FOREIGN KEY constraint “FK_Genre”.  —- The conflict occurred in database “MOVIES”, table “dbo.Genre”, column’GenreID’.  —-  The statement has been terminated.

Msg 547, Level 16, State 0, Line 36  —-  The INSERT statement conflicted with the FOREIGN KEY constraint “FK_Movie”.  —- The conflict occurred in database “MOVIES”, table “dbo.Movie”, column ‘MovieID’.  —- The statement has been terminated.

Msg 547, Level 16, State 0, Line 44  —-  The INSERT statement conflicted with the FOREIGN KEY constraint “FK_Movie2″ —- The conflict occurred in database “MOVIES”, table “dbo.Movie”, column ‘MovieID’.  —- The statement has been terminated.

I went back and forth attempting to build in my foreign keys within my CREATEs and within ALTER commands, but that had no bearing upon the errors. I looked at Line 15, 36, and 44 to see exactly where I was having the problem. The lines were the INSERT commands for Movie, Filmography, and Review tables. I’ll show these lines again below:

Line 15:    INSERT Movie (MovieID, Title, ShelfID, GenreID, MovieYear)

Line 36:    INSERT Filmography (ActorID, MovieID)

Line 44:    INSERT Review (Comments, MovieID)

The Confusion:

This confused me because I also had the Shelf table which also used a foreign key, but it was not getting the error. I finally stepped back and took stock of what the tables had in common. I was able to see that Filmography and Review both used MovieID as a foreign key to tie it back to Movie table. So this was the common thread. I then inspected Movie table attributes one by one. I was able to isolate the problem down to GenreID by process of elimination. What was wrong with GenreID?

The Problem:

The problem that I had all along was that I was trying to assign a GenreID value into my Movie table, but I had not yet loaded the Genre table! Look above at my SQL script and you will see that I’m trying to use GnereID as a foreign key in line 15 (the INSERT statement for Movie table) before I ever establish this attribute in the Genre table INSERT. What that did was blow up the load of the Movie table, and that in turn (the darn sneaky trickle down attack) corrupted my Filmography and Review tables, because they were in turn trying to load in MovieID from the Movie table which never got loaded.

The Solution:

Once this dawned on me and I moved my INSERT of the Genre table ahead of the Movie table, all was well. The Movie table then loads fine, as do the ones dependent upon it. I hope this may help someone who might run into this same problem. Be careful to establish values for your attributes in your tables before you use them as foreign keys in other tables. Again, simply putting my INSERT for Genre table in front of the INSERT for Movie table fixed all the errors.

LP

If Linda thinks it’s all right, it must be.

Do you have the answer, Linda?

Absolutely.

Linda, you’re right, you’re absolutely fantastic.

A look at yesterday…

Remember Farenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury in 1953, or the movie by the same title starring Julie Christie? The main character Montag has a wife that gets most of her reality out of her wall-screen TV.  Bradbury is giving us his predictive modeling on one aspect of Intelligent Agents (IA) before such existed. The movie shows us interactive TV where the actor states issues or problems, pauses, and turns to Linda (Julie Christie) to ask for her advice.  Her TV will flash a red light (shown above) while it beeps and the actor turns towards her to let her know they are waiting for her valued input.  What the movie was getting at is a type of interactive TV that would pull the viewer in completely.  Bradbury was concentrating on psychological aspects relating to mind control and a zombie like existence. The technological application of Intelligent Agents was not born yet. I’m not disagreeing with the message Bradbury presents, but he leaves off where all of the benefits of IA begins.

A look at today…

Los Angeles is looking into immersive interactive film making which will bring about virtual reality on demand.  It will get into more abilities than Bradbury had foreseen with abilities like being able to look around more than the camera would normally have provided.  We will be able to control where we look to some degree with a mouse, keyboard, or controller, for example.   There will be clickable content that can take us into the lives, history, or background of characters, or perhaps deeper into a scene when we want it to.  This is what I’m seeing anyways as coming on the horizon with the help of intelligent agents.  Pretty cool, and thanks to Ray Bradbury for giving us some early vision!

Last week I talked about the progression from Data to Information. This week I’m focusing on progression from Information to Intelligent Agents. A very basic definition of an intelligent agent would be a program that gets information or does an automatic scheduled service.  Here are some more advanced definitions:

“An intelligent agent is a software system that can send information to and receive it from other agents using appropriate protocols (sensing and communication).  Such intelligent agents learn multiple objectives, create action plans, process the information received, and perform reasoning through AI techniques.  To manage activities, an agent has a controller function. The controller manages the agent’s interaction with the environment and selects the task to be performed according to the agent’s goals and capabilities” (Akerkar & Sajja, 2009).    What is described here is a system where agents can carry out a process on information as well as dealing with objectives and plans, much of which can become dynamic and automated.

Another higher level definition is found here: “Intelligent agent is an abstract noun that can represent all intelligent entities whether they are of natural intelligence or artificial intelligence. It is therefore used to describe a wide range of entities, such as human beings, robots, intelligent devices, and intelligent software.  In a certain environment an intelligent agent can sense the environment through sensors and affect the environment through effectors” (Zhou, Wang, & Lou, 2010). This gives us the sense that we are talking both hardware and software solutions.  There is a wide variety of intelligent agent application. 

Intelligent Agents are used in a large variety of application areas, and one very successful one is in e-commerce.  “The internet has experienced a rapid shift from information and entertainment to electronic commerce.  The amount of information available on the web, as well as the number of e-businesses and web shoppers has been growing exponentially and the influx is difficult to process.  Intelligent agents empower both buyers and sellers to accomplish e-commerce transactions by enabling efficient, precise, and comprehensive searches on the vast web community and information repository.  By operating in the background in lieu of user intervention, intelligent agents also circumvent problems related to slow internet access and free up prohibitively expensive surf and data mining time” (Sinmao, 1999).   So we are seeing a strong trend towards utilization of IAs with e-commerce.  The advantages of remembering (learning) a user’s transactions, shopping cart, and even wish lists, is powerful for making the shopping experience a friendly efficient one.

If we take a look back about a decade ago, some views on IA were a bit progressive to say the least.  I thought this was kind of like reading George Orwell or the like, where we may need to wait a bit longer for some things to evolve.   We were making great strides ten years ago but not quite as fast as what CNET News portrayed as occurring “within a year or two”:  “Whether by voice…or by typing, I think agents are going to be helping more people use the Internet,” said Ted Kunzog, analyst and editor for Internet Stock News. “Within a year or two you will not need to use a computer to use the Internet. Instead people will be speaking into a phone or a wristwatch, and some little software product will bring back what they’re looking for. That’s the promise of agents” (Festa, 1999).  The timing may not be exact but we are indeed starting to get here!

A look at the future…

Looking into the future is always difficult to predict and often not quite what we anticipate.  We can, however, safely say that ES, ANN, IA, and all the technological means to automate, learn, and advance our processes will continue.   “Our future work will look at the exploration of how new technological paradigms will affect the perceived quality of experience in pervasive interactive multimedia systems. These paradigms include hybrid artifacts, use of biotechnology, advanced interaction modalities, new forms of content and novel intelligent environments, immersive environments such as collaborative virtual environments and multi-user environments.”  (Lumsden, 2008)

If you research the phrase “advanced interaction modalities” you will likely find advanced research going on in usability and interface design. One very positive example is CURE, the Center for Usability Research & Engineering. The ways in which this kind of work and research can help in the future is practically unlimited and full of potential. CURE is a leading European organization in usability engineering that is making inroads into this field of technology: “We study users to gain deep insight in how users can interact with advanced interaction spaces covering 3D spaces, augmented reality, mixed realities and virtual reality with careful consideration of the context of use. Advanced interaction techniques incorporating intelligent agents, information visualization (e.g. focus and context) and multimodal aspects are investigated. Interaction with ubiquitous and pervasive systems as well as ambient intelligence in the office and the home domain are a research priority that deals with the disappearing user interface.” (Cure)

Today’s topic briefly touched the surface of multimedia IA. I will return in later weeks to other IA issues that will show the positive forces of change that can make a difference in our world. Multimedia IA is not limited to the psychological vision of science fiction authors, and is certainly showing vast potential for good. As with all advancements, resulting positive or negative impact is influenced by humanity.

Ref:

Akerkar, R., & Sajja, P. (2009). Knowledge-Based Systems. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers .

CURE,http://www.cure.at/researchpriorities.

Festa, P. (1999, October 28). Intelligent Agent technology staging a comeback . Retrieved June 29, 2011, from CNET News: http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-232110.html

Lumsden, J. (2008). Handbook of Research on User Interface Design and Evaluation for Mobile Technology. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Sinmao, M. (1999, November 24). Intelligent Agents & E-Commerce. Retrieved June 29, 2011, from CIS.UDEL.EDU: http://www.cis.udel.edu/~wchen/Sinmaom.htm

Zhou, Z., Wang, H., & Lou, P. (2010). Manufacturing Intelligence for Industrial Engineering. Hershey, PA: IGI Global .

I concluded on June 18 that knowledge is something of value to someone somewhere. It takes on even more meaning when we discuss Knowledge Management. I’ll address some of the questions posed by “JK” on June 23^rd.  Thanks JK.

From Data to Knowledge                             

When does data turn into knowledge?  It is the IT journey that starts with the raw data, gets processed into information, and is utilized as knowledge to address challenges or problems facing us.  When we talk knowledge management we are talking value and value comes in part from its relevancy to the entity using the knowledge.  This means that the information must be selective and therefore useful, and it also needs to be current or of a timeframe we need.  When data moves to knowledge, it becomes something that management can act upon and use in decision making.

If we look at KMS Cycle we see the following flow:

Raising Knowledge

Create & Store –>  Viability –> Availability 

This process is on-going and resembles a living process that grows and ages.  I guess we could think of our knowledge as a part of us or our organizations.  We can invest in it and care for it, or neglect it.   The amount of data is going to get unwieldy without KM process, and it can become out-of-date if not kept current.  

Origin of Knowledge 

Where does knowledge come from?  In the context of our Knowledge Management topic we are likely looking at system or human generated information, and often both.   JK, you mentioned research or experience, and I presume you had both in mind.  Both can input into this process and both become valuable pieces of the process. 

Intellectual Capital

“Collective knowledge (whether or not documented) of the individuals in an organization or society. This knowledge can be used to produce wealth, multiply output of physical assets, gain competitive advantage, and/or to enhance value of other types of capital.  Intellectual capital is now beginning to be classified as a true capital cost because (1) investment in (and replacement of) people tantamount to investment in machines and plants, and (2) expenses incurred in education and training (to maintain the shelf life of intellectual assets) are equivalent to depreciation costs of physical assets.” (Phoenix)

So we can see where value comes into play.  Knowledge coming from either technical sources or from human experience can amount to considerable value to the organization.   The question of cost vs. value is a good one.  Even if we are talking knowledge coming from the experiences of employees, it can often take planning to harvest it. 

Psychology of Knowledge

Not all employees will see the value in knowledge sharing and they might instead feel that knowledge they possess brings them a certain level of job stability.  This is commonly known and nothing new.  The challenge for competitive companies of today needing this knowledge is to find ways to bring employees on board with the proper mission and goals.  Perhaps incentives, perhaps education, perhaps realization of how this benefits the company they work for will help bring motivation to the knowledge sharing process. 

Accessibility – Availability – Viability

For Knowledge Management to flourish it must have not only the willing cooperation but the ability for employees to share.  This means providing an easy to access collaboration system, and giving them adequate time to perform needed sharing and documentation tasks.  There are risks that will always be present which the KMS can help with.  There will have to be support to foster knowledge sharing, and a system put into place for efficient collaboration.  As knowledge repositories grow they must be accessible and they must be kept current so they are meaningful and relevant to the needs of the organization.

LP

ref:

Phoenix, U. o. (n.d.). Intellectual Capital. Retrieved 25 2011, June, from BusinessDictionary.Com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/intellectual-capital.html