New Semester 2016!

Welcome Back!

It's that time of year again - the start of CSUSM’s fall semeste

r. And although we’d much rather be playing the latest expansion of World of Warcraft for nine hours a day, it’s time to return to the reality of being an MIS undergrad. Many of you are returning students who already know what to expect from both your professors and your coursework. But for those who are new to MIS, or else considering pursuing a degree in this field, let’s take a moment to discuss what MIS entails.

So what exactly does it mean to be a management information systems major?

As MIS students, we focus on information systems and technology using a management-oriented approach. We analyze business problems and solve them through a variety of computer resources that range from software to network infrastructure to project management applications. Being an MIS major not only allows us to learn the relationship between people, technology and organizations, it also opens up a wide range of professions: systems administrator, security analyst, database administrator, IT project manager… the list goes on and on. If you love business (but you love computer a lot more), this is definitely a major you should consider.

Now that the semester is in full swing, it’s important for MIS majors to make use of all the right tools and technology. Here we’ve provided a list of software and extensions that might save you hours of unnecessary work and tedium. Having these tools at your arsenal will improve your productivity, alleviate general suffering, and make this upcoming semester much, much easier.

Let’s start with a couple of software applications that can come in handy. Virtualbox is a powerful Open Source VM software that allows you to emulate host systems such as Linux, OSX, and Solaris. It’s a great tool if you want to expand outside of your regular operating system, and fairly easy to use if you are new to virtual machines. Malwarebytes is an excellent antivirus utility to have as a secondary scanning tool, if not already using an antivirus software package such as Kaspersky. Notepad++ is a Open Source windows text editor worth having. It includes syntax highlighting, and a lifesaving interface that allows you to have multiple tabs open at any given time.

Eclipse is a useful IDE (Integrated Development Environment). This application currently used for MIS 388 (Java Programming). Even so, it’s a great tool to practice outside the classroom, and allows you to brush up on numerous programming languages such as C++, Javascript, Python, and Perl. Wireshark is a very useful network protocol analyzer that is crucial for anyone interested in network security and telecommunications management. It allows you to inspect any incoming and outcoming traffic on a computer network, and is also an important tool for MIS 426 (Telecommunications Management).

Browser extensions can also streamline your study habits and make your time on the Internet much more efficient. One of the most useful tools is Ublock Origin. With a minimal interface and a wider range of filter customization, it’s ideal to use to avoid all of the annoying advertisements that would otherwise bombard your browser. Google Dictionary provides quick web definitions. Simply double click or highlight any word while browsing a webpage, and the definition will appear in a small bubble. It’s extremely helpful if you are reading an article and need to double check terminology.

With so many security breaches and identify theft these days, it’s important to make sure your passwords are anything but simple. Lastpass stores and designs complex passwords in encrypted form. It can be linked through the web and your mobile device. It’s also important to have access to your email at all times. Checker Plus sends desktop notifications for Gmail, allowing you to read or delete emails instantly. Right Inbox will schedule emails to be sent at a later date or time, which is extremely useful if you work late at night and need to send emails at a more reasonable hour.

F.Lux is a simple tool to help prevent eye strain. Students typically spend long periods of time in front of the computer screen, whether working on actual homework or procrastinating at their finest. Flux is designed to dim and alter the color of your computer screen so that your eyes won’t overwork themselves.

Other tools include Codecademy, which is an excellent resource for learning how to code. Interactive tutorials range from Python to Javascript to Ruby. It’s an effective, streamlined way to brush up on any code you’re already familiar with, and to learn the basics of new ones as well. Google Drive is a bit of a no-brainer, as most students likely utilize Drive’s Sheets, Docs, and Slides regularly. But it’s worth reminding that it’s a very useful for accessing files across multiple platforms. Making use of Google’s Calendar function is also helpful for organizing tasks, scheduling, to-do lists, and other important reminders. Rainmeter isn’t necessarily crucial to your success, but it’s still an interesting little tool to have. It allows you to design widgets for your desktop, ranging from hourly time, weather, ping, to GPU and HDD usage.

Interacting with your fellow students online is an absolute must. Discord is a cross platform voice and text chat application. It is secure, easy to use, and accessible through mobile. Slack is another way to communicate online if you are busy or unable to meet in person.

Reddit is a useful resource (in more ways than one). If you know where to look, you can uncover a wealth of information that ranges from news articles to thoughtful discussions between both novices and professionals alike.

r/netsec is a community for technical news and discussion of information security. This subreddit was recommended by Information Security Officer Teresa Macklin for finding relevant network security info. Notable visitors who have provided q&a’s include John McAfee, Nick Cano, and The Offensive Security Team. r/pentesting focuses on information security topics and penetration testing. r/programming features news and discussion about computer programming. Also see: r/learnprogramming if you’re relatively new to programming languages and are not exactly sure where to start.

r/buildapc helps you plan your own PC build if you’re interested in learning the mechanics behind computer hardware. Other useful subreddits include: r/homelab, which is centered around building and maintaining web servers, r/sysadmin, a professional subreddit focusing on Computer System Administration, and finally, r/pcmasterrace, a community focused on the magic that is PC gaming.

These are only a handful of effective tools that might make your long class days (and nights) a little bit easier. Whether you’re copying and pasting java code or struggling with group presentations or internally dying since you’re stuck in class and not playing WoW, some of these might come in handy this upcoming semester.