Month: August 2019

What is a Hypervisor?

Posted on by Mo

The hypervisor is a platform that sits on top of hardware resources the enables virtualization. The virtualization becomes the platform that allows the creation of virtual machines and the sharing of hardware resources.

There are different Hypervisors. You get hardware Hypervisors that consist of operating and hardware and installed in a system, and the VMware ESXi server is an example of this. The second type is software hypervisor, and its hosted on the OS of the VMware system that runs the VMware, an example of this is VMware Workstation professional.

How Bitcoin Works

Posted on by Don

How Bitcoin Works

The purpose of this book is to save you time. I have found that trying to understand Bitcoin is tedious and time-consuming. In fact, it can take hundreds and hundreds of Google searches. When I was doing my research, I found several references that Bitcoin was like a rabbit hole. Once you find an answer, it leads to more questions. 

It was very frustrating researching Bitcoin, so I decided to write this book to save you time. It is written in a non-technical format, although if you are not computer literate, it could be somewhat challenging. I have added a glossary at the end so that you can look up some of the terms that are used. 

While I have tried to make Bitcoin easy to understand, in some ways, that is not possible. Thus, some of the concepts will stretch your brain even with non-technical language. I did not want to write a simplistic book that does not explain how Bitcoin works. I wanted to provide something that gives you enough information that you can feel comfortable knowing how it works.

I am not a Bitcoin developer or Bitcoin expert. I am a layman who wants to understand how it works. The reason for my interest is from an investor’s viewpoint, and also as a user of Bitcoin. If I am going to own and use Bitcoin, then I want to know how it works. 

The title claims that it is everything you need to know. Of course, that is a bit of hyperbole. You could say that it is almost everything you need to know. I’m not a Bitcoin expert, and this book will not make you a Bitcoin expert either. There are so many layers to Bitcoin that it would take a book much denser than this one to explain everything.

As a disclaimer, I might not have gotten everything correct. Please do your own due diligence. In fact, a lot of the contents of this book are my opinion, and others may disagree with me. 

I wrote and edited this book myself. It is an original work. I wanted to put it into my words so that I would learn as I went. It should have a fresh feel to it since many of the topics were learned as I wrote it. 

Cloud Computing

Posted on by Mo

The term Cloud Computing is referring to shared resources via the internet that can be accessed by applications and users. The need for scalable on-demand network access is growing daily. More entities are joining the cloud environment to help them manage there Data and Application needs.

The are three main available option, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.

IaaS – Infrastructure as a service


The IaaS offers virtual resources that multiple people can access. These resources include Networking, Data Storage, and Servers. IaaS is not for everyone and catered for System Administrators as primary users. The Admins oversees the applications that run on the cloud provided infrastructure. The Admins are responsible for the security and service request, just like they would have been if it was a physical environment. 
The scalability that helps the increase or decrease of resources makes it a very flexible option.

Paas – Platform as a service 

Paas is a good option for developers who need all the comfort of a developing environment, but don’t want to give up office real estate. You get what you need, a Database, operating system, and a web server where developers can run and compile their programs. The only thing developers are responsible for is managing the Data. Infrastructure support gets handled by the Paas service provider and thus here is no need for infrastructure support from the developer. 

SAAS – Software as a service 

SaaS is an on-demand service that provides access to different application and workstations. You can access these via an internet browser or a local application client that allows you to run remote applications. An excellent example of this is when Mac user has something they need windows for, they can get an Amazon or Microsoft Asure virtual windows 10 PC. These SaaS options are inexpensive, and you only pay for what you use. The vendor manages all backend resources and infrastructure. Therefore the SAAS is a good option for small businesses or schools.

EHR vs EMR

Posted on by Mo

The article is an attempt to elevate the discussion and confusion between EHR Electronic Health Records and EMR Electronic Medical Records.

Let’s start with EMR; EMR is no different from the paper medical record Doctors (MD) kept in the past. It contains all the patient’s information. This electronic record was an attempt to try and centralize clinical data and improve the quality management of these records. The EMR improves Billing and record-keeping. The improvements to medical coding are also significant since the electronic system update the code when new once is issued or change. 

The EHR, on the other hand, is all the same information ass an EMR but add some more functionality. The EHR allows you to share information with a broader group of providers that help maintain quality care for individuals.

Some concerns by providers are the challenges that implementation my bring. The most significant difference is entering information directly into the computer, tablet, or laptops. However, once this implementation is complete, you can now connect to Medical insurance, pharmacies, bloodwork labs, and even referrals to specialists without using paper.

There are inadequate implemented EHR systems, and they don’t provide all the functionalities needed in and medical office or institution. It ends up, resulting in a hybrid system between electronic and paper; thus, it does not provide all the efficiency you get from a well-implemented system.

Performance Management

Posted on by Mo

The Performance Management process is commonly used to evaluate staff or employees performance. They look at varies different aspects starting with the goal for the year, then reviewing if they completed the task in the time frame agreed on. Lastly, how well the individual completed the job, the quality of the work.

The purpose of this type of review is to get an understanding of the performance by individual contributor and then reward them for their performance using pay raises or bonuses. 

There are a few methods that can be used to do these reviews and tracking. Listed below are two examples. 

Some corporations use a more personal system. The management will meet employees one on one at the beginning of the year. They will agree on a set of goals. Then reviews the agreement in the middle of the year to make sure everything is still on track. 

The final review gets done at the end of the year to close it and provide feedback to the employee. There will always be some feedback cycle, performance improvement, and new goals for to following year. The one on one manager and employee processes has a personal touch.

The more prominent organizations use software to make their sedition process more manageable and help them complete the pay evaluation quicker. The automated process removes a lot of the human connection and relies a lot on the predetermined decision making of the application. The process results in more efficient operation and saves time and money but lacks the personal aspect of the review.