ABSTRACT
How do we balance the correct amount of security with the
appropriate use of technological solutions? Every industry
today from consulting to manufacturing, finance to health-
care is witnessing the convergence of technology. Banks are
doing away with paper check reconciliation, replacing it
with scanning or imaging canceled checks to reduce phy-
sical storage requirements andmailing costs to customers.
Hospitals are using radiofrequency identification (RFID)
and bar code scanning to match prescriptions to the cor-
rect patients to reduce medication errors. Educational
institutions are populated with students carrying laptops,
and some schools have even gone as far as issuing
IP-based phones to their students as part of their residency
on campus. They can use the phone for making calls any-
where on campus, as though they were in their dorm, as well
as access directories and specialized Web applications. The
increased productivity, cost savings, and even life-saving
opportunities that the convergence of technology is making
possible are very exciting but also very scary.
