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 healthcare is witnessing the convergence of technology. Banks are doing away with paper check reconciliation, replacing it with scanning or imaging canceled checks to reduce physical storage requirements and mailing costs to customers. Hospitals are using radiofrequency identification (RFID) and bar code scanning to match prescriptions to the correct 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 anywhere 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.
