Media break

A media break occurs in the information processing , if in the transmission chain of process data / information is transferred from one to another to another / information medium (have to).

This can be done, for example, by manually entering (typing in) information previously entered in forms. Media breaks slow down procurement or processing processes for data, information and content, i. d. Usually their quality and can lead to transmission errors in the information chain.

For example, a business process is interrupted if data has to be passed on in a different form than it was received. A good example of this are order forms from mail-order companies that are filled out by hand by the customer and then have to be transferred to order processing at the supplier's, either manually or partially automatically. Another example of a media break is the printing of a mail in order to enter its contents manually into another computer or another computer program.

In the context of e-business, the aim is to avoid media disruptions by integrating the business functions along the value chain . This is intended to reduce transaction costs in order to make the company more competitive. Media discontinuity is also one of the main goals of e-government in order to increase the efficiency of public administration.

Virtualization

The usual classic handling of media is virtualized by the introduction of electronic storage and the retrieval of the storage contents via screens. The predictions of the discontinuation of traditional media are legion, but have been completely refuted by current developments. There is a constant replacement of known media, such as the punched tape , floppy disk and CD, with new developments.

Known media breaks are eliminated, but partially replaced by new media breaks. This development will repeat itself in various forms. Some physical media will persist, such as paper and screen.

Convergence in communication technology

Of particular interest is the replacement of the variety of devices that have historically arisen one after the other for communication functions in mobile communication and thus the elimination of unnecessary media breaks. There is a functional connection between the actions of a user and various devices, such as

• Cellphone
• Tablet pc
• Notebook
• Desktop computer
• Radio transmitter
• Security token
• Keychain
• Identification card
• Debit card
• etc.

The aim of a convergent communication strategy is to combine the functions in devices with a display capacity tailored to the respective action and the lowest possible weight.

Such convergence is achieved by moving away from the traditional fixed network and LAN communication networks towards WLAN . The existing duality of the standards of the ITU and the IETF as well as various industrial consortia for wireless communication leads to this goal in the long term.

Media breaks as a security element

In security technology, for example, media breaks are sometimes used deliberately in order to raise the level of security. The classic scenarios of attacks against security systems are described in international standards. An improvement in security is always achieved if the attack would have to take place on several media (at least two) or on several devices at the same time.

Virtual media discontinuity through different channels used

There are banks that transmit the transaction number required for an internet banking order to the user via SMS (mobile radio). The multi-factor authentication used here via the Internet and cellular network with two or more security factors - and manual entry of the PIN received via SMS - is to be regarded as particularly secure.

Physical media discontinuity due to various devices involved

A further increase in security against attacks can be achieved by dividing the security functions over two devices, for example a mobile phone and a security token . Then the physical relationship can also be used as a safety factor. The multi-factor authentication used here, with a distance estimate between the devices with two or more security factors, is particularly easy to overlook and is therefore to be viewed as additionally secured.

See also

• Cross media publishing
• digitalization
• Document technologies
• Enterprise content management
• Information system

literature

• Harald Gleißner, J. Christian Femerling: Logistics , chapter IT in logistics , Gabler, 2008, ISBN 978-3-8349-0296-2 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Elgar Fleisch, Markus Dierks, Michael Kickuth: Ubiquitous Computing: Effects on Industry. (No longer available online.) Industry Management, 2003, archived from the original on January 28, 2015 ; accessed on January 24, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
2. ↑ Founders and Entrepreneurs Lexicon. (No longer available online.) Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, archived from the original on January 28, 2015 ; accessed on January 24, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.