Transcript Chapter 2 – Information Technology Fundamentals

Information Systems: Creating
Business Value
by
Mark Huber, Craig Piercy, and Patrick McKeown
Chapter 2:
IT for the Organization
What We Will Cover:
 The technological infrastructure of an
organization
 Databases: the primary data storage for
organizations
 Beyond databases: using other methods to
store data, information, and knowledge
 The IS integration problem
 Information systems that support business
activities
 Business intelligence
Student ROI (Return on Investment)
Your investment of time and effort in this course will result in your
being able to answer these questions:
1.
How do organizations use processors, networks, software,
and storage?
2.
What are the key concepts of data organization for an IS?
3.
In what ways can organizations use IT to store and share
data, information and knowledge?
4.
What is the IS integration problem and how are organizations
solving it?
5.
How do organizations use IT to support transactions and
business processes?
6.
How does business intelligence enhance organizational
decision making?
The Components of IT
 Accepting and storing data and information
 Performing mathematical calculations
 Applying logic to make decisions
 Retrieving, displaying, and sending
information
 Consistently repeating the above actions
many times
Information Technology Categories
 Hardware: the electronic and mechanical
components you can see and touch
 Software: the set of instructions that direct
the hardware
 Network technology: increases the power of
IT by allowing the sharing of resource
IT Platform
Hardware Components
 Processing: Directs execution of instructions and the
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transformation of data
Memory: Temporarily stores data and instructions before and
after processing
Input: Provides the interface used for data entry into a device
Output: Provides the interface to retrieve information from a
device
Storage: Stores data, information, and instructions for the long
term
Communications: Connects one IT device to another
The Central Processing Unit
 Core of all computing operations is a
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chip composed of millions of
transistors called the central
processing unit (or CPU).
A transistor is an electronic switch
that can be on (1) or off (0).
By combining multiple transistors we
can represent data in a binary format.
The CPU works together with memory
to control the execution of instructions
and the processing of data.
CPU speed is measured by its
clockspeed in billions of cycles per
second (gigahertz).
Memory
 There are two types of memory—long term
(ROM) memory and short-term (RAM)
memory
 Both types of memory are built onto memory
chips
 Both are measured in number of bytes
stored:
 1000’s
(kilobytes—KB)
 Millions (megabytes—MB
 Billions (gigabytes—GB)
Read Only Memory
 Read Only Memory (ROM) contains
instructions that are not meant to be changed
or changed only infrequently
 ROM is present in most IT devices
 In computers, ROM holds instructions used to
control the startup process
 There are far fewer ROM chips than RAM
chips in a computer
Random Access Memory
 Random Access Memory (RAM) is the
predominant form of memory in a computer.
 The CPU can access any item stored in RAM
directly (randomly).
 RAM is temporary memory so anything in RAM is
lost when the computer is shut down.
 Increasing RAM capacity is the easiest way to
increase effectiveness of a computer.
Input Hardware
 Input devices provide one
interface between the internal
processes of an IS and its
environment.
 It allows us to enter data and
commands.
 Input devices include:
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Keyboards
Pointing devices such as a
mouse
Scanning devices such a
barcode scanner
Keyboard
 Most widely used input device for computers.
 Highly versatile, providing the capability to
enter all types of data as well as instructions.
 Ergonomic keyboards are keyboards that
are designed to keep users safe as well as
enabling them to be more productive.
Pointing and Scanning Devices
 Pointing devices such as a mouse allow users to
provide instructions to a computer using physical
movements, such as “point” and “click”.
 Pointing devices tend to require less training than a
keyboard.
 More useful to entering commands than for entering
data.
 Scanning devices such as barcode readers improve
speed and efficiency or perform a task more
efficiently.
Output Hardware
 Output devices convert IT-
processed information into a
form usable by knowledge
workers (or other machines)
 Quality and speed of output is
important in choosing an
output device.
 Common output devices
include
 Display devices such as
liquid crystal displays
(LCDs)
 Printers, typically laser or
ink-jet as well as plotters
 Speakers
IT Storage Hardware
 Storage refers to hardware
media and devices used to
contain large amounts of data
and instructions for the long
term.
 Storage is much slower to
access than memory.
 Examples include:
 Hard drive
 CD and DVDs
 USB flash memory
Communications Hardware
 Network interface card (NIC)
provides the physical connection
between the computer and a
local network
 Wired
 Wireless
 Modems allow you to connect to
a remote network over a
telecommunications line
(telephone line or cable TV
service)
Software
 Software is information that specifies how the
device should work with other data,
information, and knowledge.
 Software is legally protected just like music
and books.
 Firmware is software built into chips
(hardware) like that in cell phones and PDAs
 Software gets the job done!
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System Software
Application Software
System Software
 Controls the hardware associated with a system
 Supports the execution of application software
 Two main types of systems software
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Operating Systems (OS) Software –
coordinates and handles the details of working
with the computer hardware.
Utility software – provides additional tools to
maintain and service your system (many utility
software tasks are now included in the OS).
Basic OS Tasks
Application Software
 Application software is a complete, self-
contained program or set of programs for
performing a specific job.
 Application software is the software you use
to get things done.
 Productivity software – software used by
knowledge workers to work with data,
information, and knowledge. For example,
MS Office and Intuit’s Quicken software.
Types of Productivity Software
 Document Preparation Software: used in creating
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documents composed of text, images, and graphics.
Electronic Spreadsheet Software: used to perform general
calculations and analyses.
Presentation Graphics Software: used for preparing slides
and graphics for business presentations.
Database Management System (DBMS) software: used to
design, create, update, and query data.
Personal Information Management (PIM) software: used to
manage personal information.
Connecting over Networks
 Networks are everywhere! In this section,
we concentrate on a computer networks.
 A computer network consists of nodes
that represent computer hardware and
network user with hardware, software,
and communications media forming links
between nodes.
 Network consists of 4 primary
components:
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Data
Special hardware
Software that allows computers to
share data.
Communications media to link
computers together.
Network Categories
 Computer networks are
commonly described by the
physical size of the network.
 The most commonly use types
are LANs and WANs.
 A Local Area Network (LAN) is
confined to a relatively small area
like a building.
 A Wide Area Network (WAN)
connects computers over
regions, countries, and
continents.
Network Hardware
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There are three basic categories of network
hardware
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Hardware to connect a device to a network.
Specialized hardware for handling network
traffic.
Specialized computers that control the
network and delivery of data on the network.
Network Connection Hardware
 Modems, cable modems, network interface
cards, and wireless cards
 The physical link that creates the network
connection is referred to as the carrier or
communications medium.
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Copper wire for telephone systems
Coaxial cable or fiber-optic cables for faster
transmission
Wireless technologies including infrared light,
radio waves, and microwaves.
Network Traffic Hardware
 A bridge is a device that lets you connect to networks
or break a large network into two smaller, more
efficient networks.
 A router is an intelligent bridge that connects,
translates, and then directs data that cross between
two networks.
 A hub (or concentrator) serves as a central
connection point for devices on a a network.
 A wireless Access Point (AP) is a special bridge that
connects between wireless devices and a wired
network.
Specialized Network Computers
 Servers are specialized computers that
manage the various functions on a network.
 A file server is a fast computer with large
amount of RAM and storage.
 File servers run the network operating system
as well as storing shared software
applications and data files.
 Computers connected to a file server are
called clients or workstations.
Network Software
 Network operating system software manages
network functions and the flow of data over a
computer network.
 Network application software provides the
instructions that allow for the creation of data
and for transformation to fit appropriate
protocols for transmission over a network.
 A protocol is a standard set of rules that
allows the communication of data between
nodes on a network.
Network Benefits
 Efficient communication: E-mail and instant messaging are just
two ways that networks allow us to communicate more efficiently.
 Effective resource management: Networks allow easy sharing
of software, hardware, and data resources.
 Complete, accurate, reliable, and timely information: Multiple
users can access or update data quickly from a central database.
 Expanded marketing and customer service capabilities:
Businesses and individuals can carry out remote business
transactions anytime and anywhere.
The Internet
 Any computer network that connects several
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networks together is an internet.
Typically we refer to the single largest and most
popular internet as the “Internet.”
Over 1 billion people had access to the Internet in
2006.
The Internet uses the TCP/IP suite of packet
switching protocols.
Any computer using software compatible with TCP/IP,
regardless of OS, can connect and communicate
over the Internet.
Access the Internet
 Home users access the Internet through dial-
up over traditional telephone lines or
broadband through cable or DSL.
 Most users connect through an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) using Internet access
software.
 Internet access has moved into libraries,
airports, or coffee shops using Wi-Fi.
 Wi-fi stands for 802.11 standards for wireless
network access.
The World Wide Web
 The World Wide Web (WWW) is one the two most
popular Internet applications (e-mail is the other.)
 The Web provides a hypertext system that operates
over the Internet.
 Hypertext provides an easy way to publish
information on a network in documents that
incorporate hyperlinks to other information on the
network.
 Web browser software enables user to view
hypertext document and use hyperlinks to browse
other related documents.
Web Standards
The Web relies on three basic standards:
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A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) which
specifies a unique address for each page that
indicates the location of a document.
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) provides
rules used by browsers and servers as they
respond to each other.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) provides a
language for encoding the information so a variety
of IT devices can display it.
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