MGSC 300 Answers 2
5) Which of the following statements is true of cloud-based hosting? A) It makes scaling up to meet the demands of increased traffic difficult. B) It involves the risk of investing in technology that may soon become obsolete. C) It gives greater control over physical location of data. D) It gives little visibility over the security being used to protect data.
D
5) Which of the following statements is true of workgroup information systems? A) Workgroup information systems that support a particular department are called enterprise information systems. B) Workgroup information systems that support a particular business function are called personal information systems. C) The users of workgroup information systems are defined by levels of security authorization. D) Workgroup information systems that support a particular department are sometimes called departmental information systems.
D
19) Inter-enterprise information systems are information systems that are shared by two or more independent departments within an organization.
F
20) Information silos help in resolving any problem that may arise due to isolated information systems.
F
33) A content delivery network (CDN) services a user's request using the geographically closest server.
F
34) Content delivery networks (CDNs) increase a Web page's load time.
F
39) An organization's internal information system that does not provide elasticity is still considered a cloud.
F
48) Database management system (DBMS) products are included in infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
F
49) A small company is likely to choose infrastructure as a service (IaaS) as it does not require much technical expertise to load operating systems on a server.
F
72) Telediagnosis uses telecommunications to link surgeons to robotic equipment at distant locations.
F
73) Teleaction increases the value of local mediocrity.
F
74) Remote action systems increase time and travel expenses.
F
9) Cloud vendors do not benefit from economies of scale.
F
20) What are the factors that have made cloud-based hosting advantageous?
First, processors, data communication, and data storage are so cheap that they are nearly free. Second, virtualization technology enables the near instantaneous creation of a new virtual machine. Finally, Internet-based standards enable cloud-hosting vendors to provide processing capabilities in flexible, yet standardized, ways.
24) Explain inter-enterprise information systems.
Inter-enterprise information systems are information systems that are shared by two or more independent organizations. Such systems typically involve thousands of users, and solutions to problems require cooperation among different, usually independently owned, organizations. Problems are resolved by meeting, contract, and sometimes by litigation. Because of the wide span, complexity, and multiple companies involved, such systems can be exceedingly difficult to change. The interaction of independently owned and operated information systems is required.
61) A virtual private cloud allows organizations to gain the advantages of cloud storage for the portion of data that need not be physically controlled.
T
69) Large Web farms are likely to replace in-house servers used by small companies due to the benefits of cloud computing.
T
70) Cloud computing can enable organizations to readily obtain elastic resources at very low costs.
T
71) Cloud computing is likely to lead to an increase in the number of technology-based startups.
T
8) Cloud resources are pooled because many different organizations use the same physical hardware.
T
27) Which of the following statements is true of content delivery networks (CDNs)? A) They reduce access costs by delivering data faster. B) They distribute data on different servers without any data replication. C) They use geographic proximity as the factor to decide which server should deliver a requested content. D) They use predetermined servers to deliver content to each location irrespective of traffic changes.
A
29) Which of the following is a reason for an internal information system that uses Web services to not be considered a cloud? A) The number of servers is fixed and is not made elastic. B) Idle servers are dynamically re-allocated. C) Data transfer is enabled without dependency on the Internet. D) Web service standards are not followed, as they are confined within the limits of a company.
A
30) Organizations can dynamically reuse servers that use Web services internally by ________. A) creating a private cloud B) replicating the servers C) allocating different servers for different services D) making the servers elastic
A
4) Which of the following statements is true of Web services? A) They are programs designed using the concept of service-oriented architecture. B) They are programs that comply with IEEE 802.3 protocol standard. C) They are programs that comply with Web service standards and can only run as an independent program. D) They are designed in such a way that they cannot be flexibly combined with other programs.
A
51) Which of the following is true of a virtual private network (VPN)? A) It provides a secure connection for information transmitted over the public Internet. B) It does not encrypt messages. C) It is confined to be used within an organization. D) It can be used to store highly sensitive information of an organization.
A
8) ________ are systems that are shared by two or more independent organizations. A) Inter-enterprise information systems B) Workgroup information systems C) Enterprise information systems D) Personal information systems
A
2) Personal information systems are most likely to be used by ________. A) physician partnerships B) drug salespersons C) PRIDE systems D) hospitals
B
23) An online service provider provides its users with hosted computers, an operating system, and a database management system (DBMS). This allows customers to add their own applications to the hosted services. Which of the following cloud-based offerings is being provided to the users? A) unified communications as a service (UCaaS) B) platform as a service (PaaS) C) infrastructure as a service (IaaS) D) software as a service (SaaS)
B
25) A ________ is an information system that stores user data in many different geographical locations and makes that data available on demand. A) virtual private network B) content delivery network C) wide area network D) local area network
B
25) A(n) ________ exists when data are isolated in separated information systems. A) walled garden B) information silo C) mashup D) viral hook
B
26) Which of the following is an advantage of a content delivery network? A) It increases the load time of Web pages for the users. B) It provides protection from denial-of-service (DOS) attacks. C) It increases the reliability by storing the data on a single, large server. D) It increases the load on the original server.
B
28) An internal information system built using Web services is said to be using the cloud if it ________. A) allocates specific servers to each task B) offers elasticity in the usage of servers C) uses the Intranet D) provides platform as a service (PaaS)
B
4) Physician partnerships most likely use ________. A) inter-enterprise information systems B) workgroup information systems C) enterprise information systems D) departmental information systems
B
52) Which of the following is an advantage of a virtual private network (VPN)? A) It can be used to physically connect a client and the server. B) It helps to securely access information over the public Internet. C) It facilitates easy access to an organization's data without requiring security access. D) It does not depend on the Internet to function effectively.
B
6) Which of the following is an advantage of in-house hosting? A) It requires very small capital. B) It gives greater control over the location of data. C) It has the ability to adapt to growing or fluctuating demands. D) It eliminates the risk of obsolescence.
B
66) Which of the following is likely to be a consequence of cloud computing in the future? A) The preference to set up one's own computing infrastructure will increase among organizations. B) The cost of obtaining elastic resources will decrease. C) The demand for employees who know how to use and manage information systems will reduce. D) The number of technology-based startups will stagnate.
B
7) Which of the following factors has contributed to an increase in the popularity of cloud hosting? A) demand for services that can run without the support of the Internet B) development of virtualization technology that allows near-instantaneous creation of new virtual machines C) development of Web services that can be accessed without meeting the service-oriented architecture specifications D) increase in the cost of processors, data communication, and data storage
B
7) Which of the following statements is true of enterprise information systems? A) They are information systems that are shared by two or more independent organizations. B) The solutions to problems in these systems usually involve more than one department. C) They typically support less than 100 users. D) They are called personal information systems if they support a particular business function.
B
1) Which of the following statements is true of personal information systems? A) Personal information systems that support a particular department are called workgroup information systems. B) Adapting to changes in personal information systems is extremely difficult and time consuming. C) Personal information systems have a single user only, and so the procedures are probably not documented or formalized. D) The solutions to problems in a personal information system usually involve more than one department.
C
22) Phobas Inc. offers an online service that stores notes made by customers on the cloud. When a customer enters notes on a device, it gets updated in all the devices he/she owns. Which of the following cloud-based offerings does Phobas Inc. provide to its customers? A) unified communications as a service (UCaaS) B) platform as a service (PaaS) C) software as a service (SaaS) D) infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
C
24) The cloud-based service that provides the hardware and allows customers to load an operating system of their choice is known as ________. A) application virtualization B) platform as a service (PaaS) C) infrastructure as a service (IaaS) D) network functions virtualization (NFV)
C
3) An organization that hires cloud services ________. A) can accommodate an increase in traffic from only one city B) is allowed to change its computer hardware requirements only once in an hour C) can limit the response time of its Web pages D) is given access only to a single server
C
3) Which of the following is a characteristic of workgroup information systems? A) isolated problems B) informal procedures C) resistance to change D) affects multiple organizations
C
44) Sireus Corp. has availed a cloud-based service. As this service provides hardware and operating systems, Sireus Corp. can easily install its software on this cloud product. Which of the following services has the company availed from its cloud vendor? A) unified communications as a service (UCaaS) B) infrastructure as a service (IaaS) C) platform as a service (PaaS) D) software as a service (SaaS)
C
45) If an organization opts for software as a service (SaaS), it will have to ________. A) install an operating system on the server B) purchase licenses for software replication C) transfer data and develop procedures D) install a database management system
C
6) Which of the following is a characteristic of enterprise information systems? A) They do not document procedures as the procedures are simple and informal. B) They are shared between two or among more independent organizations. C) They typically have hundreds to thousands of users. D) They are limited to a single department in an organization
C
68) A remote system designed by Alpha Solutions uses cameras and motion-sensing equipment to issue tickets for traffic violations. This system is an example of ________. A) telediagnosis B) teleassessment C) telelaw enforcement D) teleinstruction
C
9) Which of the following is most likely to make use of an inter-enterprise information system? A) hospitals B) drug salespersons C) PRIDE systems D) physician partnerships
C
18) Why is cloud hosting preferred to in-house hosting?
Cloud hosting allows the number of servers being rented to be increased easily. This means any number of customers can access the Web site hosted on the cloud and have the same response time. Large, reputable organizations provide best-of-breed security and disaster recovery. Clients do not have to take the risk of investing in technology that may soon become obsolete; the cloud vendor takes that risk. For these reasons, cloud hosting is preferred to inhouse hosting.
17) Why is the term pooled used to describe the cloud?
Cloud resources are pooled because many different organizations use the same physical hardware, which they share through virtualization. Cloud vendors dynamically allocate virtual machines to physical hardware as customer needs increase or decrease.
26) Information silos arise as a result of ________. A) data integration across several information systems within an organization B) the sharing of an inter-enterprise information system with several organizations C) too many users depending on a single enterprise-wide information system D) data being isolated in systems that are separated across different organizational levels
D
11) Workgroup information systems that support a particular department are called personal information systems.
F
12) To use cloud-based hosting, an organization will have to construct its own data center.
F
13) Personal information systems generally support around 10 users.
F
18) In the case of workgroup information systems, problems are resolved by contract and litigation.
F
14) Cloud-based hosting is preferred by organizations that are required by law to have physical control over their data.
F
16) Enterprise information systems are information systems that are shared by two or more independent organizations.
F
1) Which of the following statements best defines the cloud? A) The cloud is the elastic leasing of pooled computer resources over the Internet. B) The cloud is a peer-to-peer network used to share data between users. C) The cloud is the elastic leasing of in-house computer hardware. D) The cloud is the network of servers hosted in-house by an organization for its own requirements.
A
2) What does the term elastic in the definition of the cloud mean? A) It means that the computing resources leased can be increased or decreased dynamically in cloud-based hosting. B) It means that the operations staff manually allots fresh resources when the traffic increases. C) It means that the customers are provided a consistent bandwidth on the cloud. D) It means that the resources available for cloud-hosting are shared among customers.
A
17) The solutions to problems in an enterprise system usually involve more than one enterprise.
F
42) Explain how a content delivery network ensures fast delivery of data on demand
A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of hardware and software that stores user data in many different geographical locations and makes that data available on demand. An organization can use CDN to store copies of its Web pages or other information. The CDN vendor replicates this information on servers, possibly worldwide, so as to minimize latency. When a user demands this information, a routing server determines which CDN server is likely to service a request the fastest. Because traffic changes rapidly, especially for popular sites, such calculations are made in real-time. A request for content at one moment in time could be served by a computer in, say, San Diego, and a few moments later, that same request from that same user might be served by a computer in Salt Lake City.
64) What is a private cloud? What are its limitations?
A private cloud is a cloud that is owned and operated by an organization for its own benefit. Private clouds provide the advantages of elasticity, but to a questionable benefit. Organizations cannot repurpose their idle servers for use by other companies. Even a large conglomerate or major international company that uses the idle servers to balance processing loads across subsidiary business units and across different geographical regions is unlikely to save money or time. It is unimaginable that any noncloud company could build and operate a cloud service facility that competes with those provided by the existing large cloud vendors. Also, most organizations choose not to replicate database servers because of the complexity of managing multiple database servers.
65) What is a virtual private cloud? What are its advantages?
A virtual private cloud (VPC) is a subset of a public cloud that has highly restricted, secure access. An organization can build its own VPC on top of public cloud infrastructure. Using a VPC, an organization can store its most sensitive data on its own infrastructure, and store the less sensitive data on the VPC. In this way, organizations that are required to have physical control over some of their data can place that data on their own servers and locate the rest of their data on the VPC. This is a feature that is not available in a private cloud.
62) Explain how a user in a hotel in Los Angeles can connect to a local area network (LAN) at a Michigan site using a virtual private network?
A virtual private network (VPN) uses the Internet to create the appearance of private, secure connections. The remote user is the VPN client. That client first establishes a public connection to the Internet. The connection can be obtained by accessing a local ISP or by using a direct Internet connection. Once the Internet connection is made, VPN software on the remote user's computer establishes a connection with the VPN server in Michigan. The VPN client and VPN server then have a secure connection
22) Explain workgroup information systems
A workgroup information system is an information system that is shared by a group of people for a particular purpose. For example, at a physicians' partnership, doctors, nurses, and staff use information systems to manage patient appointments, keep patient records, schedule inoffice procedures and equipment, and facilitate other workgroup activities. Workgroup information systems that support a particular department are sometimes called departmental information systems. An example is the accounts payable system that is used by the accounts payable department. Other workgroup information systems support a particular business function and are called functional information systems. An example of a functional system is a Web storefront. Typically workgroup systems support 10 to 100 users. The procedures for using them must be understood by all members of the group. Often, procedures are formalized in documentation, and users are sometimes trained in the use of those procedures. When problems occur, they almost always can be solved within the group.
50) What is a virtual private network? A) It is a markup language that fixes several HyperText Markup Language (HTML) deficiencies and is commonly used for program-to-program interaction over the Web. B) It is an add-on to browsers that was developed by Adobe and is useful for providing animation, movies, and other advanced graphics inside a browser. C) It is the most common language for defining the structure and layout of Web pages. D) It is a connection that uses the Internet to create secure point-to-point connections.
D
53) Which of the following statements is true of private clouds? A) Private clouds are easy to build and operate. B) Several organizations pool their resources to form a private cloud. C) Private clouds provide access from outside an organization that it created without requiring a person to connect to a virtual private network. D) Idle servers in a private cloud cannot be repurposed for use by other organizations.
D
54) Which of the following is an advantage of a private cloud in an organization? A) It reduces the complexity involved in using other publicly available cloud services. B) It eliminates the need to use an additional secure network to access this cloud from outside the organization. C) It allows the organization to repurpose its idle servers for use to other organizations. D) It allows the organization to manage its servers with elastic load balancing.
D
55) Which of the following statements is true of a virtual private cloud (VPC)? A) A VPC does not make use of a virtual private network. B) A VPC generally stores an organization's most sensitive data. C) A VPC can be accessed only from within an organization. D) A VPC can be built on a public cloud infrastructure.
D
56) Which of the following is a difference between a virtual private network (VPN) and a virtual private cloud (VPC)? A) A VPC uses encrypted connections between the users and its server, while a VPN does not use such secure connections. B) A VPC can be accessed over the Internet, while a VPN cannot be accessed over the Internet. C) A VPC does not facilitate data storage, while a VPN allows the storage of a user's most important data. D) A VPC provides the advantages of cloud storage, but a VPN by itself cannot provide these advantages.
D
57) Which of the following is an advantage of using a private cloud over a virtual private cloud (VPC)? A) Unlike a VPC, the infrastructure required for a private cloud can be built and operated easily. B) Unlike a VPC, a private cloud can be created and used without the Internet. C) Unlike a VPC, a private cloud can be built on top of a public cloud infrastructure. D) Unlike a VPC, a private cloud does not require permission from regulating bodies to host sensitive data.
D
67) A(n) ________ is an information system (IS) that provides computer-based activity at a distance. A) transport driver interface B) content delivery network C) indexing service system D) remote action system
D
23) What are enterprise information systems?
Enterprise information systems are information systems that span an organization and support activities in multiple departments. For example, at a hospital, doctors, nurses, the pharmacy, the kitchen, and others use information systems to track patients, treatments, medications, diets, room assignments, and so forth. Enterprise information systems typically have hundreds to thousands of users. Procedures are formalized and extensively documented; users undergo formal procedure training. Sometimes enterprise systems include categories of procedures, and users are defined according to levels of expertise with the system as well as by levels of security authorization. The solutions to problems in an enterprise system usually involve more than one department. Because enterprise systems span many departments and involve potentially thousands of users, they are very difficult to change. Changes must be carefully planned, cautiously implemented, and users given considerable training. Sometimes users are given incentives and other inducements to motivate them to change.
10) Functional information systems are information systems used by a single individual
F
11) As standard practice, customers are regularly updated by cloud vendors about the location and number of copies made of their data.
F
43) What are the advantages of building an internal information system using Web services?
Organizations can use Web services to build internal information systems that can be accessed by multiple applications. By doing so, internal applications can use these Web services like building blocks. They can use the services that they need-and no more. Because the Web services are encapsulated, the system can be altered without affecting other applications. In this way, systems development is more flexible, and it will be faster and hence less costly.
21) What are personal information systems?
Personal information systems are information systems used by a single individual. The contact manager in an iPhone or in an email account is an example of a personal information system. Because such systems have only one user, procedures are simple and are generally not documented or formalized in any way. It is easy to manage change to personal information systems because only one person needs to adapt to the change. And, if there are problems, individual users can solve the problems themselves.
41) Explain with an example how platform as a service (PaaS) works.
Platform as a service (PaaS) is a category of cloud hosting in which vendors provide hosted computers, an operating system, and possibly a database management system (DBMS). Microsoft Windows Azure, for example, provides servers installed with Windows Server. Customers of Windows Azure then add their own applications on top of the hosted platform.
40) Explain how software as a service (SaaS) works.
Software as a service (SaaS) is a category of cloud-based service offering. An organization that provides SaaS provides not only hardware infrastructure, but also an operating system and application programs as well. Apple's iCloud is an example of SaaS. Apple uses it to sync all of its customers' iOS devices. When a customer enters an appointment in her iPhone, Apple automatically pushes that appointment into the calendars on all of that customer's iOS devices. Further, customers can share calendars with others that will be synchronized as well.
10) Service oriented architecture (SOA) is a way of designing computer programs so that they can be combined flexibly.
T
12) The contact manager in an email account is an example of a personal information system.
T
13) Before the creation of personal computers, time-sharing vendors provided slices of computer time on a use-fee basis.
T
14) Enterprise information systems have procedures that are formalized and extensively documented
T
15) Enterprise information systems are information systems that span an organization and support activities of people in multiple departments.
T
15) Organizations that are required by law to have physical control over their data can benefit from cloud computing using private clouds and virtual private clouds.
T
31) To use software as a service (SaaS), a user has to just sign up for the service and learn how to use it.
T
32) A content delivery network (CDN) provides a specialized type of platform as a service (PaaS).
T
35) A routing server determines which content delivery network (CDN) server should respond to a request in real time.
T
36) Content delivery networks (CDNs) are used to store and deliver content that rarely changes.
T
37) A user can receive various pieces of a Web page from different servers on a content delivery network (CDN).
T
38) An elastic load balancer is a feature available in a private cloud that is not available in internal information systems, built using Web services.
T
46) A vendor providing software as a service (SaaS) usually makes the software available as a thin-client
T
47) If software licensed from others is to be installed on the cloud, licenses that permit replication must be purchased.
T
58) A tunnel is a virtual, private pathway over a public or shared network from the virtual private network (VPN) client to the VPN server.
T
59) A virtual private network uses the Internet to create the appearance of private, secure connections.
T
60) A virtual private network (VPN) uses encryption and decryption to protect VPN communications from snooping.
T
19) What are the disadvantages of cloud-based hosting?
The negatives of cloud computing involve loss of control. Users are dependent on a vendor; changes in the vendor's management, policy, and prices are beyond their control. Further, users don't know where their data, which may be a large part of their organization's value, is located. Nor do the users know how many copies of their data there are or even if they are located in the same country as they are. Finally, users have no visibility into the security and disaster preparedness that is actually in place. Their competitors could be stealing their data and they would not know it.
21) Explain why cloud-based hosting does not make sense for some organizations.
The only organizations for which cloud hosting may not make sense are those that are required by law or by industry standard practice to have physical control over their data. Such organizations might be forced to create and maintain their own hosting infrastructure. A financial institution, for example, might be legally required to maintain physical control over its data. Even in this circumstance, however, it is possible to gain many of the benefits of cloud computing using private clouds and virtual private clouds.
16) Why is the term elastic used to describe the cloud?
The term elastic means that the computing resources leased can be increased or decreased dynamically, programmatically, in a short span of time, and that organizations pay for just the resources that they use.
63) How are communications secured from snooping in a virtual private network?
To secure virtual private network (VPN) communications over the public Internet, the VPN client software encrypts, or codes, messages so their contents are protected from snooping. Then the VPN client appends the Internet address of the VPN server to the message and sends that package over the Internet to the VPN server. When the VPN server receives the message, it strips its address off the front of the message, decrypts the coded message, and sends the plain text message to the original address inside the LAN. In this way, secure private messages are delivered over the public Internet.