MIS Final Exam

Disaster Recovery Plan

A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a documented process or set of procedures to recover and protect a business IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster.[1] Such a plan, ordinarily documented in written form, specifies procedures an organization is to follow in the event of a disaster. It is "a comprehensive statement of consistent actions to be taken before, during and after a disaster."[2] The disaster could be natural, environmental or man-made. Man-made disasters could be intentional (for example, an act of a terrorist) or unintentional (that is, accidental, such as the breakage of a man-made dam).

Firewall

A firewall is a network security system, either hardware- or software-based, that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of rules. Acting as a barrier between a trusted network and other untrusted networks -- such as the Internet -- or less-trusted networks -- such as a retail merchant's network outside of a cardholder data environment -- a firewall controls access to the resources of a network through a positive control model. This means that the only traffic allowed onto the network defined in the firewall policy is; all other traffic is denied.

Multiplexer

A multiplexer is a device that selects one of several analog or digital input signals and forwards the selected input into a single line. Multiplexers are mainly used to increase the amount of data that can be sent over the network within a certain amount of time and bandwidth. A multiplexer is also called a data selector. It allows you to take many inputs and combines it so you can send it out over a single channel. "TIME DIVISION MULTIPLIER"

Virtual Reality Modeling

A system that allows you to see a perception of what reality would be. Land End had a virtual reality system that allowed customers to make models of them to see how clothes would look.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that creates an encrypted connection over a less secure network. The benefit of using a VPN is that it ensures the appropriate level of security to the connected systems when the underlying network infrastructure alone cannot provide it. The justification for using a VPN instead of a private network usually boils down to cost and feasibility: It is either not feasible to have a private network (e.g., for a traveling sales rep) or it is too costly to do so.

Broadband/3G/4G

Broadband (3G, 4G, and LTE) is high-speed Internet or data flow. Distinguishes it self from dial-up. It is simply high-speed telecommunications.

Network Topologies

Bus, Ring, and Star Topologies means "architecture" of the network. Bus is the oldest topology (10mbps) and is not very frequently used anymore. Ring had good speed and tons of other great aspects, however it was incredibly expensive. Therefore Star is the topology that the vast majority of people use.

Clustering

Clustering is a data mining (machine learning) technique used to place data elements into related groups without advance knowledge of the group definitions.

Data Cleansing

Data cleansing, data cleaning or data scrubbing is the process of detecting and correcting (or removing) corrupt or inaccurate records from a record set, table, or database. Used mainly in databases, the term refers to identifying incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate, irrelevant, etc. parts of the data and then replacing, modifying, or deleting this dirty data or coarse data. It searches for anomalies (like people who have no zip code or birthday) and removes them.

EDI/EFT:

EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange. EDI is direct communication between computer systems, using national and international telecommunication networks. An electronic funds transfer (EFT) is an EDI among financial institutions in which money is transferred from one account to another. Some examples of EFTs include electronic wire transfers; automatic teller machine (ATM) transactions; direct deposit of payroll; business-to-business payments; and federal, state, and local tax payments.

ESS

Executive Support System (ESS) is a reporting tool (software) that allows you to turn your organization's data into useful summarized reports. These reports are generally used by executive level managers for quick access to reports coming from all company levels and departments such as billing, cost accounting, staffing, scheduling, and more. In addition to providing quick access to organized data from departments, some Executive Support System tools also provide analysis tools that predict a series of performance outcomes over time using the input data. This type of ESS is useful to executives as it provides possible outcomes and quick reference to statistics and numbers needed for decision-making.

Discuss the concept of GDSS and suggest why so many businesses are using this MIS tool today.

GROUP DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM. Gordon Davis developed GDSS. It was developed as a way to eliminate Groupthink. Group decision support system (GDSS) technology supports project collaboration through the enhancement of digital communication with various tools and resources. These types of programs are used to support customized projects requiring group work, input to a group and various types of meeting protocols. GDSS took 20 years to become a sustainable way of thinking.

Protocol

In information technology, a protocol is the special set of rules that end points in a telecommunication connection use when they communicate. Protocols specify interactions between the communicating entities.

Discuss Cross-Boarder Data-Flows and its implications for international companies.

International business has a lot of issues to consider. Discuss this further.

What is distributed data processing, what are the advantages of it, what are the problems associated with it, and how to the "transparency issues" apply to it?

It uses smaller, less expensive equipment. It has built in back-up capabilities. The transparency issue has to do with any telecom system and we don't have to worry about it much anymore. Transparent issues are issues that the user simply just does not have to think about. "Hardware transparency, software transparency, location transparency"

Load Balancing

Load balancing is dividing the amount of work that a computer has to do between two or more computers so that more work gets done in the same amount of time and, in general, all users get served faster. Load balancing can be implemented with hardware, software, or a combination of both. Typically, load balancing is the main reason for computer server clustering. The busier a network gets, the heavier the load. LB tech has the ability to shift some of the load off to another network. This allows a network from never being overloaded.

Router

Routers take information that arrives through your broadband signal via a modem, decipher it, and deliver it to your computer. The router will also choose the best route for the data packet so that you receive the information quickly. There are broadband routers and wireless routers.

The most often used network topology, why it is the most often used and how it works.

Star

Fault Tolerant Computer System

The ability to continue non-stop when a hardware failure occurs. A fault-tolerant system is designed from the ground up for reliability by building multiples of all critical components, such as CPUs, memories, disks and power supplies into the same computer. In the event one component fails, another takes over without skipping a beat.

Biometric Security Device

The process by which a person's unique physical and other traits are detected and recorded by an electronic device or system as a means of confirming identity: Scanning of the human iris is a reliable form of biometrics.

Band pass Filter

There are applications where a particular band, or spread, or frequencies need to be filtered from a wider range of mixed signals. Filter circuits can be designed to accomplish this task by combining the properties of low-pass and high-pass into a single filter. The result is called a band-pass filter. Limits the band of frequencies that are passed. It cuts out a good deal of female voices because of frequency due to the common occurrence of "crosstalk." The goal of band pass filter was to get rid of "crosstalk." When a company goes digital, they no longer will use a band pass filter.

Intranet/Extranet

This is a network that is not available to the world outside of the Intranet. If the Intranet network is connected to the Internet, the Intranet will reside behind a firewall and, if it allows access from the Internet, will be an Extranet. The firewall helps to control access between the Intranet and Internet to permit access to the Intranet only to people who are members of the same company or organization. An Extranet is actually an Intranet that is partially accessible to authorized outsiders. The actual server (the computer that serves up the web pages) will reside behind a firewall. The firewall helps to control access between the Intranet and Internet permitting access to the Intranet only to people who are suitably authorized. The level of access can be set to different levels for individuals or groups of outside users.

DSS Model-Drive vs. Data Model-Driven

Uses a very powerful search engine to peer into massive piles of data and looks for relationships so that a person can make a decision. Vs. Model-driven DSSs are complex systems that help analyze decisions or choose between different options. These are used by managers and staff members of a business, or people who interact with the organization, for a number of purposes depending on how the model is set up - scheduling, decision analyses etc. DR. TIGERS CLASS