Chapter 5 DSM (+What you need to know)
Which of the following is NOT one of the major IT infrastructure components?
A mainframe What You Need to Know: A mainframe is not one of the major IT infrastructure components. A mainframe is a large-capacity, high performance computer that can process large amounts of data very rapidly. -Computer hardware consists of technology for computer processing, data storage, input, and output. -Computer software includes both system software and application software. System software manages the resources and activities of the computer. Application software applies the computer to a specific task for the end user, such as processing an order or generating a mailing list. -Data management technology organizes, processes, and manages business data concerned with inventory, customers, and vendors.
Which of the following best defines a mainframe?
A mainframe is a large-capacity, high performance computer that can process large amounts of data very rapidly. What You Need to Know: -A supercomputer is a specially designed and more sophisticated computer that is used for tasks requiring extremely rapid and complex calculations with thousands of variables, millions of measurements, and thousands of equations. -Grid computing involves connecting geographically remote computers into a single network to create a "virtual supercomputer" by combining the computational power of all computers on the grid. -A server is a computer specifically optimized to provide software and other resources to other computers over a network.
__________ refers to programs written for a specific application to perform functions specified by end users.
Application software What You Need to Know: Application software refers to programs written for a specific application to perform functions specified by end users. The operating system is the system software that manages and controls the computer's activities. The graphical user interface (GUI) is the part of the operating system users interact with that uses graphic icons and the computer mouse to issue commands and make selections. Open source software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is often downloadable for free.
Which of the following best describes a cloud-based software service?
Cloud-based software and the data it uses are hosted on powerful servers in massive data centers, and can be accessed with an Internet connection and standard Web browser. What You Need to Know: Instead of buying and installing software programs, subscribing companies rent the same functions from these services, with users paying either on a subscription or per-transaction basis. Mashups are composite software applications that depend on high-speed networks, universal communication standards, and open source code and are intended to be greater than the sum of their parts. Apps are small pieces of software that run on the Internet, on a computer, or on a mobile phone and are generally delivered over the Internet. Open source software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is often downloadable for free.
Equipment for gathering and inputting data, physical media for storing the data, and devices for delivering processed information as output are examples of which component of IT infrastructure?
Computer hardware What You Need to Know: -Equipment for gathering and inputting data, physical media for storing the data, and devices for delivering processed information as output are examples of computer hardware. Computer hardware consists of technology for computer processing, data storage, input, and output. -Computer software includes both system software and application software. System software manages the resources and activities of the computer. Application software applies the computer to a specific task for the end user, such as processing an order or generating a mailing list. -Data management technology organizes, processes, and manages business data concerned with inventory, customers, and vendors. -Networking and telecommunications technology provides data, voice, and video connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers.
Which of the following is NOT a challenge of managing IT infrastructure?
Consulting with shareholders on best practices What You Need to Know: -Managing capacity planning and scalability so that the firm has enough computing power for its current and future needs is a challenge of managing IT infrastructure. -Balancing the costs and benefits of building and maintaining the firm's own hardware and software versus outsourcing or using an on-demand computing model is a challenge of managing IT infrastructure. -For companies with global operations, managing software localization is a challenge of managing IT infrastructure.
Which of the following best defines IT infrastructure?
IT infrastructure is the shared technology resources that provide the platform for the firm's specific information system applications. What You Need to Know: -An application server is software that handles all application operations between browser-based computers and a company's back-end business applications or databases. -Client/server computing is a model for computing that splits processing between clients and servers on a network, assigning functions to the machine most able to perform the function. -Service-oriented architecture is software architecture of a firm built on a collection of software programs that communicate with each other to perform assigned tasks to create a working software application.
Which of the following best describes cloud computing?
In cloud computing, firms and individuals obtain computing power and software as services over a network, including the Internet, rather than purchasing and installing the hardware and software on their own computers. What You Need to Know: -Grid computing involves connecting geographically remote computers into a single network to create a computational grid that combines the power of all the computers on the network. -Nanotechnology builds structures and processes based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules. -Green computing includes practices and technologies for producing, using, and disposing of information technology hardware to minimize negative impact on the environment.
Which of the following is an operating-system and hardware-independent programming language that is the leading interactive programming environment for the Web?
Java What You Need to Know: Java is an operating-system and hardware-independent programming language that is the leading interactive programming environment for the Web. MySQL is a relational database product. DB2 is an enterprise database management application. Android is an operating system used on mobile devices.
__________ is an operating system created by the open source community.
Linux What You Need to Know: Linux is an operating system created by the open source community. It is a powerful, resilient operating system developed by the open source community that can run on multiple hardware platforms and is used widely to run Web servers. It is a variant of Unix. Open source software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is often downloadable for free. Mac OS X is an operating system developed by Apple. Windows RT is an operating system developed by Microsoft. Symbian is a mobile-client operating system designed for Nokia phones, among others.
Which IT infrastructure component provides data, voice, and video connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers?
Networking and telecommunications technology What You Need to Know: Networking and telecommunications technology provides data, voice, and video connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers. Technology for running a company's internal networks, services from telephone service companies, and technology for running Web sites linking to other computer systems through the Internet are examples of networking and telecommunications technology. -Computer software includes both system software and application software. System software manages the resources and activities of the computer. Application software applies the computer to a specific task for the end user, such as processing an order or generating a mailing list. -Data management technology organizes, processes, and manages business data concerned with inventory, customers, and vendors. -Computer hardware consists of technology for computer processing, data storage, input, and output.
__________ can be used to analyze direct and indirect costs to help firms determine the actual cost of specific technology implementations.
The total cost of ownership (TCO) model What You Need to Know: The total cost of ownership (TCO) model can be used to analyze direct and indirect costs to help firms determine the actual cost of specific technology implementations. -From an IT perspective, capacity planning is the process of predicting when a computer hardware system becomes saturated. It considers factors such as the maximum number of users that the system can accommodate at one time, the impact of existing and future software applications, and performance measures, such as the minimum response time for processing business transactions. -Software outsourcing enables a firm to contract custom software development or maintenance of existing legacy programs to outside firms, which often operate offshore in low-wage areas of the world. -Scalability refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a large number of users without breaking down.
Which of the following refers to loosely coupled software components based on open Web standards that work with any application software and operating system?
Web services What You Need to Know: Web services are loosely coupled software components based on open Web standards that work with any application software and operating system. They can be used as components of Web-based applications linking the systems of two different organizations or to link disparate systems of a single company. Operating systems are the software programs used to run the activities of a computer. Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux, Mac OS X, Chrome, Android, and iOS are all operating systems platforms. Virtualization organizes computing resources so that their use is not restricted by physical configuration or geographic location. Grid computing involves connecting geographically remote computers into a single network to create a computational grid that combines the power of all the computers on the network.
From an IT perspective, __________ is the process of predicting when a computer hardware system becomes saturated.
capacity planning What You Need to Know: From an IT perspective, capacity planning is the process of predicting when a computer hardware system becomes saturated. It considers factors such as the maximum number of users that the system can accommodate at one time, the impact of existing and future software applications, and performance measures, such as the minimum response time for processing business transactions. -In autonomic computing, computer systems have capabilities for automatically configuring and repairing themselves. -Software outsourcing enables a firm to contract custom software development or maintenance of existing legacy programs to outside firms, which often operate offshore in low-wage areas of the world. -When dealing with platform and infrastructure change, scalability refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a large number of users without breaking down.
A model for a computer that splits the processing between clients and servers on a network, assigning functions to the machine most able to perform the function is called __________.
client/server computing What You Need to Know: -Grid computing involves connecting geographically remote computers into a single network to create a "virtual supercomputer" by combining the computational power of all computers on the grid. -A server is a computer specifically optimized to provide software and other resources to other computers over a network. -A mainframe is a large-capacity, high performance computer that can process large amounts of data very rapidly.
Keyboards, computer mice, touch screens, magnetic ink, and digital scanners are all examples of __________.
input devices What You Need to Know: -Output devices include display monitors, printers, and audio output devices. -Optical discs use laser technology to store large quantities of data, including sound and images, in a highly compact form. -Magnetic disks, the most widely used secondary storage medium today, store data by means of magnetized spots on a hard or floppy disk.
When firms outsource software work outside their national borders, this practice is called __________.
offshore software outsourcing What You Need to Know: When firms outsource software work outside their national borders, this practice is called offshore software outsourcing. Until recently this type of software development involved lower-level maintenance, data entry, and call center operations, but with the growing sophistication and experience of offshore firms, particularly in India, more and more new program development is taking place offshore. -A Web hosting service is a company with large Web server computers to maintain the Web sites of fee-paying subscribers. -A service level agreement (SLA) is a formal contract between customers and their service providers that defines specific responsibilities of the service provider and the level of service expected by the customer. -A hybrid cloud is a computing model where firms use both their own IT infrastructure and also public cloud computing services.
When dealing with platform and infrastructure change, __________ refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a large number of users without breaking down.
scalability What You Need to Know: -As firms grow older, they can outgrow their infrastructure. As firms shrink, they can get stuck with excessive infrastructure purchased in better times. Considering a firm's scalability can help a firm remain flexible. -In autonomic computing, computer systems have capabilities for automatically configuring and repairing themselves. -Software outsourcing enables a firm to contract custom software development or maintenance of existing legacy programs to outside firms, which often operate offshore in low-wage areas of the world. -Virtualization organizes computing resources so that their use is not restricted by physical configuration or geographic location.
If you purchase a lightweight laptop (e.g., MacBook Air), it will likely have a __________ which replaces the traditional hard drive.
solid state drive What You Need to Know: in lightweight PCs, such as the MacBook Air, smartphones, and tablets, hard drives have been replaced by solid state drives (SSDs), which use an array of semiconductors organized as a very fast internal disk drive. Dual random access memory systems, OLED displays, which are used on the new iPhone X, and 802.11 optical drives are unrelated to the solid state drives (SSD) that are replacing traditional hard drives.
The system software that manages and controls the computer's activities is called __________.
the operating system What You Need to Know: The system software that manages and controls the computer's activities is called the operating system. Application software refers to programs written for a specific application to perform functions specified by end users. The graphical user interface (GUI) is the part of the operating system users interact with that uses graphic icons and the computer mouse to issue commands and make selections. Open source software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is often downloadable for free.
