BEM 251 MIS Exam 1
What is IT infrastructure?
platform for supporting all information systems
How does capacity planning work (this was done manually before the cloud existed)?
process of predicting when hardware systems become oversaturated with users -ensures that the firm has enough computing power for current and future demand volume (customers)
What are utilities?
program designed to assist users in maintenance and care of their computers
What is fault tolerance?
property that enables a system to continue operating properly in the event of failure (or one or more faults within some of the computers in the network)
What is the most difficult of the 4 business elements to wrangle?
workplace culture and politics is the hardest because they are largely affiliated with people
What are the individual pieces of the 5 component framework?
1.) Hardware 2.) Software 3.) Data 4.) Procedures 5.) People
What is value?
amount of money a customer is willing to pay for a resource, product, or service
Canvas as an example of cloud computing
-WFU canvas hosted in AWS East (VA) -wake.forest.infrastructure.com -multi-level model of cloud computing -SAAS to consumer (infrastructure to WFU) -IAAS to Wake Forest University itself
How did the circuit-switched networks work before the cloud?
-assembly of a complete "point-to-point" (every circuit was connected by corresponding devices) connection in order for devices to communicate
What are mainframes? What is their purpose?
-built to be reliable for transaction processing -large capacity computer designed to process large amounts of data very rapidly
What is Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)? Used for Video
-def. specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to display device. -essentially your computer's video card ex: main (mother) board, peripheral component cards
How does the public cloud work?
-owned and operated by external service providers -accessed through the Internet -available to anyone -generally used for non-sensitive data (general documents, etc) thus not mission critical
What are supercomputers (modern day mainframe)? What do they do?
-like a mainframe, it is responsible for complex calculations as quickly as possible -more sophisticated computer used for extremely rapid and complex complications with thousands of variables, potentially millions of measurements -used for engineering, scientific research, simulations, military weapons/research, weather forecasting ex: IBM Watson
How does the private cloud work?
-proprietary system owned and operated by a specific company -based on virtualization -available to users inside the company -generally used for sensitive financial and personal data ex: companies pay an IBM to lease a portion of data center where they give you a server and total control over computing resources
How does a solid business model and new products and services cultivate customer and supplier intimacy? (Why invest in business technology?)
-serving customers well leads to customers returning, thus establishing a strong revenue base -intimacy with suppliers leads to the providing of valuable inputs, thus cutting costs
What are the 5 necessary data characteristics?
1. Accurate (correct and complete data; must be able to rely on results of information systems) 2. Timely (produced in time for its intended use. ex: canvas grades) 3. Relevant (both to context and to the subject) 4. Just barely sufficient (for the purpose which is generated in order to avoid information overload) 5. worth its cost (appropriate relationship between cost of information and its value)
Future Business Professionals must do what 3 things?
1. Assess current state of business environments 2. Evaluate options for implementation/show what is available 3. apply technologies to gain competitive advantage (lot of options that have varying degrees of cost and historical success)
In what ways does an industry structure determine who will gain the competitive advantage? (Remember: You cannot be all 5. Focus on 1 or 2 and then outsource the rest)
1. Cost Leader-> can sell at a lower price than you can 2. Differentiation -> better bc different 3. Innovative -> doing something new and you can't catch up 4. Operational Excellence -> can do same thing more efficiently than you can. 5. Customer oriented -> treat customers the best
What 5 questions make up Porter's Five Forces Model?
1. How much bargaining power do customers have? 2. How much of a threat do substitution products or services pose? 3. How much bargaining power do suppliers have? 4. How great is the threat of new competitors entering the marketplace 5. How great is the rivalry among existing firms
What are the 2 ways that information tech and systems can improve business processes?
1. Increasing Efficiency of existing processes through streamlining and automation (automating steps that were previously manual and replacing sequential steps with parallel steps) 2. Enable entirely new processes capable of transforming the business (change flow of information, eliminate delays in decision making; drive new business models)
What 4 elements are involved within Information Systems?
1. Input 2. Processing 3. Output 4. Feedback (can tell whoever makes the input info where improvements can be made and can change input and processing stages to help change how output is represented)
What are the four functions within a business?
1. Manufacturing and production (product assembly, quality control, and repair) 2. sales and marketing (identifying customers and markets, advertising, closing sales) 3. Finance and Accounting (creating financial statements, projective sales and associative costs) 4. Human Resources (recruiting talent, evaluating job performance, hiring/firing process)
What are the two ways in which organizational strategy organizes Information Systems Structures?
1. Organization goals and objectives are determined by competitive strategy 2. Competitive Strategy determines Information Systems structure, features, and functions
What are the five forces within Porter's Five Forces Model?
1. Rivalry (all forces in a way revolve around this factor) 2. New Vendors 3. Customers 4. Suppliers 5. Substitute Vendors
What are the three different cloud models that companies purchase?
1. Software as a Service (Saas) 2. Platform as a Service (Paas) 3. Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas) -As we go from software to infrastructure, we begin to see the details of the data we have
What are the 4 support activities in a value chain?
1. Technology (R&D, new technologies, methods, procedures) 2. Procurement (accumulation of raw materials; find cheapest deals on best materials) 3. Human Resources (Training, Recruiting, and Comp.) 4. Firm Infrastructure(general management, Finance + Accounting, Sales + Marketing, etc.)
What kinds of client/server computing models are there?
1. Two-tiered client/server architecture 2. Multi-tiered client/server architecture (N-tier)
Why is MIS important? (2 reasons)
1. Vital component of business 2. improves efficiency and effectiveness (connects to idea of business intelligence where we want to learn from past, so business can be more successful in future)
What are the components of a network? (5 things)
1. client computer 2. server computer(s) -> appliances work in between server and client 3. network interfaces (bluetooth, network interface card, etc) 4. connection medium (ex: copper ethernet and coax cabling, fiber optic cabling, and wireless radio transmission) 5. network devices and appliances (firewalls, routers, switches, etc)
How can a business alter their product for success (3 ways of product implementation)?
1. create new product or service 2. enhance product or service 3. differentiate products or services
What are the three types of cloud computing?
1. public cloud 2. private cloud 3. hybrid cloud
How have Internet technology and global communication greatly reduced the economic and cultural advantages of developed countries? (4 ways)
1. drastic cost reduction for operations and transactions 2. increases competitions for jobs, markets, resources, etc. 3. Increased dependence on imports and exports 4. requires new understanding of skills, markets, opportunities
What are the two parts of IP addresses?
1. host 2. network
What functions do IP addresses serve?
1. host/network identification 2. location addressing
How can a business create a competitive advantage? (5 ways)
1. lock in customers and buyers through creating high switching costs 2. lock in suppliers by making it easy to connect to and work with your organization 3. create barriers to entry by making it difficult and expensive for new competition (using patents) 4. create better business processes to establish alliances 5. reducing costs
What are the factors that go into capacity planning? (3 of them)
1. maximum number of users (traffic/request volume) 2. impact of current, future software (hardware requirements, resource consumption) 3. performance measures (response/processing times)
What do system softwares include within their capabilities? (3 things)
1. operating systems (OS) 2. Device Drivers 3. Utilities
What is the order of difficulty for the Five Information System Components?
1. order and installation [of hardware equipment] 2. obtaining new programs to install are more difficult, as you must change structure of software to accommodate 3. creating new databases or changing the structure of existing databases is more difficult 4. changing procedures, requiring people to act differently is MORE difficult 5. changing personnel responsibilities, reporting relationships, and hiring/firing are both very difficult/disruptive
What elements make up a business? (4 elements)
1. separation of business functions (production of product/service, sales and marketing, finance and accounting, HR, etc.) 2. Unique Business Processes 3. Unique Business Culture 4. Organizational Politics
What are two forces of change that guarantee survival?
1.) Competitive[change]-> changes in society drive adaptation and thus those who adapt succeed 2.) Compliance[change]-> must fulfill obligations and stipulations imposed by the government. can cause sweeping industry level changes(Dodd-Frank act changing the way banks ran business)
1 Kbps equals what?
1000 bits per second
1 Mbps equals what?
1000 kbps
1 Gbps equals what?
1000 mbps
How many sequential steps within the value chain?
3
Are business processes assets or liabilities?
both. -they are assets when they are a source of strength, revenue, or a trade secret -they are liabilities when the processes are outdated, falling behind competition, dangerous (not safe/following regulations), expensive.
How does investing in business technology guarantee survival?
businesses invest in technology out of necessity, simply because its the cost of doing business
What is the 2nd step of the Value Chain?
Assess potential for adding value via cost advantage or differentiation or identify current activities where a business appears to be at a competitive advantage (outsource where you are disadvantaged)
How is bandwidth measured?
Bitrate, number of bits that we can send over a given period of time -also known as transmission speed -commonly in bits per second ex: 120/20 -> numerator: download; denominator: upload
What is the 1st step of the Value Chain?
Break down an organization into its key activities under each of the major headings in the model (see what you are great at and spend money building the skill)
What does the clent/server relationship look like?
Client -> Internet -> Server -> Application Server (verifies credentials)-> Database Server (gets together user information on this back-end system) -if application server cannot find the right information, they will not permit you access to the website
What are the hidden costs associated with the TCO model?
hidden = support staff, downtime, additional network, management, etc.
What is the Domain Name System (DNS)?
hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, service, or other resources connected to the internet or private network
What is the ENIAC? What does it stand for?
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer -first general purpose electronic digital computer built in 1943 -was 150 feet wide and had 20 banks of flashing lights and it emulated this centralized mainframe computing model
True or False: You can buy an Information System
False -You can pay for user and data base, but you can pay for people to do the procedures the same way they did them with their former company
What is replacing mainframe computers?
Grid and Cluster Computing (modern computing architecture for high volume web services bc cost-effective, globally distributed, and redundant systems)
What is the difference between high-tech and low-tech alternatives?
High-tech streamlines efficiency by incorporating computers to do jobs faster than humans can ex: high tech: people taking pictures of check and depositing them by means of phone vs low tech: people go into banks themselves and deposit checks
What makes global digital communication possible?
IT Infrastructure
What is operational excellence? (Why invest in business technology?)
Information Systems and technology applications enable us to achieve greater efficiency and productivity, yielding higher profits and lower costs ex: Walmart retail link (links suppliers directly to stores to create superior inventory replenishment system.)
What is a value proposition associated with the TCO?
can outsource infrastructure costs to a company like AWS and avoid the costs (time and monetary related) of having to install your own system
How should a company build itself in a specific industry?
Industry Structure -> Competitive Strategy -> Value Chains -> Business Processes
What is output? (4th criteria for computer working)
how a computer shows output is based on its design -when computers connect to our internet, it becomes input to another.
How does cloud computing work?
how it works: data is extracted from you, so you can maximize your use of the internet
Where did the cloud come from?
how we diagram computer networks
Who falls within the mid-level tier and what word best describes them?
Scientist/knowledge workers -the word: tactical -> make sure that the business is on course, but follows the c-suite objectives
What is the difference between a dominant company and its lesser competitors?
how well they execute business processes
What is the internet of things?
The idea that objects are becoming connected to the Internet so they can interact with other devices, applications, or services. -when we have a whole connected world, our world becomes more convenient/effortless
What is metadata?
data describing data -basically a set of data that expounds upon other data ex: phone conversation (what is the core piece of a convo? the call transcript. Metadata tells you who you called, who received it, when it was, etc)
What is a value chain?
a network of value creating activities that fall within primary (incur direct costs) and secondary/support activities (incur indirect costs) -primary activities add direct value, while supporting activities add indirect value
What is the most important piece of the 5 component framework?
people(us)
Can the server be a small computer?
Yes, a server can be any computing device, big or small -can be your cell phone
What is a service level agreement (SLA)? How does it work?
a commitment between a service provider and a client -specific details of the service delivery such as quality, availability, responsibilities, etc. are agreed upon between service provider and service user -lawyers get involved here bc important who defines and owns the data -critical in business of cloud computing -details aspects related to data center and network hosting the computing resources, data, storage, security, service disruptions (outages), vendor responsibilities/liabilities, maintenance, etc.
What is a business?
a formal organization that makes products and/or provides a service in order to make a profit
What is scalability?
ability of the system to expand in order to serve large numbers of users (volume) without crashing the system (service interruptions) -how much can one server handle. If you need more, expand. If server is underused, reduce it -pay for what you use
How do we add value to firms?
aid in process of decision making and solving complex business problems ex: Chick Fil'a adding a phone app for ordering in order to reduce long wait times
What are device drivers? How many of these devices does a computer need to function?
all devices must have this and helps device work to its capability -attaches to computer -device must have at least 1 corresponding device driver because a computer typically has at minimum 1 input device and 1 output device -typically needs more than 1 device driver
What is storage and processing? (2nd or 3rd criteria for computer working)
all different inputs give computers info and store it in memory; computer processors manipulates information with algorithms (series of commands) and puts it back in memory
How were cross-functional products carried out pre computers?
all manual steps that included making phone calls, paper order forms, etc. -thus a lot of room for error; computer based system streamlines process
What are IP addresses?
all network connected devices are assigned on the address -numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the internet protocol for communication
What is software?
all of computer programs/code on the hardware -commands inputted by the user puts the language into binary for cpu to use; in essence, it tells the computer what to do
What is the centralized mainframe computing model?
all the logic appeared on the large mainframe machine (presentation logic, business logic, data access logic) and there were a series of output machines that showed the information processed by the mainframe (called dumb terminals)
How is data transferred?
as bits (1s and 0s)
What is customer service? (5th primary activity in value chain)?
assisting customers' use of the products and thus maintaining and enhancing products' value
What are the multi-tiered client/server architecture (N-tier)?
balances the load of client requests for service over several levels of servers example: web servers and application services like Facebook Process [happens within miliseconds]: Client -> Internet -> Web Server -> Application Server (facebook) -> Data
What is Information?
data shaped into meaningful, useful form ex: stores with their databases that take raw data about their products and tracks them with receipts about the amount of products sold, the prices, etc.
What is ubiquitous network access? (second essential characteristic of cloud computing)
cloud resources can be accessed using any standard network and Internet device, including mobile platforms (our phones)
What are outbound logistics? (3rd primary activity in value chain)
collecting, storing, and physically distributing products to buyers
What is intranet?
computer network for sharing information, collaboration tools, operational and transaction systems, and other network/web services within organization (usually at exclusion of external users; related to VPN)
What is a local area network (LAN)?
computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university building, etc
What are servers? What do they do?
computer that serves a specific purpose/resources beyond one user that uses them -supports computer networks, sharing files and resources, platform for e-commerce
What is Location-Independent Resource Pooling? (third essential characteristic of cloud computing)
computing resources are pooled to serve multiple users, with different virtual resources dynamically assigned according to user demand. -user generally does not know (or have a need to know) where the computing resources are physically located -independent resources serve multiple people
What is rapid elasticity? (fourth essential characteristic of cloud computing)
computing resources can be rapidly provisioned, increased, or decreased to meet changing user demand -also known as the ability to increase/decrease computing capacity to handle volume spikes, fluctuations, etc. -ex: servers crash and situations with high demand will be less likely because can add more servers if users increase. If users decrease, you can shrink servers
How does the idea of virtualization connect to cloud computing?
connects to the idea of shared resources -services and apps of various companies can run on clusters of data centers that show up on the Internet -these clouds of computing resources can be accessed on an as-needed basis from any network connected device and location
What is hardware?
consists of plugs, speakers, wires, chips, circuits, and other stuff that makes computer work
How does cloud computing offer "on-demand self service" (first essential characteristic of cloud computing)?
consumers can obtain and access computing capabilities/resources such as server time or network storage as needed automatically on own (whenever, wherever)
What is the extranet?
controlled, private network that allows access to partners, vendors, suppliers, and/or an authorized set of customers -normally to a subset of information accessible from organization's intranet
What is the barrier to invest in automation?
costs -we are so accustomed to having our labor do things for us. the break-even threshold for a company is where priority in automation will set in over human labor costs
What are the 3 "touchpoints" of the value chain?
customer service, sales, and marketing
How does Infrastructure as a Service work (Iaas)?
customers use processing, storage, networking, and other computing resources from cloud service providers to run and manage their own information systems -customers given own server and a section of a data center where they can build from ground up -users pay only for amount of computing and storage capacity they actually use
How does Software as a Service work?
customers use software hosted by vendor on the vendor's cloud infrastructure and delivered as a network -ex: Canvas and Google's G Suite act as a 3rd party company and the customers pay through a subscription -both companies change users an annual subscription fee -users access these applications using a web browser, while data and software are maintained on the provider's remote servers
How does Platform as a Service (Paas) work?
customers' user infrastructure and programming tools supported by the cloud service provider to develop and/or host their own applications -ex: Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy give customers a platform to build own website (print and click) without being web developers
What within the five component framework acts as the "bridge" between computers and humans?
data; actors are hardware (computer side) and people (human side) instructions are the software (computer side; tells computer how to act) and procedures (people side)
What are complementary assets?
def. assets required to derive value from a primary investment -firms supporting tech investments in complementary assets experience superior returns (investing in not only the tech but the people so they can use it correctly)
What is virtualization?
def. process of presenting a set of computing resources so they can be accessed in ways that are unrestricted by physical configuration or geographic location -simply put: can take a single resource and make it appear as multiple resources (make computer act like 10 computers) -host multiple systems on a single machine
What is systems software?
def. software for computer hardware behavior as to provide basic functionalities that are required by users or for other software to run properly (if it at all) -also designed for providing a platform for running application software
What is application software(APPS)?
def. software that uses the computer system to perform special functions or provide entertainment functions beyond basic operation of the computer itself -many different types of this because the range of tasks that can be performed with a modern computer is so wide
What is a computer network, and how does this network work?
def. two or more computers connected to one another -each device on the network is a node and they are all connected
What is virtual machine (VM)?
def. virtual computer instance that imitates dedicated hardware -is used widely on both client and server computers and is important tech for Enterprise Cloud Computing ex: GoDaddy gives you a virtual machine in which you get a server for a website
What is a business model?
describes how a company produces, delivers, and sells products or services ex: Apple Ecosystem
What is the 3rd step of the value chain?
determine strategies built around focusing on activities where competitive advantage can be sustained
What is a margin [in terms of value]?
difference between value an activity generates and the cost of the activity itself
What is Voice over IP (VOIP)? What are some examples of VOIP?
digital voice communication using TCIP and packet switching examples: Skype, Facetime, Whatsapp, etc
How does VoIP work?
digitizes and breaks up voice message into data packets in real time that travel different routes before making it to final destination -processor nearest call's destination, called getaway, arranges packets in proper order and directs them to IP address who is receiving the call.
What are the direct costs of the TCO model?
direct = hardware and software purchase costs
What is Hardware (output devices)? What are some examples?
displays/returns data following processing -ex: monitors, screens, printers, audio output (speakers), etc.
What is effectiveness and efficiency?
effectiveness- doing right things to create the most value for the firm Efficiency- doing the right things at the lowest cost
What is automation
eliminating human variability, thus increasing efficiency and reducing error -helps with decision making with data driven assistance
What is an Operating System (OS)?
essential collections of software that manages resources and provides common resources for other software that runs "on top" of them -is a memory management and allocates how processor works -a type crossing guard -uses resources as efficiently as possible as to save memory, CPU, etc. -also allows computer to multi-task, run multiple applications, and share data (windows, Mac OS, etc)
When did the mainframe computer come about?
first appeared in the mid 1960's, predating the PC's (came in 1980s)
What is the client/server computing model? What kind of computing model is it?
form of distributed computing model (unlike our centralized mainframes) -split between "client (user)" and the "server" (the owner of the machine) -has largely replaced the centralized mainframe computing model
How does the hybrid cloud work?
generally used by large corporations that store the most essential core activities on their own infrastructure (private portion) and use the public cloud for less critical or additional processing capabilities
What is the Internet?
global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) in order to communicate between networks and devices -largest scale WAN
What is Information technology?
hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment a business uses to achieve objectives IT = hardware + software+ data (tech without people and processes)
What is Internet Protocol (IP)?
has task of labeling and delivering packets from source host to destination host solely based on IP addresses in packet information -for this purpose, IP defines packet structures that encapsulate data delivered
What is the VM architecture like?
have a host hardware (Mac or Windows Device) and then have a host operating system; Within the virtual machine you then have the virtualization application that gives you the operating systems of the dedicated machine you hope to emulate
What is multi-tenancy?
idea that multiple customers of different areas of business can access the same data resources from the same places
Cluster computing
idea where we have two or more homogenous computers (same type of hardware and operation system) residing on same local network (physical location) dedicated to performing same task(s). -instead of having one big machine, we have thousands (each computer is a link in the broader chain and the sum of the whole is greater than its parts)
What is a redundant/fail-over system?
if computers in a grid data center, the server will not shut down because of all of the data replications in the thousands of computers within that cluster.
What is redundancy?
inclusion of extra components which are not strictly necessary to a systems normal functionality, in case of failure in other components
How can the TCO be reduced?
increased centralization and standardization of hardware and software resources
What are the indirect costs of the TCO model?
indirect = ongoing administration costs, upgrades, maintenance, technical support, training, utility, real estate (facility) costs, etc.
What is sales and marketing? (4th primary activity in value chain)
inducting buyers to purchase products and providing them a means to do so
What is the most important step of the computing process and why?
input is the most important because if we have bad data going in we have bad data coming out
How does input become output?
input is turned into binary in computer and cpu tuns instructions in memory, and then sent into the screen as output
What is the experience of running a virtual machine (for a user)?
intended to be the same as if the user were running on operating system or application on the dedicated machine -performance varies based on the capabilities of the physical hardware
How does Porter's 5 forces model explain specific industries?
intensity of each force within the model determines characteristics of industry, how profitable it is, and how sustainable that profitability will be.
What is the idea of measured service (fifth essential characteristic of cloud computing)?
like utility company, charges for cloud resources are based on number of resources (i.e. utility/consumption-based pricing models) -"you pay for what you use"
How do businesses use Virtual Machines?
lots of companies run data centers ex: AWS has data centering that other companies (like Netflix) use and the companies pay based off what they use (like a utility) -more the server the customer consumes, the more you pay.
What is secondary storage? What are the main types of secondary storage?
main types: hard disk drives, solid slate drives, optical discs -def. storage devices responsible for storing your data (OS, application files, personal/work files) and retains that information even when not powered -can store photos, files, videos, and any files you want to keep for long time
What is primary storage? What are the main types of primary storage?
main types: volatile memory and RAM -def. memory storage that is directly accessible to CPU (central processing unit) -continuously reads instructions stored there and executes those instructions as required -responsible for storing the data related to the operating systems and applications actively running on your computer
What is bandwidth?
maximum transmission capacity of a given device or path (how much data/bits can be sent down "pipe")
What is packet switching? How does it work?
method of slicing digital messages into parcels (packets) and sending those packets along various communication paths as they become available and then reassembling packets at destination -packets take whatever routes on internet where they have the least amount of resistance (not necessarily the fastest route) -more efficient use of a network's communication capacity and increases fault-tolerance through redundancy
What is cloud computing?
model of computing in which computer processing, storage, software, and other services are provided as a shared pool of virtualized resources over a network, primarily the internet
What are routers?
network devices used to route products of data through different networks ensuring that data arrives at the correct address
What is Moore's Law?
number of transistors that can be packed into a given unit of space will double every two years -thus computers will become smaller and faster due to the integrated circuits becoming more efficient and thus simultaneously driving down cost. summary: increases in computing power along with decreased costs for same or greater capability
What is a virtual application?
operating system or application that is installed within a specific type of software, which imitates dedicated computer hardware -ex: can virtualize Windows on Mac (bootcamp)
Who falls within lower level management and what word best describes them?
operational management workers include production and/or service workers and data workers -the word: transactional-> they execute the day-to-day information and pass up their work to mid-level management
Where is most data generated in the 3 tier hierarchy?
operational management/transactional level -data generated, analyzed, and pushed up to middle-level management (how to adjust operations to get results) and information is summarized and pushed to upper-level management for seniors so they can make strategic decisions
What are inbound logistics (1st primary activity in value chain)?
receiving, storing, and disseminating inputs to products
How does investing in business technology lead to the cultivation of a competitive advantage?
results from previous objectives(operational excellence, new products/services and business models, and improved decision making), making them better -can now charge less for superior products -respond to customers and suppliers in real time -deliver better performance
Who falls within the top level authority and what word best describes this tier?
senior-level management includes c-suite, executive leadership -the word: transformative
What are server machines? What are their functions
serves resources to clients and now data storage and processing is distributed among the machines involved in the client-server relationship -store, processes, and distributes data -hosts services and performs network management activities
What are Information Systems (IS)?
set of interrelated components that manage information to: 1. support decision making, coordination, and control 2. help with data analysis, visualization, and product creation IS = IT + Procedures + People
What are business processes?
set of logically related tasks and behaviors that organizations develop over time to produce desire results and the unique ways these activities are organized and completed -businesses are evaluated through compilation of these processes
What are business processes? (definition)
sets of activities to obtain a desired outcome -may be tied to a functional area (one specific area of the business) or a cross-functional area (carries over across multiple functions in the firm)
How do you store or represent information using electricity? What is this called?
signal can be on or off; with one wire, we can represent information with two options -called a bit; the more wires we get the more bits we can use and thus present more information
What is Malicious Software (malware)? What are some examples of malware?
software developed to harm and disrupt computers -malware associated with computer-related crimes, may have been designed as practical jokes ex: trojan horse, virus, and worms
What are workstations?
special class of personal computer with high performance (has better processors, memory, graphic processing units and more storage space)
What is Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)?
standard that defines how to establish and maintain a network conversation through which application programs exchange data. -works in complement with IP
What is the cloud?
store and access data on internet instead of hardware
What is Data?
stream of raw facts
What is input (1st criteria for computing working)?
stuff world does or we do to make a computer work
How do firms coordinate work?
through a fairly defined hierarchial system with authority concentrated at the top
What is Management Information Systems(MIS)?
system or process that provides information necessary to manage organizations in an efficient and effective manner
Grid Computing
take clusters and geographically distribute network of homogenous or heterogenous computers working together over a long distance to perform a task. -objective: clusters work together to form a grid computers that work together to make a supercomputer (ex: Amazon or Facebook) -cultivates a cost effective and redundant system where if one system breaks down data can still flow due to many identical machines in the chain
What makes a computer a computer? (4 criteria)
take input (converting physical input signals to binary information), store information (through memory), process information (through CPU), and output results (converts information to physical output)
What is a wide area network (WAN)?
telecommunications network over a large geographic area for the primary purpose of computer networking -often established with leased telecommunication circuits owned by 3rd parties (internet service companies)
What is the largest implementation of client/server computing?
the Internet
What is the central processing unit(CPU)?
the electronic circuitry (the chip) within a computer that executes the instructions of a computer program
What is binary information?
the ones and zeros (a.k.a. the information) inside our computers that flow through the wires and electric circuits inside a computer
Why are business processes so important?
the performance of a firm is largely based on how well processes are designed and executed
What is the feedback system within a computer's 4 basic steps (input -> storage -> processing -> output)?
the user; the user creates the feedback loop through acting and interpreting the output the computer puts out. has ability to improve input and thus the output
What is a serious downside of service level agreements (SLAs)?
there is a difficulty in determining the root cause of service interruptions due to the complex nature of the environment -this results in a reliance on the vendor
What are the different types of computing and how are they different?
these computing processes come in different sizes and varying capabilities for processing information and performing tasks -personal computers (desktops, laptops, notebooks) -mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc) -workstations -graphics (video design and editing, gaming, mathematical processing, research and development)
What do Input Hardware devices do?
they gather data and convert it into digital form ex: keyboard, computer mouse, touch screen, pen based input, etc.
How does computing client/server work on the Internet?
this is a distributed (versus centralized) computing model -server(s) set rules of communication for network and provides every client with own address so others can find it on the network -has largely replaced centralized mainframe computing
How do people factor into Information systems?
through their quality of critical thinking and evaluation -with proper implementation, these information systems with people at the forefront can create value (important) -requires employee adoption however, which requires investments in complementary assets -hardest area of Information systems to manage however bc of their variability
What is latency? What is considered an acceptable latency?
time it takes for a bit to travel from one place to another and is measured in milliseconds (ms) -anything @ 100 ms or less is considered acceptable for gaming/streaming, but 20-40 ms is optimal
What are operations/manufacturing (2nd primary activity in value chain)?
transforming inputs into final products
What is the primary purpose of the Domain Name System (DNS)?
translate more readily memorized domain names to the numerical IP addresses needed for locating and identifying computer services and devices
What is a computer network?
two or more computers connected to one another
Why do we use virtual machines?
use these to test software on different platforms, so you don't have to buy different devices to test softwares out
What is the Total Cost of Ownership model (TCO)?
used to analyze the direct and indirect costs to help determine actual costs of owning a specific technology (capital investment)
What are client machines?
user point of entry (our devices) to systems, applications, and networks
What is a two-tiered client/server architecture?
uses two types of machines: client (usually a user interface or application function) and a server (data, application function, and network resources ex: like WIN system at Wake Forest University
What is the binary number system?
we only use 0-1 and can count up to any number (binaries have an 8, 4, 2, and a 1s place) -any number can be represented with only 1s and 0s place; more wires you have larger the numbers you can store
What are protocols?
well-known set of rules and procedures that govern transmission of data between two points (standard for communication between devices) ex: TCP/IP = the common worldwide language of web (responsible for maintaining convos between devices and packets arriving at right places)
How does investment in business technology lead to new models, products, services, etc?
when we invest in technology, these investments will eventually lead to innovation which will help us change or invest new business models, products, services, etc.
What is the digital firm?
where we have organization whose relationships are digitally enabled and media-driven -any piece of information for decision making is available in any time and any place(ex: ICloud: have all data synced into devices)
How does improved decision making come about through investing in business technology?
without accurate information, we rely on forecasts, guesses, etc. which results in overproduction/underproduction of goods and services as well as the misallocation of resources and poor response times -poor outcomes raise costs, loses customers -this data about sales gives them feedback about what to manufacture and sell.
How does a business process flow?
workflows of materials and data (where employees analyze these things) -> [turned into meaningful] information -> knowledge [end product]