Introduction to Business Chapter 13
Computer network definition.
A group of two or more computer systems linked together by communications channels to share data and information
Describe knowledge workers.
A worker who develops or uses knowledge, contributing to and benefiting from information used to perform planning, acquiring, searching, analyzing, organizing, storing, programming, producing, distributing, marketing, or selling functions
Ways to prevent problems
Backing up applications and data, security sites to keep safe, strong passwords
Management information systems defined.
Users, hardware, and software that support decision-making
Networks include
client (the application that runs on a personal computer) and servers (manages network resources or performs special tasks)
WAN
connects computers at different sites via telecommunications media such as phone lines, satellites, and microwaves.
Virtual private networks (VPN) connect two or more
private networks over a public network, such as the internet
Transaction processing system (TPS)
receives raw data from internal and external sources and prepares these data for storage in a database similar to a microcomputer database but way larger
Management support systems (MMS)
use the internal master database to perform high-level analysis that help managers make better decisions
Data security issues
Unauthorized access and security breaches, computer virus, worms (spreads from computer to computer), and trojan horses(programs that appear to be harmless and trick users into installing them)
How do intranets work?
Use radio frequency signals to transmit data (private corporate networks)
3 current trends in information technology
Digital forensics, shift to a distributed workforce (digital workforce), and increasing use of grid computing (way to divide the job into many smaller tasks and distribute them to a virtual supercomputer consisting of many small computers linked to a common network).
What is knowledge management?
Focuses on researching, gathering, organizing, and sharing an organizations collective knowledge to improve productivity, foster innovation, and gain competitive advantage.
Two basic types of networks and examples:
LAN and WAN
LAN
LAN lets people at one site exchange data and share the use of hardware and software from a variety of computer manufacturers
Management information systems provide managers with what?
The information they need to make decisions
Technology management and planning, why is it important?
Today's companies are cutting IT budgets so that managers are being asked to do more with less
Types of information systems and what they do:
Transaction processing system (TPS), Management support systems (MMS), Executive information systems (EIS), Expert system (DDS)
Executive information systems (EIS)
customized for an individual executive to provide specific information for strategic decisions
Expert system (DDS)
gives managers advice similar to what they would get from a human consultant.
Decision support system (DSS)
helps managers make decisions using interactive computer models that describe real-world processes.
Information technology (IT) includes
includes the equipment and techniques used to manage and process information