IT Infrastructure: SoftwareCIS 2200Kannan MohanDepartment of CISZicklin School of Business, Baruch College

Learning Objectives

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• Identify and describe the different types of software

• Describe distributed computing• Describe open source software• Explain cloud computing, its different

types, and its advantages and risks

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What is Software?• A computer program or a collection of

programs• Precise set of instructions that tells

hardware what to do

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Operating Systems

Mobile OS

(IDC, 2014)

Firmware and Embedded Systems• Firmware

• Software stored on nonvolatile memory chips (as opposed to being stored on devices such as hard drives or removable discs)

• Embedded systems• Special-purpose software designed and included inside physical products (often on firmware)

• Helping devices become “smarter”

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Application Software• Desktop Software - Applications installed on a personal

computer, typically supporting tasks performed by a single user

• Enterprise software - Applications that address the needs of multiple users throughout an organization or work group

• Types of Enterprise Software

ERP A software package that integrates the many functions of a business

CRM Systems used to support customer-related sales and marketing activities

SCM Systems that can help a firm manage aspects of its value chain, from the flow of raw materials into the firm, through delivery of finished products and services at the point-of-consumption

BI Systems that use data created by other systems to provide reporting and analysis for organizational decision making

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ERP in Action

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The Front-end and the Back-end• Graphical user interface

• Mechanisms through which users interact with the system (menus, scroll bars)

• Databases – to manage data• Database management system (DBMS)

• Software used for creating, maintaining, and manipulating data

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Enterprise Software and Databases

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Distributed Computing

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Distributed Computing• Web services

• Small pieces of code that are accessed via the application server which permit interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network

• Application programming interfaces (APIs)• Programming hooks (or guidelines) published by firms that tell other programs how to get a service to perform a task, such as send or receive data

• Service-oriented architecture (SOA)• A robust set of Web services built around an organizations processes and procedures 13

Data Exchange – Messaging Standards• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

• A set of standards for exchanging information between computer applications

• A way to send the electronic equivalent of structured documents between different organizations

• Extensible markup language (XML)• A tagging language that can be used to structure data

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Developing Software Programs• Programming Languages

• Provides the standards, syntax, statements, and instructions for writing computer software

• IDE (Integrated Development Environment)• C++, C#, Visual Basic, and Java• Development entails more than writing

programs/code

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Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Different cost categories that comprise total cost of ownership:

• Maintenance• Support• Training• Compliance auditing• Security, backup• Provisions for disaster

recovery

• Software development and documentation

• Purchase price• Ongoing license and

support fees• Configuration• Testing• Deployment

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Economics of Software• Low or zero marginal cost• Open source software

• Software that is free and where anyone can look at and potentially modify the code

• Questions facing big software firms• How can we compete with free?• How can we make money and fuel innovation on free?

• Cloud computing17

Open Source Software• Openness in stark contrast to the practice of

conventional software firms• Intellectual property as closely guarded secrets

• Examples • Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl/Python/PHP (LAMP)• Firefox• OpenOffice

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Cloud Computing• Moving software out of its own IS shop so that it is run

on someone else’s hardware• Replacing computing resources with services provided

over the Internet• Software as a service (SaaS)

• A form of cloud computing where a firm subscribes to a third-party software and receives a service that is delivered online

• Utility computing – platform as a service, infrastructure as a service

• Private and public clouds• Virtualization

Software as a Service• Build vs. buy vs. rent• Advantages

• Lower costs associated with the software licenses, server hardware, system maintenance, and IT staff

• Faster deployment times• Variable operating expense• Scalable systems• Higher quality and service levels• Remote access and availability

• Usage-based pricing model

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Risks of SaaS• Dependence on a single vendor• Concern about the long-term viability of partner

firms• Users may be forced to migrate to new versions• Reliance on a network connection • Data assets stored off-site - security and legal

concerns• Limited options• Less rich user interface• Pockets of unauthorized IT use throughout the

organization 21

Summary• What is the difference between operating system

and application software?

• Identify different types of application software

• What is distributed computing?

• What is cloud computing? Different types of cloud computing?

• What is open source software?

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