kroenke_umis5e_inppt04ie.ppt

Hardware and Software Fundamentalsby David Kroenke

Using MIS 5e International Edition

Chapter 4

Chapter 4-2Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education

"... if we don’t have an iPad App, we don’t have a business."

• GearUp not competitive because they don’t have iPad app

• Don’t know what they’re doing and could waste a lot of money and time

• Outsourcing to India? Open source?

• Need to find out what others have done

• Conflict between low cost and technical competitiveness


Study Questions

Q1: What do business professionals need to know about computer hardware?

Q2: What do business professionals need to know about software?

Q3: Is open source software a viable alternative?

Q4: How can you use this knowledge?

Q5: 2022?


Q1: What Do Business Professionals Need to Know About Computer Hardware?


Computer Data


Storage Capacity Terminology


In Fewer Than 300 Words, How Doesa Computer Work?


How Does a Computer Work? (cont’d)

Main memory (RAM) –Program instructions–Operating system instructions

Operating system (OS)

–Program that controls computer’s resources and blocks of data

–Provides services to application programs and users


Memory Swapping

• When RAM is too small to hold all open programs and data

• CPU loads new program segments into free memory If none available, operating system swaps

out existing instructions, or data, to a disk and copies requested program, or data, to freed space

• Swapping slows down computer


Why Does a Manager Care How a Computer Works? (cont’d)

• Simple tasks do not need fast CPU

• 64-bit dual processor, 8+GB RAM for large, complicated spreadsheets, large database files, large picture, sound, movie files

• Cache and main memory are volatile, so save frequently


What Is Difference Between a Client and a Server?


What Is Difference Between a Client and a Server? (cont’d)


Ethics Guide: Churn and Burn

Conspiracy among hardware and software vendors?•Hardware vendors create new, faster computers•Software vendors create new products with more features only needed by some users•Time-consuming to learn

Churning1.New software needs new hardware to run.2.New hardware becomes obsolete fast.3.Repeat steps 1 and 2.


Ethics Guide: Churn and Burn (cont’d)

• Products have defects–Vendors turn these into a sales advantage

• Should users accept these problems?

• Should they rise up in protest?

• What should vendors do?


Q2: What a Manager Needs to Know About Software


Own Versus License

License– Right to use specified number of copies– Limits vendor’s liabilitySite License

– Flat fee to install software product on all company computers or all computers at a specific site

Open Source– No license fee


Virtualization

Windows Server Computer Hosting Two Virtual Machines


Virtualization (cont’d)How Virtual Machine VM3 Appears to a User


Types of Virtualization

PC virtualization• Personal computer hosts several different

operating systemsServer virtualization

• Server computer hosts other server computers

• Makes cloud computing feasibleVirtual desktop• Allows access from any computer a user

has authorization to use


What Types of Applications Exist, and How Do Organizations Obtain Them?


How Do Thin Clients Compare to Thick Clients?


What Is Firmware?

Computer software installed on read-only memory

• Printers, print servers, communication devices

• Coded like other software

• Can be changed and upgraded


Q3: Is Open Source Software a Viable Alternative?

GNU general public license agreement

• Standard for open source software

• Successful open source projects– OpenOffice (Microsoft Office look-alike)– FireFox (Web browser)– MySQL (DBMS, see Chapter 5) – Apache (Web server, see Chapter 8)– Ubuntu (Windows-like desktop operating system)– Android (mobile-phone operating system)


Why Do Programmers Volunteer Their Services?

• It’s fun

• Freedom to choose projects

• Exercise creativity on interesting and fulfilling projects

• Exhibit one’s skill to get a job

• Start a business selling services


How Does Open Source Work?

• Collaboration of many programmers

• Examines source code and identifies a need, creates new feature or redesigns existing feature, or fixes a problem

• Code evaluated and extended by others

• Iteration, peer reviews and well-managed project yield high-quality code


So, Is Open Source Viable?

• Depends on requirements and constraints of situation.

• “Free” open source software still requires support and operational costs that could cost more than a licensing fee.

• Future will involve a blend of both proprietary and open source software.


Using MIS In-Class 4 A Group Exercise: Choosing a Computer• Identify most appropriate computer for three

different scenarios.

• Determine:– Hardware and software requirements– Size and type of computer – Processor speed– Size of main memory and disk– Operating system and application programs– Maintenance and support agreements– Any other factors you deem appropriate.


Q4: How Can You Use This Knowledge?

•What Buying Decisions Do You Make? Specification of client hardware and

software Specification of client hardware and

software for employees• Large organizations, IS department sets

formal standards• Medium to small organizations, managers

take active role in setting specifications


Sources of System Costs


Business Manager’s Role in Hardware and Software Specifications


What Process Should You Use to Establish a Computer Budget?


What Process Should You Use to Establish a Computer Budget? (cont’d)

Reasons you may need more equipment• Substantial change in head count• Important new departmental functions or

responsibilities• Upgrading to major new versions of operating

system or other software• Implementation of new systems requires

additional hardware• Change in overhead expense allocation


What Process Should You Use to Establish a Computer Budget? (cont’d)

• Review and revise budget

• Consider refurbished equipment

• Delay upgrades to new operating system

• Reallocate hardware among employees

• Document results

• Keep spreadsheet and notes used to prepare and justify budget


Q5: 2022?

• Can Microsoft take Office 365 into mobile market via its Skype acquisition?

• PC mules will be rare

• Large-screen computing/connectivity devices available everywhere

• Use a public device and connect to cloud

• Won’t need desktop office applications

• Cost performance issues of desktop virtualization will be gone


Guide: Keeping Up to Speed

• Pace of change in technology is relentless• 21st century business professional cannot bury

head in sand• Use knowledge of IT to gain competitive

advantage• Don’t ignore technology

Read articles, technology ads, attend seminars and workshops

• Get involved as a user representative in technology committees


Guide: Questioning Your Questions

• Learn how to discern quality of judgment and evaluate answers.

• Most difficult and creative tasks are generating questions and formulating a strategy for getting answers.

• Be able to ask good questions and obtain good answers.

• Learning about new IS alternatives and how to apply them.


Guide: Questioning Your Questions

Questions can be bad in three ways:1.Irrelevant: Answer won’t tell you why2.Dead: Provides no insight into subject 3.Asked the wrong source Don’t ask “What is it?” questions of

valuable or expensive sources. Ask: “How can I use it? Is it the best

choice for our company or situation?”


Active Review

Q1:What do business professionals need to know about computer hardware?

Q2: What do business professionals need to know about software?

Q3: Is open source software a viable alternative?

Q4: How can you use this knowledge?

Q5: 2022?


The Apple of Your i

• Tripled its market in three years

• Second largest public company in world

• Apple pioneered well-engineered home computers and innovative interfaces for students and knowledge workers.

• Every sales success feeds other sales successes.

kroenke_umis5e_inppt04ie.ppt

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