BCO1102

Information Systems for Business

Information Systems
in Business

Lecture 2
Reading: Chapter 1 (Section1.2)
Technology Guides, 1 & 2

Lecture Overview

What do you need to know about computer hardware?

Why should you care how a computer works?

What is Source Data Automation?

What Is the difference between a Client and Server?

What is cloud computing?

What do you need to know about software?

What is application software?

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IT in Business

Although managers and business professionals do not need to be IT experts,

they should:

Have a basic understanding of how computer hardware and software works

Recognise that the effective use of IT Infrastructure can benefit a business's

performance and productivity.

At a personal level, we need to know not only how to use a technology but
why we are using it and what benefits it brings.
Moreover, we need to know how to manage the data and information it
produces (file management)

Businesses has come to rely on IT as a critical component to the success of

the business

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Computer Based Information Systems

We said last week that there were 5 components to a computer based

information Systems

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Computer Based Information Systems

Hardware consists of devices such as the processor, monitor, keyboard, and

printer. Together, these devices accept, process, and display data and
information

Network: a connecting system (wireline or wireless) that permits different

computers to share resources (can be regarded as part of hardware)

Software is a program or collection of programs that enable the hardware to

process data.
A database (data) is a collection of related files or tables containing data
(more in later weeks)
Procedures are the instructions for combining the above components to
process information and generate the desired output
People are those individuals who use the hardware and software, interface
with it, or utilize its output

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Computer Based Information Systems

We can generally view the components of a computer based information

system as

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Computer Based Information Systems

The components are integrated to form a wide variety of Information Systems found
within organizations

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Computer Based Information Systems

Computer based Information Systems have many capabilities

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Computer Based Information Systems

Certain information systems support parts of organizations, others support entire organizations,
and still others support groups of organizations

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What do you need to know about Computer

Hardware?

Basic hardware categories:

Input

Processing

CPU and primary storage - main memory

Output

Keyboard, mouse, document scanners, bar-code scanners, microphones, magnetic ink

readers

Video displays, printers, audio speakers, overhead projectors, plotters

Secondary Storage

Magnetic disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes

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Basic Components of the Computers

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Peripheral device types

Input Devices

Keyboards
Mouse
Optical MouseTouchpad
Graphics Tablet
Joystick
Touchscreen
Stylus
Digital pen
Vocie recognition

Output Devices

Monitors
Flexible Displays
Retinal Scanning displays
Head-up displays
Printers
Laser Printers
Plotters
Voice Output
Pocket Projector

Gesture-based input

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Should You Care How Your Computer Works

Horses for Courses

You cannot work productively if you dont have the right equipment

In modern business it often provides a competitive advantage

Main memory

Too little means constant memory swapping

Slows processing

Needs more memory if processing many programs

CPU

Speed expressed in hertz

Needs the CPU to be faster if handling complex tasks

Data Storage

Main memory is volatile

Contents lost when power is off

Magnetic and optical disks are nonvolatile

Saved contents survive after power is turned off

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Do You Know What This Means

What does Intel Pentium dual-core E5400 (2.7GHz, 2MB) mean?

4GB DDR2 SDRAM,800MHZ- 2X2GB DIM,M and 500GB NCQ Serial ATA Hard Drive
(7200 RPM) w/ 16MB DataBurst Cache mean?

4GB DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 Mhz = four gigabytes of double data rate version 2 of the spec of ram
memory, running at 800Mhz bus between the memory modules and the processor. 2X2GB Dim =
2 physical memory modules installed, each one of 2 gigabytes.
500 GB SATA Hard drive = five hundred gigabytes of space in your hard disk basically, SATA is
just the way it's connected to your motherboard, which is faster than traditional IDE connections,
7200 RPM = revolutions per minute, is the speed at which the hard disks will spin, the more RPM
the faster, 16MB DataBurst cache is an onboard memory located inside your hard disk that serves
as temporary swap so that reads and writes to the drive don't have to wait that long to occur =
faster performance.

What does 500 GB really mean (500 movies, 800 albums, 67000 books)

Or 2.7Ghz Processor speed?

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(approx 6-7 billion instructions per sec)

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Storage, Input & Output Technology

The capabilities of computer systems depend not only on the speed and
capacity of the CPU but also on the speed, capacity, and design of
peripheral devices:-

Secondary Storage

Input Technology

Output Technology

Storage, input, and output devices are called

peripheral devices because they are outside
the main computer system unit

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Source Data Automation

One of the major problems is how to get lots of data into a computer
quickly.
What has been developed are devices know as Source Data Automation

The process of collecting data at their point of origin in digital form.

Captures data in computer-readable form at the time and place the data are
created.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Bar Code readers

QR Codes for use with smart phones

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

Handwriting Recognition

Digital Scanners

Magnetic Strip readers

Sensors

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Source Data Automation

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Client-Server Computing

In the distant past, terminals were dumb and they relied on a big fast and
expensive mainframe or central computer
With Client-Server computing, the client (or PC) is smart and does most of
the work
It only uses the server when needed
Client computers are used for word processing, spreadsheets, database
access

Connect to servers for Web, e-mail, database

Servers provide service

Faster, larger, more powerful

Cloud computing

Computing networks provided as a service on internet, e.g. Facebook and others

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Client-Server Computing

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Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to computer networking on the Internet.

It is a relatively new term used in information systems

It stores data on servers accessed only via the Internet

When you access a video from Facebook, you are accessing computing
services in the cloud

You dont know which server is processing or playing the video

Google Docs is another cloud application. Let's look at how it works

You can see how cloud computing has increased productivity through
cooperation
(more on cloud computing in week 9)

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What Do You Need To Know About Software

Remember software drives the hardware.

Your hardware requirements should be determined by what youre going to use

your computer for!

Two types:

Operating or system software

Application programs

Program that controls computers operation and resources

Perform specific user tasks

Constraints

Particular version of operating system is written for particular type of hardware

Must conform to computer hardware. Example is Mac OS versus Windows

Application programs written to use on a particular operating system

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Software

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Software Issues

Software Defects

All too often software is inefficient, poorly designed and has errors

SEI defines good software as usable, reliable, defect free and cost effective

On average professional programmers make between 100 150 errors every

1000 lines of code

Critical step in reducing this is better design (more in week 10)

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Software Issues

Own Vs. Licensing

When a users buy a computer program they buy a license to use program
commercial software

Ownership remains with development company

There are an increasing number of individuals and organizations using open

source programs (operating systems and application programs).

These are owned by the open-source community

No license fee

Companies make money by offering support

In other cases there is Open Source Software which are available free or for a
small fee

mp3 players, OpenOffice etc

So how do the companies who develop them make money?

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Application Software

Programs written for a specific application to perform functions specified by

business or end users.
It tells the hardware how to do the input, storage, processing, and output
functions
It employs the capabilities of a computer directly to a task that the user
wishes to perform
Acts as the interface between the operating system and the hardware
devices

In the past it referred only to installed software such as Microsoft Office

Now expanded to include web-based software that run from the Internet
such as Google Docs

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Personal Application Software Categories

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Application Software

What Applications will we use this Semester

Installed Software Applications

Spreadsheets - Excel

Data Management - Access

Web Browsers Firefox or Internet Explorer

Apps for a mobile phone

Web-Based Applications

VU Collaborate

Web Search Engines - Google

Email

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Information Systems for Collaboration

Why use Information Systems for Collaboration?

Collaboration is critical in business

IS tools have been created to assist with collaborative tasks. They will:

Make your life easier

No need for face-to-face meetings

Wont lose or misplace work

Able to know who is contributing and who is not

Create better results

Collaborative skills are highly marketable

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Information Systems for Collaboration

Components of a Collaboration Information System

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Information Systems for Collaboration

Exchanging Data

Exchange of data in various forms is central to collaboration

Documents

Discussions

Task lists

Calendars

Software and cloud servers support sharing of data

Some software is free and some bundled in other applications

Microsoft Office Outlook

Dropbox

Google Docs

Microsoft SharePoint

Procedures for business use of the software need to be defined

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Spreadsheets?

Table of data in columns and rows

Rows identified by numbers

Columns identified by letters

Worksheet refers to a spreadsheet

Workbook is a collection of worksheets in a single file

Cell is intersection of a row and a column

Cell address is of the form column row, e.g. D3 is the 4th column along and 3rd
row down.

Cells hold data, formulas, labels

Almost no limit to number of rows and columns

Large amounts of data might be better stored using a Database

(this we will do later in the unit)

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End Week 2 Lecture

Questions ?

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