Chapter Seven - Weekly Questions

1.    Explain the business benefits of using wireless technology.

Wireless is defined as any electrical or electronic operation that is accomplished without the use of a ‘hard wired’ connection. Wireless provides users with a ‘live’ internet connection though the use of radio transmitters and satellites without the need or use of wires. The mobile component of wireless allows the user to travel with their technology and access it in real time. Wireless devices or usually small enough to carry around every day and have the ability to store a vast amount of information, perform tasks and communicate wirelessly via the internet or wireless streaming account, with other devices.

• Universal access to information and applications - people are mobile and have more access to information than ever before, however they still need to get to the point where they can access all information, anytime, anywhere.
• The automation of business processes - wireless technologies have the ability to centralise critical information and eliminate redundant processes
• User convenience; Timeliness and ability to conduct business 24/7, 365 days a year - people delayed in airports no longer have to feel cut-off from the world or their office. Through wireless tools and wireless solutions such as Blackberry RIM or an iPhone device, individual can access their information anytime, anywhere.

2.    Describe the business benefits associated with VoIP

Voice over IP (VoIP) uses TCP/IP technology to transmit voice calls over internet technology. VoIP allows calls, faxes, email, web conferences, and voice calls to be travelled via the internet, and also therefore reduces the cost of international calls, and reduces the complexity of delivering these services. Since VoIP uses existing network and internet infrastructure to route telephone calls more efficiently and inexpensively than traditional telephone service, VoIP offers businesses significant cost savings, productivity gains and service enhancements.

3.    Compare LANs and WANs

1. Local area networks (LANs)  connect computers that reside in a single geographic location on the premises of the company that operates the LAN.
2. Wide area networks (WANs) – connect computers at different geographic sites.

 

4.    Describe RFID and how it can be used to help make a supply chain more effective.

RFIDF can be described as Tags that use radio waves to transmit data. They are Heavily used in Inventory tracking, they will eventually replace barcodes. Passive RFID – no internal power,  can pick up the very faint signal from an antenna, power up just enough to transmit data back to antenna. These can be mass produced at very low cost which makes them very efficient. An Active RFID – has the power to transmit much stronger and accurate data.

The uses of RFIDF include;

·         Passports – that instantly transmit data to a national security database about the time, date, place of people entering & leaving the country.

·         Transportation – think eTag, passive reader that sends toll charges to your account

·         Travel – in Mumbai 3.5 million people use the train stations, RFID’s have automated the ticketing process

·         Social Retailing – RFID, consumer tries on a garment, the RFID tells the LCD in the change room to show the garment being worn by a celebrity.

5.    What is one new emerging technology that could change a specific industry?

An emerging technology that can change a specific industry could be a smart phone, with the rate of advancements on phones, you will be able toy scan you phone to do banking, have meetings with clients, keep in track with staff and company needs etc.

Week Seven - Databases and Data Warehouses

1.    List, describe, and provide an example of each of the five characteristics of high quality information.

Characteristics of high quality information:

§  Accuracy – are all the values correct? For example, is the name spelled correctly? Is the dollar amount recorded properly?

§  Completeness – are any of the values missing? For example, is the address complete, including street, city, state, and zip code?

§  Consistency – is aggregate or summary information in agreement with detailed information?

§  Uniqueness – is each transaction, entity, and event represented only once in the information?

§  Timeliness – is the information current with respect to the business requirements? For example, is information updated weekly, daily, or hourly?

2.    Define the relationship between a database and a database management system.

 

A database management system is the computer program used to manage and query a database. A data base maintains information about various types of objects, events, people and places. Typically a given database has a structural description of the type of facts held in that database, this description is known as a schema.

 

3.     Describe the advantages an organisation can gain by using a database.

 

The advantages an organisation can gain by using a database are:

·       Increased flexibility: a good database can handle changes quickly and easily Databases provide flexibility in allowing each user to access the information in whatever way best sits his or her needs.

·       Increased scalability and performance: Only a database could scale to handle the massive volumes of information and the large numbers of users required. It refers to how well a system can adapt to increased demands and measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transaction

·       Reduced information redundancy: redundancy is the duplication of information, or storing the same information in multiple places. Redundant information occurs because organisations frequently capture an store the information in multiple locations

·       Increased information integrity: Information integrity is a measure of the quality of information. Within a database environment, integrity constraints are rules that help ensure the quality of information

·       Increased information security: The organisation must protect its information from unauthorised users or misuse.

4.    Define the fundamental concepts of the relational database model.

A relational database is a collection of tables from which data can be accessed in many different ways without having to reorganize the database tables. That is, once relationships are created, tables can “talk” to each other.  We can link (relate) the tables to find:

—  Which doctors are seeing a patient

—  Which students are in which class

—  Which item is selling the most on Fridays.

5.    Describe the benefits of a data-driven website.

Advantages of a data driven website are:

·        Development: allows the website owner to make changes at any time

·         Content management: a static website requires a programmer to make updates

·         Expandability: having a data driven website enables the site to grow faster than would be possible with a static site

·         Minimizing human error: bugs and inconsistencies that can be time consuming and expensive to track down and fix

·         Cutting production and update costs: a data driven website can be updated and published by any competent data entry or administrative person

·         More efficient: computers are excellent at keeping volumes of information in tact

·         Improved stability: any programmer who has o update a website from static templates must be very organized to keep track of all the source files.

Week Six - Enterprise Architectures

1.What is information architecture and what is information infrastructure and how do they differ and how do they relate to each other?

Information architecture identifies where and how important information, such as customer records is maintained and secured and is very useful for planning. Information infrastructure is the actual implementation that will provide for effective information systems, including the hardware, software, services and people involved. These differ because one is a plan and the other is the implementation of the plan. They relate to each other because there can not be one without the other.

2. Describe how an organisation can implement a solid information architecture

 For an organisation to have a solid information architecture they need to have:

A backup and recovery system: A backup is an exact copy of a systems information and Recovery is the ability to get a system up and running in the event of a system crash or failure.

A disaster recovery plan: A detailed process for recovering information or an IT system in the event of a catastrophic disaster such as a fire or flood.

Information security: Such as managing user accounts and keeping up to date antivirus software and patches.

3. List and describe the five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture.

The five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture are:

Flexibility: The ability to meet all types of business changes

Scalability: How well a system can adapt to increased demands and meet growth requirements.

Reliability: Ensures all systems are functioning correctly and providing accurate information. High accuracy, low accuracy puts organisations at risk.

Availability: Addresses when systems can be accessed by users. This ensures business continuity

Performance: Measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transaction.

4. Describe the business value in deploying a service oriented architecture

A service oriented architecture is a business driven IT architectural approach that supports integrating a business as linked, repeatable tasks or services. By using a service orientated architecture businesses are able to innovate by ensuring that IT systems can adapt quickly, easily and economically to support rapidly changing business needs.

5. What is an event?

An event is the eyes and ears of the business expressed in technology- they detect threats and opportunities and alert those who can act on the information

6. What is a service?

A service must appeal to a broad audience and need to be reusable if they are going to have an impact on productivity.

7. What emerging technologies can companies use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively?

The emerging technologies that companies can use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively are Virtualisation and Grid Computing. Virtualisation is a framework for dividing the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments. It is a way of increasing physical resources to maximise the investment in hardware. Grid Computing is an aggregation of geographically dispersed computing, storage and network resources, coordinated to deliver improved performance, higher quality of service, better utilisation and easier access to data.