1. Part II. Data and Network Infrastructure
C hapter 4
Network Management
and Mobility
M a n a g e m e n t I n fo r m a t i o n S y s te m s
EIMBA
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-1

2. Chapter 4 Outline
4.1 Business Networks
4.2 Wireless Broadband Networks
4.3 Network Management and Portals
4.4 Collaboration
4.5 Green, Legal, and Ethical Issues
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-2

3. Chapter 4 Learning Objectives
 Describe networks, standards, and mobility.
 Discuss network and collaboration technologies.
 Understand 4G and other mobile networks.
 Describe group work technologies.
 Evaluate green, social, and ethical issues related to
the use and operations of networks.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-3

4. For Class Discussion & Debate
World's First 4G WiMAX Rail Network
Scenario for Brainstorming & Discussion (see book for full text)
a) Discuss potential consequences of the 4G WiMAX/Wi-Fi Rail Network.
What constraints have been eliminated?
b) Assume that other cities have implemented similar systems and that
commuters own mobiles with the latest mobile OS. Brainstorm some far-
reaching impacts of such a networked transportation system in the U.S.
c) Identify several risks or negative unintended consequences. Discuss your
estimate of their costs--both financial and non-financial ones.
d) What impact might this network have on other transportation methods?
Would those changes be helpful or harmful to the environment?
e) How do all taxpayers benefit from this tax-supported network?
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-4

5. Debate (see book for full text)
a) Identify 4 business-related risks that you face as a user who relies on the
DOT network; and how those risks might impact you or your job.
b) Assume that each risk actually happened. Debate the following:
Who is responsible or is no one responsible of the consequences of each
one? Take the position that it’s:
• no one’s fault (“technology crashes happen”)
• the DOT’s fault as the provider, or
• the user’s fault
That is, when things go wrong with the network, who gets the blame
and who suffers the consequences?
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-5

6. 4.1 Business Networks
Business networks support 4 basic functions:
1. mobility
2. collaboration
3. relationships
4. Search
Common to all network functions are traffic and the
circuits that transmit the traffic.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-6

7. Network basics
Figure 4.2 A signal is transmitted from a sender/source to a
receiver/destination via circuit or packet switching.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-7

8. Switching: transmission of the signal
 Circuit switching: Circuit switching is older technology that
was used for telephone calls. Plain old telephone service
(POTS) and most wired telephone calls are transmitted, at
least in part, over a dedicated circuit.
 Packet switching: The path of the signal is digital, and is
neither dedicated nor exclusive. A file is broken into smaller
blocks, called packets.
Figure 4.3 Wireless routers use
antennae to transmit signals
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-8

9. Network Terminology
 Bandwidth: Throughput capacity or speed of a network.
 Protocol: Standards that govern how networked devices
exchange information.
 TCP/IP: Transmission control protocol/Internet Protocol) are a
suite of Internet protocols.
 Broadband: Short for broad bandwidth.
• Fixed-line broadband: Cable or DSL Internet connections.
• Mobile broadband: Wireless high-speed Internet access through a
portable modem, phone, or other device.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-9

10. 3G and 4G networks
3G: Short for third generation of cellular telecommunications
technology.
4G: Short for fourth generation. 4G mobile network standards
enable faster data transfer rates.
Users can get 4G wireless connectivity through one of two
standards:
1. WiMAX
2. LTE (Long-Term Evolution)
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-10

11. 4.2 Wireless Broadband Networks
 Enterprises are moving away from unsystematic adoption
of mobile devices and infrastructure to a strategic build-
out of mobile capabilities.
• But identifying strategic technologies and avoiding
wasted investments is difficult.
 Mobile infrastructure consists of
technology, software, support, security measures, and
devices to manage and deliver wireless communications.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-11

12. Figure 4.4
How Wi-Fi works
Wi-Fi allows computers to
share a network wirelessly
without connecting to a
commercial network.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 4-12

13. WiMAX: a broadband
wireless metropolitan
area network (MAN)
access standard that
can deliver voice and
data at distances of
Figure 4.5 WiMAX/Wi-Fi network architecture 30 miles
4-13

14. 4.3 Networks Management and Portals
 When the network goes down or access is blocked, so does
the ability to operate or function.
 Damages when a company cannot operate or fulfill orders include:
• lost sales and productivity
• Inability to send and receive payments
• inability to process payroll and inventory
 Network infrastructure alone does not improve business
performance. It’s how network capabilities combine with other IT
to support employees, connect remote locations, service
customers, and coordinate with supply chain partners.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-14

15. Figure 4.6 Model
of
Network, Collabo
ration, and
Performance
Relationship
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-15

16. IT at Work 4.1
 Check page 102
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
16

17. TCP/IP Networks
 The Internet protocol suite consists of the IP (Internet
Protocol) and TCP (Transport Control Protocol), or TCP/IP.
 In preparation for transmission, data are digitized into packets
and sent via packet-switched networks, local area networks
(LAN), or wide area networks (WAN).
 Voice over IP (VoIP), or IP telephony, involves an analog-to-
digital conversion. Voice and data transmissions travel over
telephone wires in packets.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-17

18. Internet Application Categories
 Discovery or search. Discovery involves browsing, finding, and
retrieving information.
 Communication. Developments in Internet-based and
wireless communication such as podcasting, RSS, and micro-
blogging transform business communications, marketing
channels, and supply chain management
 Collaboration. Tools and technologies are available, ranging
from online meetings with screen sharing to
videoconferencing and group support systems.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-18

19. Figure 4.9 Overview of enterprise search.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-19

20. Network Computing Infrastructures
 Intranets: a network serving the internal informational needs
of a company.
 Extranets: private, company-owned network that uses IP
technology to securely share part of a business’s information
or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or
other businesses.
 Extranets can use virtual private networks (VPNs). VPNs are
created using specialized software and hardware to
encrypt/send/decrypt transmissions over the Internet.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-20

21. Figure 4.7 Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-21

22. 4.4 Collaboration
Messaging and collaboration tools include:
 older communications media such as e-
mail, videoconferencing, fax, and IM
 newer media such as
blogs, podcasts, RSS, wikis, VoIP, Web
meetings, and torrents (for sharing very large
files)
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-22

23. Group Decision Processes
Benefits of working in groups:
 Groups tend to be better than individuals at understanding problems.
 Group members have their egos embedded in the decision, and so they
will be committed to the solution.
 A group has more information (knowledge) than any one member. Groups
can leverage this knowledge to create new knowledge.
 Groups are better than individuals at catching errors.
Despite the benefits of collaborative work, groups are not
always successful.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-23

24. Collaboration Support Technologies
 Portals, intranets, extranets, and shared workspaces are
examples.
 Web 2.0 or Enterprise 2.0 technologies such as
wikis, blogs and microblogs, provide more options to
promote and support enterprise collaboration.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-24

25. IT at Work 4.4
 Check page 112
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
25

26. 4.5 Green, Legal, and Ethical Issues
 Managers need to consider ethical and social issues, such as
quality of working life.
 Workers will experience both positive and negative impacts
from being linked to a 24/7 workplace environment, working
in computer-contrived virtual teams, and being connected to
handhelds whose impact on health can be damaging.
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-26

27. Risks and Ethical Issues
 Driving while distracted
 Health
 Personal time
 RF emissions and SAR
• specific absorption rate, or SAR, is a way of measuring the quantity of
radio frequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body.
 Life out of control
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-27

28. Chapter 4 Link Library
• Google Wave http://wave.google.com/ video wave.google.com/about.html#video
• Twitter network status http://status.twitter.com/
• Azulstar http://azulstar.com/
• Clear 4G WiMAX http://clear.com
• International CTIA Wireless Tradeshows http://ctiawireless.com/
• Cisco http://cisco.com
• Microsoft SharePoint 2010 http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/Pages/Default.aspx
• Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association http://ctia.org/
• WiMAX Forum http://wimaxforum.org
• Packet switching flash demo
http://pbs.org/opb/nerds2.0.1/geek_glossary/packet_switching_flash.html
• Cell phone radiation levels (SAR) http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-6602_7-291-
2.html?tag=
• Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect video http://youtube.com/kaiserpermanenteorg
Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4-28