2. Dee’s Challenge
• Dee needs information system to support
her blog
– She must calculate costs to get approval
• Needs to consider five components of
information systems
1. People: sales force and herself
2. Procedures: for posting, accessing blog, leaving
comments
3. Hardware: server
4. Software: blog software, setup
5. Data: security
4-2
3. What Does a Manager Need to Know
About Computer Hardware?
• Basic hardware categories: (IPOS)
– Input
• Keyboard, mouse, document scanners, bar-code
scanners, microphones, magnetic ink readers
– Processing
• CPU – “the brain”
• Main memory and cache memory
• Special function cards
– Output
• Video displays, printers, audio speakers, overhead
projectors, plotters
– Storage
• Magnetic disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes
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4. What a Manager Needs to Know
About Hardware (cont’d)
Figure 4-1
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6. Computer Data
• Binary digits (bits)
– Used to represent data
• Bit is either zero or one
• Sizing Computer Data
– Bytes
– 8-bit chunk equals 1 byte
– Size of main memory, storage devices etc.
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8. How Does a Computer Work?
• CPU (central processing unit)
– Transfers program or data from disk to main memory
– Moves instruction from main memory via data channel or
bus
– Has small amount of fast memory called cache
• Keeps frequently used instructions
• Large cache makes computer fast, but is expensive
• Main memory
– Contains program instructions
– Contains operating system instructions
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9. How Does a Computer Work?
(cont’d)
• Operating system (OS)
– Program that controls computer’s
resources and blocks of data
– Provides services to application programs
and users
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10. Memory Swapping
• Why? Main memory is too small to hold all
programs and data
• CPU loads programs from memory in
chunks
– Places new program into unused memory
– If none available, the operating system will
remove chunk being used and replace with
requested data
– It does slow down your computer
4-10
11. Why Should a Manager Care How a
Computer Works?
• Main memory size
– Too little means constant memory swapping
• Slows processing
• Need more memory if processing many programs or
large files
• CPU speed
– Expressed in hertz (Hz)
– Needs more CPU if handling large spreadsheets
or database files
– Dual core processors for PCs
– Quad core processors for servers
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12. Why Should a Manager Care How a
Computer Works? (cont’d)
• Cache and main memory are “volatile”
– Contents lost when power is cut off
• Magnetic and optical disks are “nonvolatile”
– Saved contents survive after power is turned off
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13. What’s the Difference Between a
Client and a Server?
• Client computers are used for word processing,
spreadsheets, database access
– Connect to servers for Web, email, database
• Servers provide service to clients
– They are faster, larger, more powerful
– Usually have very simple video display, if any
• Server farm
– Large collection of coordinated servers
– Google has several hundred thousand servers in 36 data
centers around world
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15. What’s the Difference Between a
Client and Server? (cont’d)
• Grid computing
– Network of computers operating as if it is one computer
– Companies lease time on grid from IBM and others
– Used for intensive arithmetic computing
– See www-03.ibm.com/grid
• Cloud computing
– Computing networks provided as a service on Internet
– Example: Facebook and others
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16. What Does a Manager Need to Know
about Software?
• Two fundamental types:
1. Operating system
• Large, complex program that controls computer’s resources
2. Application programs
• Perform specific user tasks
• Software constraints
– Operating systems
• Run only on particular types of hardware
• Must conform to instruction set of CPU
• Windows works only on Intel instruction set CPUs
– Application programs
• Written to use particular operating system
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17. What a Manager Needs to Know
about Software
Figure 4-9
4-17
18. What Are the Four Major Operating
Systems?
1. Windows
– Used by 85% of the world’s desktops
– 95% of business users
– Different versions for client computers and servers, Web
sites, email, and so on
2. Mac OS (click)
– Apple Computer, Inc. developed for Macintosh computers
– Easy-to-use interfaces
– Used primarily by graphic artists and art community
– Runs on PowerPC processor or a MAC with Intel
processor
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19. What Are the Four Major Operating
Systems? (cont’d)
1. Unix
– Workhorse for scientific and engineering communities
– More difficult to use than Windows or MAC
– Not for business users
2. Linux
– Developed by open-source community
– No fee to use it
– IBM has developed business systems solutions that use
Linux
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20. What Types Of Applications Exist and How
Do Organizations Obtain Them?
• Application Software
– Programs that perform a business function
– Some are general purpose – Excel, Word
– Some are specific purpose – QuickBooks
• Application Software Acquisition
– Buy off-the-shelf
• May not be a good fit
• May need alterations
– Custom-developed software
• Tailor-made for organization
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21. What Is the Difference Between a Thin
and Thick Client?
• Thin client
– Requires nothing more than browser
– Does not require installation and administration
of client software
• Thick client
– Has more code to run on it
– More features and functions
– More expense and administration
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23. What Buying Decisions Do You Make?
• Manager’s role depends on organization’s policies
– Large organizations have IS department that sets
standards for hardware and software
– Medium to small organizations less formal
• Managers take more active role
• Usually standardize to single client operating systems
• Managers and employees may have role in
specifying horizontal application software
• Usually no role in specifications of server hardware
• Work with technical personnel to test and accept
software
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25. What Are Viruses, Trojan Horses, and
Worms
• Viruses
– Computer programs that replicates themselves
– Take unwanted and harmful actions
– Consume computer resources
• Payload causes unwanted activity
• Trojan horses
– Viruses that masquerade as useful programs or files, such
as games, MP3s, and so on
• Macro viruses
– Attach to Word, Excel, and so on to infect documents
– Place themselves in startup files
– Infect every file the application creates or processes
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26. What Are Viruses, Trojan Horses, and
Worms (cont’d)
• Worms
– Viruses that propagate using Internet or network
– Specifically programmed to spread
– Actively use networks to spread
• Prevention
– Patches
• Vendor-provided security fixes for programs
• Automatic updates or regular checks for patches
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27. Guide: Keeping up to Speed
• Technology continues to change
• If you don’t keep up, you might not gain a
competitive advantage
– Managers need to understand what technology
is needed
• Don’t depend solely on experts
– Develop a competitive advantage in non-
technology areas to compensate
• Other extreme are the “technophiles”
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28. Guide: Keeping Up to Speed (cont’d)
• What can a manager do?
1. Don’t ignore technology
2. Take seminars
3. Read articles, ads
• C/NET, CIO.com
• Wall Street Journal technology articles
4. Attend professional events
5. Get involved as a user representative in
technology committees
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29. How Does the Knowledge in This
Chapter Help Dee and You?
• Reduces the work and costs of her consultant
• Dee more confident in dealing with IT department
and consultant
• Better able to understand consultant’s questions and
IT department’s concerns
• Can determine:
– No new client hardware needed
– Use thin client on sales rep computers
– Prefer thin client on her computer
– Blog server software must be installed on server
– IT department will decide whether to run Linux or Windows
• Then blog software will be chosen
– Set up to be performed by either IT department or consultant
– Needs program to author HTML
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