Module 4
Module 4
Module 4
INTRODUCTION TO
MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Module 4 – Hardware and Software
Module Objectives
What is IT Infrastructure and what are its components?
What are the current trends in computer hardware platform?
What are the current trends in software platforms?
What are the challenges of managing IT infrastructure and
management solutions
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IT Infrastructure
Set of physical devices and software required to operate enterprises
Set of firmwide services including:
• Computing platforms providing computing services
• Telecommunication services
• Data management services
• Application software services
• IT management, education, and other services
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IT Infrastructure - Cont.
4
Evolution of IT Infrastructure
5
Evolution of IT
Infrastructure – Cont.
6
Evolution of IT Infrastructure – Cont.
Client requests
for services are
handled by
different levels
of servers.
e.g. client
request view of
Top 10
Salespersons
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Evolution of IT Infrastructure – Cont.
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IT Infrastructure Components
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IT Infrastructure Components – Cont.
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IT Infrastructure
Components – Cont.
Computer Hardware Platforms
Client machines
• Desktop PCs, laptops
• Mobile computing: smartphones, tablets
• Desktop chips vs. mobile chips
Servers
Mainframes
• IBM mainframe
• Digital workhorse for banking and telecommunications networks
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IT Infrastructure
Components – Cont.
Operating System Platforms
Corporate servers
• Windows Server
• Unix
• Linux
Client level
• Microsoft Windows
• Android, iOS, Windows 10 (mobile/multitouch)
• Google’s Chrome OS(cloud computing)
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IT Infrastructure
Components – Cont.
Enterprise Software Applications
In 2018, firms spend $389 billion on software for enterprise
applications
Largest providers: SAP and Oracle
Middleware providers: IBM, Oracle
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IT Infrastructure
Components – Cont.
Data Management and Storage
Database software providers
• IBM(DB2)
• Oracle
• Microsoft (SQL Server)
• Sybase (Adaptive Server Enterprise),
• My SQL
• Apache Hadoop
Physical data storage for large-scale systems
• Dell EMC
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise (H3C) 14
IT Infrastructure Components – Cont.
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms
The mobile digital platform
• Smartphones
• Netbooks
• Tablet computers
• Digital e-book readers and apps (Kindle)
• Wearable devices
Consumerization of IT and BYOD (bring your own device)
• Forces businesses and IT departments to rethink how IT
equipment and services are acquired and managed
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
Quantum computing
• Uses quantum physics to represent and operate on data
• Dramatic increases in computing speed
Virtualization
• Allows single physical resource to act as multiple resources (i.e.,
run multiple instances of OS)
• Reduces hardware and power expenditures
• Facilitates hardware centralization
• Software-defined storage (SDS) 19
Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
Cloud computing
• On-demand computing services obtained over network
o Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
o Software as a service (SaaS)
o Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Cloud can be public or private
• Allows companies to minimize IT investments
• Drawbacks: Concerns of security, reliability
• Hybrid cloud computing model 21
Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
Cloud Computing
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Characteristics
Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
Edge computing
• Servers at the edge of the Internet
• Reducing latency, and network traffic
Green computing (Green IT )
• Practices and technologies for manufacturing, using, disposing
of computing and networking hardware
• Reducing power consumption, a high priority
• Data centers
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
High performance, power-saving processors
• Multicore processors
• Power-efficient microprocessors
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
Grid Computing
• Connects geographically remote computers into a single
network to combine processing power and create a virtual
supercomputer by combining the computational power of all
computers on the grid.
• Takes advantage of the fact that most computers use their
central processing units on average only 25% of the time for the
work they have been assigned leaving these idle resources
available for other processing tasks.
• Provides cost savings, speed and agility
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Current Trends in Computer
Hardware Platforms – Cont.
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Current Trends in Computer
Software Platforms
Linux and open-source software
• Produced by community of programmers
• Examples: Apache web server, Mozilla Firefox browser, OpenOffice
• Linux
Software for the web: Java, HTML, and HTML5
• Java Virtual Machine
o Java is a platform independent, processor independent, object-oriented
programming language that has become the leading interactive
environment for the web.
o The Java platform has migrated into cell phones, smartphones,
automobiles, music players, game machines. 30
Current Trends in Computer
Software Platforms
Software for the web: Java, HTML, and HTML5
• Web browsers
• HTML and HTML5
o HTML is a page description language for specifying how text,
graphics, video and sound are placed on the web page.
o HTML was originally designed to create and link static documents
o composed largely of text.
o Today, the Web is much more social and interactive and many web
pages have multimedia elements.
• Ruby and Python 31
Current Trends in Computer
Software Platforms – Cont.
Web services and service-oriented architecture
• Web services
• XML : Extensible Markup Language
• SOA : service-oriented architecture
o Set of self-contained services that communicate with one another
to create a working software application
o Software developers reuse these services in other combinations to
assemble other applications as needed
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Current Trends in Computer
Software Platforms – Cont.
Software outsourcing and cloud services
• Software packages and enterprise software
• Software outsourcing
• Cloud-based software services and tools
o Service Level Agreements (SLA s): formal agreement with service
providers
Mashups and apps
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Dealing with Platform and
Infrastructure Change
As firms shrink or grow, IT needs to be flexible and scalable
Scalability
• Ability to expand to serve larger number of users
For mobile computing and cloud computing
• New policies and procedures for managing these new platforms
• Contractual agreements with firms running clouds and
distributing software required
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Dealing with Platform and
Infrastructure Change – Cont.
Issues:
• How can a firm remain flexible when most of the Investments in
IT infrastructure are fixed cost purchases and licenses?
• How well does the infrastructure scale?
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Management and Governance
Governance
Who controls IT infrastructure?
How should IT department be organized?
• Centralized
o Central IT department makes decisions
• Decentralized
o Business unit IT departments make own decisions
How are costs allocated between divisions, departments?
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Making Wise Infrastructure
Investments
Under-investment and over-investment can hamper firm
performance
Rent versus buy
Cloud computing
• Security requirements
• Impact on business processes and workflow
Outsourcing
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Total Cost of Ownership
(TCO) Model
Analyzes direct and indirect costs
Hardware, software account for only about 20% of T C O
Other costs: Installation, training, support, maintenance,
infrastructure, downtime, space, and energy
TCO can be reduced
• Use of cloud services, greater centralization and standardization
of hardware and software resources
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Total Cost of Ownership
(TCO) Model – Cont.
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Competitive Forces Model for IT
Infrastructure Investment
Market demand for firm’s services
Firm’s business strategy
Firm’s IT strategy, infrastructure, and cost
Information technology assessment
Competitor firm services
Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments
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Competitive Forces Model for IT
Infrastructure Investment – Cont.
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Interactive Session
Class discussion
Wearables have the potential to change the way organizations
and workers conduct business. Discuss the implications of this
statement.
What management, organization, and technology issues would
have to be addressed if a company was thinking of equipping
its workers with a wearable computing device?
What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from
wearable computers? Select a business and describe how a
wearable computing device could help that business improve
operations or decision making. 42
Interactive Session – Cont.
What business benefits do cloud computing services provide?
What problems do they solve?
What are the disadvantages of cloud computing?
What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from using
cloud computing?
Why?
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References
Laudon & Laudon (2016): Management Information Systems :
Managing the Digital Firm. Chapter 5
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Thank you
Kerry-Ann Xavier
kerry-ann.xavier@roytec.edu