Computer Hardware
As defined in Using MIS textbook, "computer hardware consist of the electronic components and related gadgetry that input, process, output, and store data according to instructions encoded in computer programs or software" (pg 117).
Components
- Central processing unit (CPU) "the computer's brain"
- Dual-processor (2 processors)
- Quad-processor (4 processors)
- 16 or more CPUs exist in high-end computers
- Speed is expressed in cycles "hertz"
CPU's vary in speed, function, and cost depending on what type of work is required to accomplished. The following are also hardware components.
- Main memory
- also known as Random Access Memory (RAM)
- Storage hardware
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| Remember these bulky things? |
Most people have used or currently own computer hardware, but do not define their devices as computer hardware. Interestingly, I remember how much computers have changed, from when I was in elementary school. I went to Washington Elementary School in San Jose, California and I vividly remember the big and bulky Macintosh computers. As a child, I never expected computers to have transformed to how we see them now. Personally this is how I recall Personal computers (PCs).
Today PCs have become more modern looking and we do not see change in just the outside, it is also internal components that either are new or improved to make the computer run faster, store more data, etc. Nowadays, trends with people who use computers have transitioned from PCs to tablets, laptops, and "smart" phones. To keep up with increasing processing requests from many remote computers and users, hardware requires a server, clients, and server farms. According to the Using MIS textbook, "Servers can send Web pages, emails, files, or data to PCs. Next, PCs, tablets, and smartphones that access servers are clients. Finally, a collection of typically thousands of servers are known as server farm" (pg 117-118). As technology rapidly accelerates, we will be seeing more cloud computing.
Computers also represent data using binary digits "bits". Bits are either a 0 or a 1.While bits are used for computer data, bytes are grouped into 8-bit chunks measure character data and noncharacter data. For example, data can be numbers, characters, currency amounts, photos, recordings, and much more. Other components expressed as bytes are the size of the main memory (RAM) and disk. These can either be 1kilobyte (KB), 1 megabyte (MB), 1 Gigabyte (GB), 1 Terabyte (TB), 1 Petabyte (PB), 1 Exabyte (EB), or 1 Zettabyte (ZB). Depending on the nature of your work or tasks that must be performed, you will need to use specific hardware with a specific computer data size. Even more important to your work and nature of assignment, is knowing the difference between with volatile (cache and main memory) and nonvolatile (magnetic and optical disks). Volatile are contents that are lost when power is off, and nonvolatile content survive when the power is off. Can you recall a time when your boss or professor mentioned the importance of saving documents and file every five seconds? If not, you will do yourself and your company an absolute good to start doing it. Technology has advanced many things, but we cannot control natural disasters or other events that can occur that will jeopardize our job and/or the firm.
How Can New Hardware Affect Competitive Strategies?
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy- is a statement concerning employee's permissions and responsibilities when they use their own device for organizational business. There are six common BYOD Policies. The first one is to ignore mobile use, as if users do not exist. This does not provide functionality to the employee and does not provide control for the company. The Second step provides a little more functionality by the organization offering access to Internet and the organization has a bit more control by keeping track of employees time and mobile usage. Third, more functionality and more control than step 2, by organizational services on Public Internet. Fourth, a strategic approach more than a policy. Employees are offered limited systems, but if they break anything they will be liable for any damages. The fifth one has even more functionality and more organizational control. Employees turn over their mobile devices to their employers, IS department. Mobile Device Management Software (MDMS)- numerous vendors licensed products that assist the fifth process. The last step is the most controlling one, since an organization can declare that it owns any mobile device that employees connect to its network.
2026?
People are ALWAYS
Today PCs have become more modern looking and we do not see change in just the outside, it is also internal components that either are new or improved to make the computer run faster, store more data, etc. Nowadays, trends with people who use computers have transitioned from PCs to tablets, laptops, and "smart" phones. To keep up with increasing processing requests from many remote computers and users, hardware requires a server, clients, and server farms. According to the Using MIS textbook, "Servers can send Web pages, emails, files, or data to PCs. Next, PCs, tablets, and smartphones that access servers are clients. Finally, a collection of typically thousands of servers are known as server farm" (pg 117-118). As technology rapidly accelerates, we will be seeing more cloud computing.
Computers also represent data using binary digits "bits". Bits are either a 0 or a 1.While bits are used for computer data, bytes are grouped into 8-bit chunks measure character data and noncharacter data. For example, data can be numbers, characters, currency amounts, photos, recordings, and much more. Other components expressed as bytes are the size of the main memory (RAM) and disk. These can either be 1kilobyte (KB), 1 megabyte (MB), 1 Gigabyte (GB), 1 Terabyte (TB), 1 Petabyte (PB), 1 Exabyte (EB), or 1 Zettabyte (ZB). Depending on the nature of your work or tasks that must be performed, you will need to use specific hardware with a specific computer data size. Even more important to your work and nature of assignment, is knowing the difference between with volatile (cache and main memory) and nonvolatile (magnetic and optical disks). Volatile are contents that are lost when power is off, and nonvolatile content survive when the power is off. Can you recall a time when your boss or professor mentioned the importance of saving documents and file every five seconds? If not, you will do yourself and your company an absolute good to start doing it. Technology has advanced many things, but we cannot control natural disasters or other events that can occur that will jeopardize our job and/or the firm.
How Can New Hardware Affect Competitive Strategies?
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Smart devices like "smart" phones
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- Impact of IoT
- Smart devices will "need microprocessors, memory, wireless network connections, a power source, new software, new protocols, more bandwidth, tighter security, and they will consume more energy" (Using MIS textbook pg 122).
- General Electric (GE) Industrial Internet
- Smart devices in hospitals, power grids, railroads, and manufacturing plants
- Microsoft's Redmond, WA, Campus
- 125 Smart Buildings spread over 500 acres
- 500 million data transactions every day from 30,000 devices
- Self-Driving Cars "Driverless Cars"
- Will make things easier
- Running errands, traveling, sharing one self-driving car to conduct multiple things, save on fuel and car insurance.
- Although some believe that it will also avoid traffic tickets, parking tickets, and DUI citations, I personally would still not encourage this behavior. I have children and even if I drove a self-driving car, my job is still to be alert and set a good example.
- Will make Things Safer
- According to the textbook, "currently, 90% of motor vehicle crashes are caused by human error, they are the leading cause of death for people ages 3-33, and spending time driving may be the most dangerous thing you can do all day" (pg 125).
- Although it states that it will reduce accidents, drunk drivers, fewer road-rage incidents, and fewer auto-pedestrian accidents, I personally will still be skeptical because just like our current technological devices can be hacked, so can our self-driving vehicle.
- Will Disrupt Businesses
- Self-driving cars = Fewer cars on the road
- Fewer cars sold
- Fewer Auto Loans
- Fewer Automobile Insurance Policies underwritten
- Fewer Auto Parts sold due to fewer accidents
- Fewer Paring Lots
- Fewer Airplane or Train rides
- 3D Printing
- Nike
- Used 3D printing to improve shoe design
- Able to create the optimal geometric shapes for optimal traction
- Able to design and produce lighter, stronger cleats
- Able to create these shoes much faster than before
- "In 2014, Nike filed a patent for a new type of 3D printer that can print objects on fabric that will not distort when stretched" (pg 126).
- 3D printers can print in
- Plastics
- Metals
- Ceramics
- Foods
- ChefJet Pro, print sugary structures in different flavors
- Biological Materials
- "Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, print 3D biological structures with blood vessels that could deliver nutrients and remove waste" (pg 126).
- Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California built a large-scale 3D printer that can print an entire house in 24 hours (pg 126).
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| Mercedes-Benz F 015 self-driving car |
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| The world's first 3D-printed cleat plate, the Nike Vapor Laser Talon |
What Do Business Professionals Need to Know About Software?
All you need to know are the following basic categories of software, two important software constraints and the two types of application programs that exist.
Every computer has an Operating System (OS)-is a program that controls that computer's resources.
The basic categories of computer software are operating system and application programs. Both client and server computers need an operating system,but they can be different ones and both client and servers can also process application programs.
OS Software Constraint
A particular version of an operating system (OS) is written for a particular type of hardware.
- Microsoft Windows- a particular version of operating system exist for this type of hardware.
- Linux- many versions exist for many different instruction sets.
Native applications "thick-client application"- are programs that are written to use a particular operating system (OS).
- Microsoft Access- which can only run on Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word- which can come in multiple versions like Windows and Macintosh
Web application "thin-client application"- is designed to run within a computer browser. These run within browser and can run on any type of computer.
- Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or Edge (formerly Internet Explorer)
What Are the Major OS?
Nonmobile client OS are used on PCs. The most popular ones that we know are Microsoft Windows (Windows 8 "modern-style applications"), Apple Mac OS (Mac OS "X El Capitan"), Unix, and Linux.
Mobile Client OS have 5 principal mobile OS. The most popular one on phones in Europe and Far East, but less in North America is Symbian. BlackBerry OS was one of the most successful early mobile OS, until it lost market share to iOS, Android, and Windows 10. iOS is used on the iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Android is a mobile OS licensed by Google.Windows 10 (mobile) is a version of Windows for mobile devices, users can get it for smartphone usage or to use on Surface Pro devices.
Three Most Popular Server OS
Windows Server- a version of Windows that has been specially designed and configured for server use.
Unix- can also be used on servers, but will soon be replaced by Linux
Linux- is frequently used on servers by organizations that do not want to build a relationship with Microsoft. For example, neither IBM nor its customers have to pay for a license fee to Microsoft.
Virtualization
Virtualization- is the process by which one physical computer hosts many different virtual (not literal) computers within it. A host operating system "virtual machines (vm)" runs one or more operating systems as applications which makes possible for vm's to operate exactly the same as it would in a stand-alone, nonvirtual environment. There are three types of virtualizations, PC, server, and desktop. PC virtualization- a personal computer (PC) such as desktop, or laptops, hosts several different operating systems. Server Virtualization- a server computer hosts one or more other server computers. Desktop Virtualization- a server hosts many versions of desktop OS. Each desktop has a complete user environment and appears to the user to be just another PC. The desktop can be accessed from any computer to which the user has access. This type of virtualization is still in the introductory phase, but in the future it might be in the growth phase of the life cycle model as more people will be educated and adopt it.
License vs. Site License
Although individuals buy computer programs, the consumer is actually buying the license to use that program. Businesses negotiate a site license because they have a high bargaining power as buyers, so they pay a flat fee and the site license authorizes the company to install the product (OS or application) on all of that company's computers or on all of the computers at a specific site,
Software Sources and Types of Applications
Application software- performs a service or function. General service/function: MS Excel or MS Word. Specific service/function: QuickBooks for accounting functions. Firmware- is a computer software that is installed into devices such as printers, print servers, and various types of communication devices.
- Horizontal-market application- software provides capabilities common across all organizations and industries. For example, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Adobe's Acrobat, Photoshop, PageMaker, and Jasc Corporation's Paint Shop Pro. Everyone buys them, but uses them for different purposes, the textbook compared them to an auto Sedan. These are off-the-shelf software.
- Vertical-market application- software serves the needs of a specific industry. For examples services for dental offices, auto mechanics, and parts warehouses are going to b specific to their industry, These services can be altered or customized, the textbook compared them to construction vehicles. These are off-the-shelf with alterations software.
- One-of-a-kind application- software is developed for a specific, unique need. For example, the U.S Department of Defense develops because it has specific and unique needs compared to other industries. These are risky, expensive because it has to keep up with technology and must be customized, therefore it is the last resort that a firm will turn to, unless the value outweighs the cost. The textbook compared them to a military tank. These are custom-developed software.
Is Open Source Software a Viable Alternative?
According to the textbook the father of the open source movement was Richard Matthew Stallman, who in 1983 developed the set of tools GNU (GNU Not Unix) for creating a free Unix-like OS. Later he also contributed to the GNU general public license (GPL) agreement. This became one of the standard license agreement for open source software. Unable to attract enough developing talent, in 1991 Linus Torvalds used some of Stallman's tools and his version became Linux, the high-quality and very popular OS. Open source- means that the source code of the program is open to the public. Source code- is computer code as written and understandable by humans. Source code is later compiled to machine code that is processed by a computer. Machine code- generally not understood and cannot be modified by humans. Closed source- the source is highly protected and only available to trusted employees and carefully vetted contractors. Opposite to open source, this one is described as protected like a vault on the textbook.
Open source is viable depending on who needs it and/or for what purpose. For example, many programmers volunteer their time to work on open source projects because they find it fun, rewarding, they can exhibit their skills to gain bragging rights or potentially gain employment, and they can also volunteer their service because they might want to establish a business selling services to support open source products.
The Differences Between Native and Web Applications
Depending on the firm business strategy, either a native application or web application can meet the company's goal. Native Applications- developed using serious, heavy-duty, professional programming language (Swift). All languages are object-oriented meaning that they can be used to create difficult, complex applications and can result in high-performance code that will be easier to alter when requirement change. Object-oriented languages can be used only by professional programmers who have devote years to learning them, perhaps these could be developers with a computer science degree. These offer more control from a developer perspective, but generally will be a high cost compared to developing Web applications. Web Applications- the browser handles the idiosyncrasies of the OS and underlying hardware. However, some web applications do not run flawlessly in some browsers. Though this type of application is written by web professional developers who might have degrees in computer science, information systems, or graphic design, any entry-level person can learn this technical skill. Web Applications will run on any OS and device, and generally these are much more affordable to develop than Native Applications.
Why Are Mobile Systems Increasingly Important?
Mobile systems- are information systems that support users in motion. Mobile systems can be accessed from any place, and from device to device. The major elements in a mobile system are users in motion, mobile devices, wireless connectivity, and a cloud-based resource. Mobile device- is a small, lightweight, power-conserving, computing device that is capable of wireless connectivity. Examples of mobile devices that most of us have are, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and small, light laptops. On the other hands mobile devices are not desktop computers, Xboxes, and large, heavy, power-hungry laptops.
According to research from the February 2015 comScore Report, states that "182 million in the US owned smartphones, which account for 74.9 % of the mobile phone market" (Using MIS textbook pg 141). Another study from Nielsen's measures of mobile device use, "the younger the age group, the greater the percentage of people with mobile devices" (pg 141). Therefore as the size of the mobile e-commerce "m-commerce" grows, more firms will focus on selling their products or services directly via mobile devices. For businesses to seize an opportunity, they will have to evaluate all five components of an information system, hardware, software, data, procedures, and people to find the best one that can be their strategy to differentiate their company product/service from others, For example, mobile systems offer the potential of just-in-time data. This can help salespeople research current data to sale their product, but to also stay updated on current trends whether they are local, international, or global,
What Are the Challenges of the Personal Mobile Devices at Work?
Advantages Disadvantages
Cost savings Data loss or damage
Greater employee satisfaction Loss of control
Reduced need for training Compatibility problems
Higher productivity Risk of infection
Reduced support costs Greater support costs
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy- is a statement concerning employee's permissions and responsibilities when they use their own device for organizational business. There are six common BYOD Policies. The first one is to ignore mobile use, as if users do not exist. This does not provide functionality to the employee and does not provide control for the company. The Second step provides a little more functionality by the organization offering access to Internet and the organization has a bit more control by keeping track of employees time and mobile usage. Third, more functionality and more control than step 2, by organizational services on Public Internet. Fourth, a strategic approach more than a policy. Employees are offered limited systems, but if they break anything they will be liable for any damages. The fifth one has even more functionality and more organizational control. Employees turn over their mobile devices to their employers, IS department. Mobile Device Management Software (MDMS)- numerous vendors licensed products that assist the fifth process. The last step is the most controlling one, since an organization can declare that it owns any mobile device that employees connect to its network.
2026?
People are ALWAYS
- On
- Connected
- Communicating
- Working
- Playing
More people will continue to use mobile devices, or might transitioned to virtual reality (VR), or augmented reality (AR). In addition, we will be exposed to even newer things like "smart" homes, where we will be able to access every room from our mobile device or cloud computing.Finally we will see future job evolve as technology continues to evolve. Job opportunities will become in high demand for IoT architects,marketing technologist, BigData architects, and DevOps managers.
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