Mgt 20600: IT Management & Applications Software (cont.) Telecommunications Tuesday February 28, 2006

Reminders  Reading –Fundamentals text, Chapter Four, Telecommunications and Networks  Next week –Exam One –Covers chapters 1 and 2, homeworks 1 and 2, all lectures on MIS overview, strategy, hardware, software –75 points –38 questions – 2 points each –Multiple choice, True/False, Modified True/False, Sentence Completion, Short Answer –Most questions will be multiple choice or true/false – approx. 14 or 15 of each  Exam review session –Monday, March 6 th, 7-8pm, DBRT 116  Homework Three –Telecommunications and Networks, Due March 24th at 5pm  Friday after Spring Break

Enterprise Application Software  Software that benefits an entire organization  Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software –Programs that manage a company’s vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization  Oracle and SAP are the two major vendors of ERP suites  Oracle E-Business Suite Oracle E-Business Suite Oracle E-Business Suite

Enterprise Software Applications In an ERP suite, all of these applications would be software modules that you could buy separately or in combination

Inter-Enterprise Software Example

Software Development  Proprietary software –Unique program for a specific application, usually developed and owned by a single company  Off-the-shelf software –Purchased software –Customized package  Application Service Provider (ASP)

Software Development  Do not develop proprietary application software unless doing so will meet a compelling business need that can provide a competitive advantage.  BUILD VS. BUY The basic arguments in the buy-vs.-build debate remain unchanged. WHY BUILD? Avoid painful vendor licensing terms Gain competitive advantage Adapt to new technology, such as grid computing  WHY BUY? Leverage vendors’ economies of scale Gain broader integration capabilities Ensure that code knowledge won’t be lost

Software Development Example  Hyundai Information Service North America LLC –IT arm of Hyundai Motor America –Builds own software offshore –Why?  More customization  Small, unique applications  No licensing annoyances –Example: switch from concurrent users to name seat licensing would have raised cost by $3,300 per user for a purchased application

Application Service Providers  Software service providers –Salesforce.com –Rearden Commerce –JRG Systems  Will host –Customer relationship management (CRM) systems –Travel planning systems –Supply chain management systems –Many more  Advantages –Quick –Easy –Relatively inexpensive  Disadvantage –Won’t get 100% of the features you want or would get with a customized software package  Salesforce.com pioneering software as service Salesforce.com pioneering software as service Salesforce.com pioneering software as service

Software Development: Programming Languages  Sets of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements  Allow humans to communicate instructions to be executed by a computer  Syntax: a set of rules associated with a programming language  Different languages have characteristics that make them appropriate for particular types of applications

Programming Language Evolution

Software Development  Choose a programming language whose functional characteristics are appropriate for the task at hand, taking into consideration the skills and experience of the programming staff.

Software Development Rules to Live By  Prepare three separate time and cost estimates based on past experience, software functionality and a formal estimating technique, and compare actual results with predictions  Adopt a standard notation scheme and methodology for design and coding  Automate control of the development process and link it to a project-management tool  Use joint application design for requirements analysis  Practice iterative development  Institute a formal change-request process to prevent scope creep  Establish centres of excellence-encourage the development of specialists in each development procedure  Measure productivity and defect removal  Employ component-based development  Institute version control  Design and test for usability  Practice code inspections and walk-throughs

Networking and Telecommunications  Effective communications are essential to organizational success  Why? –Business processes are supported by software that runs over networks –Must choose right software to support business, then design the right network to support the operation of the software –Processing model will help determine what kind of network you need

Basic Processing Strategies  Centralized processing: all processing occurs in a single location or facility  Decentralized processing: processing devices are placed at various remote locations  Distributed processing: computers are placed at remote locations but connected to each other via a network

Distributed Processing Options  Terminal-to-host: the application and database reside on one host computer, and the user interacts with the application and data using a “dumb” terminal

Distributed Processing Options File or Application Server: the application or database reside on the one host computer, called the file server

Distributed Processing Options Client/Server Client: End-user’s computer PC, mobile device, thin client PC, mobile device, thin client Server: Mid-range computer Dedicated to special function such as database server, print server, web server, application server Dedicated to special function such as database server, print server, web server, application server Client and server share in processing task Example, the World Wide Web

Telecommuncations –Telecommunications: the electronic transmission of signals for communications –Telecommunications medium: anything that carries an electronic signal and interfaces between a sending device and a receiving device

Telecommunications and Networks Elements of a Telecommunications System

Transmission Media Wired Transmission Media Types

Wired Media Types

Wireless Transmission Media Types  Radio Waves –Bluetooth  Short distances only  Relatively slow transmission speed  Developed for inter-device communications –Wi-Fi  Standard supports up to 54Mbps  Supports longer distances than bluetooth  Infrared –Signals sent as light waves –Short distance –Unobstructed line of sight  Microwave –High frequency radio signal –Capable of high-speed transmission –Unobstructed line of sight –Susceptible to interference  Cellular