Information Technology in the Digital Age

Information Highway

The Digital Economy  The digital economy refers to an economy that is based on digital technologies, including digital communication networks, computers, and software.  The digital economy is also sometimes called the Internet economy, the New economy, or the Web economy.

Electronic Framework

Electronic Commerce (EC)  Electronic commerce is the use of Web- based systems to support buying, selling, and customer service.  Click-and-mortar companies add some EC activities to their regular business.

Models of EC  Business-to-Business (B2B)  Business-to-Consumers (B2C)  Consumer-to-Organizations (C2O)  Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)  Intrabusiness (Intraorganizational) Commerce  Government-to-Citizens (G2C)  Collaborative commerce (c-commerce)  Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)

Mobile-Commerce  M-commerce (mobile commerce) refers to the conduct of e-Commerce via wireless devices. It is the commercial application of mobile computing which is based on wireless networks.  There is an increased interest in m-commerce because the number of mobile devices is projected to top 1 billion by  Location-based commerce (L-commerce) is an application of m-commerce that offers customers the location information of anything they want to purchase.

IT Architecture

Information Architecture  Information architecture is a high-level map or plan of the information requirements in an organization.  In preparing information architecture, the designer requires two kinds of information: 1. The business needs of the organization—that is, its objectives and problems, and the contribution that IT can make. 2. The information systems that already exist in an organization and how they can be combined among themselves or with future systems to support the organization’s information needs.

Architecture Example’s  APU’s Enterprise Architecture  APU’s Information Architecture

Components of Information Systems Hardware is a set of devices such as processor, monitor, keyboard, and printer. Software is a set of programs that enable the hardware to process data. Database is a collection of related files, tables, relations, and so on, that stores data. Network is a connecting system that permits the sharing of resources between computers. Procedures are the set of instructions about how to combine the above components. People are those individuals who work with the system or use its output.

Computers  Supercomputer Supercomputer  Main Frame  Mini Computer  Workstations  Microcomputers / PC’s Desktops / Thin Clients Laptops and Notebooks Palmtops / PDA’s  Smart Cards

Input Devices

Output Devices

Communications Media Computer  Digital video interactive  Compact disc interactive  Computer simulation Motion / Still image  Slides / Overheads  Videodisc (cassette)  Motion pictures  Broadcast television  Teleconference/videoconference  Animation & Virtual Reality Audio  Tape/cassette/record/CD/DVD  Teleconference / Audio conference  Sound digitizing  Microphone Graphic materials  Pictures  Printed job aids  Visual Displays Text  Printouts

Source Data Automation  Captures data in computer-readable form at the moment the data are created.  Examples of Source Data Automation: Point-of-sale systems Optical bar-codes Code scanners Handwriting recognizers Voice recognizers Magnetic ink character readers (MICR) Digitizers Digital Cameras

Wire vs. Wireless Media Wire Twisted pair wire Coaxial cable Fiber optic cable Wireless Cellular radio Microwave transmission Satellite transmission  Global positioning system Radio & Infrared light Bluetooth

Networks  WAN  LAN  PAN  VPN

LAN

WAN’s  Network which extends geographical boundaries - distance  Network which joins remote networks – use of 3 rd party vendors  Network which extends existing resources  Change of protocols

Equipment  Repeaters  Bridges (DSU/CSU)  Routers  Hubs / Switches  Interface Cards (NIC)

Connectivity Technologies  POTS  xDSL xDSL  ISDN  Cable Modem  56 Kbps  T1 – Mbps  T3 – Mbps  OC3 – 155 Mbps  OC12 – 622 Mbps  OC48 – 2.5 Gbit  OC192 – 9.6 Gbit  Frame Relay  Dedicated  ATM Connectivity ServicesConnectivity Speeds

Topology  The topology of a network is the physical layout and connectivity of a network. Ring topology Bus topology Star network

Topology  Bus - Ethernet  Token Ring  Star

WebHog

Networking Standards – Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model  Layer 1: Physical Layer  Layer 2: Data Link layer  Layer 3: Network Layer  Layer 4: Transport Layer  Layer 5: Session Layer  Layer 6: Presentation Layer  Layer 7: Application Layer OSI Example Business Model

Types of Software  Application software - set of computer instructions that directs computer hardware to perform specific processing activities. General Purpose Specific  Systems software - c ontrols and supports the computer hardware and its information processing activities between hardware and applications. System control programs System support programs System development programs

Internet Oriented Languages  Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard language the Web uses for creating and recognizing hypermedia documents. Hypertext (hyperlinks.) Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)  Dynamic HTML makes Web pages more like dynamic applications and less like static content.  XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a language for defining, validating and sharing document formats.  Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a file format for describing three-dimensional interactive worlds and objects.

Internet Oriented Languages (cont.)  Java is an object-oriented programming language that gives programmers the ability to develop applications that work across the Internet.  JavaScript. is an object-oriented scripting language that allows users to add some interactivity to their Web pages.  ActiveX is a set of technologies that combines different programming languages into a single, integrated Web site.  ASP (Active Server Pages) is a Microsoft CGI-like technology that allows you to create dynamically generated Web pages from the server side using a scripting language.  PHP

Information Environment  Data Integrity – Accuracy, Relevance  Timeliness  Data redundancy  Data inconsistency - Completeness  Data isolation  Security.  Application/ Data independence  The numerous problems arising from the file environment approach led to the development of databases.

Database Typology  A centralized database has all the related files in one physical location.  A distributed database has complete copies of a database, or portions of a database, in more than one location, which is usually close to the user.  A replicated database has complete copies of the entire database in several locations.  A partitioned database is subdivided, so that each location has a portion of the entire database.

Database Management Systems  The program (or group of programs) that provides access to a database is known as a database management system (DBMS).  There are many specialized databases, depending on the type or format of data stored. A geographical information database A knowledge database A multimedia database

Logical Data Organization There are three basic models for logically structuring databases:  Hierarchical  Network  Relational

Data Warehouses  A data warehouse is an additional database that is designed to support DSS, EIS, online analytical processing (OLAP), and other end-user activities, such as report generation, queries, and graphical presentation.  A data mart is smaller, less expensive, and more focused than a large-scale data warehouse. Data marts can be a substitution for a data warehouse, or they can be used in addition to it.

The Internet, Intranets & Extranets  The Internet. From about 50 million Internet users in 1997, there could be as many as 750 million by  Intranets utilize information technology to provide organizations with internal communication systems.  Extranets combine intranets with the Internet to create a powerful interorganizational systems for collaboration.

Corporate Portals  A corporate portal refers to a company’s Web site that is used as a gateway to the corporate data, information, and knowledge. (Single Point of Entrance) Knowledge bases and learning tools Business process support Customer-facing sales, marketing, and service Collaboration and project support Access to data from disparate corporate systems Internal company information Policies and procedures Best practices and lessons learned Human resources and benefits

Jeopardy

Future “ More Devices on Internet than People”  Vending machines – Vending ExpressVending Express  Wireless – Sprint Broadband DirectSprint Broadband Direct  Mobile E-Commerce – Nokia, Visa TeamNokia, Visa Team  Picture Frames Picture Frames  SMART Devices – CoolTownCoolTown  Homes Homes

Virtual Laboratories  Interactive research and instruction  Real-time access to remote scientific instruments Images courtesy of the University of Michigan

Teleimmersion  Shared virtual reality  University of Illinois at Chicago Virtual Temporal Bone Images courtesy Univ of Illinois- Chicago

Case: Wearable Computers  For years, many mobile employees were unable to enjoy the new technologies designed to make employees work or feel better.  The use of wireless devices that can communicate with each other and with remote IS is increasing very rapidly (m-commerce). Such systems could easily include GPS (global positioning systems).  So far only a few companies make and sell wearables for mobile workers, but this is expected to change in the future.

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Speech Recognition & Understanding SPEECH RECOGNITION is a process that allows us to communicate with a computer by speaking to it. The computer recognizes words that have been spoken without necessarily interpreting their meanings. SPEECH UNDERSTANDING refers to the second part of the communication process, where the meaning of the speech is ascertained.

Why do Managers Need the Support of IT? Making decisions while processing information manually is growing increasingly difficult due to the following trends: yThe number of alternatives to be considered is ever increasing. yMany decisions must be made under time pressure. yDue to increased fluctuations & uncertainty in the decision environment, it is frequently necessary to conduct a sophisticated analysis to make a good decision. yIt is often necessary to access remote information, consult with experts, or have a group decision-making session, all quickly & in expensively.

“Digital –Economy Ready” Actions organizations can take to become “digital-economy ready”; y Build strategic information systems and use innovations y Create effective and efficient communication and collaboration networks. y Examine possible new models and initiatives of e-commerce y Examine supply chains – business processes. y Make a continuous effort to increase productivity, quality, security, and effectiveness in every facet of the organization’s operations.  Address organizational, personal, and socioeconomic issues associated with the increase use of IT.

“Digital –Economy Ready” (cont.) y Plan IT systems in coordination with the business plans they intend to support. y Increase recognition of knowledge, its creation, preservation, storage, and dissemination. y Support managerial decisions with IT and especially the Web. y Have the ability to process a large amount of data. y Carefully address the economies of IT in general and e-commerce in particular, including outsourcing, when moving to the new economy. y Properly build and deploy information systems that will provide for internal efficiency and connect to the many business partners.

AcronymFull NameDownstreamUpstreamMaximum Distance (C.O./user) IDSL Integrated DSL 128 Kbps 18,000 ft HDSL High Data Rate DSL 1.544Mbps 12,000 ft SDSL Symmetric DSL 1.544Mbps 10,000 ft ADSL Asymmetric DSL 8Mbps1Mbps12,000 ft RADSL Rate Adapter ADSL 7Mbps1Mbps18,000 ft VDSLVery High Rate DSL 51.84Mbps2.3Mbps1,000 ft

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