Managing Hardware and Software Assets

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Managing Hardware and Software Assets

• Chapter 6

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Information Technology Infrastructure

• A part of Information System
• Includes Hardware and Software
• Together with Management and Organization,
  Information System becomes a solution to resolve
  challenge arising from environment shift.

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Basic hardware

• Central processing unit (CPU)
• Memory primary storage
• Secondary storage
• Communication Devices
• Input devices
• Output devices

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On and off

• On for 1 and off for 0
• Become a signal
• A data - A binary digit
• A control language true and false

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Coding

• An arrangement of bits
• Byte 8 bits
• Representing characters, AZ, 1..9,0
• ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
  Interchange)

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Display coding

• Pixel picture element
• A screen can be as dense as 1024 by 768 picture
  element called super video graphics array
• Creating more than 700,000 pixels. Therefore,
  when down loading a high resolution picture, it
  takes a long time.

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CPU

• The part of the computer system where the
  manipulation of symbols, numbers, and letters
  occurs.
• It controls the other parts of the computer system

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Primary Storage

• Memory
• Cache memory even closer to the CPU
• RAM (Random access memory)
• Measurement kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte,
  terabyte
• ROM (read-only memory)

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Microprocessors

• Semiconductor chips
• Word length 16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit machines
• Speed 4.47 megahertz (8088) to pentium III more
  then 800 megahertz
• Data bus a highway between CPU and primary
  storage

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Enhanced microprocessors

• RISC (reduced instruction set computing)
• MMX (MultiMedia eXtension)
• Graphic co-processor

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Secondary Storage

• Hard disk vs. floppy diskette
• RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
• CD-R vs. CD-RW vs. DVD
• Tape

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Input Devices

• Pointing devices mouses, touch screen
• Key board
• Automation of Input
• Optical character recognition
• Bar code
• Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
• Pen-based input device
• Voice recognition
• Scanner
• sensors

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Output Devices

• CRT (Cathode ray tube)
• Flat panel screen
• Printers
• Plotters
• Voice output devices

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Categories of computers

• Hand held
• Notebook or lap top
• Workstation
• Mini computer
• Main frame computer
• Super computer

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Computer networks

• Distributed processing vs. centralized processing
• Client/server computing splits processing
  between client PC and server computers

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Miniaturization for mobile application

• Lap top could be too heavy or too expensive
• Information appliance a computer customized to
  perform only a few specialized tasks with a
  minimum effort.

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Purchasing decisions?

• What kind?
• When?
• When to upgrade?
• Hardware-capacity planning

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What is software?

• Software is the detailed instructions that
  control the operation of hardware.
• Without software, hardware can not extend its
  capabilities or utilities

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Functions of software

• Managing the computer resources of the
  organization
• Provide tools for human beings to take advantage
  of these resources, and
• Act as an intermediary between organizations and
  stored information

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Major types of software

• System software
• Application software

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System software

• Coordinates the various parts of the hardware
  systems and mediates between application software
  and the hardware
• The system software that manages and controls the
  computers activities is called operating system

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PC operating systems

• DOS
• Mac OS
• Windows 95, windows 98, windows ME
• Windows 2000 (windows NT), windows XP
• OS2, Unix, Linux
• And many many more

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GUI

• Graphical user interface
• It contrasts with the interfaces of old operating
  systems, like unix. The old unix interface as
  well as DOS are text base.
• When using gamut, one can not use mouse to click
  on screen because there is no GUI on the screen

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Other systems software

• Language translators like C compilers to
  translate C programs to executable code to be run
  by computers
• Utility software like copying, or like software
  programs stored in the control panel subdirectory
  / folder of your PC

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Generation of programming languages

• Machine languages each machine has one
• Assembly languages designed for a specific
  machine and specific processors. Each operation
  in assembly language corresponds to a machine
  operation
• High-level languages FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC,
  Pascal, C, C

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Fourth generation languages

• Aiming for assisting the end users
• Consist of software tools that enable end users
  to develop software applications
• It tends to be non-procedural

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Categories of 4th generation languages

• Query languages
• Report generators
• Graphics languages
• Application generators
• Very high-level programming languages
• Application software packages
• PC tools

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PC tools

• Are the most end users oriented 4th generation
  languages means that there are languages in
  these PC tools and one can program them like
  writing macros.
• Examples Excel, Word, Internet Explorer, MS
  Access.

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Application independent programming language

• Object-oriented programming languages
• Visual programming like visual basics
• Rather than writing specific program coding for a
  specific application, a program just construct
  software program by selecting and arranging
  programming objects.

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Platform independent programming languages

• Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) which has been
  facilitated by, for example, Netscape composer or
  Front page
• XML (eXtensible Markup Language)
• JAVA
• ActiveX

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Software trends

• Take advantage of hardware capabilities
• Use powerful software to reduce people costs and
  human errors
• Renting software through internet
• Enterprise Resource planning
• Middle ware to connect legacy systems and
  internet web browsers.

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Software selection

• Appropriateness
• Trade off between efficiency, ease of use, and
  flexibility
• Compatibility
• Support

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Total cost of ownership

• Using Network computers (NCs) to reduce the cost
  of ownership
• PC is getting too cheap to debate on this issue
• Outsourcing / leasing are another ways of
  reducing TCO
• Using Technology Service Providers
• Storage Service Providers (SSPs)
• Application Service Providers (ASPs)