Week Six - Enterprise Architectures

What is information architecture and what is information infrastructure and how do they differ and how do they relate to each other?

Information Architecture is a field and approach to designing clear, understandable communications by giving care to structure, context, and presentation of data and information. Particularly refers to websites and intranets, including labelling and navigation schemes. An information technology infrastructure however, is the base or foundation for the delivery of information to support programs and management (of an agency for example). The infrastructure contains elements upon which an agency's information technology activities are dependent. An agency must therefore define, implement, and manage these infrastructure elements to successfully employ information technology.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_an_information_architecture_and_an_information_technology_infrastructure

Describe how an organisation can implement a solid information architecture 

Enterprise information architecture should focus on:

1.       Backup and recovery

2.       Disaster recovery

3.       Information security

A single backup or restore failure can cost an organisation more than time and money; some data cannot be recreated, and the business intelligence lost from that data can be tremendous.

Chief information officers (CIO) should have enough confidence in their backup and recovery systems that they could walk around and randomly pull out cables to prove that the systems are safe. The CIO should also be secure enough to perform this test during peak business hours.

•          A Hot Site - a separate and fully equipped facility where the company can move immediately after a disaster and resume business.

•          A Cold Site - a separate facility that does not have any computer equipment, but is a place where employees can move after a disaster.

List and describe the five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture. 

Infrastructure architectures- includes the hardware, software and telecommunications equipment that, when combined provided the underlying foundation to support the organisation's goals

Five primary characteristics of  solid infrastructure.

1.      Reliability- ensuring all systems are functioning correctly and all information provided are correct

2.      Scalability- how well a system can adapt to increased demands

3.      Flexibility- systems must be flexible enough to meet all types of business changes

4.      Availability- addressed when systems can be accessed by users

5.      Performance- measures how quickly a  system performs certain process or transaction 

Describe the business value in deploying a service oriented architecture 

Service oriented architecture (SOA) is a business-driven IT architectural approach that supports integrating a business as linked, repeatable tasks or services.

SOA ensures that IT systems can adapt quickly, easily and economically to support rapidly changing business needs. Businesses can use existing applications, and re-use applications (services) many times for different tasks, making development cheaper and more flexible

Figure 5.9 The service oriented architecture

What is an event? 

Event  is an electronic message indicating that something has happened, it detect threats and opportunities and alerts those who can act on the information

What is a service?

Service contains a set of related commands that can be re-used, it is more like a software product than they are a coding project

What emerging technologies can companies can use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively?

 Companies can use emerging technologies such as; Grid computing which connects different IT resources  to coordinate them across a network, allowing them to function as a virtual whole to deliver improved performance, higher quality of service, better utilization and easier access to data.

- Improving productivity and collaboration of virtual organisations and respective computing and data resources. eBay is using grid computing to deliver online auction services to millions of users.

- Allowing widely dispersed departments and businesses to create virtual organisations to share data and resources for instantaneous, buyers of eBay have access to a range of goods and service that have being placed online to be sold.

-Building strong and infinitely flexible and resilient operational architectures

-Providing instantaneous access to massive computing and data resources

-Leveraging existing capital investments, which in turn help to ensure optimal utilization and costs of computing capabilities.

Week Eight - Networks, telecommunications and mobile technology

Explain the business benefits of using wireless technology.

There are four key benefits of wireless technology that can benefit a business, these are:

1.       Increased efficiency - improved communications leads to faster transfer of information within businesses and between partners/customers.

2.       You are rarely out of touch - you don't need to carry cables or adaptors in order to access office networks.

3.       Greater flexibility and mobility for users - office-based wireless workers can be networked without sitting at dedicated PCs.

4.       Reduced costs - relative to 'wired', wireless networks are, in most cases, cheaper to install and maintain

http://www.is4profit.com/business-advice/it-telecoms/wireless-communications/the-benefits-of-wireless-communication.html

Describe the business benefits associated with VoIP

Voice over IP allows the internet to carry voice in digital format, call cost have dramatically decreased as the internal are now internet connections. VOIP enables phone calls, faxes, voice mail, e-mail and Web conferences over digital networks.
Business benefits associated with VOIP include:
- Reduce the cost
- Reduce the complexity associated with delivering these services
-Improving response and restoration time

Example of residential network including VoIP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Voip-typical.gif

Compare LANs and WANs

LANS and WANS are two of three basic types of networks, that connects via communications media so  that media so that can be transmitted among them.

The three basic types of networks are:
- Local area networks (LANs) which connect computers that reside in a single geographic location on the premises of the company that operate the LAN.
- Wide area networks (WANs) connects computers at different geographic sites
- The internet- a global network

Describe RFID and how it can be used to help make a supply chain more effective.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies use active or passive tags in the form of chips or smart labels that can store unique identifiers and relay this information to electronic readers.

Passive RFID – no internal power,  can pick up the very faint signal from an antenna, power up just enough to transmit data back to antenna. Can also store small amount of EPROM data.

Active RFID – have power and transmit much stronger and accurate data.

RFID tags can cut costs by requiring fewer workers for scanning items; they also can provide more current and more accurate information to the entire supply chain.  Retailers use RFID to help keep track of physical assets purchased by the consumers, This is like creating a personal log of past purchases, shopping patterns and behavioural patterns. The information can be used to their advantage to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their supply chain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FasTrak_transponder.jpg

An RFID tag used for electronic toll collection.

Identify the advantages and disadvantage of deploying mobile technology

Advantage of deploying mobile technology include:
- Multi-function devices become cheaper and more versatile- due to intense competition and margin pressure, they have become affordable for a wide range of users

-Access to internet

-Allows social networking getting mobilised- constant access to social networks such as Facebook, Skype and Google

- Improve communication, as people can reply faster

Disadvantage of deploying mobile technology include:

- Wireless security - mobile technology is much more vulnerable to hackers, viruses and data loss  due to the

Week Seven - Databases and Data Warehouses

List, describe, and provide an example of each of the five characteristics of high quality information.

The Five common characteristic of high quality information are:

-Accuracy- database need to have correct information. E.g. is the name spelled correctly
-Completeness-having all necessary or normal information, to allows users to access the full capability of the database. E.g. is the address complete including street, city, state and postcode
-Consistency- the summary of information is in agreement with the detailed information. E.g. do all total fields equal the true total of the individual fields?
-Uniqueness- Each transaction, entity and event represented only once in the information.
E.g. students data is stored in one section and use for many different purposes

-Timelessness- the information is current with respect to the business requirements E.g. is information updated weekly, daily or hourly?

                                                                  

Define the relationship between a database and a database management system.

Database is a system intended to organise, store, and retrieve large amounts of data/ information so it can easily be accessed, managed and updated.

Database management system (DBMS) is the software through which users and application programs interact with a database

http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/definition/database

Describe the advantages an organisation can gain by using a database.

Database advantages a business can gain from databases include:

—  Increased flexibility

—  Increased scalability and performance

—  Reduced information redundancy

—  Increased information integrity (quality)

—  Increased information security

Define the fundamental concepts of the relational database model.

The relational database model is a type of database that stores information in the form of logically related two dimension tables each consisting of rows and columns.

Table 1 An example of a relational database model

http://en wikipedia.org/wiki/ File: Relational_Model_2.jpg

Describe the benefits of a data-driven website.

A data- driven website is an interactive website kept constantly updated and relevant to the needs of its customers through the use of a database

 Data- driven websites advantages include:

-Development: which allowed the website owner to make changes any time, without having to rely on a developer or knowing HTML programming

-Future expandability: enables the site to grow faster than it would be possible with a static site

-Minimising human error: data-driven website will have 'error- trapping' mechanisms to ensure that required information is filled out correctly and that content is entered an displayed correctly. More efficient and improve stability: when updating or adding new areas into the website, the chance of 'breaking' some part of the site is greatly reduced. Thus assuring that the content is never lost when the site is being updated.

Describe the roles and purposes of data warehouses and data marts in an organisation

Data warehouse is a logical collection of information, gathered from any different operational databases, that supports business analysis activities and decision- making task.

A data mart is the access layer of the data warehouse environment that is used to get data out to the users.

Week Five - Ethics and Security

Explain the ethical issues surrounding information technology.

Ethics is a system of moral principle that considers our actions from right and wrong

Ethical issues surrounding informational technology are:

-Intellectual property: many IT users around the world ignoring Intellectual property laws and are copying software in order to save large sums of money

-Copyright: using copyrighted materials without consent

-Fair use doctrine: use copyright materials without consent and in countries that are illegal

-Pirated software: unauthorized use, duplicate, distribution , or sale of copyrighted software.

-Counterfeit software: unethical business conduct and fraud the customer

Describe a situation involving technology that is ethical but illegal.

Acting ethically and legally are not always the same for instance, when a family member collapses, you take it upon yourself to take them to the hospital. By driving your car and going above the speed limit and ignoring other traffics laws,  to get to the hospital as soon as possible. This can be seen as a ethical and illegal thing as it right to take the patient to the hospital and also illegal as the driver is ignoring all traffics rules thus risking other people's lives.

Describe and explain one of the computer use policies that a company might employee

Internet use policy contains general principles to guide the proper use of the Internet with an organisation. These policies are:
1. Describe available internet services
2. Define the purpose and restriction of Internet access
3. Complements the ethical computer use policy
4. Describes user responsibilities
5. States the ramification for violations

 A policy that company employee is
 'Describes user responsibilities': This ensures that users understand the behavioural guidelines of the business. In addition, it also boosts the efficiency of the work standards and the effectiveness of their  employees in the company. 

What are the 5 main technology security risks AND Outline one way to reduce each risk.

The Five man technology security risks are:

-Human Error: after complete recheck to find any mistakes

-Natural Disasters: regularly save data as back up and in alternative area

-Technical Failures: install a trustworthy spyware fighter and  regularly save data in a separate

-Deliberate Acts: constantly monitor the employees actions when working in the firm

-Management Failure: Ensure proper training and procedures in the workplace to new employees

What is a disaster recovery plan, what strategies might a firm employee?

Disaster Recovery is a process of regaining access to computer systems and data after a disaster has taken place.

All firms should have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that outlines exactly what happens in a disaster . The plan should list things like:

-communications plan: regular recovery tests and well documented procedures              

-alternatives sites- off site data kept in date order

-Business connection                                                        

-location of backup data: offsite data kept in order