ISYS 2 Exam 1

Information System

Set of interrelated component that work together to create, collect, process, store, and disseminate (Spread) information

What are information systems used for? Part 1

Accomplishing work-related tasks and every day living activities

What are information systems used for? Part 2

To gain a competitive advantage

What are the parts of competitive advantage?

cost, differentiation, and focus

What is Cost

Provide same value at lower price

What is Differentiation

Provide superior products or services for a target market better than anyone else

What are the 4 components of Leavitt's Diamond?

People, Technology Infrastructure, Structure, and Processes

People

motivation, training, support

Focus

Provide products or services for a target market better than anyone else

Technology Infrastructure

Hardware, Software, Databases, Networks, Facilities, Services

Structure

Roles, responsibilities, and authority

Processes

Procedures, standards, measures, and tools

What is Levitt's System Model?

A framework used to understand the connection between key components of an organization: People, Process, Technology Infrastructure, and Structure

People's Role in Business

Identify the need, define requirements, and use the system

People's Role in IT

Manage, develop, run, and maintain the systems

Shadow IT

Any type of IT purchased or developed outside of the IT organization

Pros of Shadow IT

Efficient, flexible, cheaper, and innovative

Cons of Shadow IT

Not necessarily secure, can duplicate work, costs more

Transaction Processing Systems

Collect, process, and store transactions/events that occur in the day-to-day operations of a company; can handle very large volumes of transactions simultaneously

Examples of TPS's

Hotel reservation, student registration, and payroll systems

Decision Support Systems

Provide analysis tools and access to databases to support decision-making process; compile information from several sources

Examples of DSS's

Financial planning, loan and investment analysis

Management Information Systems

Provide detailed information to help managers ensure the organization runs efficiently

Inventory management (MIS)

Order the right quantity at the right time

Process controls (MIS)

Monitor and adjust a process

Sales and marketing (MIS)

Compare YoY sales by store

Intelligent Systems

Advanced computer systems that can gather, analyze, and respond to data it collects from its environment

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Emulate or enhance human capabilities

Examples of IS's

Factory automation, Roomba Vacuum, autonomous vehicles

Business Intelligence Systems

Analyze Big Data to better understand various aspects of a business

Big Data

Extremely large data sets; analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations

What is a charactersitc of Big Data?

Analyzed using software specifically designed to handle large, complex data sets

Customer Relationship Management

Manages business relationships and interactions with existing and potential clients

What is a charactersitc of Customer Relationship Management?

Helps businesses learn about customers and corresponding trends

Electronic Commerce Systems

Enable customers to buy goods and services from a company's website

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Consists of integrated modules that each focus on one business area of the organization: sales management, human resources, asset management, project management, accounting and finance

Efficent

To produce an intended result in a way that results in the least amount of waste: time, effort, and/or resources

Effective

To produce a better result, one that delivers more value or achieves a better outcome

T/F: Efficient processes are always effective.

False

Cybercrime

Using a computer to commit an illegal act

Is this cybercrime? Targeting a computer while committing an offense

True

Is this cybercrime? Using a computer to commit an offense

True

Is this cybercrime? Using computers to support criminal activity

True

Computer Viruses

A destructive program that disrupts the normal functioning of information systems and spreads to other computers through infected e-mails and files

Worm

A variation of a virus that is targeted at networks; spread by itself and replicates endlessly across the Internet

Spyware

Software that monitors the activity on a computer (capture credit card numbers)

Spam

Bulk, unsolicited e-mail sent to millions of users at extremely low cost to distribute malware or conduct a phishing attack

Cookies

Small file placed on a user's computer; can be legitimate (shopping cart) but can be abused (track individuals' browsing habits) and can contain sensitive information (like credit card numbers) and pose a security risk

Software Piracy

The practice of using software that isn't properly licensed and paid for, such as purchasing one copy of a product and then using it on multiple computers

Cybersquatting

The practice of buying and holding a domain name with the intent to sell it later for a large profit; usually involves existing businesses

Types of Cyberattacks

Ransomware, denial of service, data breach, cyberespionage, cyberterrorism, cyberwar

Ransomware

A type of malware that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or permanently block access to it unless a ransom is paid off

Denial-of-Service Attacks

Seeks to overload servers by sending too many requests or messages for the server to handle

Payroll systems require only transactioning

True

Data Breach

Unauthorized individuals release or access sensitive data

Backups

Critical for business continuity in the event a disaster strikes; medias include CD, external hard drives, and tapes

Cold Backup Site

An empty warehouse with all necessary connections for power and communication but nothing else

Hot Backup Site

Fully equipped backup facility, all needed equipment and one-to-one replication of current data

Physical Access Restrictions

Typically focus on authentication; something you have (keys, picture id's, smart badges), something you know (password, PIN number, security questions), something you are (retinal patterns, fingerprints)

Firewalls

The part of a computer system designed to detect intrusion and prevent unauthorized access to/from a private network

Encryption

The practice if safeguarding data by encrypting it so it can only be accessed by a decryption process that requires a cypher and a suitable password, key, or certificate

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Allows remote site/users to connect to the Organization's network using a secure tunnel

Artificial Intelligence (AI) goals

Tackle the challenges of patterns, apply context, or draw conclusions

What is AI?

A branch of science concerned with designing intelligent computer systems

Expert Systems

Precursor to today's modern AI systems; emulate the decision-making ability of a human expert

What is one charactersitc of an Expert System 

Rule based system; limited in capability

What is another charactersitc of an Expert System 

Take knowledge from human expert and convert into hardcoded rules (conditional statements) that can be applied to input data

User Interface

Allows for input and output of the data; input can be typed command, scanned document, verbal instruction while output can be verbal, written or an image

Knowledge Base

Represents facts and rules

Fact

Know or proven to be true

Rule

Conditional statement that links conditions to outcomes

Inference Engine

Applies the rules to known facts to deduce new facts

Characteristics of Expert Systems

Knowledge acquisition may be difficult , adheres only to specific domains, requires manual updates, can not learn by itself, incapable of providing logic beyond the decisions

Machine Learning

Ability of a computer to learn without specifically being programmed; a program uses input to train a model

Generative Models

Learn about the patterns in the training data; generate something new

Discriminative Models

Learn from the relationship between labels and data points; can classify those data points

Examples of Discriminative AI

Number, classification, porbability

Examples of GenAI

Natural language, image, audio

Application Software

Applies the power of a computer system to enable people, workgroups, and enterprises to solve problems and perform specific tasks

Databases

Collections of related data organized in a way that facilitates data searches

Infrstructure

Set of information systems components, typically physical components, that enable an IT service

Proprietary/Custom Software

Developed to meet specific needs of the Organization; intellectual property stays in house, more easily modified, supports unique business processes, provides a competitive advantage

Off-the-Shelf (packaged) Software

Should be used to support common business practices; opportunity to migrate to industry best practices/more generic

Application Software: External Acquisition

Packaged software must be licensed for use

Which one of the following inresaes the likelyhood of success for ERP’s?

Sufficient Time, Training, Know project progress and risks

Open-Source Software

Program's source code is available for use or modification, typically at no charge; created, maintained, and updated by volunteers all over the world

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to subscribers via the internet

Information System Infrastucture

Set of IS components, typically physical components, that enable an IT service

IS Infrastructure Components - Hardware

Computers that run the applications and databases necessary for processing transactions or analyzing business data

Hardware: Basic Components

Central Processing Unit (CPU), Memory, Bus, Input/Output Devices

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Core of the computer; receives instructions and performs calculations or actions based on those instructions

What is storage measured in?

Bytes

Random Access Memory

Memory where instructions or data can be temporarily stored; volatile storage (loose contents if the current is disrupted)

Cache Memory

High-speed memory; frequently used data stored here

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

nonvolatile - contents are not lost if power is interrupted; provides permanent storage for data and instructions that do not change (programs and data from the Computer Manufacturer)

IS Infrastructure Components - System Software

The collection of programs that control the basic operations of computer hardware

IS Infrastructure Components - Storage

Efficiently storing and retrieving data is key to Organizational Success

Secondary Storage

Used to store large amounts of data, instructions, and information; more permanent and less expensive than main memory, not directly accessible by the CPU

IS Infrastructure Components - Networking

Interconnects devices that can exchange data and share resources with each other

IS Infrastructure Components - Data Centers

Building or a dedicated space within a building used to house computer systems and associated components; centralization facilitates functions such as management, repairs, upgrades, and security