after class chapter 6

transfer information:

postal service is an example of a network system. internet is the postal service on steriods

definitions:

• NIC- network interface card
• UTP cable- unshielded twisted pair
• router- hook switches together. bridging device. directs traffic to the right switches.
• dial-up internet sends the signal over phone lines. its slower because you have to convert the signal from your computer to a series of sounds.
• fiber optical cable: sends information-signals over flashes of light. light travels faster than electricity and is able to send more volts. data speeds are much much greater

world is connected through the internet by under sea fiber optic cable. most internet traffic goes through cables.  can go wireless through a satellite, but it is much more expensive.

inter-planet: communicate with devices out in space through an internet like connection.

know *local and wide area networks and how messages move across them.

chapter 6

Pretty cool chapter. Learned a lot about internets, the Internet and networks. Honestly I’ve never really put must thought into the Internet or any other computer networks for that matter. I didn’t even know LAN  which is a local area network or WAN which is a wide area network, even existed. yep, definitely learned a lot. some of what i learned:

LAN connects computers that reside in a single geographic location on the premises of the company that operates LAN. Does BYUH use LAN since all of the computers affiliated on in a single geographical location (campus)?

WAN connects computers at different geographical locations.  The example they gave in the book of a WAN is a company that has offices in Atlanta and Chicago.

internet: is a network of networks and has to follow a certain protocol. 3 different types of internet: dial-up (slowest), DSL (fast), and cable(fast).

**I didn’t really understand what a VPN is and when you would use it.

after class – chapter 5

When should we use a database instead of a spreadsheet? when the complexity of our data justifies it. Its more expensive, its not as simple as a list, not as quick as a spreadsheet, but worth it if you qualify for it.

databases

• When it’s hard to organize data in a spreadsheet – multiple categories
• Multiple users
• When we have a collection of integrated records
• focusing view on specific type of information

spreadsheets

• When you have one set of data – simpler data sets
• less overhead
• does math automatically

Lists — pen and paper vs. a spreadsheet  -depends on the size of the list. ie: household vs. grocery store

• groceries
• homework
• things to do
• pros and cons

what is a pivot table? a program in excel that creates reports

Add structure in a database with relationships and metadata

• metadata: data that describes data.   meta-something about something. – makes databases more useful and easier to use. its a label.  ie: field name(title, priority, status) data type, description, etc. in access
• relationships among records- a connection between two things.

**for exam- know what situation will be better for a spreadsheet or a database. when is a spreadsheet appropriate? when is a database appropriate?

chapter 5

The whole chapter was pretty interesting to me. I can definitely see the value of a data base compared to just a spreadsheet. It depends, though on what exactly you are doing, because sometimes a spreadsheet will be sufficient- also they are easier to use. The complexity of databases, turn a lot of people off I think. I learned a lot of new stuff throughout the whole chapter. It’s all new to me. I’ve never studied IS before.

A good thing the book said to remember is that databases and database management systems are different, even though they get mixed up sometimes. A DBMS is a software program- nothing more and a database is a collection of table, relationships, and metadata. Way different.

I think databases are cool because of the relationship it creates and understands among records.

Is there a certain point or situation that a database is required? I mean, is there a point where spreadsheets just aren’t enough and wont do the job?

after class chapter 4

We reviewed the principles of competitive advantage that are stated in Chapter 3.

Product Implementations:

• create a new product or service
• enhance products or services
• differentiate products or services

System (Process) Implementations:

• lock in customers and buyers
• lock in suppliers
• raise barriers to market entry
• establish alliances
• reduce costs –transferring costs

Find your niche! compete in your own individual area. differentiate!

Chapter 4:  Hardware and Software–Questions

1.What does a manager need to know about computer hardware?

• Hardware can change
• Is it sufficient or should you upgrade?
• Key terms *CPU: Central Processing Unit  *RAM: Random Access Memory (main memory) faster, but more expensive
• How does the computer work? input–>processing–>output

2. Whats the difference between a client and a server?

• client–my computer (takes care of things locally and asks for things)  server–any other computer system (bigger scale and gives things)
• operating systems–linux works get on servers —windows better for desktop

chapter 4

The most interesting section of chapter 4 was the last section that talked about viruses. There are several different types of viruses which included: Trojan Horse, which are viruses that look and seem like useful programs and files, but they really aren’t.

Macro viruses is a virus that attaches itself to Word, or Excel, or other types of documents and places itself in the startup files and infects every file that the application creates or processes.

Worm viruses propagate using the internet or other computer networks. They spread the fastest because that is what they are programmed to do. Worms actively use the network to spread.

Precautions  and protection from viruses are:

Patches, which patch the holes that viruses take advantage of.

Antivirus programs, which search the computer’s memory and disk for know viruses.

When you do get a virus it become a pretty sticky mess and sometimes to get rid of it you have to delete everything on your computer and then reinstall all of you software and programs and eventually any files that you have on back up that for sure don’t have a virus. Pretty tedious, if you ask me.

How easy is it to create a virus? Why do people do it? Where did they come from–who invented them? Is prevention for viruses better than it used to be or are the quality of viruses surpassing it?

after class case 1-2

KNOLL  office equipment  manufacture    “Create form out of the nature of our tasks with the methods of our time.”

Differentiator strategy: keeping all cost to a minimum, innovation, modern designs.

good design= good business

Knoll vs. Walmart –differentiation leader vs. cost leader

Hierarchical vs. cross departmental process— Hierarchical: working your way to the top. Cross departmental process: does not facilitate the work of a single function or department, it integrates the activities of a complete business process.

5 components of IS: hardware, software, data, procedure, PEOPLE—Designers, survey

PEOPLE make up the bigger percentage of information systems, especially with Knoll.

THE POMEGRANATE! Super cool. I think that the language app on the phone is really awesome and  really has the potential to unite countries and break that language barrier. It would definitely make international business much easier and more smooth

Knoll- do we really need fancy office equipment? what are the benefits? is the equipment really worth the cost?

Knoll says the work space matters!! Thus the survey that they did on how people view their work space and its importance.