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ISDS Exam 3
Software - correct answer ✔✔the set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. Software can be broadly divided into two categories: - correct answer ✔✔operating systems and application software Operating systems - correct answer ✔✔manage the hardware and create the interface between the hardware and the user. Application software - correct answer ✔✔performs specific tasks such as word processing, accounting, database management, video games, or browsing the web. Operating systems provide you with these key functions: - correct answer ✔✔1. managing the hardware resources of the computer;
- providing the user-interface components;
- providing a platform for software developers to write applications. The most popular operating systems for personal computers are: - correct answer ✔✔Microsoft Windows, Apple's Mac OS, and various versions of Linux. The Linux operating system is - correct answer ✔✔open source, meaning individual developers are allowed to make modifications to the programming code. Linux is a version of the - correct answer ✔✔Unix operating. Unix runs on large and expensive minicomputers. The second major category of software is - correct answer ✔✔application software.
Application software is - correct answer ✔✔utilized directly today to accomplish a specific goal such as word processing, calculations on a spreadsheet, or surfing the Internet using your favorite browser. The "Killer" App - correct answer ✔✔becomes so essential that large numbers of people will buy a device just to run that application. For the personal computer, the _______ application was the spreadsheet. Productivity Software - correct answer ✔✔allow office employees to complete their daily work efficiently. Many times, these applications come packaged together, such as in Microsoft's Office suite. Utility software - correct answer ✔✔includes programs that allow you to fix or modify your computer in some way. Examples include antimalware software and programs that totally remove software you no longer want installed. Utility software packages were created to fill shortcomings in - correct answer ✔✔operating systems ERP key point: A software application. - correct answer ✔✔ERP is an application that is used by many of an organization's employees. ERP key point: Utilizes a central database - correct answer ✔✔All users of the ERP edit and save their information from the same data source. For example, this means there is only one customer table in the database, there is only one sales (revenue) table in the database, etc. ERP key point: Implemented organization-wide. - correct answer ✔✔ERP systems include functionality that covers all of the essential components of a business. An organization can purchase modules for its ERP system that match specific needs such as order entry, manufacturing, or planning. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system - correct answer ✔✔manages an organization's customers. Supply Chain Management - correct answer ✔✔systems that can help a firm manage aspects of its value chain, from the flow of raw materials into the firm through delivery of finished products and services at the point-of-consumption
closed source - correct answer ✔✔the source code is not made available to others. Open-source software - correct answer ✔✔makes the source code available for anyone to copy and use The open-source movement has led to the development of some of the most used software in the world such as the - correct answer ✔✔Firefox browser, the Linux operating system, and the Apache web server. Application software is also known as - correct answer ✔✔productivity software. Software refers - correct answer ✔✔to a computer program or collection of programs—sets of instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Hardware/software layer cake - correct answer ✔✔ Control programs stored on chips are sometimes referred to as - correct answer ✔✔firmware. The OS in an iPod, mobile phone, or your TV's set-top box is most likely stored as firmware. Your PC also has a tiny bit of firmware that allows it to do very basic functions like start-up (boot) and begin loading its operating system from disk. embedded systems - correct answer ✔✔As computing gets cheaper, special-purpose technology is increasingly becoming embedded into all sorts of devices like cars, picture frames, aircraft engines, photocopiers, and heating and air conditioning systems. Desktop software - correct answer ✔✔refers to applications installed on a personal computer—your browser, your Office suite (e.g., word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software), photo editors, and computer games are all desktop software. Enterprise software - correct answer ✔✔refers to applications that address the needs of multiple, simultaneous users in an organization or work group. business intelligence (BI) systems - correct answer ✔✔which use data created by other systems to provide reporting and analysis for organizational decision making
Many ERP systems and enterprise software programs are configured - correct answer ✔✔to share the same database system so that an organization's different programs can use a common, shared set of data. This system can be hugely valuable for a company's efficiency. Desktop applications are typically designed for a - correct answer ✔✔single user Enterprise software supports - correct answer ✔✔multiple users in an organization or work group Popular categories of enterprise software include - correct answer ✔✔ERP (enterprise resource planning), SCM (supply chain management), CRM (customer relationship management), and BI (business intelligence) software, among many others. The more application software that is available for a platform, - correct answer ✔✔the more valuable that platform becomes. Enterprise systems can cost millions of dollars in software, hardware, development, and consulting fees, and many firms have failed when attempting large-scale enterprise system integration. - correct answer ✔✔Simply buying a system does not guarantee its effective deployment and use. When computers in different locations can communicate with one another, this is often referred to as - correct answer ✔✔distributed computing. Distributed computing can yield enormous efficiencies in speed, error reduction, and cost savings and can create entirely new ways of doing business server - correct answer ✔✔This is a tricky one because it's frequently used in two ways: (1) in a hardware context a server is a computer that has been configured to support requests from other computers (e.g., Dell sells servers) and (2) in a software context a server is a program that fulfills requests (e.g., the Apache open source Web server). client-server system. - correct answer ✔✔refers to two pieces of software, a client that makes a request, and a server that receives and attempts to fulfill the request.
Preliminary Analysis. - correct answer ✔✔This step is important in determining if the project should be initiated and may be done by someone with a title of Requirements Analyst or Business Analyst System Analysis - correct answer ✔✔one or more system analysts work with different stakeholder groups to determine the specific requirements for the new system. System Design - correct answer ✔✔designer takes the system requirements document created in the previous phase and develops the specific technical details required for the system Programming stage - correct answer ✔✔The code finally gets written in the programming phase. Using the system design document as a guide, programmers develop the software. The result of this phase is an initial working program that meets the requirements specified in the system analysis phase and the design developed in the system design phase. Testing - correct answer ✔✔software program developed in the programming phase is put through a series of structured tests. The first is a unit test, which evaluates individual parts of the code for errors or bugs. This is followed by a system test in which the different components of the system are tested to ensure that they work together properly. Implementation. - correct answer ✔✔includes training the users, providing documentation, and data conversion from the previous system to the new system Maintenance - correct answer ✔✔system has a structured support process in place. Reported bugs are fixed and requests for new features are evaluated and implemented The RAD methodology consists of four phases (Rapid Application Development) - correct answer ✔✔1. Requirements Planning 2.User Design
- Construction
- Cutover Requirements Planning - correct answer ✔✔In this phase the overall requirements for the system are defined, a team is identified, and feasibility is determined.
User Design - correct answer ✔✔In the user design phase representatives of the users work with the system analysts, designers, and programmers to interactively create the design of the system. Construction. - correct answer ✔✔In the construction phase the application developers, working with the users, build the next version of the system through an interactive process. Cutover - correct answer ✔✔Cutover involves switching from the old system to the new software. Timing of the cutover phase is crucial and is usually done when there is low activity. SDLC requires more documentation and attention to detail and is well suited to - correct answer ✔✔large, resource-intensive projects. RAD makes more sense for smaller projects that are - correct answer ✔✔less resource intensive and need to be developed quickly Agile methodologies - correct answer ✔✔group of methodologies that utilize incremental changes with a focus on quality and attention to detail. The characteristics of agile methodology include: - correct answer ✔✔• Small cross-functional teams that include development team members and users;
- Daily status meetings to discuss the current state of the project;
- Short time-frame increments (from days to one or two weeks) for each change to be completed; and
- Working project at the end of each iteration which demonstrates progress to the stakeholders. Lean Methodology - correct answer ✔✔focuses on taking an initial idea and developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The MVP is a working software application with just enough functionality to demonstrate the idea behind the project. The quality triangle is a simple concept. It states that for any product or service being developed, you can only address two of the following: - correct answer ✔✔time, cost, and quality.
There are many reasons why firms choose open source products over commercial alternatives: - correct answer ✔✔Cost, reliability, security, scalability, agility and time to market The most widely cited benefits of using OSS include low cost; increased reliability; improved security and auditing; system scalability; - correct answer ✔✔and helping a firm improve its time to market. two separate categories of cloud computing: - correct answer ✔✔oftware as a service (SaaS),,utility computing software as a service (SaaS), - correct answer ✔✔where a firm subscribes to a third-party software- replacing service that is delivered online, utility computing - correct answer ✔✔platform as a service, or infrastructure as a service SaaS firms may offer their clients several benefits including the following: - correct answer ✔✔◦ lower costs by eliminating or reducing software, hardware, maintenance, and staff expenses ◦ financial risk mitigation since start-up costs are so low ◦ potentially faster deployment times compared with installed packaged software or systems developed in-house ◦ costs that are a variable operating expense rather than a large, fixed capital expense ◦ scalable systems that make it easier for firms to ramp up during periods of unexpectedly high system use ◦ higher quality and service levels through instantly available upgrades, vendor scale economies, and expertise gained across its entire client base ◦ remote access and availability—most SaaS offerings are accessed through any Web browser, and often even by phone or other mobile device Vendors of SaaS products benefit from the following: - correct answer ✔✔◦ limiting development to a single platform, instead of having to create versions for different operating systems ◦ tighter feedback loop with clients, helping fuel innovation and responsiveness ◦ ability to instantly deploy bug fixes and product enhancements to all users ◦ lower distribution costs ◦ accessibility to anyone with an Internet connection
◦ greatly reduced risk of software piracy The risks associated with SaaS include the following: - correct answer ✔✔• dependence on a single vendor.
- concern about the long-term viability of partner firms. • users may be forced to migrate to new versions—possibly incurring unforeseen training costs and shifts in operating procedures.
- reliance on a network connection—which may be slower, less stable, and less secure.
- data asset stored off-site—with the potential for security and legal concerns.
- limited configuration, customization, and system integration options compared to packaged software or alternatives developed in-house.
- the user interface of Web-based software is often less sophisticated and lacks the richness of most desktop alternatives.
- ease of adoption may lead to pockets of unauthorized IT being used throughout an organization.
- It's estimated that 80 percent of corporate tech spending goes toward - correct answer ✔✔data center maintenance. Hardware focused cloud computing initiatives from third party firms help tackle this cost by allowing firms to run their own software on the hardware of the provider. Cloud computing's impact across industries is proving to be - correct answer ✔✔broad and significant. Clouds can lower barriers to entry in an industry, making it easier for start-ups to launch and smaller firms - correct answer ✔✔to leverage the backing of powerful technology.
- Clouds may also lower the amount of capital a firm needs to launch a business, - correct answer ✔✔shifting power away from venture firms in those industries that had previously needed more VC money. Clouds can shift resources out of capital spending and - correct answer ✔✔into profitability and innovation. Hardware and software sales may drop as cloud use increases, - correct answer ✔✔while service revenues will increase.
