October 15, 2021

Contemporary Hardware Platforms and Software Trends Organizations faces a number of challenges in such as;  the need to integrate information stored in different applications, on different platforms.  Need to build resilient infrastructures that can withstand huge increases in peak loads and routine assaults from hackers and viruses while conserving electrical power.  Need to increase their service level to respond to growing customer and employee expectations for service. www.masomomsingi.com The following hardware and software trends addresses these challenges Hardware Trends a). Emerging Mobile Digital platform Mobile computing devices such as cell phones & smart phones have taken up many of the functions of hand held computers; transmission of data, surfing the web, transmitting e-mails and instant messages, displaying digital content and exchanging data with internal corporate systems. b). Grid Computing Grid computing involves connecting geographically remote computers into a single network to create a virtual super computer by combining the computational power of all computers on the grid. It was not possible until high-speed internet connections enabled organizations to connect remote machines economically and move enormous quantities of data. It requires software programs to control and allocate resources on the grid and the client machines can still perform their traditional tasks while running on the grid applications on the background. The business case for grid computing includes; cost saving, speed of computation and agility c). Cloud Computing and Computing Utility Model of computing where organizations and individuals obtain computing power and software applications over the internet, rather than purchasing their own hardware and software. Data are permanently stored in remote servers in massive data centers and accessed and updated over the internet using the client computers. Cloud computing will gradually shift organizations from having a fixed infrastructure capacity towards a more flexible infrastructure, some of it internally owned and other rented from giant computer centers. Cloud computing has introduced the concept of BPO – Business process Outsourcing. d). Autonomic Computing Industry –wide effort to develop systems that can configure themselves, optimize and tune themselves, heal themselves when broken and protect themselves from outside intruders and self-destruction. e.g., Windows XP and Max X OS automatically downloadpatches and updates e). Edge Computing Edge computing is a multi-tier, load-balancing scheme for Web-based applications (Content Delivery Network) Advantages  Processing load is distributed closer to the user and handled by lower-cost servers.  Lowers cost of hardware  Increases service levels  Provides firm greater flexibility in responding to service requests  Seasonal spikes in demand can be off-loaded to other edge servers f). Virtualization and Multi-core Processors Virtualization is the process of presenting a set of computing resources (computing power or data storage) so that they can be accessed in ways that are not restricted by physical configuration or geographic location. Server virtualization enables companies to run more than one operating system at the same time on a single machine. Server virtualization software runs between the operating system and the hardware, masking server resources, including the number and identity of physical servers, processors and operating systems from server users. Example VMare software. g). Multi-core Processors An integrated circuit to which two or more processors have been attached for enhanced performance, reduced power consumption and more efficient simultaneous processing of multiple tasks. Used to reduce the power requirements and hardware sprawl. Software Trends a). Linux and Open Source Open sources software: software produced by a community of several hundred thousand programmers around the world. It is free and can be modified by users. Linux : a open source operating system. b). Software for the Web: Java and Ajax Java: Operating system independent, processor-independent, Object-oriented programming language which is the leading interactive programming language for the Web. Ajax: (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) a web development technique for creating interactive Web applications. c). Web services and Service- oriented architecture Web services; a set of loosely coupled software components that exchange information with each other using universal Web communication standards and languages. The foundation is XML Extensible Markup Language. A collection of Web Services that are used to build a firm’s software systems constitute what is called Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). SOA is a set of self-contained services that communicate with each other to create a working software application. Business tasks are accomplished by executing a series of these services. d). Software outsourcing Three external sources for software: 1. Software packages and enterprise software 2. Software outsourcing (domestic or offshore)  Domestic: o Primarily for middleware, integration services, software support  Offshore: o Primarily for lower level maintenance, data entry, call centers, although outsourcing for new-program development is increasing Software as a service (SaaS)  Accessed with Web browser over Internet  Ranges from free or low-cost services for individuals to business and enterprise software

IT Infrastructure, Platforms and Emerging Technologies Defining I.T. Infrastructure  Information technology infrastructure is the shared technology resources that provide the platform for the firms/ organization’s specific information systems application.  A set of firm wide services budgeted by management and comprises both human and technical capabilities The firm-wide services includes; a) Computing platforms used to provide computing services that connect employees, customers and suppliers into a coherent digital environment, including large mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, and personal digital assistants (PDA) and internet appliances. b) Telecommunications services that provide data, voice, and video connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers c) Data management services that store and manage corporate data and provide capabilities for analyzing the data. d) Physical facilities management services that develop and manage the physical installations required for computing, telecommunications, and data management services. e) IT management services that plan and develop the infrastructure, coordinate with the business units for IT services, manage accounting for the IT expenditure, and provide project management services. f) IT standards services that provide the firm and its business units with policies that determine which information technology will be used, when, and how. g) IT education services that provide training in system use to employees and offer managers training in how to plan for and manage IT investments. h) IT research and development services that provide the firm with research on potential future IT projects and investments that could help the firm differentiate itself in the marketplace. The Need for an IS Infrastructure The infrastructure includes investment in hardware, software, and services such as consulting, education and training, that are shared across the entire organization or across entire business units in an organization. Investment in infrastructure account for between 25% – 35% of the information technology expenditure in large organizations. An organization’s IT infrastructure provides the foundation for serving customers, working with vendors and managing internal business processes. Businesses rely on IS infrastructure to support business processes, decision making and competitive strategy Levels of IT Infrastructure A typical firm’s IT infrastructure can be divided into three major levels: public, enterprise and business unit. Each level has its own unique hardware, software, and service components.  Public-level includes the Internet, public telephone networks on which businesses are increasingly reliant, industry-operated networks, cable systems, satellite systems, and cellular telephone networks.  Enterprise level may include email, Web sites, intranets, extranets, and enterprise applications.  Business units concentrate on those infrastructure components that service the four functional areas of a typical business: sales & marketing, production & manufacturing, finance, and human resources. Evolution of IT Infrastructure: 1950-2005 Reviewing the evolution of corporate IT infrastructure can offer some insight into where we may be headed. Evolution of the IT Infrastructure  Electronic accounting machine (1930-1950): dominated by machines that began to replace humans in the accounting department. Because almost all of the computing was done in the accounting and finance functional area, future IT departments tended to be under the purview of the Chief Financial Officer.  General purpose Mainframe and Mini computer Era (1959 – Present); the mainframe era began with highly centralized computing with networks of terminals concentrated in the computing department. While early models contained proprietary software and data, today’s mainframes are able to process a wide variety of software and data. It’s interesting to note that IBM began this era and remains the single largest supplier of mainframe computing. While the experts and pundits predicted the death of the mainframe in the mid 1980s, the mainframe has evolved and remains a strong, viable component in many IT infrastructures because of its ability to process huge amounts of data and transmissions.  Personal computer Era (1981 – Present): it’s interesting to note that the advances developed for personal computer in the home has given rise to much of the advances in corporate computing in the last 25 years. As the home user became more comfortable with using computers, and more applications were developed for personal computers, more employees demanded increased use of computers in the workplace. While the Wintel standard has dominated this era, open-source software is starting to put a big dent into that stronghold.  Client / Server Era (1983 – present): as the desktop and laptop personal computers became more powerful and cheaper, businesses began using them to replace mini-computers and some mainframe computers by networking them together. Client node is the user point of entry to the network, while the server typically processes and stores data, serves the web pages or manages network activities. Large companies use a multi-tiered client/server architecture that has several different levels of servers. Client / server computing enables businesses to distribute computing work across a series of smaller, inexpensive machines, resulting in explosion in computing power and application throughout the organization.