Assumption University of Thailand

Graduate School of Business and Advanced Technology Management

(GSB-ATM)

Management Information Systems

IT Infrastructure and
Emerging Technologies

Dr. Poonphon Suesaowaluk

Objectives
• To describe the stages of Information Technology (IT)
infrastructure evolution.
• To describe the IT infrastructure and its components,
• To describe current trends in computer hardware and
software platforms,
• To introduce the challenge of IT infrastructure
management and management solutions
Topics
• IT infrastructure and the evolution stages
• IT infrastructure components
• Current computer hardware platforms and trends.
• Current computer software platforms and trends.
• The challenges of managing IT infrastructure and management
solutions
IT Infrastructure and the
Evolution Stages
 IT Infrastructure

• Set of physical devices and

software required to operate
enterprise
• Integration of Software,
Hardware, Service

Figure: Connection Between the Firm, Infrastructure, and Business Capabilities

Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2022
IT Infrastructure: Services (1/2)
• Computing platforms
– Coherent digital environment
• Telecommunications services
– Determine appropriate data, voice, VDO that connect to
business’s stakeholder
• Data management services
– Store, manage and analyze the corporate data for users
• Application software services
– e.g., ERP, CRM, Supply Chain Management, Knowledge
Management
IT Infrastructure: Services (2/2)
• Physical facilities management services
– Installation for Computing, telecommunications and data
management
• IT management, education, and other services
– e.g., Plan, development, project management, policy, research
and future investments
• IT standards
– Policies that determine which information technology will be
used, when, and how.
Evolution of IT Infrastructure (1/2)
1. General-purpose mainframe and minicomputer era: 1959 to
present
• 1958: IBM first Mainframes introduced
• High ability of storage and process, Centralized computing
• 1965: Minicomputers DEC
2. Personal computer era: 1981 to present
• 1981: IBM PC
• Huge demand at home and working organization
Evolution of IT Infrastructure (2/3)
3. Client/server era: 1983 to present
• Concept: replace mainframe and minicomputer by networks group of
computers, less cost
• Clients: desktop networked to servers with processing work split between
clients and servers
• Server: application & physical computer,
– Heart of data, application software, Instruction, while users communicate
to server via process transaction over network,
• Types of servers (network, application, Web)
– Application server; software handles all application operations between
users and back-end business organization
– Web server; serve webpage to client
Evolution of IT Infrastructure (3/3)
4. Enterprise computing era: 1992 to present
• Integrating disparate networks, applications using Internet standards
and enterprise applications
• Benefit to business information seamlessly across all organizational
levels
5. Cloud and mobile computing: 2000 to present
• Client/Server
• Computing power and software applications supplied over the Internet
or other network
• Shared pool resources (computer, storage, applications)
• Resources can be accessed on an as-needed from any connected
devices and location
Stages in IT Infrastructure Evolution

Personal computers were

stand-alone systems prior
to the development of
local area networks.

The yellow ring connecting

the machines in the client-
server graphic represents
a local area network.
Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2020
 Multi-tiered Client/Server Network (N-TIER)

Multi-tiered client/server network, client requests for service are handled

by different levels of servers.
Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2022
Stages in IT Infrastructure Evolution (cont.)

Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2020

Technology Drivers of Infrastructure Evolution

• Moore’s law and micro-processing power

– Computing power doubles every 2 years
– Nanotechnology
• Law of Mass Digital Storage (Lyman and Varian, 2003)
– The amount of data being stored each year doubles
• Metcalfe’s Law and network economics
– Value or power of a network grows exponentially as a function of the
number of network members
– (network members increase, demand for network access increases)
Falling Cost of Chips

Packing more transistors into less space has driven dramatic reductions in their
cost and in the cost of the products they populate.
Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2020
Nanotubes

Nanotubes Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2020

• Tiny tubes about 10,000 times thinner than a human hair
• Consist of rolled-up sheets of carbon hexagons and have potential use as minuscule
wires or in ultrasmall electronic devices and are very powerful conductors of electrical
current.
Technology Drivers of Infrastructure Evolution
• Declining communication costs and the Internet
– Exponential growth in the size of the Internet
• Technology standards, 1990s
– Specifications that establish the compatibility of products and
the ability to communicate in a network
– Unleash powerful economies of scale and result in price
declines as manufacturers focus on the products built to a
single standard
– Example, American Standard Code for Information
Interchange (ASCII)
Figure: Exponential Declines in Internet Communications
Costs ($/MBPS)

Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2020

Infrastructure
Components
Infrastructure Components
Seven main components of IT Infrastructure
1. Computer hardware platforms
2. Operating system platforms
3. Enterprise software applications
4. Data management and storage
5. Networking/telecommunications platforms
6. Internet platforms
7. Consulting system integration services
1. Computer Hardware Platforms
• Client machines
– Desktop PCs, laptops
– Mobile computing: smartphones, tablets
– Desktop chips vs. mobile chips
• Servers
• Mainframes
– IBM mainframe
– Digital workhorse for banking and telecommunications networks
2. Operating System Platforms
• Corporate servers
– Windows Server
– Unix
– Linux
• Client level
– Microsoft Windows
– Android, iOS, Windows 10 (mobile/multitouch)
– Google’s Chrome OS (cloud computing )
3. Enterprise Software Applications

• Enterprise application providers,

I. Largest providers: S A P and Oracle
II. Middleware providers: I B M, Oracle
• Microsoft market aims to small and medium size of business
(developing process)
 4. Data Management and Storage
• Database software providers
– I B M (D B 2)
– Oracle
– Microsoft (S Q L Server)
– SAP Sybase (Adaptive Server Enterprise),
– MyS Q L (Oracle)
– Apache Hadoop
5. Networking/Telecommunications Platforms
• Network operating systems
– Windows Server, Linux, Unix
• Network hardware providers
– Cisco, Juniper Networks
• Telecommunication services
– Telecommunications, cable, telephone company charges for
voice lines and Internet access
– AT&T, Verizon
6. Internet Platforms
• Hardware, software, management services to support company
websites, intranets
– Web-hosting services
– Routers
– Cabling or wireless equipment
• Internet hardware server market
– IBM, Dell, Oracle, HP
• Web development tools/suites
– Microsoft (Visual Studio and .NET), Oracle-Sun (Java), Adobe
7. Consulting and System Integration Services
• Large firms may not have enough human resources with high
skills and experience to support the implementation of complex
infrastructure.
• Leading consulting firms: Accenture, IBM Global Services,
HP, Infosys, Wipro Technologies.
• Software integration: ensuring new infrastructure works with
legacy systems.
• Legacy systems: e.g., older TPS systems, were created for
mainframes that would be too costly to replace or redesign, so
integration is cheaper.
Figure: IT Infrastructure Ecosystem
Internet Computer
Platforms Hardware
Apache Platforms
Microsoft IIS, .Net Dell
Unix IBM
Cisco Sun
HP
There are seven major
Java
Linux machines Operating components that must
Data Management Systems
and Storage Platforms be coordinated to
IBM DB2 Microsoft Windows
Oracle Unix provide the firm with a
SQL Server Linux
Sybase Mac OS X coherent IT
MySQL IT Infrastructure Ecosystem Google Chrome
EMC Systems infrastructure with
Major technologies
Consultants and Networking/ Enterprise Software and suppliers for each
System Telecommunications Applications
Integrators Microsoft Windows (including middleware) component.
IBM Server SAP
EDS Linux Oracle
Accenture Novell Microsoft
Cisco BEA
Alcatel-Lucent
Nortel
AT&T, Verizon

Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2020

 Current Computer
Hardware Platforms and
Trend
Computer Components
Input Process Output

seconds - milliseconds nanoseconds seconds - milliseconds

• Processor
• Keyboard • RAM - Random Access • Video monitor
• Mouse Memory • Printer
• Optical scanner • Device controllers • Plotter
milliseconds
• Voice input • Process control
• Bar code
Secondary • Voice output
• Touch screen storage • Music synthesizers
• Light pen • Magnetic Disk • Others
• Floppy Disk
• Optical Disk
• Tape Drive
• USB Drive
Current Trends in Computer Hardware
Platforms
• The mobile digital platform
– Smartphones
– Tablet computers
– Digital e-book readers and apps (Kindle)
– Wearable devices
• Consumerization of IT and BYOD (bring your own device)
– Forces businesses and IT departments to rethink how IT
equipment and services are acquired and managed
Current Trends in Computer Hardware Platforms

• Quantum computing
– Uses quantum physics to represent and operate on data
– Dramatic increases in computing speed
• Virtualization
– Allows single physical resource to act as multiple resources (i.e., run
multiple instances of O S); also enables multiple physical resources
(such as storage devices) to appear as a single logical resource
(such as in software-defined storage (SDS))
– Reduces hardware and power expenditures
– Facilitates hardware centralization
Cloud Computing: 5 Characteristics; (Mell and Grance,
2009)
• On-demand self service: User can access computing capabilities when and
where they require
• Ubiquitous network access:
– no special devices required for accessing data or service
• Location Independent resource pooling
– Users don’t need to be know where the storage location of resources
• Rapid elasticity
– Computing resources can be rapidly decreased, increased to serve users
• Measures service
– Charges for cloud resources are based on amount of resources actually
used
Cloud Computing Services
• Cloud computing
– On-demand computing services obtained over the network
• Infrastructure as a service
‣ Use processing, storage networking & resource from service
provider to run the information systems
• Platform as a service
‣ Use of infrastructure and programming tools to develop their
own application
• Software as a service
‣ Use of software that hosted by the vender on the vender’s
hardware, Google Apps is the Leading
Current Trends in Computer Hardware Platforms
• Cloud computing
– Cloud can be public or private
– Allows companies to minimize I T investments
– Drawbacks: Concerns about security, reliability
– Hybrid cloud computing model
Cloud Computing Platform

Hardware and software

capabilities are a pool of
virtualized resources
Provided over a network, the
Internet.
Businesses and employees
have access to applications
and IT infrastructure
anywhere, at any time, and on
any device.
Current Computer Hardware Platforms and Trend
• Green computing
– Practices and technologies for manufacturing, using, disposing of computing
and networking hardware to minimize impact on the environment
– Reducing power consumption a high priority
• High performance, power-saving processors
– Multicore processors , Power-efficient microprocessors
• Autonomic Computing
– Industry-wide effort to develop systems that can configure, heal themselves
when broken, and protect themselves from outside intruders and self
destructions
– Similar to self-updating antivirus software; Apple and Microsoft both use
automatic updates
Current Computer Hardware Platforms and Trend

Grid Computing
‾ Create Virtual Supercomputer by connects geographically remote computers
into a single network to combine processing power
‾ Concept: Resource utilization, cost saving, speed
Quantum computing
‾ Uses quantum physics to represent and operate on data
‾ Dramatic increases in computing speed
Edge computing
– Servers at the edge of the Internet
– Reducing latency, and network traffic
Current Computer Hardware Platforms and Trend
Virtualization
• Allows a single physical resource to act as multiple
resources (i.e., run multiple instances of the OS)
• Enable multiple physical resources (i.e., storage devices,
servers) to appear as a single resource.
• Facilitates hardware centralization.
• Software-defined storage (SDS)
• Example software, Vmware for both Linux and Windows
Benefits:
• Reduces hardware and power expenditures such as;
–Increase equipment utilization.
–Combine legacy applications with newer applications.
Storage Hardware
• Save data and programs
• Common storage devices
– Non-volatile
‣ Magnetic disks (Hard drive)
‣ Solid-state storage (SSD)
‣ Thumb drives
‣ Optical disks (CD/DVD)
– Volatile - cache and main memory
Important Storage Capacity Terminology

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.

Current Computer Hardware Platforms and Trend
• New Hardware Affect Competitive Strategies
• Potentially disruptive hardware developments for existing
organizations.
1. Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Everything (IoE)
2. Self-driving Cars
3. 3D Printing
Internet of Things
• Everyday objects embedded with hardware capable of sensing,
processing, transmitting data.
• Objects share data via a network with any other application, service,
or device.

David Kroenke, Randall J. Boyle, Pearson, 2017

Self-driving Cars
• Make things easier, cheaper, safer.
• Automobile accidents may become a
thing of the past.
– Car insurance eliminated (?).
• Eliminate need to have multiple cars.
• Avoid costly traffic tickets, parking
tickets

David Kroenke, Randall J. Boyle, Pearson, 2017

3D Printing
• Plastics, metals, ceramics, foods, biological material.
• Opportunities in aerospace, defense, automotive, entertainment, and healthcare
industries.
• What happens when 3D-print extra-large objects like cars, airplanes, boats, houses,
drones, etc. becomes possible?
• Existing 3D Printing Example
• ChefJet; Culinary artists and novices can produce
intricate, beautiful and fully customized deserts.
• Living cells; Organs, bones, heart valves, skin,
joints.
• Houses & buildings

David Kroenke, Randall J. Boyle, Pearson, 2017

 Current Computer
Software Platforms
and Trend
Current Computer Software Platforms and Trends
Open-Source Software
• Produced by a community of programmers, free and modifiable by
user
• More secure because its code is rapidly available and more people
help to review and fix
• Examples: Apache web server, Mozilla Firefox browser, OpenOffice
Linux: (Linus Torvalds, 1991)
• Open-source OS
• Used in mobile devices, local area networks, Web servers, high-
performance computing
• Examples: Apache web server, Mozilla Firefox browser, OpenOffice
Current Computer Software Platforms and Trend (Cont.)
Software for the Web
• Java: (James Gosling, Sun team, 1992)
– Java is designed to run on any computing device by use of the Java Virtual
Machine, Operating system, processor-independent
– Ajax: script for interactive web application
• HTML/HTML5
– HTML is a markup/formatting tool that creates web pages that all browsers can
interpret and display regardless of the type or manufacture of the computer being
used.
– Web page description language; specifies how text, graphics are placed on Web
page
– HTML5; Includes animation and video processing functionality previously provided
by third party add-ons such as Flash
• Ruby and Python
Current Computer Software Platforms and Trend (Cont.)
Web Services
• Software components that exchange information between different system
(i.e., OS,) using Web standards and languages
• 4 Software standards and communication protocol
1. XML: More powerful and flexible than HTML
– Tagging allows computers to process data automatically without human
intervention
– Describe data in Web pages and database
2. SOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol: support application for data and
instruction exchanging
3. WSDL: Web Service Description Language: describes a webs service to allow
the other application use it
4. UDDI: Universal Description Discovery and Integration: Lists web services in
a directory for user searching
Current Computer Software Platforms and Trend (Cont.)
SOA: Service-Oriented Architecture
• Set of self-contained services that communicate with each other
to create a working software application
• Application are reused in other combinations to assemble other
applications as needed
• Example; on line booking system
Software Outsourcing and Cloud Services
Three external sources software:
• Software packages and enterprise software, i.e., SAP
• Software outsourcing
• Cloud-based software services
– Software as a service (SaaS)
– Accessed with Web browser over Internet
– Service Level Agreements (SLAs): formal agreement with
service providers
Amazon Web Services

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a collection of web services that Amazon provides to
users of its cloud platform.
• AWS is the largest provider of cloud computing services In the United States.
Example Case: How Dollar Rent A Car Uses Web
Services

Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon, 2022

Current Trends in Computer Software Platforms
• Mashups
– Produce new application from different sources,
– Combinations of two or more online applications, such as
combining mapping software (Google Maps) with local content
– Amazon product description with partner sites and user profiles
• Apps
– Small pieces of software that run on the Internet, on computer,
or cell phone
Changing Sources of Firm Software
 Challenges of
Managing IT
Infrastructure and
Management Solutions
Managing IT Infrastructure
• Dealing with platform and infrastructure change
– IT needs to be flexible and scalable
– Scalability: Ability to expand to serve larger number of users
– New policies and procedures,
‣ Contractual agreements with firms running clouds and distributing
software required
• Management and governance
– IT infrastructure management team, control leader
– IT department organization
‣ Centralized: Central IT department makes decisions
‣ Decentralized: Business unit IT departments make own decisions
– Budget
Managing IT Infrastructure (Cont.)

• Making wise infrastructure investments

– Amount to spend on IT is a complex question
‣ Rent vs. buy, cloud computing, Outsourcing

– Total cost of ownership (TCO) model

‣ Analyzes direct and indirect costs
‣ Hardware, Software, Installation, training, support, maintenance,
infrastructure, downtime, space, and energy
‣ TCO may be reduced by Cloud service
Competitive Forces Model for IT Infrastructure Investment

Source: Kenneth C Laudon, Jane P. Laudon 2022

Six factors for consideration to Invest on IT infrastructure

Summary
Summary
• IT infrastructure includes Hardware, Software and Service, and sharing technology of
these resources to provide the platform for the firms specific Information system
application.
• Technology drivers IT infrastructure evolution. Five stages of IT infrastructure evolution,
personal computer, client/server, enterprise computing, cloud and mobile computing.
• Current trends in computer hardware platform. Grid computing, mobile platform,
organization of virtualization, cloud computing
• Current trends in computer software platform such as open source, Linux, web service
• Major management to deal with platform and infrastructure, infrastructure governance
and making wise infrastructure investment and competitive forces model to guide and
determine the cost for investment in IT infrastructure
• Managing Infrastructure; Total Cost of Ownership (TOC), Cloud Service
References
• David Kroenke, & Randall J. Boyle. (2017). Using MIS (9 th ed.).
Edinburgh Gate Harlow, England: Pearson.
• Laudon, K.C., & Laudon, J.P. (2022). Management information
th
systems (17 ed.). Edinburgh Gate Harlow, London: Pearson.
Infrastructure Assignment (4)
From Assignments 1,2, and 3
Analyze & refine your system and then propose:
1) component of hardware, software platforms, workstations, and
operating systems
2) Explain the rationale for the use of these platforms.
3) Calculate the cost of that kind of system's components. (At the
website's cost, the general public)
4) Compare the cost of the infrastructure you required with the cost
which was estimated in assignment #1, How much is this cost (in
percent)?