Week 2: Hardware, Software & Prof Marc-André Léger,

MScA (MIS), MBA, EMBA,

Cloud computing C.Adm., PhD Candidate
 • Concordia University (Montréal)
• John-Molson School of Business
• Supply-Chain and
Business Technology Management
• Part-time Faculty

ma.leger@concordia.ca
 VP

VC VE

Value chain
 • Hardware: the equipment, such as a
computer, printers and other physical
devices

• Software: what makes the hardware do

stuff that is usefull to us
5 components
of an • Business processes: what we do, in part
with the software but also with the data
Information
systems • Data: the information we need for the
business processes and the software

• People: the individuals, the users of

information systems, who create value
and use them
Hardware
The equipment
A brief history of computers
• Who invented the computer and when ?
• When did « we » start using computers ?
• First uses in business ?
• The game changer : the microprocessor
 1. Stand-alone Mainframes
2. Mainframe and Dumb Terminals
Evolution 3. Stand-alone Personal Computers
of the
Modern 4. Local Area Networks
IT (Client/Server Computing)
Infrastructure 5. Enterprise Computing
6. Cloud Computing and
Mobile Computing
 Software
Makes the hardware usefull
Different types of software
 • Software: a set of computer programs that
enable the hardware to process data
• Computer program: the sequence of
instructions for the computer, which
comprise software
• Documentation: written description of the
INTRODUCTION functions of a software program
TO SOFTWARE • Systems software: a set of instructions that
serves primarily as an intermediary
between computer hardware and
application programs
• Application software: a set of computer
instructions that provide more specific
functionality to a user

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 SYSTEMS SOFTWARE

• Operating system: supervises the overall operation of the computer by monitoring the
computer’s status, scheduling operations, and managing input and output processes.
• Functions performed by systems software:
• Control and support information processing activities
• Control and support peripherals (e.g. printers, keyboard, mouse)
• Enables self-regulatory functions of the computer
• Provides commonly used sets of instructions for all applications
• Supports application software by directing the computer’s basic functions

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Windows 7 boot process
 • Spreadsheets
• Word Processing
• Desktop Publishing
Major Types of • Data Management
• Presentation
Personal
• Graphics
Application • Personal Information
Software Management
• Personal Finance
• Web Authoring
• Communications 17
The value of data
Knowledge Contextualized $$$

Information Structured $$

Data $
Raw data
How the users use the information system

Strategic

Tactic

Actions
 Cloud
Computing
Externalizing
the
information systems
 • Provides On-Demand Self-Service
• Enables organizations to utilize
What is resources more efficiently
Cloud
Computing? • Provides fault tolerance and
redundancy
• Makes it easy to scale up or down
Cloud Computing Services

INFRASTRUCTURE-AS-A- PLATFORM-AS-A-SERVICE SOFTWARE-AS-A-SERVICE

SERVICE (IAAS) (PAAS) (SAAS)
 • 1: Positive impact on employees
• Access information anywhere, on
any device, across organizational
boundaries
Three Major • 2: Can save money
Benefits of Cloud • Reduces or eliminates need to
purchase hardware, build and
Computing to install software and pay software
Individuals & licensing fees
Organizations • 3: Can improve organizational
flexibility and competitiveness
• Using only computing resources
needed at any given time, can scale
operations up or down as needed