CHAPTER-3

INFORMATION TECNOLOGY
INFRASTRUCTURE

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IT INFRASTRUCTURE
• An IT infrastructure consists of a set of physical devices and software
applications that are required to operate the entire enterprise.
• But an IT infrastructure is also a set of firm wide services budgeted by
management and comprising both human and technical capabilities.

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Cont..
• IT infrastructure: – Set of physical devices and software required to
operate enterprise
– Set of firm wide services including:
• Computing platforms providing computing services
• Telecommunications services
• Data management services
• Application software services
• IT management, education, and other services – “Service platform”
perspective
• More accurate view of value of investments 3
Cont..
• IT infrastructure is the shared technology resources that provide the
platform for the firm’s specific information system applications.
• IT infrastructure includes hardware, software, and services that are
shared across the entire firm.
• Major IT infrastructure components include computer hardware
platforms, operating system platforms, enterprise software platforms,
networking and telecommunications platforms, database
management software, Internet platforms, and consulting services
and systems integrators.

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Cont..
These services include the following:
• Computing platforms used to provide computing services that
connect employees, customers, and suppliers into a coherent digital
environment, including large mainframes, midrange computers,
desktop and laptop computers, and mobile handheld and remote cloud
computing services.
• Telecommunications services that provide data, voice, and video
connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers

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Cont..
• The services a firm is capable of providing to its customers, suppliers,
and employees are a direct function of its IT infrastructure.
• Ideally, this infrastructure should support the firm’s business and
information systems strategy.
• New information technologies have a powerful impact on business
and IT strategies, as well as the services that can be provided to
customers.

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Cont..
The five stages of IT infrastructure evolution are as follows:
• the mainframe era
• the personal computer era
• the client/server era
• the enterprise computing era
• and the cloud and mobile computing era.

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IT Infrastructure has seven main components
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

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Computer hardware platforms
– Client machines
• Desktop PCs, mobile devices—PDAs, laptops – Servers
• Blade servers: ultrathin computers stored in racks – Mainframes:
• IBM mainframe equivalent to thousands of blade servers – Top chip
producers: AMD, Intel, IBM – Top firms: IBM, HP, Dell, Sun
Microsystems

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Operating system platforms
• Operating systems
• Server level: 65% run Unix or Linux; 35% run Windows
• Client level: – 90% run Microsoft Windows (XP, 2000, CE, etc.) –
Mobile/multitouch (Android, iOS

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Data management and storage
Database software:
• IBM (DB2), Oracle, Microsoft (SQL Server), MySQL
 Physical data storage:
• EMC Corp (large-scale systems), Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital
 Storage area networks (SANs):
• Connect multiple storage devices on dedicated network

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Networking/telecommunications platforms
– Telecommunication services
• Telecommunications, cable, telephone company charges for voice
lines and Internet access
• Hadara – Network hardware providers:
• Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Juniper Networks

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Internet platforms
– Hardware, software, management services to support company Web
sites, (including Web hosting services) intranets, extranets
– Internet hardware server market: IBM, Dell, Sun (Oracle), HP
– Web development tools/suites: Microsoft (Expression Studio, .NET)
Oracle-Sun (Java), Adobe, Real Networks

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Consulting and system integration services
– Even large firms do not have resources for full range of support for
new, complex infrastructure
– Software integration: ensuring new infrastructure works with legacy
systems
– Legacy systems: older TPS(Transaction process system)created for
mainframes that would be too costly to replace or redesign

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Enterprise software applications
Enterprise application providers: SAP and Oracle
• System
• Application
• Products
• SAP is a software development corporation that provides ERP
(Enterprise resource planning) software solution in the market.
• ERP is a tool used for the management of business process across
Various indusries
• The software was developed one of the largest companies in the world.
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Cont..
Major challenges include
• dealing with platform and infrastructure change
• handling infrastructure management and governance
• and making wise infrastructure

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Foundation of business intelligence
• “Managing information resources” initially meant managing data, first in
files, then in corporate databases which were:
 Well structured
 Carefully defined, and
 Controlled by IS department
 Next = expanded to include “information” (data with meaning)
 Also = much talk of managing knowledge
With the emergence of the Internet, talk has now turned to managing content:
Text, graphics, sound, video and animation

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Cont..
• Data vs. Information vs. Knowledge
• Data: facts devoid of meaning or intent
• Information: data in context
• Knowledge: information with direction or intent

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Cont..
• Telecommunications = electronically sending data in any form from
one place to another between
• People
• Machines, or
• Objects

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Cont..
• Generally, IS departments have been responsible for designing,
building, and maintaining the information highway in the same way
that governments are responsible for building and maintaining
streets, roads, and freeways
• Once built, the network, with its nodes and links, provides
infrastructure for the flow of information and messages
• Telecom is the basis for the way people and companies work today
• It provides the infrastructure for moving information and messages

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Cont..
some countries – the changes in Telecom are coming fast and furiously.
Here are some major changes taking place:
• A New Telecommunications Infrastructure is Being Built: ◦ The oldest
part of the telecommunications infrastructure is the telephone
network
• This global network was built on twisted-pair copper wires and was
intended for voice communications
• It uses analog technology, which although appropriate for delivering
high-quality voice, is inefficient for data transmission ◦ Dedicated
circuit (switching)
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Cont..
Today, the new telecommunications infrastructure is being built around
the world aimed at transmitting data, and consists of:
• Wired - fiber optic links
• Wireless – radio signals
• Both use packet switching, where messages are divided into packets,
each with an address header, and each packet is sent separately
• No circuit is created; each packet may take a different path through
the network

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cont..
The Internet can handle all kinds of intelligent user devices, including:
• Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones
• Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
• Gaming consoles, and – All manner of wireless devices
• The global telecom infrastructure is changing from a focus on voice to
a focus on data.
• Bandwidth on fiber is now doubling capacity every four months

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Trend in MIS
• Management information systems (MIS) are complex decision support
systems used by companies to enhance and improve their business
operations.
• Historically, an MIS was a management tool to help company
management make informed decisions for their business based on
information gathered from all business departments. Technology has
greatly improved the effectiveness of the MIS.

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Enterprise Resource Planning

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a form of MIS that is

installed in all departments and locations of businesses to enhance
the availability of company information. With the globalization of the
economic marketplace, companies have sought ways to improve their
ability to collect and report financial information to management for
effective decision making. ERPs fill this void by allowing companies to
use one computer system to effectively record all company
information.

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Benefits of Networking

• Another trend in MIS is the ability for companies to network with

other companies for business purposes. Manufacturing firms can
shorten their supply chain using electronic data interchange (EDI) to
transfer the necessary information for ordering more products.
Networking also allows companies to transfer money through several
bank accounts, creating a quicker process for paying bills and
purchasing materials.
• An MIS ensures that management has all the pertinent information
for these business operations, allowing them to review the
effectiveness of their operations.

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Data Mining, a Powerful Tool

• An important trend in MIS is the ability for companies to use data

mining tools to collect information regarding consumer purchases and
other economic trends.
• This allows management to translate this information into goals and
directions for future business operations.
• Most MIS software also has trending or forecasting models that allow
companies to project emerging consumer markets for profitable
operations. Companies can use their internal figures in the MIS to
measure the effectives of their external data mining techniques.

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END OF 3.1

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Database and information management

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