INFO 210 Ch. 5

MIS infrastructure

includes the plans for how a firm will build, deploy, use, and share its data, processes, and MIS assets

Hardware

consists of the physical devices associated with a computer system

Software

set of instructions the hardware executes to carry out specific tasks

Network

communications system created by linking two or more devices and establishing a standard methodology in which they can communicate

Client

computer designed to request information from a server

Server

computer dedicated to providing information in response to requests

Enterprise architect

a person grounded in technology, fluent in business, and able to provide the important bridge between MIS and the business

Information MIS infrastructure

Supporting operations: identifies where and how important information ,such as customer records, is maintained and secured

Agile MIS infrastructure

Supporting change: includes the hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment that, when combined, provides the underlying foundation to support the organization's goals

Sustainable MIS infrastructure

Supporting the environment: identifies ways that a company can grow in terms of computing resources while simultaneously becoming less dependent on hardware and energy consumption

Backup

exact copy of a system's information

Recovery

ability to get a system up and running in the event of a system's crash or failure that includes restoring the information backup

Fault tolerance

the ability for a system to respond to unexpected failures or system crashes as the backup system immediately and automatically takes over with no loss of service

Failover

a specific type of fault tolerance, occurs when a redundant storage server offers an exact replica of the real-time data, and it they primary server crashes, the users are automatically directed to the secondary server or backup server

Failback

occurs when the primary machine recovers and resumes operations, taking over from the secondary server

Disaster recovery plan

a detailed process for recovering information or a system in the event of catastrophic disaster

Hot site

separate and fully equipped facility where the company can move immediately after a disaster and resume business

Warm site

a separate facility with computer equipment that requires installation and configuration

Cold site

separate facility that does not have any computer equipment but is a place where employees can meet after a disaster

Disaster recovery cost curve

charts (1) the cost to the company of the unavailability of information and technology and (2) the cost to the company of recovering from a disaster over time

Business continuity plan

details how a company recovers and restores critical business operations and systems after a disaster or extended disruption

Emergency notification serve

infrastructure built for notifying people in the event of an emergency

Accessibility

refers to the varying levels that define what a user can access, view, or perform when operating a system

Administrator access

unrestricted access to the entire system

Availability

refers to the time frames when the system is operational

Unavailable

when the system is not operating and cannot be used

High availability

occurs when a system is continuously operational at all times

Maintainability (flexibility)

refers to how quickly a system can transform to support environmental changes

Portability

refers to the ability of an application to operate on different devices or software platforms, such as different operating systems

Reliability (accuracy)

ensures a system is functioning correctly and providing accurate information

Scalability

describes how well a system can scale up, or adapt to the increased demands of growth

Performance

measures how quickly a system performs a process or transaction

Capacity planning

determines future environmental infrastructure requirements to ensure high-quality system performance

Usability

degree to which a system is easy to learn and efficient and satisfying to use

Moore's Law

refers to the computer chip performance per dollar doubles every 18 months

Sustainable or green MIS

describes the production, management, use, and disposal of technology in a way that minimizes damage to the environment

Corporate social responsibility

companies' acknowledged responsibility to society

Ewaste

refers to discarded, obsolete, or broken electronic devices

Sustainable MIS disposal

refers to the safe disposal of MIS assets at the end of their life cycle

Grid computing

a collection of computers, often geographically dispersed, that are coordinated to solve a common problem

smart grid

delivers electricity using two-way digital technology

Cloud computing

refers to the use of resources and applications hosted remotely on the Internet

Utility computing

offers a pay per use revenue model similar to a metered service such as gas or electricity

Infrastructure as a service

service that delivers hardware networking capabilities, including the use of servers, networking, and storage over the cloud using a pay per use revenue model

Dynamic scaling

MIS infrastructure can be automatically scaled up or down based on needed requirements

Software as a service

delivers applications over the cloud using a pay per use revenue model

Platform as a service

supports the deployment of entire systems including hardware, networking, and applications using a pay per revenue model

Virtualization

creates multiple "virtual" machines on a single computing device

Data center

facility used to house management information systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems