Define Computer Hardware, Software and Networks

Computer Hardware

When computers first began moving into the business world in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the computing environment was best described as centralized, host-based computing. In this environment, the typical organization had a large mainframe computer (the centralized host) connected to a number of “dumb” terminals scattered throughout the organization or at remote sites. The mainframe did all the data processing for all the user terminals connected to it.

In the mid-1960s, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) announced the development of the mini-computer. Smaller than the mainframe, the mini- computer ushered in the era of distributed data processing (DDP). In this new processing environment, an organization could connect one or more minicomputers to its mainframe. Thus, the organization’s data-processing function was no longer localized in a single, centralized computer (the mainframe) but, rather, distributed among all the computers.

The commercial introduction of the personal computer by IBM in the early 1980s revolutionized organizational data processing. The personal computer carried the distributed processing concept even further within organizations— it brought data processing to the desktop.

Also, it eclipsed the dumb terminal as the terminal of choice by users. The commercial success of the IBM personal computer led other computer manufacturers to develop their own personal computers that were compatible with the IBM PC (these are usually described as IBM clones or IBM-compatible computers).

One notable exception is Apple Computers, Inc., which developed its own line of non-IBM-compatible computers, namely the Apple and Macintosh line of computers. The all- inclusive term microcomputer is sometimes used to encompass all makes and models of desktop computers, including the IBM PC (and its clones) and the Apple/ Macintosh computers.

It is important to note that, despite their proliferation and ubiquity, personal computers have not replaced minicomputers or mainframes. A large number of organizations still rely on these larger computers for significant aspects of their day-to-day operations.

Computer Software

Computer software is the set of programs and associated data that drive the computer hardware to do the things that it does, such as performing arithmetic calculations or generating and printing a report. Software typically comes in one of two forms custom-written application programs or off-the-shelf software packages.

Custom-written application programs are usually written by an organization’s own programming team or by professional contract programmers to satisfy unique organizational requirements. Off-the-shelf software packages are produced by software development companies and made commercially available to the public. They usually fall in one of two main categories, namely system software or application software.

The former includes such specialized programs as operating systems, compilers, utility programs, and device drivers. While these programs are important—and necessary— to the overall performance of an information system (especially from the “machine” perspective), they are not the primary focus of corporate information systems. Their basic functions are more machine-oriented than human-oriented.

Application software is designed to more directly help human users in the performance of their specific job responsibilities, such as business decision making, inventory tracking, and customer record keeping. From a software perspective, this is what corporate information systems are primarily concerned with.

One of the very important information systems functions is systems analysis and design, that is, analyzing a client’s business situation (or problem), with respect to information processing, and designing and implementing an appropriate—usually computerized—solution to the problem. Information systems professionals who specialize in this area are known as systems analysts. The process begins with a detailed determination of the client’s information requirements and business processes. The solution frequently involves some programming, as well as the use of an appropriate application software package(s), such as a database management system (DBMS) for designing and implementing a database for the client. It may also involve some networking considerations, depending on the user’s requirements and goals. Some typical organizational information systems that can result from a systems analysis and design effort include the following.

Computer Networks

Together with computer technology, data communications technology has had a very significant impact on organizational information processing. There have been tremendous increases in the bandwidths (i.e., signal-carrying capacities) of all data communications media, including coaxial cables, fiber-optic cables, microwave transmission, and satellite transmission.

Wide area networks (WANs) provide access to remote computers and databases, thus enabling organizations to gain access to global markets, as well as increase their information sources for decision making purposes. The Internet in particular— the worldwide network of computer networks— has greatly facilitated this globalization phenomenon by making it possible to connect any computer to virtually any other computer in any part of the world. Advances in networking technologies have also enabled organizations to connect their in-house personal computers to form local area networks (LANs). This greatly facilitates organizational communication and decision-making processes.