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Computer Hardware
The physical components of information technology, which can include the computer itself plus peripherals such as storage devices, input devices like the mouse and keyboard, output devices like monitors and printers, networking equipment, and so on.
Software
Refers to a computer program of collection of programs-sets of instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Software gets your computer to behave like a Web browser or word processor, makers your iPod play music, and enables your ATM to spit out cash.
Operating System
The software that controls the computer hardware and establishes standards for developing and executing applications
Applications
Includes desktop applications, enterprise software, utilities, and other programs that perform specific tasks for users and organizations.
Layers
You can think of software as being part of allayer cake, with hardware at the bottom; the operating system controlling the hardware and establishing standards, the application executing one layer up, and the users at the top.
User Interface (UI)
The mechanism through which users interact with a computing device. The UI includes elements of the graphical user interface (or GUI) such as windows, scroll bars, buttons, menus, and dialogue boxes; and can also include other forms of interaction, such as touch screens, motion sensing co…
Firmware
software stored on nonvolatile memory chips (as opposed to being stored on devices such as hard drives or removable discs). Despite the seemingly permanent nature of firmware, many products allow for firmware to be upgraded online or by connecting to another device.
Embedded Systems
Special-purpose software designed and included inside physical products (often on firmware). Embedded systems help make devices 'smarter', sharing usage information. Designed to perform one or a few dedicated functions, and are frequently built into conventional products like cars, air co…
Platform
Products and services that allow for the development and integration of software products and other complementary goods. Windows, the iPhone, the Wii, and the standards that allow users to create Facebook apps are all platforms
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
A software package that integrates the many functions (accounting, finance, inventory management, human resources, etc.) of a business
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
System used to support customer-related sales and marketing activities
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Systems that can help a firm manage aspects of its value chain, from the flow of raw materials into the firm, through delivery of finished products and services at the point-of-consumption.
Business Intelligence Systems (BI)
Systems that use data created by other systems to provide reporting and analysis for organizational decision making
Database Management System (DBMS)
Sometimes referred to as database software; software for creating, maintaining, and manipulating data.
Server
A program the fulfills the requests of a client
Client
A software program that makes requests of a server program
Application Server
Software that houses and serves business logic for use (and reuse) by multiple applications
Web Services
Small pieces of code that are accessed via the application server which permit interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
Programming hooks, or guidelines, published by firms that tell other programs how to get a service to perform a task such as send or receive data. For example, Amazon.com provides APIs to let developers write their own applications and websites that can send the firm orders.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
A set of standards for exchanging messages containing formatted data between computer applications
Extensible Markup Language (XML)
A tagging language that can be used to identify data fields made available for use by other applications. Most APIs and web serves send messages where the data exchanged is wrapped in identifying XML tags.
Programming Language
Provides the standards, syntax, statements and instructions for writing computer software
Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
An application that includes an editor (a sort of programmers word processor) debugger, and comelier, among other tools. Most popular IDE for Windows is Visual Studio, Apples is Xcode
Why do IT projects fail?
-Unrealistic project goals -Poor project leadership and weak executive commitment -Innacurate estimates of needed resources -Badly defined system requirements and allowing "feature creep" during development -Poor reporting of the projects status -Poor communication among customers, d…
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
All of the costs associated with the design, development, testing, implementation, documentation, training and maintenance of a software system.
Marginal Cost
The cost of producing one more unit of a project
Open Source Software (OSS)
Software that is free and where anyone can look at and potentially modify the code
Cloud Computing
Replacing computing resources-either an organizations or individuals hardware or software-with services that is delivered online
Software as a Service (SaaS)
A form of cloud computing where a firm subscribes to a a third-party software and receives a service that is delivered online.
Virtualization
A type of software that allows a single computer (to cluster of connected computers) to function as if it were several different computers, each running its own operating system and software. Virtualization software underpins most cloud computing efforts and can make computing more effici…
Linux
An open source software operating system
LAMP
LINUX, the APPACHE web server software, the MYSQL database, and any of several programing languages that start with P (PERL, PYTHON, PHP)
Scalability
Ability to either handle increasing workloads or to be easily expanded to manage workload increases. In a software context, systems that aren't scalable often require significant rewrites or the purchase or development of entirely new systems.
Open Source Issues
Competing reports cite cetain open souce products as being difficult to install and maintain (suggesting potentially higher total cost of ownership). Another major concern is legal exposure. Firms adopting OSS may be at risk if they distribute code and aren't aware of the licensing implic…
Utility Computing
A form of could computing where a firm develops it's own software, and then runs it over the internet on a service providers computers
Service Legal Agreement (SLA)
A negotiated agreement between the customer and the vendor, the SLA may specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation, or other commitment requirements

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