Unit 2: LO1

• Holders of Information:

  • Businesses hold information on employees including date of birth, address, and financial information for payroll purposes
  • Businesses also hold commercial information such as profits, losses, product descriptions, and historical data
  • The government holds information on citizens including financial earnings, tax paid, births, deaths, and addresses
  • A national census is taken every 10 years in the UK to record extensive data about everyone living in the country
• • Charities hold financial information on donors and information about projects funded by donations
  • Community organizations may hold information on members and events
• • Individuals hold information about themselves including name, date of birth, address, usernames, and passwords
  • Individuals also store information about others such as phone numbers, social media details, and email addresses
  • Educational organizations hold information about students and staff including addresses, attendance records, examination history, and contact information for parents or guardians
  • Healthcare services like the NHS hold medical records for each civilian including personal information, previous illnesses, operations, blood type, allergies, and prescriptions
• Storage Media:

  • Magnetic hard disk drives are common secondary storage in desktop computers, using a read/write head to read or edit data
  • Floppy disks have been replaced by solid state drives which are faster and have higher capacity
  • Magnetic tape is used by companies to backup large amounts of data
  • Optical storage uses a laser to read data from CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays
  • Solid state drives are replacing magnetic HDDs in modern computers and video game consoles, offering faster access speed
  • Paper storage includes printed or handwritten documents, notes, forms, schedules, and maps
• Access and Storage Devices:

  • Handheld devices are small, light, and portable but have low processing power and memory capacity
  • Portable devices like laptops are larger and more powerful than handheld devices
  • Fixed devices like desktop computers have higher processing power and storage capacity than handheld and portable devices
  • Shared devices like cloud storage allow multiple users to access data simultaneously
  • Data centres are dedicated buildings that contain computer systems
• Cloud storage frees up physical space for users as the storage is located on third-party servers
• Cloud storage devices allow authorised users such as clients or staff members to access information or work remotely
• Shared devices are reliant on stable network connections. If a connection is lost, access to the device will be affected
• Setting up shared devices within an organisation requires technical knowledge, especially for companies
• Copper cables are a cheaper type of wired internet connection that may be poorly insulated and susceptible to electromagnetic interference
• Copper cables are more likely to suffer from attenuation
• Copper cables are malleable and less likely to break than other cables such as fibre optic
• Fibre optic cables are a very fast but expensive type of wired internet connection
• Fibre optic cables are not affected by electromagnetic interference and suffer less from attenuation
• Fibre optic cables have a higher bandwidth
• Bluetooth is a temporary short-range communication between devices within a limit of about 10 metres
• Bluetooth can be used to transfer audio files from one smartphone to another
• Microwave connections use radio waves to send signals across a large area via microwave towers
• Satellite networks use point-to-multipoint communications by using satellites above Earth’s atmosphere
• GSM is a technology for allowing mobile phones to connect to a network for calls and text messages
• The internet is a global network of interconnected networks
• The world wide web is a way of accessing information, using protocols such as HTTPS to view webpages
• An intranet is a private network that is only accessible to authorised users
• An extranet is a private network that is accessible using the internet but provides access only to authorised users
• Speed refers to how quickly data can be accessed
• Security relates to how likely the data will be kept secure
• Access levels, or permissions, refer to who can see what, in terms of data in files
• Static web pages contain pre-built content that remains the same each time the page is loaded
• Dynamic web pages are generated when loaded and can appear different to different users
• Blogs are used to share information with like-minded individuals
• Podcasts are downloadable audio files on a certain topic that can be listened to when convenient to the user
• Streaming is the process of receiving video or audio data in a continuous flow
• Social media channels provide a huge amount of data on users in an informal space
• Emails can be used to provide information to a large number of people almost instantly
• Document stores allow users to store online files in cloud storage
• RSS Feeds allow users to subscribe to updates from their favourite websites
• Advantages for Individuals:

  • Increased speed for communication
  • Easy access to information
  • 24/7 access to services
  • Social interaction with others
• Disadvantages for Individuals:

  • Potential for identity theft
  • Cost of connection and services
  • Source of distraction
  • Cyberbullying and trolling
  • Spreading misinformation
• Advantages for Organisations:

  • Share data quickly globally
  • Online services always available
  • Easy internal communication
  • Open up the workplace
• Disadvantages for Organisations:

  • Malicious attacks and threats
  • Cost of maintaining and running services
  • Reputation and controversies