LEC-1 [INTRODUCTION]

• Information Technology (IT)

  • is the use of computer systems or devices to access information.
  • can mean the difference between success and failure.
  • is the combination of HARDWARE and SOFTWARE PRODUCTS and SERVICES that companies use to manage, access, communicate, and share information.
  • is a VITAL ASSET that must be used effectively, updated constantly, and safeguarded carefully.
• Companies use INFORMATION as a weapon in the battle to increase productivity, deliver quality products and services, maintain customer loyalty, and make sound decisions.
• International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, nicknamed Big Blue, is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York.
• System Analysis & Design


  Step-by-step process for developing high-quality information systems
• Systems Analyst


  Plan, develop, and maintain information systems.
• Traditional Development of IS:

  • In-house Applications - are software applications developed by an organization for its own internal use.
  • Software Packages
• Today's Development of IS:

  • Internet-based application services - systems that allow you to book accommodations, tickets, and other services online; online payment systems; interactive Internet portals (websites that work with user input such as sign-up information);
  • Outsourcing - a business practice in which a company hires a third party to perform tasks, handle operations or provide services for the company.
  • Custom solutions - one that is designed specifically for a company and its unique needs.
  • Enterprise-wide software strategies
• A SYSTEM is a set of related components that produces specific results. Example:

  • Specialized systems route
  • Manufacture microchips
  • Control complex entities
• A MISSION-CRITICAL SYSTEM is one that is vital to a company’s operations. Example:

  Order processing system
• DATA:

  • Facts concerning things such as people, objects, or events
  • Unprocessed information; a raw material
  • An information system can store data in various locations called tables. By linking the tables, the system can extract specific information.
• INFORMATION - Data that have been processed and presented in a form suitable for human interpretation, often with the purpose of revealing trends or patterns.
• Five (5) IS Components:

  • People
  • Processes
  • Data
  • Software
  • Hardware
• HARDWARE: The PHYSICAL LAYER of the information system.
• Two (2) types of SOFTWARE:

  • System Software
  • Application Software
• SYSTEM SOFTWARE controls the hardware and software environment and includes the operating system.
• APPLICATION SOFTWARE consists of programs that that process data to produce information.

  • Enterprise applications
  • Horizontal system
  • Vertical system
  • Legacy systems
• Legacy system


  is an outdated computing software and/or hardware that is still in use. Example: Microsoft's Windows 7
• Horizontal marketing system

  is an alliance between two or more companies of different sectors or industries.
• Vertical marketing system


  is applied across two or more firms conducting business in the same industry. 
• PROCESSES: Define the tasks and business functions that users, managers, and IT staff members perform to achieve specific results
• PEOPLE: Users, or end users, are the people who interact with an information system, both inside and outside the company.
• Business process modeling is used to represent a company’s operations and information needs.
• Business Profile is an overview that describes a company’s overall functions, processes, organization, products, services, customers, suppliers, competitors, constraints, and future direction.
• Business Model

  Makes it easier for managers and systems analysts to understand day-to-day business operations.

  A business model is a graphical representation of one or more business processes that a company performs.
• NEW KINDS OF COMPANIES:

  • Production-oriented (Industrial) - companies that manufacture and sell goods
  • Service-oriented - mainly offer information, services, or sell goods made by others
  • Internet-dependent - Dot-com (.com)
  • Brick-and-mortar - a business that has a physical location that customers can visit in person.
• Internet-based commerce is called:

  • E-commerce (electronic commerce)
  • I-commerce (internet commerce)
• E-commerce includes two main sectors:

  • B2C (Business-to-consumer) - consumers can go online to purchase an enormous variety of products and services.
  • B2B (Business-to-business) - enables smaller suppliers to contact large customers, and allows purchasers to obtain instant information about market prices and availability.