Components of information system

• Components of Information System

  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Networking and Telecommunication
  • Database
  • People and Procedures
• Hardware

  Any machinery (most of which uses digital circuits) that assists in the input, processing, storage, and output activities of an information system
• Hardware

  • The overriding consideration of a business should be how hardware can support the objectives of the information system and the goals of the organization
• Input devices

  Let businesses rapidly enter data into a computer system
• Output devices

  Let businesses produce timely results
• Human-readable data

  Data that people can read and understand
• Machine-readable data

  Data that can be understood and read by computer devices
• Data entry and input

  1. Convert human-readable data into machine-readable form

  2. Transfer machine-readable data into the system
• Online data entry and input


  Communicating and transferring data to computer devices directly connected to the computer system
• Source data automation


  Capturing and editing data where it is originally created and in a form that can be directly input to a computer
• Input device


  Any hardware device that is used to enter data to a computer
• Personal computer input devices

  • Keyboard
  • Computer mouse
• Ergonomic keyboards


  Keyboards that are more comfortable, more easily adjusted, and faster to use than standard keyboards
• Speech-recognition technology


  Allows a computer equipped with a microphone to interpret human speech as an alternative means of providing data or instructions to the computer
• Digital cameras


  Record and store images or video in digital form
• Terminals


  Input and display devices that perform data entry and input at the same time
• Scanning devices


  Used to input image and character data
• Optical data readers


  Devices that can scan documents, including optical mark recognition (OMR) and optical character recognition (OCR)
• Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)


  A system for reading banking data quickly using special magnetic ink
• Magnetic stripe card


  Stores limited amounts of data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based particles contained in a band on the card
• Point-of-sale (POS) devices


  Terminals used in retail operations to enter sales information into the computer system
• Automated teller machine (ATM) devices


  Terminals that bank customers use to perform withdrawals and other transactions with their bank accounts
• Pen input devices


  Allow you to activate commands, enter handwritten notes, and draw objects and figures by touching the screen
• Touch-sensitive screens


  Allow you to start a program or trigger other types of action by touching certain parts of the screen
• Bar-code scanners


  Employ a laser scanner to read a bar-coded label
• Radio frequency identification (RFID)


  A system that transmits data from a mobile device (tag) which is read by an RFID reader and processed
• Output device


  Provides output from the computer system to decision makers
• Display monitors


  Devices similar to a TV screen that display output from the computer
• Printers and plotters


  Produce hard copy output on paper
• The speed of a printer is typically measured by the number of pages printed per minute (ppm)
• The quality, or resolution, of a printer's output depends on the number of dots printed per inch (dpi)
• Hard copy


  Paper output from a printer
• Main types of printers

  • Laser printers
  • Inkjet printers
• Printers


  • Available with different speeds, features, and capabilities
  • Can be set up to accommodate paper forms, such as blank cheque forms and invoice forms
• Newer printers


  • Allow businesses to create customized printed output for each customer from standard paper and data input using full colour
• Ticket-receipt printers


  • Used in restaurants, ATMs, and point-of-sale systems
• Printer speed


  Measured by the number of pages printed per minute (ppm)
• Printer resolution


  Quality depends on the number of dots printed per inch (dpi)
• A 600-dpi printer prints more clearly than a 300-dpi printer
• Inkjet or laser cartridge


  A recurring cost of using a printer that must be replaced periodically