Telecommunications and Networking (Chapter 6)

Introduction
 There are 3 important points about network that you need to know
- Modern organizations computers do not work in isolation, but they constantly
exchange data with one another
- Exchange of data- facilitated by telecommunications technologies- provides
companies with a number of very significant advantages
- This exchange can take place over any distance and over networks of any size
 Without networks, your computer will just be a productivity-enhancement tool,
like the typewriter once was
 Networks support new and innovative ways of doing business in every area,
including marketing, supply chain management, customer service, and human
resources management
 The internet and private internets have enormous impact on our lives both
professionally and personally
 For all organizations, having a telecommunications and networking system is no
longer a source of competitive advantage, it is necessary for survival
 Computer networks are essential to modern organizations
- Networked computer systems enable organizations to become more flexible and
adapt to changing business conditions
- Networks allows companies to share hardware, computer applications, and data
across the organization and among different organizations
- Networks make it possible for geographically dispersed employees to share info
and communicate
6.1: What is a Computer Network?
 Computer Network: A system that connects computers and other devices (Ex.
printers) via communications media so that data and information can be
transmitted among them
 Voice and data communications networks are becoming faster, which means their
bandwidth is increasing, which is the transmission capacity of a network and it is
stated in bits per second
- Ranges from narrowband (Low transmission capacity) to broadband (High
transmission capacity, faster than 25Mbps)
 The various types of computer networks range from small to worldwide, which
include Personal Area Networks (PANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), Metropolitan
Area Networks (MANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), and the internet
Local Area Networks
 Connects two or more devices in a limited geographical region, usually within the
same building, so that every device on the network can communicate
 Most LANs today use Ethernets
 Many LANs have a server file or network server (A computer that contains
various software and data files for a LAN and contains the network operating
system)
Wide Area Networks
 A network that covers a large geographical area
 WANs typically connect multiple LANs, and are generally provided by common
carriers, such as telephone companies and global communication service providers
(Ex. Bell Canada)
 WANs have large capacity, and they typically combine multiple channels (Ex. The
internet)
Enterprise Networks
 An organization’s network composed of interconnected multiple LANs and WANs

(Example of enterprise network)

 Unfortunately, traditional networks are rigid and lack the flexibility to keep pace
with increasing business networking requirements. The reason is that the functions
of traditional networks are distributed across physical routers and devices (Ex.
Hardware). Each process must be configured individually, or manually
 Software Defined Networks (SDNs) are an emerging technology that is important to
help organizations manage their data flows across enterprise networks
 - Decisions controlling network traffic flows across network devices are managed
centrally by software, which dynamically adjusts data to meet business and
application needs
6.2: Network Fundamentals
 Today, computer networks communicate via digital signals, which are discrete
pulses that are either on or off representing a series of bits (0’s and 1’s). This
quality allows digital signals to convey info in a binary form that can be interpreted
by computers
Communications Media and Channels
 Communicating data from one locations to another requires some form of
pathway or medium
- A communications channel is a medium (Composed of cable and broadcast)
- Wireline Media use physical wires or cables to transmit data and information. An
alternative is broadcast media, which use electromagnetic media (airwaves) to
transmit data
Network Protocols
 Computer devices that are connected to the network must access and share the
network to transmit and receive data
- Protocol: The set of rules and procedures governing transmission across a
network, the two major protocols are Ethernet and Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol
 Ethernet: A common LAN protocol. Many organizations use 100-GB Ethernet
 TCP/IP: The protocol of the internet. Uses a suite of protocols, the main ones being
the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP)
 TCP manages packet data flow between computers by establishing a connection
between them, sequences the transfer of packets, and acknowledges that packets
have been transmitted
 IP disassembles, delivers, and reassembles the data during transmission
 Before data is transmitted over the internet, that are divided into packets. Each
packet carries the info that will help reach its destination (IP address, intended
receiver’s IP address, number of packets, sequence numbers of packets)
- Each packet travels independently across the network and can be routed to
different paths
Types of Network Processing
 Distributed Processing divides processing work among two or more computers,
which enables computers in different locations to communicate with one another
via telecommunications links. Has many different types:
- Client/Server Computing: Links two or more computers in an arrangement in
which some machines (servers) provide computing services for user PCs (clients).
Typically, an organization performs the bulk of the processing
- Peer-to-Peer Processing: (P2P) A type of client/server distributed processing
where each computer acts as both a client and server. Each computer can access
all files on all other computers. There are 3 types of P2P:
 Accesses unused CPU power among networked computers
 Real time Person-to-Person collaboration (Ex. Microsoft SharePoint Workspace)
 Advanced search and file sharing. Characterized by natural language searches of
millions of peer systems (Ex. BitTorrent)
6.3: The Internet and the World Wide Web
 The Internet is a global WAN that connects approx. 1 million organizational
computer networks in more than 200 countries on all continents
 The computers and organizational nodes on the Internet can be of different types
and makes, and they are connected to one another by data communications line of
different speeds
 The primary network connections and telecommunications lines that link the
nodes are the internet backbone
- For the Internet, the backbone is a fiber-optic network that is primarily operated
by large telecommunications companies
 Today, Internet technologies are being used within and among organizations
- Intranet: A network that uses internet protocols so that users can take advantage
of familiar applications and work habits
- Extranet: Connects parts of the intranets of different organizations, and enables
business partners to communicate securely over the internet using VPNs
 No central agency manages the internet. Instead, the costs of the operation are
shared among thousands of nodes
 Organizations must pay a small fee if they wish to register their names, and they
need to install their own software and hardware to operate their internal networks
Accessing the Internet
 Connecting via an Online Service
- You can access the internet by opening an account with an Internet Service
Provider (ISP), which is a company that provides internet for a fee
- ISPs connect to each other through Network Access Points (NAPs), and they are
exchange points for internet traffic. They determine how traffic is routed, and they
are key components of the Internet Backbone
 Connecting Via Other Means
- There have been several attempts to make access to the internet cheaper, faster,
and easier
- Ex. Dial up, DSL, Cable modem, Satellite, Wireless
Addresses on the Internet
 Each computer on the internet has an assigned address, called the Internet
Protocol (IP) Address that distinguishes it from all other computers
 The IP address consists of sets of numbers, in four parts, separated by dots (Ex.
132.32.143.89)
 Two IP address schemes:
- IPv4 (32 bits)
- IPv6 (128 bits)
 IP addresses must be unique so that computers on the internet know where to find
one another
 Because IP addresses are hard to remember, most computers have names as well.
ICANN accredits certain companies called registrars to register these names, which
are derived from the Domain Name System (DNS)
 There are top level domains (TLDs), such as:
- .com
- .edu.gov
- .org
The Future of the Internet
 Researchers assert that if internet is not improved rapidly, then within a few years
the internet will be able to function only at a much reduced speed
 The internet is sometimes too slow to handle things like full-motion video files and
large medical file (X-rays)
- In addition, the internet is unreliable and is not secure
 Research networks are working toward developing new technologies to support
the growing needs of the internet
  CANARIE is a not-for-profit organization that wants to de research and implement
advanced communication networks
The World Wide Web
 Many people equate the internet with the World Wide Web, but they aren’t the
same thing
 The internet functions as a transport mechanism, and the worldwide web is an
application that uses those transport functions
 World Wide Web is a system of universally accepted standards for storing,
retrieving, formatting, and displaying info via a client/server architecture. Handles
digital info including text, hypermedia, graphics and sound
 Hypertext is the text displayed on a computer display or other electronic device
with references, called hyperlinks, to other text that the reader can immediately
access, or where text can be revealed
6.4: Network Applications: Discovery
 The internet enables users to access or discover information located in databases
all over the world. By browsing and searching data sources on the web, users can
apply the internet’s discovery capability to areas such as education, government
services, etc.
 It is important to know that there is no quality assurance on the web, anything can
be written there
 A search engine is a computer program that searches for specific information by
keywords and then reports the results (Ex. Google)
 There is automatic translation of web pages that you can use to translate foreign
languages (Ex. google translate)
 A portal is a web based, personalized gateway to information and knowledge that
provides relevant information from different IT systems and the internet using
advanced search and indexing techniques. There are 4 different types:
- Commercial (Public) Portal: Most popular type of portal. Intended for broad and
diverse audiences, and offers routine content (Ex. Yahoo Canada, The Loop)
- Affinity Portal: Offers a single point of entry to an entire community of affiliated
interests, such as a hobby group (Ex. Conservative Party site, Liberal Party site)
- Corporate Portal: Offers a personalized, single point of access through a web
browser to critical business information located in and out of an organization (Also
known as enterprise portals, information portals)
- Industrywide Portal: Serves entire industries (Ex. Canadian Trucker Alliance)
6.5: Network Application: Communication
  There are many types of communication technologies, such as Email, call centres,
etc.
 Email is the largest-volume application running over the internet. Almost all
companies conduct business transactions via Email
 Web-Based Call Centres, which can be used for customer support via Email,
telephone, or a voice/web session
 Electronic Chat Rooms is an arrangement where people exchange conversation
messages to people who are connected to the same channel of communication at
the same time
- Web based, which is used by a web browser
- Email-based, which is called Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and is text only
 Voice communication uses the internet as the transmission medium for telephone
calls. Your analogue voice signals are digitized, sent into packets, and sent over the
internet (Ex. Skype)
 Unified Communications simplifies and integrates all forms of communications (Ex.
voice, voicemail, fax, etc.) on a common hardware and software platform
 Telecommuting is a work arrangement where employees can work anywhere they
want by using a computer linked to their place of employment
6.6: Network Applications: Collaboration
 Workflow is the movement of information as it progresses through the sequence
of steps that make up an organization’s work procedures
- Workflow management makes it possible to pass documents, info, and task from
one person to another in a way that is allowed by the organization
 Virtual groups allow people to “meet” electronically
 Virtual Collaboration allows organizations or dispersed individuals to plan, design
and develop together electronically (Ex. Google drive)
 Crowdsourcing: Where an organization outsources a task to an undefined, large
group of people in the form of an open call
- Crowds can solve problems at a low cost and very quickly. They can tap a wider
range of talent, and they can gain insight into their customer’s desires
- Teleconferencing uses effective communication technology to allow two or more
people at different locations to hold a conference

6.7: Educational
 E-learning is learning supported by the web, and can take place inside the
classroom, like when students work on the web during class
 Distance Learning is any learning situation in which teachers and students cannot
meet face to face
 Virtual Universities are online universities where students take classes via the
internet either at home or at another location (Ex. Athabasca university)

Social Commerce (Chapter 9)

 Traditional information systems support organizational activities and business
processes, and they concentrate on cost reductions and productivity increases
  A variation of the regular model, social computing, is focused on improving
collaboration and interaction among people and on encouraging user-generated
content
 Businesses today are using social computing in a variety of innovative ways, such
as marketing, customer relationship management and HR management
9.1: Web 2.0
 Web 2.0: A loose collection of information technologies and applications, plus the
websites that use them
- These websites enrich the user experience by encouraging user participation,
social interaction, and collaboration
- Web 2.0 sites usually harness collective intelligence (Ex. Wikipedia), deliver
functionality as services, rather than packaged software
 Web 1.0 was the creation of websites and the commercialization of the web, and
users typically had little interaction with the sites
 Web 2.0 has various tools:
- Tag: A keyword or item that describes a piece of information (Ex. Blog, picture,
article, etc.) Users typically choose tags that mean something to them. Allows
users to place info in multiple, overlapping associations rather than rigid categories
(Ex. A pic of a car might be tagged “corvette”, “sports car”)
- Blogs: A personal website, open to the public, in which the site creator expresses
his or her feelings or opinions via a series of chronological entries. Bloggers often
provide useful info, maybe even before the info becomes available, but they may
be inaccurate
- Microblogs: A form of blogging that allows users to write short messages (Or
capture an image or embedded video) and publish them. Can be submitted from a
computer, phone, instant messaging (Ex. Twitter)
- Wikis: A website made up entirely of content posted by users. They have an “edit”
link on each page that allows any user to add, change, or delete material, and
fosters easy collaboration
 Web 2.0 has various sites:
- Social Networking Sites: A social structure composed of individuals, groups, or
organizations linked by values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, etc.
 Social Networking is any activity performed using social software tools (Ex.
Blogging) or social networking features (Ex. Media sharing)
- Enterprise Social Networks: Business oriented social networks can be public, such
as LinkedIn. They are owned and managed by an independent company. They can
be used for networking and community building both inside and outside an
 organization. Social collaboration can be used for problem solving. Social
publishing can be collaborated between employees. Social intelligence to monitor
and interpret conversations and interactions. Can also give social views and
feedback
- Mashups: A website that takes different context from a number of other websites
and mixes it together to create a new kind of content (Ex. Google maps can be
used to find crime scenes and car sales based on a map from the site)
9.2: Fundamentals of Social Computing in Business
 Social Computing (Social Commerce): The delivery of electronic commerce
activities and transactions through social computing
- Social commerce also supports social interactions and user contributions, allowing
customers to participate actively in the marketing and selling of products and
services in online marketplaces and communities
- Ex. Disney lets people book tickets on Facebook
 Benefits of Social Commerce:
- Better and faster vendor responses to complaints, because customers can air their
complaints publically on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Customers can assist other customers
- Customer expectations will be met quickly
- Customers can easily link, search, chat, and buy while staying on a social network
page
- Businesses can test new products quicker
- Businesses can learn more about customers
- Free advertising through viral marketing
 Risks of Social Commerce:
- Companies must be willing to risk negative reviews and feedback
- Content from users is not filtered and not edited
- If company turns off user comments and feedback, it may reflect negatively on
them
- 20-80 rule of thumb (Minority of users post the most content)
- Invasion of privacy
- Violation of intellectual property and copyright
- Employee reluctance to participate
- Data leakage of personal information and corporate strategic information
- Cyberbullying/cyberstalking and employee harassment
9.3: Social Computing in Business: Shopping
  Social Shopping: A method of electronic commerce that takes key aspects of social
networks (Friends, groups, voting, etc.) and focuses them on shopping
- Helps shoppers connect with one another based on tastes, location, age, gender,
and other selected attributes
 Ratings, Reviews, and Recommendations:
- Customers typically collect information, such as what to buy, from which vendor,
and what price (Ex. Epinions.com)
- These are usually available in social shopping, where shoppers can give their own
ratings, reviews and discuss
 Group Shopping:
- Group shopping websites (Ex. Groupon.com) offer major discounts or special deals
for a short time frame
- Group buying is closely associated with special deals
 Shopping Communities and Clubs:
- Shopping clubs host sales for their members that last just a few days and usually
feature luxury brands and heavily discounted prices (Ex. Beyondtherack.com)
- Luxury brands effectively partner with online shopping clubs to dispose of some
goods
 Social Marketplaces
- Act as online intermediaries that harness the power of social networks for
introducing, buying, and selling products and services
- A social marketplace helps members market their own creations (Ex. Kijiji,
Craigslist)
 Peer-to-Peer Shopping Models:
- Individuals use these models to sell, buy, rent, or exchange online with other
individuals
- Many websites have emerged have emerged to facilitate online sharing (Ex.
Snapgoods)
- Encourage Collaborative Consumption, which is an economic model based on
sharing, swapping, trading, or renting products and services, enabling access over
ownership
 Person-to-Person Sharing: Includes peer-to-peer lending (Ex. lendingclub.com),
peer-to-peer accommodations (Ex. Airbnb.com) and car sharing (Ex. Uber)
 Business-to-Business Sharing: When two business come together and help each
other out (Ex. Marriott International offers meeting spaces on LiquidSpace)
9.4: Computing in Business: Marketing
 There are many components in a marketing campaign:
 - Define your target audience
- Develop your message
- Decide how you will deliver the message
- Follow up
 Advertising:
- Social advertising is advertising formats that make use of the social context of the
user viewing the ad. The first form of advertising to leverage forms of social
influence such as peer pressure and friends recommendations and likes
- Many experts believe advertising is the solution to the challenge of making money
from social networking sites and social commerce sites
- Most ads in social commerce consist of branded content paid for by advertisers,
broken into social advertisements (ads placed in media) and social apps (Online
applications for interaction and user contribution)
- Ways to advertise in social media include starting a Facebook page that can attract
fans, Tweet business success stories, put ads in YouTube videos, etc.)
 Market Research
- Traditionally, marketing professionals used demographics compiled by market
research firms as one of their primary tools to identify and target potential
customers, but it was time consuming and costly
- Members of social networks provide this information voluntarily on their
networks, and now merchants can easily fins their customers, see what they do
online, and learn what they do
- This information provides a new opportunity to assess markets in near real time
- Companies are using social computing tools to obtain feedback from customers,
which is referred to as conversational marketing
- Social computing doesn’t only generate results and info, but it makes closer
relationships with customers
Conducting Research Using Social Networks
 Customer sentiment expressed on social media represents an incredibly valuable
source of information for companies
 Customer activities and social networking sites generate huge amounts of data
that must be analyzed, so that management can conduct better marketing
campaigns and improve their product design
- (Ex. Wendy’s uses software to sift through thousands of customer messages and
analyze comments and use that to improve)
9.5: Social Computing in Business: Customer Relationship Management
  Social computing has vastly altered both the expectations of customers and the
capabilities of corporations in the area of customer relationship management
 Companies are closely monitoring social computing not only because they know
about negative comments, but because they see an opportunity to involve
customers proactively to reduce problems through better customer service
 Social computing provides many opportunities for business and it increases the
number of ways in which a business can keep in touch and receive feedback from
customers
9.6: Social Computing in Business: Human Resources Management
 Human Resources departments in many organizations use social computing
applications both outside their organizations (recruiting) and inside their
organizations (employee development)
 Recruiting:
- Both recruiters and job seekers are moving to online social networks as recruiting
platforms
- Enterprise recruiters are scanning online social networks, blogs, and other social
resources to find and get info on potential employees
- Job seekers can be found online by recruiters
 Finding a Job:
- Many job searchers use traditional job sites (Ex. Workopolis.com, LinkedIn.com)
- A number of other websites provide online services to recruiters by using info from
social networking websites
 Employee Development:
- HR managers know that the best strategy to enable, encourage, and promote
employee development is to build relationships with employees
- Many HR professionals use sites such as yammer.com and tibbr.com to connect
employees to work efficiently across all organizations. They help companies
simplify workflows and capture new ideas
- Training employees can be done by e-learning and interactive social learning tools,
which can create connections among learners, instructors and information