Welcome to the web-based training course “IT Basics –

Software”!
In terms of this course, software consists of two items,
operating systems and applications. In this course, you will
learn how a computer and its operating system and
applications are related to each other. You will also be
introduced to widespread operating systems and
applications.
The duration of this web-based training is approximately 50
minutes.
We wish you a successful learning experience!
To continue click the Next-Button.

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Here you see how to navigate within the course.

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Here you can see the learning objectives of this course.

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In the introduction, you will get some basic facts about the
relationship between hardware and software. The following
lessons will give you an overview about commonly used
software. The summary will provide you with the main points
and facts of the whole course.

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Computer hardware consists of physical parts, whereas
software is a collection of codes. But what is the relationship
between hardware, software and users? What are the
purposes and tasks of the software components? The
answer to these questions will be the topic of this lesson.

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An operating system, in short OS, is a type of software that
can be installed on hardware to perform three essential
tasks:

• The OS manages the hardware like the computer and its

various components and enables communication with the
connected devices, such as a monitor, printer or other
computers.
• The OS provides the basis for applications. Once an
operating system is running, additional applications can
be executed. These applications allow the user to
perform more specialized tasks such as creating and
editing documents and pictures. The OS transfers data
and commands from applications to other resources.
When you want to print a document, the OS transfers text
data and a print command from an application to the

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 printer.
• The OS provides a user interface. There can be different
types of interfaces: One type is the Command Line
Interface, also called CLI, that is displayed on a monitor
and accessible via keyboard. Another type is the
Graphical User Interface, also called GUI that is
accessible via keyboard and mouse or touchscreen via
gestures.

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In this lesson, you will understand the operating systems
that are used for different device classes as well as the
basic characteristics of several operating systems.
Furthermore, you understand the importance of lifecycle
management that is especially related to security concerns.

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There are different device classes with dedicated operating
systems to support the special requirements for the
respective devices. For example, a desktop OS, also called
client OS would run on PCs and laptops. Server operating
systems are used for different purposes. In general, a client
accesses a server through a network. A server OS is on a
large-capacity computer that can store a wide variety of files
such as application and data files. With the widespread
usage of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets
specific mobile operation systems were designed. You will
find more information about these operating systems on the
following slides.

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Operating systems for this class of devices belong to the
most wide spread operating systems on the market.
Operating systems for desktop computers as well as laptops
are designed for regular use at a specific workstation or
laptop. If a desktop computer is connected to a network, it
can also be called a client. A client describes a computer
that does not share any of its resources, but requests a
server's content or service function. Examples for common
services are Email, network printing, and the World Wide
Web.
The handling is mostly performed via keyboard and mouse
control. A laptop can also make use of a touch pad as a
mouse substitute.

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A server operating system, also called a server OS, is an
operating system specifically designed to run on servers.
Servers are specialized computers that operate within a
client-server architecture to serve the requests of client
computers on the network. Server operating systems help
enable and facilitate typical server roles such as web server,
mail server, file server, database server, application server
and print server.

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Operating systems for mobile devices originally had less
processor capabilities and functions in general as well as
less applications available compared to desktop operating
systems. Nowadays, they are increasingly more powerful
and provide a wider variety of applications. A big problem to
solve was also the visualization of content because of
smaller and different screen size formats. Furthermore, they
generally support multi-touch gestures for navigation and
handling instead of keyboard and mouse control. The
current challenge and common development approach is to
achieve compatibility between the different operating
systems that are running on different devices.
Smartwatches also run with an operating system and
belong to the category of mobile operating systems.
Because they can be seen as additional devices that are
connected to a smartphone we will exclude them from

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further explanation.
On the following slides let’s see which are the most-used
operating systems you can encounter.

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Each operating system has its own characteristics, purpose
and origin. A few dozen operating systems exist, but there is
only a handful that belong to the most-used operating
systems.
On the following slides you will find information about:
• Microsoft Windows
• Linux
• Apple Operating Systems
• Google Operating Systems

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Microsoft Windows is the most widespread operating
system on private and corporate computers. Types exist for
servers, and clients as well as for mobile devices - from
2002 and later. Microsoft developed and published many
Windows versions since 1984. All these versions had a
desktop. For example, on the desktop, you could place files,
folders and shortcuts to applications. At the bottom, by
default, you have a taskbar that can also be customized.
The Start Button in the left bottom corner allows access to
additional functions and applications. Click on the
screenshots to get more information about several versions
up to 2011.

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Click on the screenshots to get more information about
several versions after 2011.
You can also perform an online search to look for different
Windows versions and details about key features.

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Linux is a Unix variant. Unix is a family of multitasking,
multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the
original Unix of the American Telephone and Telegraph
Company, development starting in the 1970s. Linux was
developed in the year 1991 and is used on many servers
and mobile devices, but also used on PCs.

Originally, Linux was the name of the kernel and not of the
operating system as a whole. The kernel is the core of the
operating system which provides an interface to the
hardware of the computer. A complete Linux operating
system combines the kernel with additional software for
configuration and installation and other purposes. This
combination of kernel and additional relevant software is
called a distribution. The market offers several Linux
distributions such as Debian, Red Hat, SUSE or Ubuntu

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from Canonical. The development of Linux is one of the
most prominent examples of free and open-source software
collaboration. The underlying source code may be used,
modified and distributed - commercially or non-commercially
- by anyone under the terms of its respective licenses, such
as the GNU General Public License.
Nowadays, Linux is more user friendly than at the beginning.
Even though Linux is well known for the usage of a
Command Line Interface, several Graphical User Interfaces
and programs are available for Linux which make
configuration and maintenance of the system much easier.

A very commonly used image related to Linux is a specific

penguin. The name of the Linux brand character is “Tux”
and stands for "Torvalds Unix".

You can also perform an online search to look for the

different versions and distributions with its key features in
detail.
If you would like to know more about the origin of TUX, click
the red info button above the penguin.

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The desktop versions of the Apple Operating Systems are
called Mac OS and based on Unix. Mobile versions are
called iOS. Starting with the Mac OS version Lion in the
year 2011, there is no separate Mac OS X Server operating
system any more. Instead, the server components are
available through a separate download. The expression
Mac is derived from Macintosh Operating System.

From 1984 until 2000, a lot of older versions were

developed. In 2001 the Mac OS X series was started, every
version named for an animal. The naming changed in 2012
from "Mac OS X" to "OS X". In 2016, "macOS" succeeded
"OS X" and includes a different way of writing compared to
former versions. Additional names like “Sierra” and “High
Sierra” are also referenced.

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The starting point for the iPhone OS was in 2007. From
version 4 on, it got rebranded as iOS in 2010. Since then,
the iOS is further developing.

Basic functions such as the user logoff, system shut down

and system settings are available from the “Apple” menu. To
the right of the “Apple” menu, the main menu of the currently
active application is displayed. You can place shortcuts for
programs and files in the “Dock”, which already contains the
“Finder” and the waste bin. The Dock also displays all active
programs.

You can also perform an online search to look for the

different OS versions and its key features in detail.

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Chrome OS is an operating system from Google that is
based on the Linux kernel. It uses the Google Chrome web
browser as a user interface and mainly supports web
applications.

Google announced the project in July 2009 and the first

Chrome OS laptop, which is known as a Chromebook,
arrived in May 2011. The Chrome OS is an operating
system in which both applications and user data reside in
the cloud. Chrome OS is only available pre-installed on
hardware from Google manufacturing partners. An open
source equivalent, that is called Chromium OS, can be
compiled from downloaded source code.

Android is a mobile operating system that is developed by

Google, and based on a modified version of the Linux kernel

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and other open source software. It is designed primarily for
touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and
tablets. Android has been the best-selling OS worldwide on
smartphones since 2011 and on tablets since 2013. As of
May 2017, it has over two billion monthly active users, the
largest installed base of any operating system.

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The lifecycle management is closely connected to the
security of an operating system. After the development
phase of an OS it will be launched at a specific point of time.
Afterwards, the provider will support the OS for a specific
period of time until it reaches the end of its life cycle.

Companies cannot indefinitely support older versions of

their products because technology changes. These changes
usually result in improvements that cannot be incorporated
into older versions of software and services. Each provider
might have different time frames for their OS support but
they all have a common high-level understanding that
support timelines are limited.

Go to the next slide to see an example of Microsoft

Windows.

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Microsoft for example manages the support for their
products through the Microsoft Support Lifecycle. Right now
it consists of two distinct periods of support called
Mainstream and Extended Support.
Mainstream support lasts for 5 years after OS launch. This
support includes bug fixes, product improvements and
security updates. Afterwards, for an additional 5 years
extended support follows that only includes security
patches.

Also consult the OUTWARD catalog of courses for other

security related material.
To see a brief overview regarding support information of
different OS providers proceed to the next slide.

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As mentioned before, Microsoft provides 5 years of
mainstream support and extended support for another 5
years.
Apple does not communicate its support intentions clearly
for operating systems. You might find a hint for hardware
that products are regarded as "vintage" 5 years from launch.
Hardware older than 7 years is regarded as “obsolete”
without any further support. Even though there are no
official time limitations, the tendency or concept for OS
support should be considered as similar to Microsoft.
Regarding Distributions of Linux, each distributor has its
own support process. For example, standard Ubuntu
releases are supported for 9 months. Ubuntu long-term
support "LTS" releases are supported for five years on both
the desktop and server versions. During the supported
period, there will be security fixes and other critical updates.

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The support lifecycle for mobile devices is much shorter and
differs regarding hardware and OS version. There are
mobile devices that are no longer running the most current
Android version and only received support for 21 months.
The support time for iOS devices also differs but is about an
average of 41 months.
The update patches are essential to keep the OS secure. An
older OS might run - or not - but to be clear: If you use an
outdated OS you are an easy target for malicious software
and hacker attacks.

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Now, it‘s a good time to check your knowledge in a quiz!

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You have learned in this lesson that:
• There are different types of operating systems
• There are several operating systems that have a
different origin
• The operating systems evolved quite a lot during the last
years
• An up-to-date operating system is important for security
reasons

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At the end of this lesson, you will understand the different
methods to distribute applications. You will also understand
the different categories and types of applications as well as
the basic characteristics and purposes of typically used
applications in office environments. Furthermore, you
understand the importance of cyber security.

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Applications can be distributed in several ways. Some
applications you have to purchase and others you can get
for free.
In this lesson we will discuss Desktop and Mobile
Applications. Server Applications are out of scope for this
module.

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• One way of distribution is that the application is a fixed
part that is connected to the operating system or already
installed on the delivered hardware and OS.
• Another way is to order an application on a physical
memory.
• You can also download it from the Internet.
• Instead of a single application there can also be offered
a bundle of applications that are often called a “suite”.
• The distribution methods are also related to licenses.
There are single licenses that you have to purchase per
application and device.
• There are also multi-licenses that you can use on
multiple devices at the same time, like for example three
PCs or laptops.

Newer versions of published upgrades could be offered for

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free or at a discount. It could also happen that you have to
buy the application completely again if you would like to get
a newer version.

• User-related licenses are another distribution approach

for applications. They are often connected to a cloud-
based solution via an annual subscription model. As long
as you are subscribed you can download an application
on any compatible device or access it through a web
connection. It could be also the case, for example like the
Adobe Creative Cloud, that you have access to most of
the products. Another advantage is that you get the up-
to-date version of the respective application.

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For mobile applications, each of the popular operating
system has its own mobile application store where you can
download applications for your device.
Three common mobile application stores are:
The Microsoft Store for Windows Mobile, the Apple App
Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android,.

The stores themselves are applications, used to organize

the large amount of offered applications. There, you can
also see reviews of the applications and further information.
Some applications are originally created by the vendor of
the operating system but many of them are developed by
third parties.
As a result, a lot of applications for the same purpose are
offered. The stores for Android and iOS offer millions of
apps in total. Microsoft had a late start for Windows Mobile

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and couldn’t attract enough third-party developers to provide
a similar amount of applications in comparison to Android
and iOS. Therefore, Microsoft changed their focus from
private users to business users and tries to specialize the
application development for this area.

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If you work with different operating systems or applications
the compatibility issue is still quite a challenge.

Some applications can open or save files that have file

extensions of other applications. Microsoft Office
applications for example offers the option to save in the
native office formats like .docx or in OpenOffice format.
Unfortunately, formatting features that may get lost between
formats.

Different approaches try to solve compatibility issues.

• An approach of the free available applications is that

they are provided for most operating systems. Microsoft
also offers application versions especially for Mac users
where you can expect a full compatibility except in very

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 special and complex cases. Other versions for iOS or
Android might also exist.
• Apple on the other hand stopped developing and
providing applications that would run on Microsoft
Windows. Instead, there is the possibility to open, edit
and save files solely in the web via a cloud-based
solution. This approach works independently from a
specific operating system.
• Linux also uses another approach if there is no specific
application for this OS. There are a few available options
to run applications on Linux that are meant for other
operating systems. In many cases, another conversion
or interface application is used. The user friendliness
differs because it appears sometimes like a workaround.

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Office applications include various applications with different
key purposes and functions.

• Word processors are one type of applications. As a key

purpose you can write text and letters mainly for print
output.
• The term “PDF Application” is not an official term and
only used in this course to describe applications that you
can use to create, edit or view PDF files. PDF stands for
“Portable Document Format”. They are used to fix the
appearance of file content independently from the used
platform like different operating systems.
• Spreadsheet applications are another type. Their key
purpose is that you can perform calculations, use
formulas and convert data to a graphical visualization.
• Another type is called presentation applications. You can

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 use them to visualize text and graphics mainly for output
via projector or a big screen.
• Web browsers are another type of applications. With
them, you are able to view web content as their main
purpose.

On the following slides, you can get more details about each
of these application types.

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Word processors are the most common programs. They
allow you to create all kinds of printable documents such as
letters, reports and even novels. You can write a text and
edit it, for example by using simple copy and paste
commands. You can use and edit paragraph styles and
character styles to define the look of the text. You use these
styles to illustrate the structure of the document in terms of
chapters or sections.

Several word processor applications are available for

desktop and mobile usage. For example Microsoft Word
that is available at a charge. Apple Pages comes already
preinstalled for an Apple OS. Also other free applications
are available like OpenOffice Writer and LibreOffice Writer.
The file extension for Microsoft Word is “.docx”, for Apple
Pages “.pages”. OpenOffice and LibreOffice Writer both use

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the “.odt” file extension. The applications might be able to
open or save a file with another file extension. As mentioned
before, each conversion bears the risk of a loss of
formatting.

When editing is not necessary, there is also another solution

to share content independently from a specific platform.
With all word processor applications or additional
applications you are able to export the file to PDF.

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The Portable Document Format, also called PDF, is a file
format to present documents, independent of application
software, hardware and operating systems. Based on the
PostScript language, each PDF file comprises a complete
description of a fixed layout of a document. The description
includes the text, fonts, vector graphics, raster images and
other information that is needed to display the PDF. PDF
was standardized in 2008 as an open format under the ISO
standard 32000 and does not require any licensing for its
implementation.

PDF readers are only capable to view PDF content. PDF

creators are able to produce or even edit the content of an
existing PDF file. Originally, Adobe developed the file format
but now there are also third-party applications available.
Today, PDF files may contain various content besides flat

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text and graphics, including logical structuring elements,
interactive elements such as annotations and form-fields,
layers, rich media - including video content - and three-
dimensional objects, and various other data formats. The
PDF specification also provides for encryption and digital
signatures, file attachments and metadata to enable
workflows requiring these features.

Consult the OUTWARD catalog of courses for other PDF

related material.

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Several spreadsheet applications are available. For
example Microsoft Excel that is available at a charge. Apple
Numbers comes already preinstalled for an Apple OS. Other
free available applications are OpenOffice and LibreOffice
Calc.

Spreadsheet applications allow you to gather and

manipulate various kinds of data. You can enter data into
the cells of the spreadsheet. On the spreadsheet, you can
arrange the data in any desired form, for example in a
simple array or in a table. In order to manipulate data, enter
formulas into cells. Formulas refer to the data that is
entered in other cells. Formulas may use countless types of
operators from basic calculation operations such as plus or
minus to specific financial, statistic or scientific operators.
The cell that contains the formula automatically displays the

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result of the formula. These cells may be on the same
spreadsheet or on the spreadsheet of another file. You may
even refer to data provided by a database program. You can
also create diagrams to illustrate data and use these
diagrams in other office applications like word processors or
presentations.

The file extension for Microsoft Excel is “.xslx”, for Apple

Numbers “.numbers”. OpenOffice and LibreOffice Calc use
both the “.ods” file extension.

If editing is not necessary, it is possible to use the PDF

functionality as explained before.

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Several presentation applications are available. For
example Microsoft PowerPoint that is available at a charge.
Apple Keynote comes already preinstalled for an Apple OS.
Other free available applications are OpenOffice and
LibreOffice Impress.

Presentation applications support the delivery and

explanation of a subject. A presentation consists of a
sequence of slides that commonly contain text and
graphics. In order to provide an audience with handouts,
you can print slides and additional notes. If you play a
presentation from a computer, you can also use multimedia
elements like animations, sounds and video clips. Like word
processors, presentation applications provide ready-made
templates and functions for designing custom layouts.
Presentation software is used for many different business

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functions, from a 2000 person demonstration on a video wall
to a 1-to-1 sales pitch.

The file extension for Microsoft PowerPoint is “.pptx”, for

Apple Keynote “.key”. OpenOffice and Libre Office Impress
both use the “.odp” file extension.

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Several browsers can be used to show web content. They
might change to different applications as time goes by.
Nevertheless, some common web browsers you might
encounter are Edge, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and
Safari. Depending on the browser and versions there might
also be compatible versions for different operating systems.

For basic usage, these browsers don’t show big differences

compared to each other regarding the GUI. But if you look
deeper into the technology you might find differences. For
example, Chrome still supports the Adobe flash technology
until 2020. Flash has continuously appearing security issues
and requires extensive access rights. Therefore, Adobe will
stop support for the flash technology in 2020 and most web
browsers have already dropped or plan to drop their flash
capability. All of the browsers that have been mentioned,

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including Chrome, support html 5 to various degrees. If web
content is not starting or shown appropriately, you might
switch to another browser to find out that this one displays
the content perfectly.

Browser plug-ins are the biggest target on your computer.

For example, Java is a gaping security hole. A plug-in is a
program that websites can require. They were necessary
when browsers didn’t evolve fast enough. If an attacker finds
a hole in your browser plug-in, they can generally exploit
that hole to gain access to the system. Web browsers are
becoming ever more capable, and the functions that once
required browser plug-ins are now built into modern
browsers.

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Applications for professional publishing include three basic
types of applications.

• As a key purpose of Vector Graphics Editors you can

create forms, images and shapes based on vectored
images.
• With Raster Image Editors you can edit and compose
raster images in multiple layers and support masks,
several color models including RGB, CMYK, spot color
and more.
• Desktop publishing Applications provide more control
over design, layout, and typography than word
processing. Applications for desktop publishing are used
for common paper and book publishing. Further
purposes are the creation of graphics for point of sale
displays, promotional items, trade show exhibits, retail

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 package designs and outdoor signs. Even though often
used for print output they are not limited to print. The
content that is produced by desktop applications may
also be exported and used for electronic media like e-
books, web content and even web pages.

On the following slides, you can get more details about each
type of these applications.

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Drawing applications allow creating and working on vector-
based image files that consist of lines and curves which
form shapes. Basically, working on a vector graphic means
to add, shift, scale and form objects without affecting the
image quality.

You can also define the attributes of an object like “Fill color“
and „Line weight“.

The most widespread application is Adobe Illustrator.

Alternatives are:
• Inkscape
• CorelDraw
• Affinity Designer

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Most applications have areas for tools such as toolbars,
filters, layers, settings and more. The GUI can be
customized in many cases to optimize the handling of the
features of the application.

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Raster Image Editors allow the creation and editing of digital
images that consist of pixels. These images are called
bitmaps. Each pixel of a digital image has a certain color
value and a certain position within the picture. Together the
pixels create the appearance of an image.
Digital image processing knows virtually no limits, since
image files can be manipulated in almost any way. A major
purpose of digital image processing is to optimize image
data in terms of color and resolution. Thus image
processing ensures image quality no matter what input
device or output device is used. With a raster image editor
you can also add, shift, scale and form objects. A
widespread professional application is Adobe Photoshop. It
has the biggest portfolio of features and functions. Many
other applications with useful features are also available, for
free or at a cost. Two other application examples are the

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freeware application Gimp as well as Affinity Photo which
was originally designed for Mac operating systems.
Similar to vector graphics editors, most applications have a
so called toolbar, another area for filter, layer, settings and
more. The GUI can also be customized in many cases to
optimize the handling of the features of the application.

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Desktop publishing means creating and designing
documents using a desktop publishing application. Desktop
publishing applications are also called “DTP” application. A
DTP application combines text and graphics and provides a
wide variety of layout options. DTP applications may also
provide functions for entering text or drawing graphics. But
usually, image processing, drawing applications, and text
processors are used to produce graphics and text. A DTP
application is primarily used to combine text and graphics in
a proper layout or design.
Widespread DTP applications are Adobe InDesign, Quark
Xpress, Microsoft Publisher, Scribus and Affinity Publisher.

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Several different applications can be used for collaboration
purposes.

• eMail applications allow the sending and receiving of

electronic mail. You can augment emails by using
attachments and even multimedia content. Attachments
are files that are attached to an email and delivered
together with the email.
• Communication platforms allow the interaction between
two and more individuals with text as the main channel.
The usage of further channels like video or audio as well
as additional media like files and images are possible.
• Online Meeting Applications such as chat video
telephony and teleconferencing provide a real-time
communication with the possibility of immediate
response for two or more participants.

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• The main purpose of notes applications is to store and
share meeting notes in a centralized way.
• File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing
access to digital media, such as documents and
multimedia like audio, images and video.

You will find more information on the following slides.

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Often, operating systems and office suites provide an email
application. Common applications are for example Apple
Mail on Mac operating systems or Microsoft Outlook by
Microsoft Office. Other widespread email applications are
Mozilla Thunderbird or IBM Notes.
Some of these applications combine email functions with
additional features such as address books, contact
management or calendaring.

Other than an email client which stores data locally on a

device there are also so called webmail interfaces. You
don‘t need to have an email application that is installed on
your system. Instead, you can access your emails via a web
browser as long as you have an internet connection.

Even though email applications are commonly used in

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business they have some disadvantages. They are not
meant for discussions and long processes. With an
increasing amount of mails it makes the structure and
content more unclear and confusing. Furthermore, there is a
limit of data volume that you can attach to an email.
Therefore, other collaboration solutions are recommended.

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There are open communication platforms like Facebook that
are social media platforms. The business version of
Facebook is called Facebook at Work. With an open
communication platform, you can register yourself and
access its content. You can set your own content to a
different privacy level like public, friends only or private. The
communication could be via chat in so called groups that
are defined by a topic. It could be that a group is not public
and that you have to apply for it to become a member. But
in general, everyone can access and use the open
communication platforms.

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Closed communication platforms for example are Yammer,
Office 365 and Microsoft Teams. Compared to open
communication platforms, closed communication platforms
are set up for a closed business environment for employees
of a company. The topics for groups are more company
related like for specific projects, support questions, news or
relevant topics in general. You can also organize activities
together with other employees.

Yammer is an enterprise social networking service that is

used for communication within organizations. Access to a
Yammer network is determined by a user's Internet domain
so that only individuals with approved email addresses may
join their respective networks. Yammer was originally
launched in 2008 and was acquired by Microsoft in 2012. In
2014, Microsoft announced that Yammer development was

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being moved into the Office 365 development team.

Powell 365 is a ready-made digital workplace with the ability

to create a customized team space. It is built on top of the
Office 365 and focuses mainly on end-user needs. Powell
365 can also combine other external features like
Sharepoint for Filesharing, Office 365 as well as Yammer in
a single graphical user interface.

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Common Online Meeting applications are “Adobe Connect”,
“Skype for business”, “Go to meeting” as well as “Facetime”
from Apple and “Microsoft Teams”.

If you participate in an online meeting you can see all

participants that joined the meeting. Online meeting
applications can also use several channels for
communication. The most common channel is audio.
Participants of an online meeting can use a headset through
the computer connection. Alternatively they can call a
specific number via phone. The video channel can be
enabled to show the participants. In many cases, the video
stream that would show the participants is disabled to get a
more stable internet connection. Instead, the host or a
participant will use file or desktop content sharing to
visualize the topics that are being discussed. There may

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also be an integrated chat functionality.

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Two commonly used applications are “OneNote” and
“Evernote”
You can create a lot of topics and tabs for specific meetings,
projects and target groups. Also, you can send and receive
invitations for these areas and topics.
It is possible to set the rights for everyone like reading only
or editing rights. If you enter content like text, a link or an
attached file, it will be synchronized for others.
You can also see who wrote something so that you can
address questions to someone if required.

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File sharing applications provide an easy way to collaborate
with others when using a lot of files or large data volume.
People can access the files via rights settings or if they
received a link via notification.

Common applications for file sharing are:

• Sharepoint
• OneDrive
• Dropbox
• box.com
• icloud drive
• Google Drive

Some applications offer only the file sharing itself. Other

applications allow you to work on the document in real-time.
Also, shared online editing is possible.

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Cyber security, also called “computer security” or “IT
security” is the protection of a computer system against
harm that may come via network access, data and code
injection.
On the following slides you will get an overview about the
risks and consequences of cyber attacks as well as possible
countermeasures.

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A successful attack could have several consequences:
• Destroyed data and even hardware
• Encrypted data with or without payment option for
decryption
• Stolen Data or access to software to initiate illegal
payment activities
• Remotely controlled software and hardware that is used
in many cases to attack and compromise other systems

Even a single incident can lead to serious consequences for

a company. On the following slide you will find an overview
of common countermeasures to prevent a security breach.

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Outdated operating systems as well as applications,
especially with missing updates like security patches, offer a
higher risk of vulnerabilities than up-to-date software.
Security patches are the primary method of fixing security
vulnerabilities in software. Currently Microsoft releases its
security patches once a month. Other operating systems
and software projects have security teams that are
dedicated to releasing the most reliable software patches as
soon as possible after a vulnerability announcement. These
security patches are critical to ensure that business
processes do not get affected. In 2017, a ransomware
called "WannaCry" attacked many companies. WannaCry
encrypted files in certain versions of Microsoft Windows and
demanded a ransom via BitCoin. In response to WannaCry,
Microsoft released a patch which stopped the ransomware
from running. Computers that were still running outdated

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Windows operating systems like XP were especially easily
compromised.

Another cyber security measurement is the usage of a

firewall. Firewalls are by far the most common prevention
systems from a network security perspective. If properly
configured, a firewall can shield access to internal network
services, and block certain kinds of attacks. Firewalls serve
as a gatekeeper system between networks, allowing only
traffic that matches defined rules.

Anti-virus software consists of computer programs that

attempt to identify, prevent and eliminate computer viruses
and other malicious software, also called malware. Anti-virus
software gets regular updates for definition files to be able to
deal with the latest threats.

Backups are one or more copies of important computer files

that are kept. Typically, multiple copies that are for example
created daily, weekly and monthly will be kept in a different
location away from the original. By doing so, they are secure
from damage if the original location has its security
breached by an attacker.

To sum it up: Plenty of threats exist for operating systems

and applications. Many cyber security measures also exist
that should be combined to form an effective protection
against the threats.

There are other courses that are related to cyber security,

data security, information security and others. You can
search for them but they might be located at a higher

48
OUTWARD level or outside of the OUTWARD qualification
path.

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Now, it‘s a good time to check your knowledge in a quiz!

49
You have learned in this lesson that:
• There are several application distribution methods
• There are many compatibility issues for files between
different applications as well as different operating
systems
• There are always quite a few applications for each
business purpose that you can use
• Cyber Security is essential to protect you from many
threats

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You have learned in this course:
• Operating systems are the basis for applications and an
interface for the user
• There are different operating systems
• Compatibility between different applications and
operating systems can be challenging
• There are different ways of distribution methods for
applications
• It is important to close and prevent security holes, for
example via:
• Up-to-date security patches for operating systems
• Disabling of unsafe application features
• Up-to-date antivirus software and firewall settings

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Congratulations!
You have completed the OUTWARD IT Basics - Software
course.

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