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Information Technology Infrastructure

The document outlines the evolution and components of IT infrastructure, detailing various eras from mainframes to cloud computing. It discusses the significance of hardware platforms, operating systems, enterprise applications, and data management, as well as current trends like virtualization and green computing. Additionally, it addresses challenges in managing IT infrastructure and the vulnerabilities associated with digital data storage.

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Mohamed Abouelmagd
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9 views29 pages

Information Technology Infrastructure

The document outlines the evolution and components of IT infrastructure, detailing various eras from mainframes to cloud computing. It discusses the significance of hardware platforms, operating systems, enterprise applications, and data management, as well as current trends like virtualization and green computing. Additionally, it addresses challenges in managing IT infrastructure and the vulnerabilities associated with digital data storage.

Uploaded by

Mohamed Abouelmagd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

College of International Transport and Logistics

Introduction to Information
Systems
Course Code (EL 211)

Information Technology Infrastructure

Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• IT Infrastructure

• Evolution of IT infrastructure
• General-purpose mainframe and minicomputer era: 1959 to present
• 1958: IBM first mainframes introduced
• 1965: Less expensive DEC minicomputers introduced
• Personal computer era: 1981 to present
• 1981: Introduction of IBM PC
• Proliferation in 80s, 90s resulted in growth of personal software
• Client/server era: 1983 to present
• Desktop clients networked to servers, with processing work split between clients and servers
• Network may be two-tiered or multitiered (N-tiered)
• Various types of servers (network, application, Web)

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• IT Infrastructure

• Evolution of IT infrastructure (cont.)


• Enterprise computing era: 1992 to present
• Move toward integrating disparate networks, applications using Internet
standards and enterprise applications
• Cloud and mobile computing: 2000 to present
• Cloud computing: computing power and software applications supplied over
the Internet or other network
• Fastest growing form of computing

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


STAGES IN IT INFRASTRUCTURE EVOLUTION

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


STAGES IN IT INFRASTRUCTURE EVOLUTION (cont.)

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


A MULTITIERED CLIENT/SERVER NETWORK (N-TIER)

FIGURE 5-3 In a multitiered client/server network, client requests for service are handled by different levels of servers.

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

IT Infrastructure has seven main components


1. Computer hardware platforms
2. Operating system platforms
3. Enterprise software applications
4. Data management and storage
5. Networking/telecommunications platforms
6. Internet platforms
7. Consulting system integration services

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE ECOSYSTEM

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• IT Infrastructure Components

• Computer hardware platforms


• Client machines
• Desktop PCs, laptops
• Mobile computing: smartphones, tablets
• Servers
• Blade servers: ultrathin computers stored in racks
• Mainframes:
• IBM mainframe equivalent to thousands of blade servers
• Top chip producers: Intel, AMD

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

• Operating system platforms


• Operating systems
• Server level: 65% run Unix or Linux; 35% run Windows
• Client level:
• 90% run Microsoft Windows
• Mobile/multitouch (Android, iOS)
• Cloud computing (Google’s Chrome OS)

• Enterprise software applications


• Enterprise application providers: SAP and Oracle

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

• Data management and storage


– Database software:
• IBM (DB2), Oracle, Microsoft (SQL Server), Sybase (Adaptive Server
Enterprise), MySQL
– Physical data storage:
• EMC Corp (large-scale systems), Seagate, Western Digital
– Storage area networks (SANs):
• Connect multiple storage devices on dedicated network

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

• Networking/telecommunications platforms
– Telecommunication services
• Telecommunications, cable, telephone company charges for voice
lines and Internet access
• AT&T, Verizon
– Network operating systems:
• Windows Server, Linux, Unix
– Network hardware providers:
• Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, \Juniper Networks

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

• Internet platforms
– Hardware, software, management services to support company Web
sites (including Web-hosting services), intranets, extranets
– Internet hardware server market: IBM, Dell, Sun (Oracle), HP
– Web development tools/suites: Microsoft (Visual Studio and .NET),
Oracle-Sun (Java), Adobe, Real Networks

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

• Consulting and system integration services


– Even large firms do not have resources for full range of support for
new, complex infrastructure
– Leading consulting firms: Accenture, IBM Global Services, HP,
Infosys, Wipro Technologies
– Software integration: ensuring new infrastructure works with legacy
systems
– Legacy systems: older TPS created for mainframes that would be too
costly to replace or redesign

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


IT Infrastructure Components

• The mobile digital platform


– Smartphones (iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)
• Data transmission, Web surfing, e-mail, and IM
– Netbooks:
• Small lightweight notebooks optimized for wireless communication
and core tasks
– Tablets (iPad)
– Networked e-readers (Kindle and Nook)
– Wearable devices (smart watches, smart glasses)
Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd
Interactive Session: Management

THE GREENING OF THE DATA CENTER


Read the Interactive Session and discuss the following questions

• What business and social problems does data center power


consumption cause?
• What solutions are available for these problems? Are they
management, organizational, or technology solutions? Explain
your answer.
• What are the business benefits and costs of these solutions?
• Should all firms move toward green computing? Why or why
not?

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• Virtualization
– Allows single physical resource to act as multiple resources (i.e., run
multiple instances of OS)
– Reduces hardware and power expenditures
– Facilitates hardware centralization

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• Cloud computing
– On-demand (utility) computing services obtained over network
• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Software as a service (SaaS)
– Cloud can be public or private
– Allows companies to minimize IT investments
– Drawbacks: Concerns of security, reliability
– Hybrid cloud computing model

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Cloud Computing Platform

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Interactive Session: Organizations

IS IT TIME FOR CLOUD COMPUTING?


Read the Interactive Session and discuss the following questions

• What business benefits do cloud computing services


provide? What problems do they solve?
• What are the disadvantages of cloud computing?
• How do the concepts of capacity planning, scalability,
and TCO apply to this case? Apply these concepts
both to Amazon and to subscribers of its services.
• What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit
from using cloud computing? Why?

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• Green computing (Green IT)


– Practices and technologies for manufacturing, using, disposing of
computing and networking hardware
– Reducing power consumption a high priority
– IT responsible for 2% U.S. power demand
• High performance, power-saving processors
– Multi-core processors
– Power-efficient microprocessors

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Open-source software:
• Produced by community of programmers
• Free and modifiable by user
• Examples: Apache web server, Mozilla Firefox browser, OpenOffice
• Linux
• Open-source OS used in high-performance computing
• Used in mobile devices, local area networks, Web servers, Android OS

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Software for the Web


• Java:
• Object-oriented programming language
• Operating system, processor-independent
• HTML/HTML5
• Web page description language
• HTML5 is latest evolution
• Embeds media, animation
• Supports cross-platform apps, offline data storage
• Ruby and Python

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Web Services
• Software components that exchange information using Web standards
and languages
• XML: Extensible Markup Language
• More powerful and flexible than HTML
• Tagging allows computers to process data automatically

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Software outsourcing and cloud services


• Three external sources for software:
• Software packages and enterprise software
• Software outsourcing
• Contracting outside firms to develop software
• Cloud-based software services
• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Accessed with Web browser over Internet
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): formal agreement with service providers

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• Challenges of Managing IT Infrastructure

• Management and governance


– Who controls IT infrastructure?
– How should IT department be organized?
• Centralized
– Central IT department makes decisions
• Decentralized
– Business unit IT departments make own decisions
– How are costs allocated between divisions, departments?

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


• Challenges of Managing IT Infrastructure

• Competitive forces model for IT infrastructure investment


1. Market demand for firm’s services
2. Firm’s business strategy
3. Firm’s IT strategy, infrastructure, and cost
4. Information technology assessment
5. Competitor firm services
6. Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Why Systems are Vulnerable
• When data are stored in digital form, they are more vulnerable than when they exist in manual form.

• Security refers to the policies, procedures, and technical measures used to prevent unauthorized access

• Controls consist of all the methods, policies, and organizational procedures that ensure the safety of the

organization's assets;

• Threats to computerized information systems include :


• Hardware And Software Failure
• User Errors
• Physical Disasters Such as Fire or Power Failure
• Theft of Data, Services, and Equipment; Unauthorized Use of Data
• Telecommunications Disruptions.

Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd


Introduction to Information Systems Dr. Mohamed Abouelmagd

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