1.    List, describe, and provide an example of each of the five characteristics of high quality information.

Five characteristics of high quality information:

• ·       Accuracy
• ·       Completeness
• ·       Consistency
• ·       Uniqueness
• ·       Timeliness

Information needs to be of high quality to be useful and Accurate.  The information that is input into a data base is presumed to be perfect as well as accurate.

Completeness is another attribute of high quality information.  Partial information may as well be incomplete information because it is only a small part of the picture.

Consistency is key when entering information into a database.  For example, with a column for a phone number entry 10 digits is the expected length of the field.  Once the fields have been set in the database, a number more or less than 10 digits will not be accepted.  The same applies for any field, whether it is an entry that requires a number, a series of numbers, an address, or a name, etc.

Uniqueness is the fourth component of high quality information.  In order to add value to any organization, information must be unique and distinctive.

A fifth important aspect of information is Timeliness.  New and current data is more valuable to organizations than old outdated information.  Especially now, in this era of high technological advances, out-of-date information can keep a company from achieving their goals or from surviving in a competitive arena.

1.    Define the relationship between a database and a database management system.

A database consists of an organized collection of data for one or more uses, typically in digital form. One way of classifying databases involves the type of their contents, for example: bibliographic, document-text, statistical. Digital databases are managed using database management systems, which store database contents, allowing data creation and maintenance, and search and other access.

A Database Management System (DBMS) is a set of computer programs that controls the creation, maintenance, and the use of a database. It allows organizations to place control of database development in the hands of database administrators (DBAs) and other specialists.

1.    Describe the advantages an organisation can gain by using a database.

Databases minimize:

Data redundancy: the same data are stored in many places

Data isolation: Applications cannot access data associated with other applications

Data inconsistency: Various copies of the data do not agree

Databases ensure:

Data security: Keeping the organization’s data safe from theft, modification, and/or destruction.

Data integrity: Data must meet constraints (e.g., student grade point averages cannot be negative).

Data independence: Applications and data are independent of one another. Applications and data are not linked to each other, meaning that applications are able to access the same data.

 

1.    Define the fundamental concepts of the relational database model.

A relational database is a collection of tables from which data can be accessed in many different ways without having to reorganize the database tables.

That is, once relationships are created, tables can “talk” to each other.  We can link (relate) the tables to find:

                                                    i.     Which doctors are seeing a patient

                                                  ii.     Which students are in which class

                                                iii.     Which item is selling the most on Friday’s

Advantages:

—  Increased flexibility

—  Increased scalability and performance

—  Reduced information redundancy

—  Increased information integrity (quality)

—  Increased information security

5. Describe the benefits of a data-driven website.

     1.    What is information architecture and what is information infrastructure and how do they differ and how do they relate to each other? 

•        Enterprise architecture - includes the plans for how an organization will build, deploy, use, and share its data, processes, and IT assets

•        Enterprise architect - a person grounded in technology, fluent in business, a patient diplomat, and provides the important bridge between IT and the business

            2.  Describe how an organisation can implement a solid information architecture 

3. List and describe the five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture. 

Flexibility- Organisations must watch today’s business, as well as tomorrow’s, when designing and building systems. Systems must be flexible enough to meet all types of business changes

Scalability- Refers to how well a system can adapt to increase demands

Reliability- Ensures all systems are functioning correctly and providing accurate information. Another term for accuracy when discussing the correctness of systems within the context of efficiency IT metrics.

Availability- Addresses when systems can be accessed by users.

Performance- Measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transaction (in terms of efficiency IT metrics both speed and throughput). Not having enough performance capacity can have a devastating, negative impact on a business

4. Describe the business value in deploying a service oriented architecture 

Service oriented architecture (SOA) is a business-driven IT architectural approach that supports integrating a business as linked, repeatable tasks or services

SOA ensures IT systems can adapt quickly, easily, and economically to support rapidly changing business needs

Using meta data and existing applications, users can re-use applications (services) many times for different tasks, making development cheaper and more flexible

5. & 6. What is an event? What is a service?

 There are two primary parts of web services:

Event – is an electronic message indicating that something has happened, it detect threats and opportunities and alerts those who can act on the information

Service – contains a set of related commands that can be re-used, it is more like a software product than they are a coding project

7. What emerging technologies can companies can use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively?

Interoperability - is the capability of two or more computer systems to share data and resources, even though they may be made by different manufacturers

Loose coupling - is the capability of services to be joined together on demand to create composite services, or disassembled just as easily into their functional components

Virtualisation - is a framework of dividing the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments

Grid computing - is an aggregation of geographically dispersed computing, storage, and network resources, coordinated to deliver improved performance, higher quality of service, better utilisation, and easier access to data

Ethical issues surrounding information technology:


o Intellectual property

o Copyright

o Fair use doctrine

o Pirated software

o Counterfeit software



Describe a situation involving technology that is ethical but illegal.

Making two copies of a software package you purchased and keeping one for backup.



Describe and explain one of the computer use policies that a company might employ

Ethical computer use policy: contains general principles to guide computer user behaviour.

e.g. Internet use policy: contains general principles to guide the proper use of the Internet within an organisation.

Monitoring emails in and out of an employee’s email account.



What are the 5 main technology security risks?

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One way to reduce each risk.

 Human error: System Audits to track down malicious activity

 Natural disasters: Not storing technical equipment on the ground floor to avoid ruining them in a flood

 Technical failures: Backing up files on a regular basis and storing them somewhere safe

 Deliberate acts: Strong passwords

 Management failure: Having efficient/effective procedures in place



What is a disaster recovery plan, what strategies might a firm employ?

Disaster recovery is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster.

• Backups made to tape and sent off-site at regular intervals (preferably daily)

• Backups made to disk on-site and automatically copied to off-site disk, or made directly to off-site disk

• Replication of data to an off-site location

• High availability systems which keep both the data and system replicated off-site, enabling continuous access to systems and data


An useful video on disaster recovery: