Page 90 - DMGT505_MANAGEMENT_INFORMATION_SYSTEM

Unit 5: Business Hardware Software and IT Infrastructure

5.5.1 Other Infrastructure Components Notes

Other infrastructure components are:
 Internet Platforms (Apache, Microsoft IIS, .NET, Unix, Cisco, Nortel, Java)
 Computer Hardware Platforms (Dell, IBM, Sun, HP, Apple, Linux machines)

 Operating Systems Platforms (Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux, Mac OS X)
 Enterprise Software Applications (including middleware, SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft,
Microsoft, BEA)

 Network/Telecommunications (Microsoft Windows Server, Linux, Novell, Cisco, Lucent,
Nortel, MCI, ATT, Verizon)
 Consultants and System Integrators (IBM, KPMG, Accenture, Capgemini)

 Data Management and Storage (IBM DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, MYSQL, EMC Systems)
Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
9. ............................... Applications includes middleware, SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Microsoft,
and BEA.
10. Apache, Microsoft IIS, .NET, Unix, Cisco, Nortel, and Java are the examples of
............................... Platforms.

5.6 Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

The speed and computing capacity of technology continues to advance at dizzying speeds and in
ways we can hardly imagine.

5.6.1 Interactive Multimedia

One trend highly touted by the experts is that of the “information appliance.” Do we need to
have a separate device for watching television, another one for listening to music, a different
one called a telephone, and yet a whole separate device for computing? Some people say we can
do all of that with one central appliance with a variety of input and output devices.
If you watch the mergers taking place in the corporate world between the telephone companies
and cable TV companies, you can start to understand another major change that may be in store
for us. The companies are working toward a convergence of the “entertainment outlets” we
know as television and the Internet. Why can’t we download a movie off the Internet whenever
we’re ready to watch it instead of having to follow a TV channel’s set schedule? This idea may be
a reality in a few years.

The music industry is struggling with the issue of music downloaded from Web sites. How do
the musicians protect their copyrighted work while making the music more accessible to the
public? How do the music publishing companies protect their business from disintermediation,
the process of eliminating the middleman from transactions?

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