2.1 Ethics in an Information Society

Transcription

1 2.1 Ethics in an Information Society Did you ever hear the old warning, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should?" Well, a lot of things are possible on the Internet nowadays, but that doesn't mean you should do them. Ethics is easily managed in small groups because the group itself tends to control the individual's behavior. The larger the group, the harder it is to manage the actions of individuals. Now stretch that to a huge number of people with many frames of reference and experiences. Responsibility to the group becomes harder to police and accountability for an individual's actions is harder to enforce. Basic Concepts: Responsibility, Accountability, and Liability Every action causes a reaction. When you're using the Internet, computers on campus, or your employer's computer, you should be aware of: Responsibility: accepting potential costs, duties, and obligations for your decisions. Accountability: determining who should take responsibility for decisions and actions. Liability: legally placing responsibility with a person or group. Due Process: ensuring the laws are applied fairly and correctly. Responsibility, accountability, and liability are all yours when it comes to your actions in cyberspace. Every Internet Service Provider has a "usage policy," even the so-called anonymous ers that hide your real identity. HotMail is a popular Internet service that allows you to mask who you really are. You could send out all the, shall we say, unethical, threatening, nasty, aberrant you like. You think: "Hey, no one will really know who I am. This is cool." And then here comes the message from HotMail to cease and desist. Your free account is cancelled because you violated HotMail's usage policy. Then your local Internet Service Provider contacts you and tells you you're terminated, baby! You violated its usage policy by your actions. By now you're really mad, not to mention embarrassed (at least we hope so). It's true. It happens. Computer crime is one area that has been extremely hard for our society and our governments to keep up with. Many laws have to be rewritten and many new laws must be implemented to accommodate the changes. Computer crime and abuse extends to any wrongdoing involving equipment and Internet usage, as Table 2.1 shows. We spoke earlier about anonymity not being a license for socially unacceptable behavior. You should remember that everything you do on a network or the Internet is recorded and can be tracked. Many people committing computer crimes and abuse have been caught and prosecuted. 13

2 Other issues affecting our society include job losses and career changes caused by technology. You can argue the positive or negative effects, but one thing is clear: you'll be a part of the evolution of technology for the rest of your life. You will have to continually update your skills and knowledge in order to remain competitive in the job market. As companies continue to embrace new technology and new methods of using it, you'll be responsible for ensuring your skills and education remains current. 2.2 IT Infrastructures and Platforms Three major levels of infrastructure exist particularly: Public (kamusal) Enterprise (kurumsal) Business unit (işletme biriminde) 14

3 Levels of IT Infrastructure INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS There are Seven (7) Key Infrastructure Components Computer Hardware Platforms(Hadoop Tool) Operating System Platforms (Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003) Enterprise Software Applications (like Oracle) Data Management and Storage (Microsoft SQL Server) Networking/Telecommunications Platforms (Enterprise Networking almost entirely Unix / Linux) Internet Platforms (Apache remains Web server software) Consulting and System Integration Services (Most firms today, even large firms, cannot develop their systems without significant outside help. *Danışmanlık ve Sistem Entegrasyon Servisleri) 15

4 IT Infrastructure - A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-tier) 2.3 Managing Data Resources File Organization Terms and Concepts Bit: Smallest unit of data; binary digit (0,1) Byte: Group of bits that represents a single character Field: Group of words or a complete number Record: Group of related fields File: Group of records of same type Database: Group of related files Entity: Person, place, thing, event about which information is maintained Attribute: Description of a particular entity Key field: Identifier field used to retrieve, update, sort a record 16

5 THE DATA HIERARCHY Entities(Objects) and Attributes (Specializations-Characteristics of the objects) 17

6 Problems with the Traditional File Environment Data Redundancy and Inconsistency: Data redundancy: The presence of duplicate data in multiple data files so that the same data are stored in more than one place or location Data inconsistency: The same attribute may have different values. Program-data dependence: The coupling of data stored in files and the specific programs required to update and maintain those files such that changes in programs require changes to the data Lack of flexibility: A traditional file system can deliver routine scheduled reports after extensive programming efforts, but it cannot deliver ad-hoc reports or respond to unanticipated information requirements in a timely fashion. Poor security: Because there is little control or management of data, management will have no knowledge of who is accessing or even making changes to the organization s data. Lack of data sharing and availability: Information cannot flow freely across different functional areas or different parts of the organization. Users find different values of the same piece of information in two different systems, and hence they may not use these systems because they cannot trust the accuracy of the data. Traditional File Processing 18

7 THE DATABASE APPROACH TO DATA MANAGEMENT Database Management System (DBMS) Software for creating and maintaining databases Permits firms to rationally manage data for the entire firm Acts as interface between application programs and physical data files Separates logical and design views of data Solves many problems of the traditional data file approach The Contemporary Database Environment Components of DBMS: Data definition language: Specifies content and structure of database and defines each data element Data manipulation language: Used to process data in a database Data dictionary: Stores definitions of data elements and data characteristics 19

8 Types of Databases: Relational DBMS Hierarchical and network DBMS Object-oriented databases The Relational Data Model 20

9 A Hierarchical Database for a Human Resources System The Network Data Model 21

10 CREATING A DATABASE ENVIRONMENT Designing Databases: Conceptual design: Abstract model of database from a business perspective Physical design: Detailed description of business information needs Entity-relationship diagram: Methodology for documenting databases illustrating relationships between database entities Normalization: Process of creating small stable data structures from complex groups of data An Unnormalized Relation for ORDER Normalized Tables Created from ORDER 22

11 An Entity-Relationship Diagram DATABASE TRENDS Data Warehousing and Data Mining Data warehouse: Supports reporting and query tools Stores current and historical data Consolidates data for management analysis and decision making 23

12 Components of a Data Warehouse Data mart: Subset of data warehouse Contains summarized or highly focused portion of data for a specified function or group of users Data mining: Tools for analyzing large pools of data Find hidden patterns and infer rules to predict trends Databases and the Web Database server: Computer in a client/server environment runs a DBMS to process SQL statements and perform database management tasks. Application server: Software handling all application operations 24

13 Management Opportunities: Business firms have exceptional opportunities to exploit modern relational database technologies to improve decision making, and to increase the efficiency of their business processes. The critical elements for creating a database environment are: Data administration Data-planning and modeling methodology Database technology and management Users Key Organizational Elements in the Database Environment 25