The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand Case Study for Assignment 2 550/71155 Business Computing Weighting: This assignment is worth 18% of your final mark. Due date: The quiz closes on Thursday, week 7. The actual due date is displayed on the Assignment tab in the online course. Instructions 1. Research and answer all the questions asked by the client, making detailed notes. All work must be your own. 2. Use your detailed notes to answer the Assignment 2 quiz 3. Your detailed notes are not required to be submitted Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand 1
Assignment overview The first part of this assignment is a research task. It uses an authentic scenario to assess your ability to identify and briefly describe the current information systems in terms of the roles and functions of the systems; the hardware, communications, software, people and organisational procedures in use; the benefits, disadvantages and risks associated with the use of these systems; and how the systems are managed. The company described in the scenario has hired you as an information technology consultant. Respond to the client s questions in the context of the client s company, using the client s questions as prompts. When you have completed your research you will need to complete the assessed quiz. This will assess and grade your knowledge gained through your research. You may use your detailed notes at any time during the quiz but be aware that if you click outside the quiz the quiz may close and you will not be able to return to it. You have up to three hours to complete the quiz once opened. The quiz must be completed in a single sitting. 2 Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Scenario Jack Wild is the owner of a business called The Review, in Nelson. Jack is developing a colour flyer for clients listing the range of services available. Jack intends to design and maintain the company website. Orders, product/service details, inventory and customers details are managed using a database application. Jack has consulted you to select components of a computer system suitable for the company s business needs. Read all the questions that Jack asks before answering any of the questions. You find the following specifications for two computer systems on the internet. The Laptop Intel Core TM i7-4500u processor (4MB cache, 1.8 GHz) 8GB 2 DIMM (2 x 4 GB) DDR3L 1600 MHz The Desktop 4th Gen Intel Core TM i7-4770 processor (8MB cache, up to 3.9 GHz) 16GB dual channel DDR3 1600 MHz 4 DIMMs 1TB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive 2TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive 6.0 GB/s + 32 GB SSD 17.3 inch LED backlit display with TrueLife and HD+ resolution (1600 x 900) with Native HD 1.0 MP webcam with digital microphone and Stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio 4 processing AMD Radeon HD 8870M 2 GB GDDR5 Tray load DVD drive Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (English) McAfee Security Center (Multilanguage) 12-month subscription 1 year ProSupport NBD Onsite Service No Monitor AMD Radeon HD R9 270 2 GB GDDR5 Blu-ray combo drive Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (English) No security installed 1 year ProSupport NBD Onsite Service $1,699 $2599 Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand 3
Tasks For each of the questions, carefully consider the particular circumstances and specific industry of the client and company in the scenario. Where the words I, me and my are used, this is the client speaking to you, in the role of the information technology consultant. Hardware and software requirements (a) Name and describe the unit of measurement used to compare the processing speed of the two computers. (b) The computers you ve shown me do not have any applications on them and will need further software to meet my business requirements. Please prepare a list of some branded applications (other than the usual operating system and general purpose MS Office branded applications) that will help my specific type of business operate more effectively. Take into account the support each branded application will provide for my company. (c) The company has a printer, keyboard and mouse. What other peripheral devices will I need to make the company work efficiently? List some of the currently available branded peripheral devices, and then select the two most important peripherals I need to purchase to satisfy the specific requirements of my business. I ve seen that there s no monitor, so there s no need to include this in the list. Recommendations need to be based on evidence, so consider your detailed reasons and specifications for recommending both branded peripherals. (d) I m going to be working with a lot of images and will need a secondary storage device (or devices) and the associated media (if any). Consider all the devices currently available and choose a named brand and specific device within that brand as the most suitable for my type of business, considering your detailed reasons for your choice. 4 Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Input and output devices (a) I m going to be capturing electronic images from old printed photographs that people bring me. This is the main service the business offers. What types of input devices are currently available to accomplish this task? Consider the technologies and how the various hardware devices are used. Recommend two different types of branded device and then consider how you will justify your recommendations using detailed specifications for the particular device. Consider the differences between the two named branded devices and the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Note brand names and the detailed specifications for each device. (b) Once I ve captured the images I ll need to be able to manipulate those images to reduce imperfections or enhance specific features. I need a list of the different applications available and two different branded applications that will do the job most efficiently. I need branded applications plus detailed specifications of the specific version within that brand. (c) I ll be manipulating, storing and reusing large numbers of customised images, so I need reliable backup media. What do you recommended? The type of medium used will depend upon a number of properties and factors. I need to understand the different types of storage media that are available and why your final recommendation is best suited to my specific type of business. A table showing all the different types of storage media will be the best way to present this information. Avoid using terms like fast, slow, high, low, big and small use absolute terms like GB. Medium Attributes or factors such as speed or capacity that might influence my decision to use the medium Suitable for what size or type(s) of file(s) Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand 5
Data communications and security Over the next five years The Review plans to expand and have a small office in Auckland. I think this will involve hiring staff and increasing the number of computers in the office to five laptops. This will require a network. I think that a wireless network that connects each computer individually to the internet is the best idea. Staff will often take their laptops to clients offices. I believe there are several wireless standards that could be used to create a wireless Wi-Fi network and to connect to the internet. Cellular broadband is too expensive, so don t consider this to be an option for us. (a) Consider the differences between the different wireless standards and how they differ from cellular broadband. Make a list of the available wireless standards that could be used to connect each computer to the network. Provide a simple explanation of how such wireless technology transmits data across the network and compare this with cellular broadband. This will help me understand some of the factors to consider when setting up a wireless network. (b) A business contact told me that he uses the same wireless technology for his office s wireless network and a wireless connection to the internet when he is visiting clients in Auckland and Wellington. Which of the wireless standards is my colleague using? How does it make the connection to the internet? (c) The number of computers and peripherals will dictate the network strategy I could use for the wireless network. Explain what a network strategy is and tell me which one I should be using. (d) I often exchange electronic business cards and small files electronically through my iphone using Bluetooth. At other times I ve used the infrared port. Sometimes I ve had problems using the infra-red port for data transfer and I m not sure why this happens. Consider the difference between the Bluetooth and infra-red technologies. I am familiar with the electromagnetic spectrum, so please relate your answer to that. Which technology has the highest potential speed of data transfer? What might affect data transfer using Bluetooth and infrared technologies? (e) Can you give me an example of a domestic use of infrared data transfer that doesn t involve a computer. 6 Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
(f) My colleague tells me that I will need a firewall and a proxy server in my network to ensure the security of the company data. What is the difference between a firewall and a proxy server? How will they improve the security of my wireless network? (g) Are there any other measures in addition to using a firewall and proxy server that should be taken to improve security? Tell me five different ways of improving security. (h) I m considering installing a wireless network in my home so I can become familiar with wireless networks. Is there anything about the influence of the architectural components of the home and devices in the home I should be taking into consideration before setting up the network? (i) I ll need to take security measures to protect the company data when I take work home. List five security measures I should use at home. Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand 7
E-commerce and the internet I m well acquainted with the internet, so moving in the direction of e-commerce is a small step for the company. I d like to allow prospective clients greater access to the business by allowing them to upload photographs, artwork and text directly to our server, which is where their files will eventually be hosted. (a) Explain the differences between the internet, an intranet and an extranet. Which network would be the most suitable for the purpose of allowing prospective clients to upload files? (b) I understand what e-commerce is, but I m told that there are several different types of e-commerce. What are their names? 8 Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Legal, ethical and ergonomic issues I ve recently begun to suffer from soreness in my shoulders and lower back, as well as eye strain. Do you think it is occupational overuse syndrome (OOS)? There are so many names for this now: gradual process injury, repetitive motion injury, cumulative trauma disorder, and so on. It gets very confusing. (a) Are my symptoms consistent with OOS? How is OOS caused? How can I prevent any further deterioration in my condition? (b) A colleague said I should contact WorkSafe New Zealand. What could they do for me? I only need information relevant to my business type. (c) What are cookies? Some people say they re harmless, while others say they can be dangerous. Please describe the different types of cookies and how they are used, both ethically and unethically. (d) What s the difference between snoopware and spyware? Are they both ethical to use? If not, why not? Consider reasons to support your answer. (e) I noticed a number of clients are contacting me through my personal Facebook page. I don t want them to see what I put on there! How can I increase my privacy on Facebook? Please tell me how I can increase my privacy whenever I use the internet. Copyright The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand 9