Although managers and business professionals do not need to be computer technology experts, they should have a basic understanding of the role of hardware and software in the organization’s information technology (IT) infrastructure so that they can make technology decisions that promote organizational performance and productivity. This chapter surveys the capabilities of computer hardware and computer software and highlights the major issues in the management of the firm’s hardware and software assets. Computer Hardware and Information Technology Infrastructure Computer hardware provides the underlying physical foundation for the firm’s IT infrastructure. Other infrastructure components—software, data, and networks— require computer hardware for their storage or operation. The Computer System A contemporary computer system consists of a central processing unit, primary storage, secondary storage, input devices, output devices, and communications devices (see Figure 4-1). The central processing unit manipulates raw data into a more useful form and controls the other parts of the computer system. Primary storage temporarily stores data and program instructions during processing, whereas secondary storage
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 04:46:49 +0000
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