[See Review Quiz Answers found at the end of the text]
VII. ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The Internet is a driving force behind developments in telecommunications, networks, and other information technologies. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
By all industry accounts, this statement is very accurate. In order to remain competitive in domestic and global markets, businesses will become even more reliant on technology as we enter the 21century. Businesses are pushing for developments in technology, which will enable them to gather and disseminate information at greater speeds. Technology is crucial for accurate decision-making, and this demand will definitely drive developments in these technologies.
2. How is the trend toward open systems, connectivity, and interoperability related to business use of the Internet, intranets, and extranets?
As more businesses become dependent on the use of the Internet, intranets, and extranets in computing and telecommunications, the industry will strive to move closer towards achieving open systems which use common standards for hardware, software, applications, and networking. This computing environment will enable businesses to easily establish connectivity within their own organizations, as well as enable them to communicate with others outside the organization. Open systems will enable the many different applications of end users to be accomplished using the different varieties of computer systems, software packages, and databases provided by a variety of interconnected networks.
3. Refer to the Real World Case on the Sierra Wireless AirCard in the chapter. Which applications do you think have the most promise to bring success to wireless e-commerce? Why?
Students’ answers will vary according to their imaginations. e-commerce is in its growth stage, and devices such as the Sierra Wireless AirCard will definitely come into greater play. Technology is in a continual flux of innovation, and companies are striving to offer and conduct business with their customers in real-time and online. These efficiencies and information provided through technological innovation and Web-bases services are extremely beneficial to both parties as the information is captured at the moment.
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How will wireless information appliances and services affect the business use of the Internet and the Web? Explain.
The growing trend in technology is in the area of wireless information appliances and services which individuals are able to use from anywhere and at any time. This trend will continue to grow as technology improvements are made to appliances, which use wireless technology. For example, we now have wireless keyboards and wireless mice. We have experiences a tremendous increase in the use of cellular and PCS telephone and pager systems. This technology is used to support mobile phone service, mobile voice and data communications. Wireless technology is also being used to connect local area networks through the use of radio and infrared transmissions. As more people experience the mobility that wireless appliances offer, and as they work situations require access to information and data form anywhere, wireless technology will definitely affect the business use of the Internet and the Web.
5. What are the business benefits and management challenges of client/server networks? Network computing? Peer-to-peer networks?
Benefits of client/server computing include:
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Clients (end users) can perform some or most of the processing of their business applications.
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LAN servers can share application processing, manage work group collaboration, and control common hardware, software, and databases.
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Data can be completely processed locally, where most input and output must be handled.
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Provides access to the workstations and servers in other networks.
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Computer processing is more tailored to the needs of the end users.
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Increases information processing efficiency and effectiveness, as users are more responsible for their own application systems.
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Allows large central-site computers to handle the jobs they do best - such as high-volume transaction processing, communications network security and control, and maintenance and control of large corporate databases.
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Clients at local sites can access the corporate superservers to receive corporate wide management information or transmit summary transaction data reflecting local site activities.
Management Challenges:
As computing power becomes distributed and interconnected throughout organizations by networked computer systems taking the form of client/server networks, management issues will increase. Problems such as the protection, access, and control of corporate data from within and outside the organization will increase dramatically.
Benefits of network computing include:
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Many of the benefits listed above for client/server computing can also be included in this answer.
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Communications, distance education, distributed computing, e-commerce, email, information processing, telecommuting are a few of the benefits that can be listed.
Management Challenges:
Security and privacy issues are a major challenge.
Benefits of peer-to-peer computing include:
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Peer-to-peer is a network architecture that gives equal power to all computers on the network; used primarily in small networks.
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P2P is a form of distributed processing, where individual computers can share data, disk space, and even processing power for a variety of tasks when computers can share data, disk space, and even processing power for a variety of tasks when they are lined in a network, including the Internet.
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P2P computing puts processing power back on users’ desktops, linking these computers so that they can share files or processing tasks.
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P2P involves two distinct types of technology: the sharing of digital files and data between two separate computers, and the sharing of different CPU cycles.
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The P2P model stands in contrast to the network computing model because processing power resides only individual desktops, and these computers work together without a server or any central controlling authority.
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It has been estimated that most companies and individuals – use less than 25 percent of their processing and storage capacity. P3P computing tabs the unused disk space or processing power on PC or workstation networks for large computing tasks that can now only be performed by large expensive server computers or even supercomputers.
Management Challenges:
The lack of a central authority is what landed Napster in court. This could also pose a major threat for any company were there is major concern for copyright infringements.
6. What is the business value driving so many companies to rapidly install and extend intranets throughout their organizations?
The business value driving so many companies to rapidly install and extend intranets and enterprise information portals throughout their organizations is the ability to communicate, collaboration, and coordinate with others. Business value includes cost reductions, increased revenues, creating closer connections with their customers and suppliers. ROI on investment in this technology is quickly realized. Access to accurate, instant, and readily available data is crucial for all businesses today. e-commerce applications have enabled companies to derive business value by generating new revenue sources, reduce costs of doing business, develop new web-based products, increase customer loyalty and retention, attract new customers, and develop new markets and channels.
7. What strategic competitive benefits do you see in a company’s use of extranets?
Students’ answers will vary. Strategic competitive benefits of a company’s use of extranets can include: lower costs, enhance interactive marketing with customers, suppliers and distributors, enable better and more innovative development of products and services, build strategic alliances with suppliers, and leverage partnerships. Companies may use extranets to differentiate themselves from their competitors through innovative use of this type of technology, thus would be able to establish a competitive advantage.
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Refer to the Real World Case on Alberta's SuperNet in the chapter. Should other Canadian provinces do the same? Why or why not?
Students’ answers will vary based on how they weigh the pros and cons of the case. On the plus side, Alberta’s SuperNet provides increased productivity and access for telecommuting, as well as greater potential for business networking. However, on the minus side, broadband still presents problems of affordability, standardization, and reliability. Students will have to weigh the growing pains against the potential for growth.
9. Do you think that business use of the Internet, intranets, and extranets has changed what businesspeople expect from information technology in their jobs? Explain.
Technology continues to grow at a rapid pace, and the business use of technology such as the Internet, intranets, and extranets has also continued to grow. Certainly business people expect more from information technology in order to do their jobs. For example, businesses have become extremely dependent on these technologies in order to conduct business in the global environment and fast-changing global market. Business people expect to be able to access all kinds of information that enables them to complete their job requirements faster and with more accuracy than what was ever possible before. They want to be able to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate with others like never before.
10. The insatiable demand for everything wireless, video, and Web-enabled everywhere will be the driving force behind developments in telecommunications, networking, and computing technologies for the foreseeable future. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
There is no doubt that the insatiable demand for everything wireless is a growth area. Bluetooth technology is a prime example of how and where companies are expanding in the development for wireless appliances. Competition is fierce, and companies are using any type of technology in order to tap markets, and stay abreast with the demands of their customers, suppliers, channel members, and even their competitors. Demand for wireless is expected to grow at a rapid pace in order to accommodate the demands of the “man on the move” concept. Wireless access to the Internet, intranets, and extranets is growing as more Web-enabled information appliances proliferate.
Smart telephones, pagers, PDSs, and other portable communications devices have become very thin clients in wireless networks. Agreement on a standard wireless application protocol (WAP) has encouraged the development of many wireless Web applications and services. Telecommunications industry continues to work on third generation (3G) wireless technologies whose goal is to raise wireless transmission speeds to enable streaming video and multimedia applications on mobile devices. WAP standard specifies how Web pages in HTML or XML are translated into a wireless markup language (WML) by filter software and pre-processed by proxy software to prepare the Web pages for wireless transmission from a Web server to a Web-enabled wireless device.
VIII. ANSWERS TO APPLICATION EXERCISES
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