Fundamentals of Information Technology

Fundamentals of Information Technology
Introduction
Information technology deals with computer-based information systems especially computer hardware and software applications. It entails the study, development, implementation, and management of the same. Computers are used to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information. Computer networks allow individuals in an organization to view their electronic mails and share information. The features of computers needed in an organization depends on the needs of the organization and the work that the computer systems will be used to perform. Printers are output devices that can be connected to computers so that they can help in producing printouts that are useful to an organization. Information technology professional offer security to information when in storage and when in transfer. Computer viruses have become a common aspect and some anti-viruses are needed to protect the computers from virus attacks. Some back up is very important to prevent loss of important information in case computers crash. Our company wishes to open a new office in Hong Kong. The office will be occupied by two employees one performing administrative functions and the other marketing executive. This paper will seek to analyze the equipments that are needed to set a small office network and keep the start up cost low while keeping productivity constant.
Literature Review
As stated before, our company wishes to open a new office in Hong Kong. The marketing director wishes to keep the start cost as low as possible while retaining high productivity. Two computers are needed for the individuals who will be working in the office. A Local Area Network (LAN) is required so that the two computers are interconnected and the individuals can access the internet. A printer is also important in the office for output purposes. These will enable them to access their electronic mails, write reports and tabulate monthly expenses, research potential customers by using the internet, print marketing for distribution to customers, and print management reports. Back up and anti-viruses are essential for security purposes.
Computer Systems Needed in Office
The computers needed by the organization are for simple jobs such as accessing the internet and word processing. The important features to be looked at include the memory and the processing speed. Since the marketing director wants the cost to be minimal and the computer systems will be performing heavy duties, the amount of memory needed is little and the processing speed need not be very powerful. The processor determines the performance of a computer system because it is the place actual processing takes place. A mid grade Intel processor of two GHz is efficient in the computer systems. The Random Access Memory (RAM) helps in running programs. A one GB RAM is sufficient for accessing the internet, word processing, and printing. I also recommend that the systems to be bought should have memory upgrade slots so that it can be expanded later if need be. The hard drives help in storage of information. One hundred GB hard drive is effective each system. One of the systems should have a DVD Writer to help in writing back up information. The two computer systems should provide for external ports and connections so that peripherals such as printers, internet, iPods and others can be connected. I recommend five USB ports, a firewall port, and an Ethernet connection for internet and networking. Fifteen inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors are very efficient. The monitors occupy less space and consume low power compared to the cathode ray tube monitors. Other components that make the system include the output devices such as keyboard and mouse. Each system will cost about two hundred and seventy five U.S. Dollars. One printer will be used to serve the two computers.
Backup
Backing up refers to the process by which copies of information are stored separately from the computer systems so that it can be used to restore the previous state in case of a catastrophe. Earth quakes, thieves, bomb blasts, and others may cause permanent loss of information. This calls for backup where the information can be retrieved after such incidents. A computer system may crash loosing all information or some parts of information may be lost by mistake or corruption. In such cases, the backup is used to restore the information lost. Back information can be stored in floppy disks, compact disks, DVDs, the internet and others. The backup should be stored in a separate place from the computer systems. To prevent access of sensitive information by unauthorized users, the data can be encrypted so that only some individuals can read it. When data is encrypted, an unauthorized individual who has access to the backup cannot access the data. The marketing director will be required to buy some DVDs for storing sof