1. IT Infrastructure and Platforms
Lecture 6
IT Infrastructure and Platforms

2. Assess contemporary computer hardware platform trends
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
OBJECTIVES
Define IT infrastructure and describe the components and levels of IT infrastructure
Assess contemporary computer hardware platform trends
Assess contemporary software platform trends

3. Defining IT Infrastructure
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Defining IT Infrastructure
Includes hardware, software, and services
A set of physical devices and software applications that are required to operate the entire enterprise
Your firm is largely dependent on its infrastructure for delivering services to customers, employees, and suppliers.
You can think of infrastructure as digital plumbing, but its much more than that!

4. Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
The Connection between the Firm, IT Infrastructure, and Business Capabilities
Figure 6-1

5. Levels of IT Infrastructure
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Levels of IT Infrastructure
Three major levels of infrastructure:
Public
Enterprise
Business unit

6. A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-tier)
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-tier)
Figure 6-4

7. The Capacity of Hard Disk Drives Grows Exponentially, 1980–2004
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
The Capacity of Hard Disk Drives Grows Exponentially, 1980–2004
Figure 6-8
Source: Authors.

8. Exponential Declines in Internet Communications Costs
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Exponential Declines in Internet Communications Costs
Figure 6-10
Source: Authors.

9. Seven Key Infrastructure Components
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Seven Key Infrastructure Components
Computer Hardware Platforms
Operating System Platforms
Enterprise Software Applications
Data Management and Storage

10. Seven Key Infrastructure Components (Continued)
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Seven Key Infrastructure Components (Continued)
Networking/Telecommunications Platforms
Internet Platforms
Consulting and System Integration Services

11. Computer Hardware Platforms
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Computer Hardware Platforms
Dominance of Intel, AMD, and IBM 32-bit processor chips at the client level
Server market increasingly dominated by inexpensive generic processors from the same manufacturers

12. Computer Hardware Platforms (Continued)
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Computer Hardware Platforms (Continued)
Strong server market growth for 64 bit generic processors from AMD, Intel and IBM
Blade servers replace box servers
Mainframes continue as a presence working as very large servers

13. Operating System Platforms
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Operating System Platforms
Continued dominance of Microsoft OS in the client (95%) and handheld market (45%)
Growing dominance of Linux (UNIX) in the corporate server market (85%)
Windows 2002 and 2003 Server remains strong in smaller enterprises and workgroup networks

14. Enterprise Software Applications
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Enterprise Software Applications
SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft (now Oracle), and Siebel dominate this market.

15. Data Management and Storage
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Data Management and Storage
Oracle and IBM continue to dominate the database software market.
Microsoft (SQL Server) and Sybase tend to serve smaller firms.
Open source Linux MySQL now supported by HP and most consulting firms as an inexpensive, powerful database used mostly in small to mid-size firms.

16. Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Internet Platforms
Open-source Apache remains the dominant Web server software, followed by Microsoft’s IIS server.
Sun’s Java grows as the most widely used tool for interactive Web applications.
Microsoft and Sun settle a long-standing law suit and agree to support a common Java.

17. Consulting and System Integration Services
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
    INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Consulting and System Integration Services
Integration services involves integrating data, and applications in a firm.
Connecting new applications and systems to legacy systems

18. Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Grid Computing:
Involves connecting geographically remote computers into a single network capable of working in parallel on business problems that require short-term access to large computational capacity
Rather than purchase huge mainframes or super computers, firms can chain together thousands of smaller desktop clients into a single computing grid.

19. Grid Computing (Continued)
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Grid Computing (Continued)
Most computers in the world are loafing, and at night they are sleeping.
It is estimated that from 25% - 50% of the computing power in the United States is unused.
Grid computing saves infrastructure spending, increases speed of computing, and increases the agility of firms.

20. Operator error is the most common cause of crashes.
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Autonomic Computing:
Computer systems (both hardware and software) have become so complex that the cost of managing them has risen.
Thirty to fifty percent of a company’s IT budget is spent preventing or recovering from system crashes.
Operator error is the most common cause of crashes.

21. Configure, optimize, and tune themselves Heal themselves when broken
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Autonomic computing is an industry-wide effort to develop systems that can:
Configure, optimize, and tune themselves
Heal themselves when broken
Protect themselves from outside intruders and self-destruction
Example: Windows XP and Max X OS automatically download patches and updates.

22. The Rise of Linux and Open-Source Software
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
The Rise of Linux and Open-Source Software
Linux is the most widely used open-source software program. Linux is an operating system derived from Unix.
Mozilla Firefox browser and Thunderbird mail clients are the most widely used open-source applications. Others include MySQL.
IBM, HP, Intel, Dell, and Sun have adopted and support Linux. Linux is a major alternative to Windows server and even client operating systems.

23. Java is embedded in PDAs, cell phones, and browsers.
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Java Is Everywhere
Java:
Independent, processor-independent, object-oriented programming language
Applications written in Java can run on any hardware for which a Java virtual machine has been defined.
Java is embedded in PDAs, cell phones, and browsers.
Java is a leading interactive programming environment for the Web.

24. Web Services and Service-Oriented Architecture
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Web Services and Service-Oriented Architecture
Web Services:
An alternative to enterprise systems is to use new Web-based standards to create a communication platform allowing older applications to communicate with newer applications.
Web services refers to a set of loosely coupled software components that exchange information with each other using Web communication standards and languages.

25. Web Services and Service-Oriented Architecture (Continued)
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Web Services and Service-Oriented Architecture (Continued)
Web services permit computer programs to communicate with one another and share information without rewriting applications, or disturbing older legacy systems.
Web services are based on XML, and standards like SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI to create this communication environment.

26. Service-Oriented Architecture
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Service-Oriented Architecture
SOA refers to the use of Web services in a firm to achieve integration among disparate applications and platforms.
A firm might have applications (payroll) running on older AS400 IBM machines, IBM mainframes (customer data and inventory) and newer applications running on client/server networks.

27. Service-Oriented Architecture (Continued)
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Service-Oriented Architecture (Continued)
In SOA, these applications are integrated so that information stored on various systems can be brought together and fed into newer applications running on more contemporary equipment.
SOA is generally less expensive than rebuilding all the older applications and adopting a new enterprise wide system.

28. Three kinds of outsourcing: Purchase of software packages
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Software Outsourcing
Today large and small firms purchase most of their software from outside vendors.
Three kinds of outsourcing:
Purchase of software packages
Using application service providers
Custom outsourcing

29. Application Service Providers:
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Application Service Providers:
A business that delivers and manages applications and computer services from remote computer centers to multiple users using the Internet or a private network

30. Application Service Providers:
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Application Service Providers:
Rather than purchase hardware and software, firms can go onto the Internet and find providers who offer the same functionality over the entertainment, and charge on a per-user or license basis.
Example: Salesforce.com provides customer relationship management and sales force management services to firms

31. Management Opportunities:
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND SOLUTIONS
Management Opportunities:
Because of changes in hardware and software platforms, firms face significant new opportunities to obtain hardware and software capabilities
that are more reliable, less costly, and more flexible than in the past.

32. Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND SOLUTIONS
Starting out small:
Experiment with new technologies on a smaller scale before taking up a large-scale infrastructure project.

33. Total cost of ownership of technology assets:
Management Information Systems
Lecture 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND SOLUTIONS
Total cost of ownership of technology assets:
When calculating the costs of systems, be sure to include all the costs:
Hardware acquisition
Software acquisition
Installation
Training
Support
Maintenance
Infrastructure requirements
Downtime
Space and energy