Exam 22: Using Technology to Manage Information

An intranet is a companywide network that is based on Internet-type technology, but closed to public access.

Melissa, a new employee at Epic Electronics, is required to perform a variety of bookkeeping and clerical tasks at a workstation. Epic has training software on its workstations that can answer many of the questions she has about what to do on her new job, and how to do it. The software is so good that she rarely asks her supervisor for help. It even tracks the way Melissa performs certain tasks, and offers suggestions to improve her productivity. This software is an example of

Beginning with the late 1980s the goal of information technology was to

During the 1970s, the purpose of data processing was to support the existing business by improving the flow of financial information.

One problem with most extranets is that they use public lines, which makes it possible for hackers to get into the network.

The main purpose of an intranet is to allow a company to keep in close contact with its customers.

The success of data mining depends on access to data.

In the area of electronic communications, the main focus of corporate and government security officials today is the prevention of credit card fraud.

________ refers to a variety of software applications that analyze an organization's raw data and obtain useful insights from it.

Compared to the Internet, a major advantage of Internet2 is that it

In the 1970s business technology was known as data processing.

The extranet is the next stage in the evolution of the Internet, consisting of a revolutionary new fiber optic technology that will enable computer users throughout the world to send and receive data up to 256 times faster than they can using the technology of the early 2010s.

The increasing use of computer networks has made computer security more complicated.

________ is a process that allows software-based networked computers to run multiple operating systems and programs, and share storage.

A(n) ________ is a semiprivate network that uses Internet technology to enable more than one company to access the same information or to allow people on different servers to collaborate.

Which of the following is the best assessment of the impact extranets have had on the way small businesses operate?

Mini-Case Cy Burspace first began working for Epic Electronics in the mid-1970s as a business technology specialist. Today, he is the department head for the company's information systems department. Cy is well known and respected by everyone in the company, and his coworkers recently threw a party to honor his 30th year with Epic. Cy did a lot of reminiscing at the party, telling the newer employees how things were done in the "old days," and comparing them to newer methods. "I'm still amazed at how things have changed. When I first came to Epic, we had a central computer to handle everything. It took up a whole room, but all it really did was generate financial reports for management," said Cy. "Today, employees have their own personal computer, and all are hooked up to a network. All of this connectivity has led to big improvements in our operations. For example, if a production worker wants to find out how many units of a particular component we have in inventory, or wants the name and address of a particular supplier who sells us that component, he or she can get the information in the blink of an eye. In fact, we have even given our suppliers and customers access to our network so that we can share information and provide them with better service. That change has really helped us compete against the bigger firms." "Now," Cy continued, "most of the workers in my department don't even have to be at the office to be connected. We have smartphones and laptops so we can do much of our work from home or while we are on the road." A new employee asked Cy if he was ready to retire. "No way," he said. "I'm in the middle of a major project right now. We're trying to design a single entry point for people to use when logging on to the Epic network. We want to set it up so that the log-on procedure identifies different types of users and automatically gives them access to the types of resources they need. For example, customers who logged on would be allowed to place orders, check on the status of previous orders, and interact with our technical support staff, but would not have access to other, more proprietary parts of our network. We think this approach will be more convenient for everyone. And," he continued, "once I finish that project, the marketing department has asked me to work on developing better ways to store and analyze the vast amounts of data we collect. So my work is cut out for me for quite a while yet." -People in marketing want Cy's help because they are convinced that many hidden patterns and unexpected relationships could be found in the mountains of data the company accumulates. They think that discovering these relationships might help them develop new marketing strategies. This suggests that Cy's next project will be concerned with

Gary has been using Dropbox. The cloud he is storing his information to is called a

A virtual private network allows information managers to simulate a real intranet in order to identify possible security problems and technical glitches before the company sets up the actual private network.

NASDAQ is an example of how information technology can