IMIS Communications and Business Technology
Course
In Leicester
Description
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Type
Course
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Location
Leicester
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Duration
1 Year
An understanding of the information systems infrastructure: hardware, software, data storage, and telecommunications technology. Suitable for people who want to work with computers and need some entry level education.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
Reviews
Subjects
- Communications
- Technology
Course programme
Theme: Technological Support for Information Systems
Course: Diploma
Module Title: Communications and Business Technology
Module Code: D23
Resources: Internet connections
Assessment: By a single 3-hour externally set
examination paper
CATS Equivalent: 200 Notional Hours:
- 80 Hours Structured,
- 120 Hours Directed Self-Study
SPECIFIC COURSE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- D3.3 Describe the technology required to support Information Systems (IS), and explain how such technology may be acquired, and the role of security systems.
MODULE AIMS:
To provide students with:
- An understanding of the information systems infrastructure: hardware, software, data storage, and telecommunications technology. (A1)
- Knowledge of how all this information technology works together with the Internet to create a new infrastructure for the digital integration of the enterprise. (A2)
- An awareness of the opportunities created by the power of contemporary information systems and the global connectivity of the Internet, ensuring security and control. (A3)
MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students should be able to:
A1:
- Identify the hardware components in a typical computer system and interactive multimedia and their role in processing information. (LO1)
- Compare the capabilities of mainframes, midrange computers, Personal Computers (PC), workstations, servers and supercomputers and identify different arrangements of computer processing. (LO2)
- Describe the major types of software and compare leading PC operating systems. (LO3)
- Analyse the strengths and limitations of the major application programming languages and software tools and describe contemporary approaches to software development. (LO4)
- Describe the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of distributed systems. (LO5)
A2:
- Describe the basic components of a telecommunications system. (LO6)
- Identify t he capacity of telecommunications channels, analyse transmission media and compare the various types of telecommunications networks. (LO7)
- Analyse the alternative network services and identify the principal telecommunications applications for supporting electronic commerce and electronic business. (LO8) 19
- Identify the features of the new information technology (IT) infrastructure and important connectivity standards.(LO9)
- Describe how the Internet works, identify its major capabilities, recognise the benefits the Internet offers organisations and describe the principal technologies for supporting electronic commerce. (LO10)
A3:
- Demonstrate why information systems are so vulnerable to destruction, error, abuse, and system quality problems and compare general controls and application controls for information systems. (LO11)
- Identify the special measures required to ensure the reliability, availability and security of electronic commerce and digital business processes. (LO12)
- Demonstrate the importance of auditing information systems and safeguarding data quality. (LO13)
- Analyse important issues in managing hardware technology and organisational software assets. (LO14)
DETAILED MODULE CONTENT:
LO1: The Computer Hardware and IT Infrastructure
- The computer system, how computers represent data, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and primary storage, microprocessors and processing power, multiprocessors and parallel processing.
- Storage, input and output technology: magnetic disks, optical disks, magnetic tape, new storage alternatives, input and output devices, interactive multimedia.
LO2: Categories of Computers and Computer Systems
- Categories of computers, computer networks and client/server computing, network computers, peer-topeer computing.
LO3: System Software
- Functions of the operating system, multiprogramming, virtual storage, time-sharing and multiprocessing, graphical user interfaces.
LO4: Application Software
- Programming languages, fourth-generation languages and PC software tools, software for enterprise integration.
LO5: Distributed Processing Systems
- Distributed systems definitions, evolution of distributed systems, duplicated databases and inconsistent data, centralisation and its disadvantages, networked systems, distributed file systems.
- Advantages and disadvantages of distributed systems.
LO6: Components and Functions of a Telecommunications System
- Telecommunication system components, functions of telecommunications systems, types of signals, communications channels, communications processors and software.
LO7: Communications networks
- Network topologies, private branch exchanges, local area networks, wide area networks, network services and broadband technologies, and network convergence.
LO8: Electronic Business and Electronic Commerce Technologies
- Electronic mail and groupware, voice mail and fax, teleconferencing, data conferencing and video conferencing, and electronic data interchange.
- The information superhighway.
LO9: New IT Infrastructure for the Digital Firm
- Enterprise networking and internetworking, standards and connectivity for digital integration.
LO10: The Internet and Electronic Commerce
- What is the Internet, Internet technology and services, next generation Internet.
- The world-wide web:
- searching for information on the web, intranet and extranet technology
- wireless communications.
- Web servers and e-commerce servers, web content management tools, web performance monitoring tools, web hosting services.
LO11: System Vulnerability and Abuse
- Why systems are vulnerable, system quality problems – software and data.
LO12: Creating a Control Environment
- General controls and application controls, internet security challenges, security and e-commerce, developing a control structure – costs and benefits.
LO13: System Audits, Privacy, and Data Integrity Implications
- The role of auditing in the control process, analyse security vulnerabilities, data quality audits and data cleansing.
- Information rights: privacy and freedom in an information society, property rights, system quality: data quality and system errors.
LO14: Managing Hardware and Software Assets
- Hardware technology requirements for electronic commerce, hardware acquisition and the total cost of ownership of technology assets, monitoring technology trends.
- Rent or build decisions, software maintenance, selecting software for the organisation.
IMIS Communications and Business Technology