Elements of an Information System

To be valuable, information must be accurate, organized, timely, accessible, useful, and cost-effective to produce. Generating information from a computer requires the following five elements:

• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• People
• Procedures

Together, these elements (hardware, software, data, people, and procedures) comprise an information system.

 The hardware must be reliable and capable of handling the expected workload. The software must be developed carefully and tested thoroughly. The data entered into the computer must be accurate.

 Most companies with mid-sized and large computers have an IT (information technology) department. Staff in the IT department should be skilled and up-to-date on the latest technology. IT staff also should train users so that they understand how to use the computer properly. Today's users also work closely with IT staff in the development of computer applications that relate to their areas of work.

 Finally, all the IT applications should have readily available documented procedures that address operating the computer and using its programs.

Embedded Computers

An embedded computer is a special-purpose computer that functions as a component in a larger product. Embedded computers are everywhere – at home, in your car, and at work. The following list identifies a variety of everyday products that contain embedded computers.

• Consumer Electronics: mobile and digital telephones, digital televisions, cameras, video recorders, DVD players and recorders, answering machines
• Home Automation Devices: thermostats, sprinkling systems, security monitoring systems, appliances, lights
• Automobiles: antilock brakes, engine control modules, airbag controller, cruise control
• Process Controllers and Robotics: remote monitoring systems, power monitors, machine controllers, medical devices
• Computer Devices and Office Machines: keyboards, printers, fax, and copy machines

 Because embedded computers are components in larger products, they usually are small and have limited hardware. These computers perform various functions depending on the requirements of the product in which they reside. Embedded computers in printers, for example, monitor the amount of paper in the tray, check the ink or toner level, signal if a paper jam has occurred, and so on.

Supercomputers

A supercomputer is the fastest, most powerful computer – and the most expensive. The fastest supercomputers are capable of processing more than one quadrillion instructions in a single second. With weights that exceeds 100 tons, these computers can store more than 20,000 times the data and information of an average desktop computer.

 Applications requiring complex, sophisticated mathematical calculations use supercomputers. Large-scale simulations and applications in medicine, aerospace, automotive design, online banking, weather forecasting, nuclear energy research, and petroleum exploration use a supercomputer.

Mainframes

A mainframe is a large, expensive, powerful computer that can handle hundreds or thousands of connected users simultaneously. Mainframes store tremendous amounts of data, instructions, and information. Most major corporations use mainframes for business activities. With mainframes, enterprises are able to bill millions of customers, prepare payroll for thousands of employees, and manage thousands of items in inventory. On study reported that mainframes process more than 83 percent of transactions around the world.

 Mainframes also can act as servers in a network environment. Servers and other mainframes can access data and information from a mainframe. People also can access programs on the mainframe using terminals or personal computers.

Servers

A server controls access to the hardware, software, and other resources on a network and provides a centralized storage area for programs, data, and information. Servers can support from two to several thousand connected computer at the same time.

 In many cases, one server accesses data, information, and programs on another server. In other cases, people use personal computers or terminals to access data, information, and programs on a server. A terminal is a device with a monitor, keyboard, and memory.