Deck 5: It Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies

Question 1

The mainframe market has grown steadily over the past decade.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Client/server computing is a widely used form of centralized processing.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Application server software is responsible for locating and managing stored Web pages.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

TCO refers to the original cost of purchased technology: both hardware and software.

Question 5

An application server may reside on the same computer as a Web server or on its own dedicated computer.

Question 6

Whereas XML is limited to describing how data should be presented in the form of Web pages, HTML can perform presentation, communication, and data storage tasks.

Question 7

Enterprise integration requires software that can link disparate applications and enable data to flow freely among different parts of the business.

Question 8

The collection of Web services that are used to build a firm's software systems constitutes what is known as a service-oriented architecture.

Question 9

Web services can exchange information between two different systems regardless of the operating system or programming languages on which the systems are based.

Question 10

N-tier computing is a multi-tier, load-balancing scheme for Web-based applications in which significant parts of Web site content, logic, and processing are performed by smaller, less expensive servers located nearby the user.

Question 11

The operating system is used to manage the computer's activities.

Question 12

Like an ASP, a Web hosting service provides shared applications to subscribed users, but does this through a Web portal.

Question 13

SANs create large central pools of storage that can be rapidly accessed and shared by multiple servers.

Question 14

Scalability refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a large number of users without breaking down.

Question 15

In green computing, reducing computer power consumption is a top priority.

Question 16

Today most business firms have discontinued operating their legacy systems, replacing these with inexpensive Web services and hosted software.

Question 17

Hypertext markup language specifies how text, graphics, video, and sound are placed on a Web page document.

Question 18

Autonomic computing is implemented primarily with enterprise or ISP servers.

Question 19

Java software is designed to run on any computer or computing device, regardless of the specific microprocessor or operating system it uses.

Question 20

IT infrastructure technology is purely a set of physical devices and software applications that are required to operate the entire enterprise.

Question 21

Specifications that establish the compatibility of products and the ability to communicate in a network are called

A) network standards.
B) telecommunications standards.
C) technology standards.
D) Internet standards.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT an IT infrastructure service component?

A) operating system software
B) computing platforms to provide a coherent digital environment
C) physical facility management to manage the facilities housing physical components
D) IT management services to plan and develop the infrastructure and provide project management

Question 23

A client computer networked to a server computer, with processing split between the two types of machines, is called a(n)

A) service-oriented architecture.
B) on-demand architecture.
C) multi-tiered client/server architecture.
D) two-tiered client/server architecture.

Question 24

The introduction of the minicomputer

A) allowed computers to be customized to the specific needs of departments or business units.
B) enabled decentralized computing.
C) offered new, powerful machines at lower prices than mainframes.
D) all of the above.

Question 25

Legacy systems are still used because they

A) can only be run on the older mainframe computers.
B) are too expensive to redesign.
C) integrate well using new Web services technologies.
D) contain valuable data that would be lost during redesign.

Question 26

Software that manages the resources of the computer is called

A) operating system software.
B) application software.
C) data management software.
D) network software.

Question 27

Which type of infrastructure services provides voice and video connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers?

A) networking
B) telephone
C) VOIP
D) telecommunications

Question 28

Which of the following factors provides an understanding of why computing resources today are ever more available than in previous decades?

A) network economics
B) law of mass digital storage and Moore's law
C) declining communications costs, universal standards, and the Internet
D) all of the above

Question 29

Today's nanotechnology-produced computer transistors are roughly equivalent in size to

A) the width of a fingernail.
B) a human hair.
C) a virus.
D) an atom.

Question 30

Place the following eras of IT infrastructure evolution in order, from earliest to most recent: (1) Cloud Computing Era (2) Client/Server, (3) Enterprise Era, (4) Personal Computer, and (5) Mainframe and Minicomputer.

A) 4, 5, 3, 2, 1
B) 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
C) 4, 5, 2, 3, 1
D) 5, 4, 2, 1, 3

Question 31

Interpretations of Moore's law assert that

A) computing power doubles every 18 months.
B) transistors decrease in size 50% every two years.
C) data storage costs decrease by 50% every 18 months.
D) none of the above.

Question 32

The leading networking hardware providers include

A) Dell, HP/Compaq, and IBM.
B) Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nortel.
C) Seagate, Maxtor, and Western Digital.
D) IBM, Oracle, and Sun.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT an example of the emerging mobile computing platforms?

A) netbooks
B) the Kindle
C) cell phones
D) CRM

Question 34

The network standard for connecting desktop computers into local area networks that enabled the widespread adoption of client/server computing and local area networks and further stimulated the adoption of personal computers is

A) TCP/IP
B) COBOL
C) Ethernet
D) ASCII

Question 35

In a multi-tiered network

A) the work of the entire network is centralized.
B) the work of the entire network is balanced over several levels of servers.
C) processing is split between clients and servers.
D) processing is handled by multiple, geographically remote clients.

Question 36

Connecting geographically remote computers in a single network to create a "virtual supercomputer" is called

A) co-location.
B) edge computing.
C) grid computing.
D) utility computing.

Question 37

As referred to in the text, legacy systems are

A) traditional mainframe-based business information systems.
B) electronic spreadsheets used on a PC.
C) any pre-1990 Wintel systems.
D) systems found on older ASPs.

Question 38

A SAN is a ________ network.

A) server area
B) storage area
C) scalable architecture
D) service-oriented architecture

Question 39

The multitasking, multi-user, operating system developed by Bell Laboratories that operates on a wide variety of computing platforms is

A) Unix.
B) Linux.
C) OS X.
D) COBOL.

Question 40

________ unleash powerful economies of scale and result in declines in manufactured computer products.

A) Internet and web technologies
B) Technology standards
C) Linux and open-source software
D) Client/server technologies

Question 41

Prewritten, commercially available sets of software programs that eliminate the need for a firm to write its own software programs for certain functions, are referred to as

A) software packages.
B) mashups.
C) outsourced software.
D) open source software.

Question 42

________ are created by combining and customizing components from different online software applications.

A) Apps
B) Mashups
C) SaaS
D) Web services

Question 43

The business case for using grid computing involves all of the following EXCEPT

A) cost savings.
B) increased accuracy.
C) speed of computation.
D) agility.

Question 44

A software tool with a graphical user interface for displaying Web pages and for accessing the Web and other Internet resources is called a Web

A) service.
B) client.
C) browser.
D) app.

Question 45

Which type of software is created and updated by a worldwide community of programmers and available for free?

A) software packages
B) mashups
C) outsourced
D) open source

Question 46

Which type of computing refers to firms purchasing computing power from remote providers and paying only for the computing power they use?

A) on-demand
B) grid
C) edge
D) autonomic

Question 47

Sets of loosely coupled software components that exchange information with each other using standard Web communication standards and languages are referred to as

A) Web services.
B) EAI software.
C) SOA.
D) SOAP.

Question 48

What is the foundation technology for Web services?

A) XML
B) HTML
C) SOAP
D) UDDI

Question 49

A set of self-contained services that communicate with each other to create a working software application is called

A) Web services.
B) EAI software.
C) SOA.
D) SOAP.

Question 50

Linux is

A) primarily concerned with the tasks of end users.
B) designed for specific machines and specific microprocessors.
C) an example of open-source software.
D) especially useful for processing numeric data.

Question 51

Running a Java program on a computer requires

A) a Java Virtual Machine to be installed on the computer.
B) a Java Virtual Machine to be installed on the server hosting the Java applet.
C) a miniature program to be downloaded to the user's computer.
D) no specialized software, as Java is platform-independent.

Question 52

Which of the following statements about Linux is NOT True?

A) It plays a major role in the back office running local area networks.
B) It is available in free versions downloadable from the Internet.
C) It has garnered 80 percent of the server operating system market.
D) Linux applications are embedded in cell phones, smartphones, netbooks, and other handheld devices.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT one of the current software platform trends?

A) grid computing
B) open source software
C) mashups and apps
D) software outsourcing

Question 54

The process of presenting a set of computing resources (such as computing power or data storage) so that they can all be accessed in ways that are not restricted by physical configuration or geographic location is called

A) cloud computing.
B) autonomic computing.
C) virtualization.
D) multicore processing.

Question 55

An industry-wide effort to develop systems that can configure, optimize, tune, and heal themselves when broken, and protect themselves from outside intruders and self-destruction is called

A) grid computing.
B) utility computing.
C) virtualization.
D) autonomic computing.

Question 56

Which of the following does grid computing utilize to create enormous supercomputing power?

A) massive unused data centers
B) underutilized mainframe computers
C) networked computers with idle resources
D) networks with low usage

Question 57

Your firm needs to implement electronic timesheet software and needs to keep within a small budget. Which of the following would be the most costly method of implementing this new software?

A) purchasing a software package
B) programming the new software in-house
C) leasing the software over the Internet
D) outsourcing the software programming to an overseas vendor

Question 58

All of the following are contemporary and growing hardware platform trends except

A) green computing.
B) virtualization.
C) cloud computing.
D) Unix.

Question 59

An example of autonomic computing is

A) spyware protection software that runs and updates itself automatically.
B) software programmed to run on any hardware platform.
C) cell phones taking on the functions of handheld computers.
D) programming languages that allow non-programmers to create custom applications.

Question 60

Which of the following is a technique used to allow users to interact with a Web page without having to wait for the Web server to reload the Web page?

A) UDDI
B) widgets
C) Ajax
D) Java

Question 61

A formal contract between customers and their service providers that outlines the specific responsibilities of the service provider and to the customer is called a(n)

A) SOA.
B) SLA.
C) TCO.
D) RFQ.

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a challenge being faced by Salesforce.com, as discussed in the chapter case?

A) increased competition from traditional industry leaders such as Microsoft and SAP
B) continuing to differentiate its product and develop complementary new products and services
C) maintaining 24/7 availability for clients
D) moving into a more scalable, on-demand environment

Question 63

Which model can be used to analyze the direct and indirect costs to help firms determine the actual cost of specific technology implementations?

A) total cost of ownership
B) return on investment
C) breakeven point
D) cost benefit analysis

Question 64

Which of the following refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a larger number of users without breaking down?

A) modality
B) scalability
C) expandability
D) disintermediation

Question 65

________ states that the value or power of a network grows exponentially as a function of the number of network members.

Question 66

________ takes place when a firm contracts custom software development or maintenance of existing legacy programs to outside firms.

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT one of the main six factors to consider when evaluating how much your firm should spend on IT infrastructure?

A) your firm's business strategy
B) the IT investments made by competitor firms
C) market demand for your firm's services
D) your firm's organizational culture

Question 68

How would you determine the market demand for your firm's IT services?

A) Perform a TCO analysis.
B) Benchmark your services.
C) Hold focus groups to assess your services.
D) Analyze sales returns on key investments.

Question 69

________ surfaces allow users to gesture on a screen with several fingers to execute commands.

Question 70

A(n) ________ is an integrated circuit to which two or more processors have been attached for enhanced performance and reduced power consumption.

Question 71

________ allows a single computing resource, such as a server, to appear to the user as multiple logical resources.

Question 72

Hardware and software acquisition costs account for about ________ percent of TCO.

A) 20
B) 40
C) 60
D) 80

Question 73

________ are ultrathin computers consisting of a circuit board with processors, memory, and network connections that are stored in racks.

Question 74

SaaS refers to

A) supplying online access over networks to storage devices and storage area network technology.
B) managing combinations of applications, networks, systems, storage, and security as well as providing Web site and systems performance monitoring to subscribers over the Internet.
C) hosting and managing access to software applications delivered over the Internet to clients on a subscription basis.
D) none of the above.

Question 75

________ provides a standard format for data exchange, enabling Web services to pass data from one process to another.

Question 76

The ________ PC is a computer using the Windows operating system software on a computer with an Intel microprocessor which became the standard PC in the Personal Computer Era.

Question 77

Your firm, an auto parts manufacturer, has just merged with an automobile engine manufacturer, and the two companies have different SCM systems. Which of the following strategies would be the most likely course to help to reduce the TCO of the merged firms' technology investments?

A) Use Web services to join the two systems.
B) Move one firm into using the other's system in order to centralize management and support services.
C) Develop a single ERP system that encompasses the information needs and business processes of both firms.
D) Purchase a hosted, on-demand ERP system that encompasses the needs and processes of both firms.

Question 78

The practice of contracting custom software development to an outside firm is commonly referred to as

A) outsourcing.
B) scaling.
C) service-oriented architecture.
D) application integration.

Question 79

A(n)________ server is used to communicate between a Web server and an organization's back-end systems.

Question 80

________ uses individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices thinner than a human hair.