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EMAIL:gabrielmusyoka940@g
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AIN1501
,CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
..............................................................................................................................................III
TOPIC 1 ............................................................................................................................................................
1
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF INFORMATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ................................... 1
STUDY UNITY 1.1 INFORMATION AND ITS COMPLEXITY ..................................................................................... 1
STUDY UNITY 1.2 THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY .................................................... 4
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Topic 1: Self-assessment ......................................................................................................................... 7
Topic 1: Self-assessment answers ........................................................................................................... 8
TOPIC 2 ............................................................................................................................................................
9
THE NEED FOR INFORMATION .........................................................................................................................
9
STUDY UNIT 2.1 USERS OF INFORMATION ........................................................................................................ 9
STUDY UNIT 2.2 THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH INFORMATION IS REQUIRED ................................................................. 11
STUDY UNIT 2.3 DETERMINING RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR SPECIFIC USERS ........................................................ 17
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 2 .................................................................................................................................... 21
Topic 2: Self-assessment ....................................................................................................................... 22
Topic 2: Self-assessment answers ......................................................................................................... 24
TOPIC 3 ..........................................................................................................................................................
25
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE: HARDWARE ......................................................................
25
STUDY UNIT 3.1 THE HARDWARE CONCEPT ..................................................................................................... 25
STUDY UNIT 3.2 INTRODUCTION TO PERIPHERAL DEVICES ................................................................................... 28
STUDY UNIT 3.3 CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS ............................................................................................. 33
STUDY UNIT 3.4 COMPARING COMPUTERS ..................................................................................................... 35
STUDY UNIT 3.5 DATA CENTRES AND OTHER TRENDS......................................................................................... 37
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 3 .................................................................................................................................... 39
Topic 3: Self-assessment ....................................................................................................................... 40
Topic 3: Self-assessment answers ......................................................................................................... 42
TOPIC 4 ..........................................................................................................................................................
43
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE: SOFTWARE .......................................................................
43
STUDY UNIT 4.1 THE SOFTWARE CONCEPT ...................................................................................................... 43
STUDY UNIT 4.2 SYSTEM SOFTWARE ............................................................................................................. 45
STUDY UNIT 4.3 APPLICATION SOFTWARE ...................................................................................................... 53
STUDY UNIT 4.4 NEW TRENDS IN SOFTWARE ................................................................................................... 54
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 4 .................................................................................................................................... 56
ii AIN1501
,Topic 4: Self-assessment ....................................................................................................................... 57
Topic 4: Self-assessment answers ......................................................................................................... 59
TOPIC 5 ..........................................................................................................................................................
60
COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND DATA COMMUNICATION .....................................................................................
60
STUDY UNIT 5.1 COMMUNICATION THEORY .................................................................................................... 60
STUDY UNIT 5.2 CONNECTING COMPUTERS .................................................................................................... 64
STUDY UNIT 5.3 COMPONENTS OF A DATA COMMUNICATION NETWORK ............................................................... 68
STUDY UNIT 5.4 DATA COMMUNICATION NETWORKS ....................................................................................... 72
STUDY UNIT 5.5 INTERNET .......................................................................................................................... 77
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 5 .................................................................................................................................... 84
i
Topic 5: Self-assessment ....................................................................................................................... 85
Topic 5: Self-assessment answers ......................................................................................................... 87
TOPIC 6 ..........................................................................................................................................................
88
DEVELOPING AN INFORMATION SYSTEM SOLUTION .....................................................................................
88
STUDY UNIT 6.1 THE REASONS WHY INFORMATION SYSTEMS BECOME OBSOLETE OR OUTDATED ................................. 88
STUDY UNIT 6.2 THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE ................................................................ 90
STUDY UNIT 6.3 ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF DEVELOPING OR ACQUIRING INFORMATION SYSTEMS .................................... 98
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 6 .................................................................................................................................. 107
Topic 6: Self-assessment ..................................................................................................................... 108
Topic 6: Self-assessment answers ....................................................................................................... 110
TOPIC 7 ........................................................................................................................................................
111
THE MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS ........................................................................................
111
STUDY UNIT 7.1 THE MANAGEMENT CONCEPT AND AN INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGY ...................................... 111
STUDY UNIT 7.2 CREATING AND ACQUIRING INFORMATION SYSTEMS SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES ................................ 122
STUDY UNIT 7.3 MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEMS OPERATIONS .................................................................... 127
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 7 .................................................................................................................................. 136
Topic 7: Self-assessment ..................................................................................................................... 137
Topic 7: Self-assessment answers ....................................................................................................... 139
TOPIC 8 ........................................................................................................................................................
140
THE MONITORING AND CONTROL OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS ...................................................................
140
STUDY UNIT 8.1 COMPUTER CRIME............................................................................................................. 140
STUDY UNIT 8.2 APPROACH TO SECURITY ..................................................................................................... 144
STUDY UNIT 8.3 CONTROLS AND SECURITY MEASURES..................................................................................... 146
STUDY UNIT 8.4 REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION WITH AN INFLUENCE ON INFORMATION SYSTEM CONTROLS .............. 163
SUMMARY OF TOPIC 8 .................................................................................................................................. 166
iii AIN1501
To those of you, who wish to enrich your minds, welcome to the AIN1501 module! As
Ford said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who
keeps learning today is young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
Please note that the successful completion of this module will not make you a
computer specialist; rather, it will ensure that you have a good background knowledge
of accounting systems in a computer environment. You will be able to use this
background knowledge in your studies, whether you wish to become an accountant,
an auditor, or a business specialist. This module is therefore a basic but important
building block for other modules that you still have to master. This module is not
practically oriented; however it gives you the necessary knowledge base that you will
need to deal with problems in later modules. In the following module, AIN2601, you
will be given the opportunity to practically apply the knowledge and skills you acquired
in the AIN1501 module.
Tip: Because technology changes so rapidly, information technology is not a rigid or
unchangeable area of study. It is your duty as a student, therefore, to ensure – after
iv AIN1501
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