ICT (Information & Communication Technology) systems

 set of technological tools & resources used to communicate & create, disseminate, store and manage info
 any communication device or application (radio, television, cellular phones, computer network, hardware
and software, satellite systems etc)
 various services & appliances such as video conferencing & distance learning
 ICT systems at home (personal computer, laptop, smart home appliances, smart TVs, internet services (DSL,
prepaid) – online shopping and services)
 ICT systems in school (computer laboratory, local & wide area network, servers for workstations, internet &
wifi services, online catalogues at library, e-learning facilities, online courses, student and employee records,
banking systems, healthcare, accounting, procurement, personnel)
Components of the ICT
 Hardware
 Software
 Data
 Users – the driving force behind the development of ICT systems (system analyst, programmer/software
engineer, operations personnel, network administrator, system administrator, database administrator,
manager)

Computer – heart of ICT; a machine that performs tasks according to specific instructions; processes data and
transforms it to meaningful information

Common computer applications

 Communications and networking
 Word processing
 Graphics animation
 Desktop publishing
 Databases
 Management information system
 Artificial intelligence
 System simulations
 Spreadsheets
 Entertainment & Games

Basic functions of a computer

Input – mouse, keyboard, microphone, scanner
Process – programs, applications, chrome, CPU, Processor
Storage – Hard disk, CD-ROM Drive, Memory Disk
Output – Desktop, Monitor, Keyboard, Microphone, Headphones
Data – no context means nothing, value information when you attach context/meaning to data, context to value

Basic Computer Components

 Processor – processes information
 Data Storage – puts received data
 Input Devices – mouse, keyboard, touch pad; feed information from the real world
 Output Devices – display, print; converts data from computer to the real world
 Network Devices – connects to other computers/data from computer to computer

Classifications of data processing devices

 Manual/Mechanical - Powered by hand – abacus, slide rule, bike pedal, hand crank
 Electromechanical – fusion of mechanical and electric; electric motor, uses switches & relays; appliances,
cash register
 Electronic – digital only; circuit boards, transistors, silicon chips, computer, cellphone
Classification of Computers
 Size
o Microcomputers -tablets, handheld/palmtop computers, laptop notebook, desktop, workstations
o Minicomputers – medium sized and can serve several users at the same time; commonly used in
small businesses and organizations for typical business routine office tasks
o Mainframes – big, powerful, fast, expensive, serves hundreds of users at the same time; used by
large businesses & organizations for high-volume data processing; used to maintain huge databases
& manage networks
o Supercomputers – extremely fast mainframe, runs at the rate of BIPS (Billion Instructions per
Second); can serve hundreds of users simultaneously
 Purpose
o Special purpose computers – designed to perform specific tasks; lacks versatility (airline
reservations, hospitals, satellite tracking, traffic control)
o General purpose computers – capable of dealing with a variety of programs, stores different
programs
 Data processed
o Analog – used for scientific, engineering process, control measurement purposes, only analog
input/output (speedometer, watch)
o Digital computers – specializes in counting only digital input and output; handles data as bits of 0’s
and 1’s
o Hybrid computers – combination of digital and analog computers; examples (traffic control, ICU,
technically desktop, analog input/output and digital output/input)
 Storage capacity
 Speed
o MIPS (Million Instructions per Second)
o BIPS (Billion Instructions per Second)
o Clock speed in megahertz/gigahertz
 Number of simultaneous users
 Cost

Computer capabilities – accurate, able to manipulate symbols (data), can process huge amounts of information;
performs logic operations (comparisons and decisions); controls errors, checks itself

Computer limitations – GIGO (program reliability, logic, clarity, valid data); vulnerability, security, dependence on
prepared instructions, inability to derive meanings from objects

Internet – A publicly accessible network of networks that transmits data using internet protocols (IP); a network
(device) of networks that share each other; a wire (underground, satellite etc) when something is sent into the
internet it is through packets

Packets are broken down and sent then rebuilt into the original data sent.

All computers connected to the internet have a specific IP address (numbers only)
IP addresses are unique so that computer info won’t get mixed up

ARPANET – allow scientists at different physical locations to share information; became basis for internet with the
interconnection of university computers

Internet Protocols (IP) – supports unique addressing for computers on a network; data on an Internet Protocol is
organized into packets
Each IP packet includes
 Header – specifies the source destination and other information about the data
 Message – the data itself

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

 Protocol identifier (http, https, ftp)
 Domain Name (address, points to an IP address)
 Top level domains (.com, .net, .org)

Tim Berners-Lee – world wide web maker

WWW – world wide web; world of information that is possibly greater than any library that ever existed

Internet – started as a military research from the Department of Defense of the USA in 1957

ARPANET – advance research projects agency network;

ARPA – Advanced Research Projects Agency; agency responsible for the existence of the internet

LAN (Local Area Network) – interconnects computers in one location

WAN (Wide Area Network) – interconnects different LANs

WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) – allows wireless internet

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) – allows telephone calls over the internet; allows you to have conversation with
another online user in real time

VIOP (Voice over Internet Protocol) – allows telephone calls over the internet using IP

Email (Electronic Mail) – allows registered user to send and receive electronic messages to the other
online users

P2P (Peer to Peer) – allows users to share files such as documents, software, mp3 music, video, pictures and many
others

Social Networks – members of the online community connect to family members and friends easily

Gigapop (Gigabit Point-of-Presence) – high speed transmission; access point to Internet2 (network collaboration of
universities and partners in industry)

Cluster/Grid computing – allows intensive computations to be distributed to thousands of computers and lets them
process simultaneously

Search Engine – online tool used to find almost all kinds of information
Blog – quick way of publishing information on the internet
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – string of characters that refers to specific file or data on the internet
http://www.jaeden.com/file/index.htm
 http – type of protocol
 www.jaeden.com – domain name
 file/ – folder in the server
 index.htm – name of the document being requested
DNS (Domain Name System) – used on the internet for the mapping of names to IP addresses; a system used on the
internet for mapping of names to IP addresses

Top level domains

 .edu – higher education
 .k12 – K-12 schools (kindergarten to 12th grade)
 .com – commercial
 .gov – government agency
 .mil – military
 .org – general non-commercial organization
 .net – computer network

Who pays for the internet? Advertisers - Popups and banners influence spending habits

Internet Browser – computer application for browsing, retrieval, viewing of content from WWW and Intranet
(Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome etc)

Email – most common internet application, any message from to another; any message directed from one individual
to another and sent from one computer to another
Webmail – web-based; web mail because it uses http

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – scripting language; programming language that tells computer how to display
web page; specialized language to create scripts

IOT (Internet of Things) – is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects,
animals or people that are provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring that much
human interaction. Note: with unique identifiers (UID)
 communicate with other related devices; can communicate without human intervention
How does it work?
 Composed of web-enabled smart devices, sensors and communication hardware, IoT devices
History:
Kevin Ashton – mentioned IoT to a 1999 presentation to Procter & Gamble.
Neil Gershenfeld – author of “When Things Start to Think” which appeared and provided a clear vision where IoT
was headed.

IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS),
microservices and the internet which tore down the “silos” between OT (Operational Technology) and IT
(Information Technology)

First applicance: Coke Machine (early 1980s); check whether there would be coke and whether to go Carnegie
Mellon University); evolved from machine-to-machine interaction
Importance of IoT
 helps people live and work smarter
 automate homes
 provides businesses with a real time look into how their systems really works
 delivers insights into everything
 enables companies to automate processes and reduce labor costs
 cuts down on waste and improves service delivery
 touches every industry, healthcare, finance etc
 helps citizens reduce waste and energy consumption
 even used in farming
Collect Data -> Collate & Transfer Data -> Analyze Data and Take Action
Example:
IoT Device – sensor, antenna, micro controller == data collection
IoT Hub or Gateway == collate and transfer data
User Interface == analyze data and take action

Benefits and Advantages of IoT

 access info anywhere at any time at any device
 improved communication between devices
 saves time and money
 improve the quality of business services and reduces the need for human intervention

Disadvantages of IoT
 As the number of connected devices increases the potential that a hacker could steal information also
increases
 Collecting and managing the data from millions of IoT devices will be challenging
 If there’s a bug in the system, it is likely that every connected device will become corrupted
 Difficult for devices from different manufacturers to communicate
 Collecting and managing data is challenging

Convergent Technology – combination of two or more different technologies in one device (example: mobile phone)
Advantages
 improved communication (talk through mobile phones, social networking, text messaging)
 benefits to the health industry
 improving housing and lifestyle (smart home etc)
 impacts on the medical profession (driverless trucks with health sensors/health sensors on driver’s seat,
surgical robots), sustainability (filter that turns toxic water clean) and society (chatbots for buying and
ordering services)
Disadvantages
 job loss (robots are doing the jobs that used to be done by the humans)
 competency (many people struggle with spelling without an editor and do basic maths without a calculator;
they depend too much with technology which reduced their creativity)
 security (since almost everything is connected to the internet like financial accounts, photos, mobile phone
etc, all of this can be hacked by some mischievous hacker)

Convergent Technologies
Technologies that enable convergence
 Internet (ipad: hardware; itunes: music)
 Satellite (GPS)
 Wireless (In home)

Combined technologies that enable convergence

 Cellphone – wireless internet and satellite (GPS)
 Google Earth – internet and satellite

What is driving convergent technologies

 The proliferation of digital data
 Widespread connectivity
 Continuous advances in technology
Started with business side needs -> Consumer needs (Internet, TV, mobile messengers, cellphone with internet)
Needs:
Remote diagnostics
-medical data gathering from remote clinics and clients
-medical remote monitoring systems
Sales force automation
-inventory, GPS, route information
-overall sales systems

Growing stronger with consumer convergent technology

 Internet services (dedicated to TV sets)
 Mobile messengers
 Cellphone with internet
 Motor vehicle “auto start”
 Web casting of radio and TV programming on the internet

Business following the consumer convergent technology trends

 Businesses having forums for their customers
 Professionals participating in online forums for social networking support

How has the consumer been empowered to lead the industry

 Availability of affordable computers and peripherals
 Low-cost connectivity
 LAN technology
 Mass-market saver software
 Digital media creation tools

What to look for emerging RFID (radio frequency Identification)

Digital Convergence - combination of two or more different technologies in a single device to perform similar tasks
and unites devices, systems, and people
- Example: smartphone – communication, internet access, photography; smart home -lets you control parts of
your home from your phone
Advantages
 saves money (combining into one device saves money than buying a device for each use)
 saves lives (allow access to medical knowledge faster)
 save time (ability to multitask)
Disadvantages
 eats time (leads to addiction and people’s focus tends to be on their devices instead of work and school)
 eats relationships (neglecting families and friends)
 eats time at home (allows to bring work back home; no work life balance)

Cyber Security
- Refers to the security offered through online services to protect your online information
- With increasing amount of people connected to the internet, the security threats that cause massive harm
increases also

Cyber – combining form relating to information technology, the Internet and virtual reality
Need for cyber security – to help secure data from threats such as data theft or misuse also safeguards your system
from viruses

Major Security Problems

 Virus – a program that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes
o Solution: Install a security suite that protects the computer against threats such as viruses and
worms (AVG, McAfee, Norton, F-Secure, AhnLab, Kaspersky etc)
 Hackers – is a person who breaks into computers usually by gaining access to administrative tools
o Types of Hackers
 White Hat Hacker
 Grey Hat Hacker
 Black Hat Hacker
o Prevention: Effective security controls including strong passwords and the use of firewalls
 Malware – comes from the term MALicious softWARE; any software that infects and damages a computer
system without the owner’s knowledge or permission
o Prevention
 download an anti-malware program that also helps prevent infections
 activate network threat protection
 firewall, antivirus
 Trojan Horses – email viruses that can duplicate themselves, steal information, or harm the computer
system; most serious threats to computer
o Prevention: security suites such as Avast Internet Security to prevent from downloading Trojan
Horses
 Password Cracking – attacks by hackers that are able to determine passwords or find passwords to different
protected electronic areas and social network sites
o Securing Password – always use strong password, never use the same password for two different
sites
Cyber Security is Everyone’s Responsiblity