Q1. What is Cloud Computing? Explain the different models in cloud computing.

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—servers, storage, databases,

networking, software, analytics, intelligence and more
—over the Internet (“the cloud”)
— to offer faster innovation, flexible resources and economies of scale.
— You typically pay only for cloud services you use,
• helping lower your operating costs
• run your infrastructure more efficiently
• scale as your business needs change
Service Models-
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - utility computing
• datacenter as a service
• client manages own software, OS, applications
• full control of the infrastructure
• Computerized administrative tasks
• Example: Amazon EC2
Advantages
• Reduce Capex and ongoing costs
• Improved BCP
• Respond to changing business conditions
• Focus on core business
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• developer point of view
• deploy applications on the cloud using programming languages, libraries, and
tools provided by the cloud provider
• complete deployment and development environment on cloud
• no management control of the infrastructure
• Example: Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure
Advantages
• Geographically distributed dev. teams
• Cut coding time
 • Avoid expensive software licenses and access analytics tools
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• application hosted centrally
• end user point of view
• use existing applications deployed on the cloud
• software experiences are delivered through the Internet
• Example: Google Drive, Flickr, Gmail, Office 365
• Advantages
• Access to sophisticated apps
• No special software required – browser based access
• Access app data from anywhere
• Mobilise workforce easily

Deployment Models-
• Public Cloud
• Resources owned and operated by third-party
• Sold publicly and is pay-per-use
• Scalable and highly reliable
• No maintenance and lower costs
• Access virtually unlimited resources
• Web-based email, online office apps, storage
• Private Cloud
• Exclusive use by single organization
• Finite infrastructure and services
• Enterprise owned or leased from third-party
• Cloud computing model in company’s own datacenter or providers
• Access limited resources that must be managed by Central IT or lines of
businesses
• High flexibility, improved security and scalability similar to public cloud
• Used by government agencies, financial institutions
 • Hybrid Cloud
• Composition of two or more clouds
• Mixed usage of both private and public clouds
• Enables multiple applications to be spread between multiple public and/or
private clouds
• Eg: Public cloud for low security, high volume applications; Private cloud for
sensitive, business-critical applications

Public Cloud Private Cloud

Gmail, Hotmail or Salesforce.com are held in Customized to the organization

the 'public cloud'
Q2. What are the different deployment models in cloud computing?
Ans from above

Q3. Why is information required at different management levels?

Strategic management
• Executives develop organizational goals, strategies, policies, and objectives
• As part of a strategic planning process
Tactical management
• Managers and business professionals in self-directed teams
• Develop short- and medium-range plans, schedules and budgets
• Specify the policies, procedures and business objectives for their subunits
Operational management
• Managers or members of self-directed teams
• Develop short-range plans such as weekly production schedules
Operational information:
• Operational information relates to the day-to-day operations of the organisation and thus,
is useful in exercising control over the operations that are repetitive in nature. Since such
activities are controlled at lower levels of management, operational information is needed
by the lower management.
• For example, the information regarding the cash position on day-to-day basis is
monitored and controlled at the lower levels of management. Similarly, in marketing
function, daily and weekly sales information is used by lower level manager to monitor
the performance of the sales force.
• It may be noted that operational information pertains to activities that are easily
measurable by specific standards. The operational information mainly relates to current
and historical performance, and is based primarily on internal sources of data. The
predictive element in operational information is quite low and if at all it is there, it has a
short term horizon.

Tactical information:
Tactical information helps middle level managers allocating resources and establishing
controls to implement the top level plans of the organisation. For example, information
regarding the alternative sources of funds and their uses in the short run, opportunities for
deployment of surplus funds in short- term securities, etc. may be required at the middle
levels of management.

The tactical information is generally predictive, focusing on short-term trends. It may be

partly current and partly historical, and may come from internal as well as external sources.

3. Strategic information:
While the operational information is needed to find out how the given activity can be
performed better, strategic information is needed for making choices among the business
options.

The strategic information helps in identifying and evaluating these options so that a manager
makes informed choices which are different from the competitors and the limitations of what
the rivals are doing or planning to do. Such choices are made by leaders only.

Strategic information is used by managers to define goals and priorities, initiate new
programmes and develop policies for acquisition and use of corporate resources. For
example, information regarding the long-term needs of funds for on-going and future projects
of the company may be used by top level managers in taking decision regarding going public
or approaching financial institutions for term loan.
Strategic information is predictive in nature, relies heavily on external sources of data, has a
long-term perspective, and is mostly in summary form. It may sometimes include ‘what if’
scenarios. However, the strategic information is not only external information.

For long, it was believed that strategic information are basically information regarding the
external environment. However, it is now well recognised that the internal factors are equally
responsible for success or failures of strategies and thus, internal information is also required
for strategic decision making.

Q4. What is the IS framework? Explain its trends and roles.

IS Knowledge framework

Fundamental Roles of IS in Business

• Support of business processes and operations.

• Support of decision making by employees and managers.

• Support of strategies for competitive advantage.

What does IS do for a business?

Examples of business processes: record purchases, track inventory, pay employees, etc.
Business would stop without such IS.

Examples of decision making: what lines of merchandise need to be added, what kind of
investment required.

Examples of competitive advantage: put kiosk in store to connect to e-commerce website.

Help gain advantage over competitor without such a kiosk.

Trends in Information Systems

Q5. What is operation support systems? What is management support systems? Explain
its types.

Operations support systems

What are they?

• Efficiently process business transactions

• Control industrial processes

• Support communications and collaboration

• Update corporate databases

Types of Operations Support Systems

1. Transaction Processing Systems

 Record and process data from business transactions

 Examples: sales processing, inventory systems, accounting systems

2. Process Control Systems

 Monitor and control physical processes

 Example: in a petroleum refinery use sensors to monitor chemical processes

3. Enterprise Collaboration Systems

 Enhance team and work group communications

 Examples: e-mail, videoconferencing

Management Support Systems

What are they?

• Provide information and support for effective decision making by managers

Types of Management Support Systems

1. Management Information Systems (MIS)

  Provide reports and displays to managers

 Example: daily sales analysis reports

2. Decision Support Systems (DSS)

 Provide interactive ad hoc support for decision making

 Example: A what-if-analysis to determine where to spend advertising dollars

3. Executive Information Systems (EIS)

 Provide critical information for executives and managers

 Example: easy access to actions of competitors

Q6. Explain OLAP technology.

OLAP

• Enables mangers and analysts to examine and manipulate large amounts of detailed and
consolidated data from many perspectives

• Done interactively in real time with rapid response

Analytical Operations

• Consolidation

– Aggregation of data

• Drill-down

– Display detail data that comprise consolidated data

• Slicing and Dicing

– Ability to look at the database from different viewpoints

• How OLAP systems work

 To facilitate this kind of analysis, data is collected from multiple data sources and stored
in data warehouses then cleansed and organized into data cubes. Each OLAP
cube contains data categorized by dimensions (such as customers, geographic sales region
and time period) derived by dimensional tables in the data warehouses. Dimensions are
then populated by members (such as customer names, countries and months) that are
organized hierarchically. OLAP cubes are often pre-summarized across dimensions to
drastically improve query time over relational databases.

Analysts can then perform five types of OLAP analytical operations against
these multidimensional databases:

 Roll-up. Also known as consolidation, or drill-up, this operation summarizes the data

along the dimension.

 Drill-down. This allows analysts to navigate deeper among the dimensions of data,

for example drilling down from "time period" to "years" and "months" to chart sales
growth for a product.

 Slice. This enables an analyst to take one level of information for display, such as
"sales in 2017."

 Dice. This allows an analyst to select data from multiple dimensions to analyze, such
as "sales of blue beach balls in Iowa in 2017."

 Pivot. Analysts can gain a new view of data by rotating the data axes of the cube.

OLAP software then locates the intersection of dimensions, such as all products sold in the
Eastern region above a certain price during a certain time period, and displays them. The
result is the "measure"; each OLAP cube has at least one to perhaps hundreds of measures,
which are derived from information stored in fact tables in the data warehouse.
Q7. What is Business Intelligence?

BI encompasses a wide variety of tools, applications and methodologies that enable

organizations to collect data from internal systems and external sources; prepare it for
analysis; develop and run queries against that data; and create reports, dashboards and data
visualizations to make the analytical results available to corporate decision-makers, as well as
operational workers.

Why is business intelligence important?

The potential benefits of business intelligence tools include accelerating and improving
decision-making, optimizing internal business processes, increasing operational efficiency,
driving new revenues and gaining competitive advantage over business rivals. BI systems can
also help companies identify market trends and spot business problems that need to be
addressed.
BI data can include historical information stored in a data warehouse, as well as new data
gathered from source systems as it is generated, enabling BI tools to support both strategic
and tactical decision-making processes.

Initially, BI tools were primarily used by data analysts and other IT professionals who ran
analyses and produced reports with query results for business users. Increasingly, however,
business executives and workers are using BI platforms themselves, thanks partly to the
development of self-service BI and data discovery tools and dashboards.

Types of BI tools

Business intelligence combines a broad set of data analysis applications, including ad hoc
analytics and querying, enterprise reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), mobile BI,
real-time BI, operational BI, cloud and software-as-a-service BI, open source BI,
collaborative BI, and location intelligence.

BI technology also includes data visualization software for designing charts and other
infographics, as well as tools for building BI dashboards and performance scorecards that
display visualized data on business metrics and key performance indicators in an easy-to-
grasp way.

Data visualization tools have become the standard of modern BI in recent years. A couple
leading vendors defined the technology early on, but more traditional BI vendors have
followed in their path. Now, virtually every major BI tool incorporates features of visual data
discovery.

BI programs may also incorporate forms of advanced analytics, such as data

mining, predictive analytics, text mining, statistical analysis and big data analytics. In many
cases, though, advanced analytics projects are conducted and managed by separate teams
of data scientists, statisticians, predictive modelers and other skilled analytics professionals,
while BI teams oversee more straightforward querying and analysis of business data.

Business intelligence data is typically stored in a data warehouse or in smaller data martsthat

hold subsets of a company's information. In addition, Hadoop systems are increasingly being
used within BI architectures as repositories or landing pads for BI and analytics data --
especially for unstructured data, log files, sensor data and other types of big data.

Before it's used in BI applications, raw data from different source systems must be integrated,
consolidated and cleansed using data integration and data quality tools to ensure that users are
analyzing accurate and consistent information.

BI trends

In addition to BI managers, business intelligence teams generally include a mix of BI

architects, BI developers, business analysts and data management professionals. Business
users are also often included to represent the business side and make sure its needs are met in
the BI development process.

To help with that, a growing number of organizations are replacing

traditional waterfalldevelopment with Agile BI and data warehousing approaches that
use Agile software development techniques to break up BI projects into small chunks and
deliver new functionality to business analysts on an incremental and iterative basis. Doing so
can enable companies to put BI features into use more quickly and to refine or modify
development plans as business needs change or as new requirements emerge and take priority
over earlier ones.

BI for big data

BI platforms are increasingly being used as front-end interfaces for big data systems. Modern
BI software typically offers flexible back ends, enabling them to connect to a range of data
sources. This, along with simple user interfaces, makes the tools a good fit for big data
architectures. Users can connect to a range of data sources, including Hadoop
systems, NoSQL databases, cloud platforms and more conventional data warehouses, and can
develop a unified view of their diverse data.

Business Intelligence Applications

Q8. What is Artificial Intelligence? Explain the technology used for artificial
intelligence.

• A field of science and technology based on disciplines such as computer science, biology,
psychology, linguistics, mathematics, and engineering

• Goal is to develop computers that can simulate the ability to think, as well as see, hear,
walk, talk, and feel

Attributes of Intelligent Behavior

• Think and reason

• Use reason to solve problems

• Learn or understand from experience

• Acquire and apply knowledge

• Exhibit creativity and imagination

• Deal with complex or perplexing situations

• Respond quickly and successfully to new situations

• Recognize the relative importance of elements in a situation

• Handle ambiguous, incomplete, or erroneous information

Domains of Artificial Intelligence

Technology used in AI

Natural Language Processing(NLP)

Natural Language Processing(NLP) is an area of AI concerned with the interaction between
the computer and human language. In simple words, NLP is a software that enables machines
to process human language, thus making it possible for humans to communicate effectively
with machines. NLP uses text analytics to understand sentence structure, meaning & intent
through machine learning and statistical methods. Some of the popular software that uses
NLP are Virtual assistants such as  Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant &
Microsoft’s Cortana. It is also used in data mining, security and fraud detection. Some of the
vendors of NLP are Lexalytics, Knime, Linguamatics, Mindbreeze, Sinequa, Stratified, Basis
Technology and Indicco.
Natural Language Generation(NLG)

Natural language Generation(NLG) is a sub-discipline of Artificial Intelligence(AI) that

converts all types of data into human-readable text. This software converts data into text at a
rapid pace, enabling machines to communicate effectively. Currently used in customer
service, automating business intelligence insights, product description, and financial reports.
Some of the vendors in this market are Digital Reasoning, Attivio, SAS, Cambridge
Semantics, Narrative Science & Yseop.

Machine Learning

The fundamental goal of machine learning is to develop intelligent machines that can teach
themselves and improve from data without explicit programming or any other human
interference. This latest technology is a top priority for most organization and business’ are
now investing in it right now to redefine their business edge. An ML platform comprises
Algorithms, development tools, API’s, model deployment and more. Tech giants like Google,
Amazon, and Microsoft are already using this technology.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of rule-based tasks. It is possible

because of scripts and methods that mimic the way humans perform tasks. Enterprises are
currently employing RPA in business areas where it is too expensive and inefficient to
employ human workers. Some of the companies that use this technology are Blue Prism,
UiPath, WorkFusion, and Pegasystems

Speech Recognition

This is a software that is increasingly being utilized by mobile phones and applications. It
facilitates the transcription and transformation of human speech into a form that can be easily
understood by a computer ie, it allows the application/program which uses it to convert
human language and phrases into data. Organizations can use speech recognition for voice
dialing, voice search, call routing, voice search, and speech-to-text processing. Some
companies that use this software are NICE, Open Text, Verint Systems, and Nuance
Communications.

Virtual Agents

It’s highly unlikely that you are not familiar with this term. Siri, Cortana & Alexa are few
examples of virtual agents with whom we interact on a daily basis. To define, they are
computer programs or agents capable of interacting with humans; it can range from chatbots
to other advanced systems. Virtual agents are widely used in smart home manager, customer
service, and support. These agents are able to make intelligent conversation, can respond to
queries and work 24/7. Some of the companies that are dominant in this market are Apple,
Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and IBM.

Hardware Integrated with AI

The addition of AI technologies in hardware has sped the next-gen applications. It means new
graphics and central processing units and devices tailored to execute AI oriented tasks. At
present they are making an impact on Deep learning Apps. Some of the vendors of this
technology are IBM, Intel, Nvidia, Google, and Cray.

Decision Management

Business Decision Management (BDM) framework includes everything about the design,
building, and management of automated systems for decision making. Automating decision
making would aid organizations to make consistent, efficient and information-driven
decisions. Organizations use it to manage their customer, employee and supplier interaction
with a view to enhance operational decisions. Banking, Insurance and financial sectors are
examples of organizations using software to aid in their decision-making process.

Biometrics

It enables natural interaction between machines and humans. Biometrics & Biometric data

comprises of things like fingerprints, voice recognition, retinal pattern, and face structure and
thus is unique to each individual.  It involves identifying, measuring and analyzing the body’s
physical structure, form, and behavior. This technology is commonly used in market research
and some of the vendors of this technology are Affectiva, Agnitio, Sensory, Synqera, Tahzoo,
3VR and Facefirst.

Deep Learning Platforms

Deep learning is a subtype of machine learning. It mimics the way the human brain works
and uses artificial neural networks for processing data and aids in decision making.
Information passes through this artificial network altering their structure based on the input
and output. The learning thus comes here from observing large data. Deep learning is
currently used for recognizing patterns and classifying apps that are compatible with large
data. Some of the companies that use this are Saffron technology, Fluid AI, Peltarion, Deep
Instinc, and MathWorks.
 Q9. Explain basic components of computer systems. Write a brief note on three types of
computer systems.

Basic components of computer system

 Input Unit.
 Output Unit.
 Storage Unit.
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
 Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
 Control Unit.

Input Unit
Data and instructions must enter the computer system before any computation can be
performed on the supplied data. The input unit that links the external environment with the
computer system performs this task. Data and instructions enter input units in forms that
depend upon the particular device used. For example, data is entered from a keyboard in a
manner similar to typing, and this differs from the way in which data is entered through a
mouse, which is another type of input device. However, regardless of the form in which they
receive their inputs, all input devices must provide a computer with data that are transformed
into the binary codes that the primary memory of the computer is designed to accept. This
transformation is accomplished by units that called input interfaces. Input interfaces are
designed to match the unique physical or electrical characteristics of input devices to the
requirements of the computer system.

In short, an input unit performs the following functions.

1. It accepts (or reads) the list of instructions and data from the outside world.

2. It converts these instructions and data in computer acceptable format.

3. It supplies the converted instructions and data to the computer system for further
processing.

Output Unit

The job of an output unit is just the reverse of that of an input unit. It supplied information
and results of computation to the outside world. Thus it links the computer with the external
environment. As computers work with binary code, the results produced are also in the binary
form. Hence, before supplying the results to the outside world, it must be converted to human
acceptable (readable) form. This task is accomplished by units called output interfaces.

In short, the following functions are performed by an output unit.

1. It accepts the results produced by the computer which are in coded form and hence
cannot be easily understood by us.

2. It converts these coded results to human acceptable (readable) form.

3. It supplied the converted results to the outside world.

Storage Unit

The data and instructions that are entered into the computer system through input units have
to be stored inside the computer before the actual processing starts. Similarly, the results
produced by the computer after processing must also be kept somewhere inside the computer
system before being passed on to the output units. Moreover, the intermediate results
produced by the computer must also be preserved for ongoing processing. The Storage
Unit or the primary / main storage of a computer system is designed to do all these things.
It provides space for storing data and instructions, space for intermediate results and also
space for the final results.

In short, the specific functions of the storage unit are to store:

1. All the data to be processed and the instruction required for processing (received from
input devices).

2. Intermediate results of processing.

3. Final results of processing before these results are released to an output device.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The main unit inside the computer is the CPU. This unit is responsible for all events inside
the computer. It controls all internal and external devices, performs"Arithmetic and Logical
operations". The operations a Microprocessor performs are called "instruction set" of this
processor. The instruction set is “hard wired” in the CPU and determines the machine
language for the CPU. The more complicated the instruction set is, the slower the CPU
works. Processors differed from one another by the instruction set. If the same program can
run on two different computer brands they are said to be compatible. Programs written for
IBM compatible computers will not run on Apple computers because these two architectures
are not compatible.

The control Unit and the Arithmetic and Logic unit of a computer system are jointly known
as the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU is the brain of any computer system. In a
human body, all major decisions are taken by the brain and the other parts of the body
function as directed by the brain. Similarly, in a computer system, all major calculations and
comparisons are made inside the CPU and the CPU is also responsible for activating and
controlling the operations of other units of a computer system.

Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)

The arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) of a computer system is the place where the actual
execution of the instructions take place during the processing operations. All calculations are
performed and all comparisons (decisions) are made in the ALU. The data and instructions,
stored in the primary storage prior to processing are transferred as and when needed to the
ALU where processing takes place. No processing is done in the primary storage unit.
Intermediate results generated in the ALU are temporarily transferred back to the primary
storage until needed at a later time. Data may thus move from primary storage to ALU and
back again as storage many times before the processing is over. After the completion of
processing, the final results which are stored in the storage unit are released to an output
device.

The arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) is the part where actual computations take place. It
consists of circuits that perform arithmetic operations (e.g. addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division over data received from memory and capable to compare numbers
(less than, equal to, or greater than).

While performing these operations the ALU takes data from the temporary storage are inside
the CPU named registers. Registers are a group of cells used for memory addressing, data
manipulation and processing. Some of the registers are general purpose and some are
reserved for certain functions. It is a high-speed memory which holds only data from
immediate processing and results of this processing. If these results are not needed for the
next instruction, they are sent back to the main memory and registers are occupied by the new
data used in the next instruction.
All activities in the computer system are composed of thousands of individual steps. These
steps should follow in some order in fixed intervals of time. These intervals are generated by
the Clock Unit. Every operation within the CPU takes place at the clock pulse. No operation,
regardless of how simple, can be performed in less time than transpires between ticks of this
clock. But some operations required more than one clock pulse. The faster the clock runs, the
faster the computer performs. The clock rate is measured in megahertz (Mhz) or Gigahertz
(Ghz). Larger systems are even faster. In older systems the clock unit is external to the
microprocessor and resides on a separate chip. In most modern microprocessors the clock is
usually incorporated within the CPU.

Control Unit

How the input device knows that it is time for it to feed data into the storage unit? How does
the ALU know what should be done with the data once it is received? And how is it that only
the final results are sent to the output devices and not the intermediate results? All this is
possible because of the control unit of the computer system. By selecting, interpreting, and
seeing to the execution of the program instructions, the control unit is able to maintain order
and directs the operation of the entire system. Although, it does not perform any actual
processing on the data, the control unit acts as a central nervous system for the other
components of the computer. It manages and coordinates the entire computer system. It
obtains instructions from the program stored in main memory, interprets the instructions, and
issues signals that cause other units of the system to execute them.

The control unit directs and controls the activities of the internal and external devices. It
interprets the instructions fetched into the computer, determines what data, if any, are 
needed, where it is stored, where to store the results of the operation, and sends the control
signals to the devices involved in the execution of the instructions.

Q10. Explain various types of computer network. Explain how a VPN works.

1. Personal Area Network (PAN)

The smallest and most basic type of network, a PAN is made up of a wireless modem, a
computer or two, phones, printers, tablets, etc., and revolves around one person in one
building. These types of networks are typically found in small offices or residences, and are
managed by one person or organization from a single device.
2. Local Area Network (LAN)

We’re confident that you’ve heard of these types of networks before – LANs are the most
frequently discussed networks, one of the most common, one of the most original and one of
the simplest types of networks. LANs connect groups of computers and low-voltage devices
together across short distances (within a building or between a group of two or three
buildings in close proximity to each other) to share information and resources. Enterprises
typically manage and maintain LANs.

Using routers, LANs can connect to wide area networks (WANs, explained below) to rapidly
and safely transfer data.

3. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

Functioning like a LAN, WLANs make use of wireless network technology, such as WiFi.
Typically seen in the same types of applications as LANs, these types of networks don’t
require that devices rely on physical cables to connect to the network.

4. Campus Area Network (CAN)

Larger than LANs, but smaller than metropolitan area networks (MANs, explained below),
these types of networks are typically seen in universities, large K-12 school districts or small
businesses. They can be spread across several buildings that are fairly close to each other so
users can share resources.

5. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

These types of networks are larger than LANs but smaller than WANs – and incorporate
elements from both types of networks. MANs span an entire geographic area (typically a
town or city, but sometimes a campus). Ownership and maintenance is handled by either a
single person or company (a local council, a large company, etc.).

6. Wide Area Network (WAN)

Slightly more complex than a LAN, a WAN connects computers together across longer
physical distances. This allows computers and low-voltage devices to be remotely connected
to each other over one large network to communicate even when they’re miles apart.
The Internet is the most basic example of a WAN, connecting all computers together around
the world. Because of a WAN’s vast reach, it is typically owned and maintained by multiple
administrators or the public.

7. Storage-Area Network (SAN)

As a dedicated high-speed network that connects shared pools of storage devices to several
servers, these types of networks don’t rely on a LAN or WAN. Instead, they move storage
resources away from the network and place them into their own high-performance network.
SANs can be accessed in the same fashion as a drive attached to a server. Types of storage-
area networks include converged, virtual and unified SANs.

8. System-Area Network (also known as SAN)

This term is fairly new within the past two decades. It is used to explain a relatively local
network that is designed to provide high-speed connection in server-to-server applications
(cluster environments), storage area networks (called “SANs” as well) and processor-to-
processor applications. The computers connected on a SAN operate as a single system at very
high speeds.

9. Passive Optical Local Area Network (POLAN)

As an alternative to traditional switch-based Ethernet LANs, POLAN technology can be

integrated into structured cabling to overcome concerns about supporting traditional Ethernet
protocols and network applications such as PoE (Power over Ethernet). A point-to-multipoint
LAN architecture, POLAN uses optical splitters to split an optical signal from one strand of
singlemode optical fiber into multiple signals to serve users and devices.

10. Enterprise Private Network (EPN)

These types of networks are built and owned by businesses that want to securely connect its
various locations to share computer resources.
11. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

By extending a private network across the Internet, a VPN lets its users send and receive data
as if their devices were connected to the private network – even if they’re not. Through a
virtual point-to-point connection, users can access a private network remotely.

A VPN connection usually works like this. Data is transmitted from your client machine to a
point in your VPN network. The VPN point encrypts your data and sends it through the
internet. Another point in your VPN network decrypts your data and sends it to the
appropriate internet resource, such as a web server, an email server, or your company's
intranet. Then the internet resource sends data back to a point in your VPN network, where it
gets encrypted. That encrypted data is sent through the internet to another point in your VPN
network, which decrypts the data and sends it back to your client machine. Different VPNs
can use different encryption standards and technologies. Here's a quick list of some of the
technologies that a VPN may use:

• Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol: PPTP has been around since the mid-1990s, and it's
still frequently used. PPTP in and of itself doesn't do encryption. It tunnels data packets
and then uses the GRE protocol for encapsulation. If you're considering a VPN service
which uses PPTP, you should keep in mind that security experts such as Bruce Schneier
have found the protocol, especially Microsoft's implementation of it, to be quite insecure.

• IPSec: You should consider IPSec to be a better alternative to PPTP. IPSec is actually a
suite of different protocols and technologies. Packet encapsulation is done through the
ESP protocol, and AES-GCM, AES-CBC, 3DES-CBC, or HMAC-SHA1/SHA2 may be
used for encryption.
• Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol: L2TP can be used for tunneling with IPSec for added
security.
• Secure Shell: Otherwise known as SSH, this can be used to handle both the tunneling and
encryption in a VPN network.

Q11. Differentiate between Information System and Information Technology

Information Technology

IT is a wide-ranging term that describes the technological transfer, storage and accessibility
of information. Thus, IT falls under the IS umbrella — it deals with the technological
components that are used in the information systems themselves. By definition, IT is the
study, design, implementation, support or management of computer-based information
systems.

Speaking of components, IT encompasses hardware, software, databases and networks. The

emphasis of IT is to manage technology and help users make the most of its functionality.
Careers in IT typically require a degree in computer science or information science; those
who graduate can find employment in cybersecurity, database or network administration,
infrastructure management, business intelligence, computer programming or software
development.

Information Systems

An information system is a type of platform or collection of platforms that exist to manage a

set of information or a technology product. For instance, the hardware and software used to
create, maintain and access an electronic health record is an information system. The
computers, hard drives and other electronic devices used to store, keep and distribute patient
records are part of the system. These electronic devices on their own may be referred to as an
information technology system, even though they’re part of a particular information system.

IS can also be described as an overarching umbrella term for the systems, people and
processes that businesses use to create, store, manipulate and distribute information. IS is the
bridge between technology and the user.

When it comes to available careers in the field of information systems, the opportunities are
plentiful. Actuarial sciences, analytics and programming, communications, computer security
and auditing are a few common fields.

IT is a subset of IS. The fields are certainly related, but those interested in a career in
technology should research and understand the difference in the two fields. Careers in each
area require separate degrees and preparation. While both deal with computers the majority of
the time, they have very distinct paths that demand separate education and training.