Computer Hardware

V.T. Raja, Ph.D.

Information Management

Oregon State University

Hardware – Part 1 Outline

• Why learn about hardware?

• Identify factors you would consider before purchasing a computer?

Why learn about hardware?

• To make informed hardware (h/w) purchase decisions for personal use

• To support IS (e.g. software/data processing) needs of employees; fundamental infrastructure that supports employees daily activities

• To provide appropriate h/w related productivity tools and empower yourself and employees in your functional unit

Why learn about hardware?

• Head of functional unit held accountable even though their specialization may not be IT

• To avoid having disparate systems that make communication (information flow) difficult among different functional units in organization

• To enable effective communication with IT/CS folks in your unit/firm

Why learn about hardware?

• To perform hardware upgrades and basic IT troubleshooting without waiting for IT/CS folks

• To facilitate information/communication needs of

business partners/customers

• To have the IT fundamentals to facilitate personal and professional success for information workers in an information era

Why learn about hardware?

• To gain/sustain competitive advantage – Shape/enhance/change strategy; Facilitate achieving

strategic goals

– Combat competitive forces

– To use IS/IT effectively

• Firms frequently must assess their competitive advantage in terms of their computing capability. This may be true even when your firm’s core competency is not IS/IT.

Example – 1

• California Department of Justice (CDJ)– Runs several IS for law enforcement including

the State’s Consolidated Firearms IS, which gun dealers use to screen and approve customers wishing to purchase guns

– H/w Selection/Purchase Decision: (IBM)• Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP) versus

Clustered Computing Systems– Clustered 16 Quad IBM NUMA-Q 2000 Systems

Example - 2

• Mount Everest Expedition– To gain better understanding of climate and geology

– H/w Selection/Purchase Decision: • Adaptability to varying temperatures (sub-zero to

uncomfortably hot temperatures)

• Processing and storage power to hold a week’s worth of data

• Beam data (wireless) every week

• Real-time remote monitoring of systems

• Battery powered systems

• Custom-built by MIT Researchers

Example - 3

• Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas– 3000+ rooms; 9000+ employees– Computer systems that would serve their

business/customer IS needs, at the time of their grand opening (October 1998) and beyond

– H/w Selection/Purchase Decision: DELL• Xeon Processors; Thin Clients; RAID; Fiber-

Channel Technology

Factors that influence hardware selection

Selection criteria used by organizations include:• Capability

– Speed; Storage options; Storage space etc.• Appropriateness for current business needs

– Buy versus build• Compatibility with existing hardware and software• TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)• System Reliability• Vendor Support• Scalability• Sustainability