INTRODUCTION TO

COMPUTERS
Information Technology

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DEFINITION OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY

 Information Technology (IT) entails all aspects of managing

and processing information. IT includes any and all hardware,
software, and data used to create, store, process, and
communicate information electronically as well as services that
are utilized to maintain operations of resources.

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 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

 Purpose of Information Technology

 There are many purposes of IT. IT is used:
1. To improve operations of any organization/individual by utilizing
technology as the underling tool to improve the processing and
dissemination of information.
2. In helping organizations achieve profitable results and keep
competitive forces in check.
3. In optimizing effectiveness and efficiency of processes within the
industry it is used, whether education, business, science etc.
4. to solve problems .
 BENEFITS OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
 Speed
 Consistency
 Reliability
 Communication
 Storage

Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 1

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 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

Functions of Information Technology

1. Provide supporting information to assist managers
in making strategic decisions
2. Provide effective communication
3. Allows the effective Management of Information –
capturing, generation, storage, retrieval and
transmission of information
 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

 Benefits of Information Technology

 Speed:
 The processing of transactions is carried out at high
speeds. The ability of computers to perform
information processing in fractions of a second
primarily facilitates high processing speed. For
example computers are able to perform complex
mathematical calculation within milliseconds.
 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

 Benefits of Information Technology

 Consistency: Once a computer has been given the
correct instructions to execute a specific command,
that command will be executed consistently without
variation each time. For example the addition of the
two numbers one (1) and five (5) will result in the
answer six (6) each time the addition is carried out.
 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

 Benefits of Information Technology

 Storage:
 A computer can transfer data quickly from storage
to memory process it and then store it again for
future use.
 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

 Benefits of Information Technology

 Reliability:
 Computer systems provide reliability by ensuring
consistency, speed and precision in the execution of
tasks. Additionally, computers can carry out human
related tasks with greater efficiency and minimized
error.
 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT 1

 Benefits of Information Technology

 Communications:
 Most Computers to day can communicate with
other computers often wirelessly.
 ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
 Green computing involves reducing the electricity
 consumed and environmental waste generated when using a
computer
 Strategies include:
 Recycling
 Regulating manufacturing processes
 Extending the life of computers
 Immediately donating or properly disposing of replaced computers

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 DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Computer—device that performs the information-

processing cycle

 Computer system—group of associated components

that work together. The following are the components
of a computer system:
 System Unit: A case that contains the electronic "brain" of the
computer and the main computational components of the
computer that is used to process data.
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FUNCTIONS OF A COMPUTER

Process Output
Input

Storage

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 DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Input devices: computer hardware that allows a user to

enter data and instructions.

 Output devices: computer hardware that allows a user to

receive information.

 Storage Devices: Stores and hold data, instructions &

information for future use.

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 DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Communications devices: hardware components that enables

a computer to send & receive data, instructions & information
to or from one or more computers.

 System Unit: A case that contains the electronic "brain" of the

computer and the main computational components of the
computer that is used to process data.

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COMPUTER DESIGN

Factors that influence the design process

 Operating environment
 Quantity of data
 Speed
 Physical size
 Power consumption
 Communication requirements

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 TYPES OF COMPUTERS

 Computers can be separated into two main types:

 Individual—designed for one user at a time

 Organization—designed to be used by many people at

the same time

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 TYPES OF COMPUTERS

Individual computers
 Personal computers (PCs)—either Mac (Apple’s Macintosh)
systems or IBM-compatible systems
 Desktop computers—designed for home or office use, now
include all-in-one computers that combine the system unit and
the monitor
 Portable computers include notebooks, subnotebooks, and
table PCs
• Notebooks—small enough for easy computer mobility
• Subnotebooks—run full desktop operating systems but have fewer
components than notebooks, weigh less, are smaller
• Tablet PCs—input data with a keyboard or mouse; can write on the
monitor with a special pen or stylus
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 TYPES OF COMPUTERS

•Individual computers (cont’d)

 Wireless devices—handheld computers, netbooks,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, e-
books
• Netbooks—small, inexpensive notebooks designed
primarily for wireless Web browsing and e-mail
• Smartphones—combine the capabilities of handheld
computers, such as PDAs, and mobile phones
o Professional workstations—intended for technical
applications that need powerful processing and
output
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TYPES OF COMPUTERS

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 TYPES OF COMPUTERS

 Organization computers
 Servers—enable users connected to a computer network to
have access to the network’s programs, hardware, and data

 Clients—include the user computers connected to the network

 Client/server network—includes the use of client computers

with centralized servers

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 TYPES OF COMPUTERS

Organization computers (con’d.)

 Minicomputers (midrange servers)—designed to meet
the needs of smaller companies or businesses
 Mainframes—very large processing jobs to meet the
needs of large companies or agencies of the government
 Supercomputers—able to perform extremely high-speed
processing and show underlying patterns
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TYPES OF COMPUTERS

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 SYSTEM UNIT

 The system unit is a case that contains electronic

components of the computer used to process data
 Footprints -Amount of space that the unit uses
 Embedded biometric authentication devices such
as fingerprint readers, retina scanners, and face
recognition systems to prevent unauthorized
access.
 Form factor—specifies how the internal components are located
within the system unit.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
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