Management Information Systems
Linux is an open source software that can be downloaded free from the internet and used by the end users. Though the original creator of the software gave it freely, some firms have redesigned the operating system and sold it for profit. Other software firms have used it to create their commercial applications such as Oracle. The free availability of Linux has led to its wide use in mobile phones, enterprise software and consumer electronics. Despite its wide use for other purposes, only a small fraction has been used in desktop computers. There are various reasons why this occurs (Gallaugher, 2012).
First, it is not easy to use Linux. Compared to other operating systems like Mac OS and Windows, Linux is more complicated to use. Linux is command based. Installation and use of Linux operating system require the user to know all the commands for performing each task. This makes it hard to use. The complexity of Linux can result in a high total cost of ownership (TOC) of the computers using Linux.
The small number of people using Linux discourages software industries from creating software that is supported by the operating system. This means that most applications are not supported by the operating system discouraging many users (Gallaugher, 2012).
Some computer users, especially in the developing countries, prefer Linux. This is because of their low incomes making it difficult for them to afford expensive commercial operating systems like Windows and Mac OS. A group of people claims that Linux is more secure compared to other operating systems thus prefer to use it.
Linux’s market share will increase with time. This is because more firms are redesigning it and coming up with better and easier to use versions. Software companies like Oracle are also creating Linux-based applications resulting more use of Linux. Increased cybercrime has demanded the use of Linux, which is more secure compared to Windows. (Gallaugher, 2012).
Benefits and Drawbacks of cloud computing
Cloud computing is the modern technology where individuals and firms replace their computing resources with an individual’s or organization’s software or hardware, with internet provided services. It can be divided into two types; software as a service (SaaS) and utility computing. (Kling, 2014).
There are some benefits of using cloud computing. The greatest benefit is that the companies using cloud computing save a lot of money. They forego the upfront costs incurred when purchasing and installing software. The software maintenance costs are also reduced greatly. Less staff are required to run systems, and this saves more money. Use of cloud computing is very flexible. This reduces the risk of making huge capital investments in information systems. Cloud computing is very scalable. This is important for organizations which operate in widely varying environments. (Gallaugher, 2012).
Despite the great benefits it has, cloud computing has some challenges. The greatest challenge is that the organization depends largely on the vendor offering the services. This means the vendor can easily affect the organization’s performance. It is also not easy to change from one vendor to another. Using cloud computing means that the organization cannot stick to old software versions, they must change to any new versions which occur. This results in extra training costs and users can easily make errors. (Gallaugher, 2012).
A lot of research has been done on cloud computing. Many articles, some true, others false, have been posted about cloud computing. In the article “Cloud computing is the future but not if security problems persist”, it does not address the security problem accurately. According to the author, security is greatly affecting the cloud computing technology. However, adequate measures have been put to ensure the resources in the cloud are secure. Very few cases of insecurity have been reported unlike the article explains (Techtimescom, 2014).
The hardware and software requirements of the Defense Travel System
According to the Department of Defense (2006), for the system to be operated, some hardware and software components must be availed for both client-side and server-side. The server-side must have the following hardware components; a 64-bit processor, a hard disk space of at least 2 gigabytes, a RAM of at least 2 gigabytes, a monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution and a DVD-ROM drive. The client-side computer should have the following hardware components; at least 512 megabytes RAM, a hard disk space of at least 500 megabytes and s monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution. The software requirements for the server-side include; a networking software such as Windows server 2008 and a database software such as the Oracle Database Patches. The client-side software requirements include; an operating system such as Windows and a web browser.
References
Gallaugher, J. (2012). Information systems: A manager’s guide to harnessing technology (ver. 1.3). Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge.
Kling, A. (2014). Cloud Computing. Print.
Techtimescom. (2014, 15 June 2014). Cloud computing is the future but not if security problems persist. [Weblog]. Retrieved 30 May 2016, from http://www.techtimes.com/articles/8449/20140615/cloud-computing-is-the-future-but- not-if- security-problems-persist.htm
U.S Department of Defense. (2006). DOD's reengineered travel system efforts. Washington, D.C: The Office.
