Introduction to IT - C182 WGU, Introduction to IT - C182
WGU, WGU C182 Introduction to IT over 800 Q&A
What are core components of IT?
Hardware
Software
People
What are some visions and goals of IT?
Communication, both internal and external
Sharing of resources
Facilitating the integration of Departments
Management of Information
Ensuring that the organization runs according to ethical practices
Why is IT viewed as a system?
A system is a combination of independent parts all working together to accomplish a
goal.
What are some skills needed by IT personnel?
Troubleshooting and problem solving.
Knowledge of operating systems.
System level programming.
System security
Hardware
Describe trouble shooting (IT Skill)
Detect and diagnose a problem, then find a solution. Examples: Poor processor
performance, full hard drive, virus or other malware.
Describe knowledge of OS's (IT Skill)
Operating system installation, application software installation, user account creation,
system monitoring. Examples: versions of Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Unix, etc.
Describe system level programming (IT Skill)
Shell scripts to automate processes, manipulating configuration files for system
services. Examples: Bash, Csh scripts, Ruby scripts, C/C++ programs
Describe system security (IT Skill)
Ensuring proper system security is in place. Following or drafting policies for users.
Monitoring for threats. Examples: Keeping security patches up to date, configuring a
system firewall, installing anti-malware software, examining log files of evidence of
breaches or attacks.
Describe hardware (IT Skill)
Installing and configuring new hardware. Troubleshooting, repairing, or replacing
defective hardware. Examples: replacing CPUs and disk drives, connecting network
cables to network hubs, switches, routers.
What are some System Administrator duties?
Account management: creating new user accounts and deleting obsolete user
accounts.
Password management: making sure that all users have passwords that agree with the
security policy.
,File protection management: making sure that files are appropriately protected (for
instance, making sure that important documents are not writable by the outside world)
and performing timely backups of the file system
Installing and configuring new hardware and troubleshooting hardware including the
network.
Installing and configuring new software including updating new operating system (OS)
patches, and troubleshooting software.
Providing documentation, support, and training for computer users.
Performing system-level programming as necessary (usually through scripting
languages rather than writing large-scale applications or systems software).
Security: installing and maintaining a firewall, examining log files to see if there are any
odd patterns of attempted logins, and examining suspicious processes that perhaps
should not be running.
What are some Network Administrator duties?
physically laying down cable.
making connections.
working with the network hardware (for instance, routers and switches).
like the system administrator, the network administrator will edit configuration files,
install software (related to the network), and so forth.
Troubleshooting the network may combine physical troubleshooting (e.g., is a cable
bad?) and software troubleshooting.
There is also a security aspect to the computer network. Both the system administrator
and network administrator may work on system firewalls. Editing configuration files,
writing shell scripts, and installing software and patches will all be part of a network
administrators tasks.
Describe a Database Administrator's duties.
Like system administrators, database administrators have a long list of important
responsibilities, but with a focus on the design, development, and support of database
management systems (DBMSs). Tasks will include installation, maintenance,
performance analysis, and troubleshooting as with the other administrative areas. There
are specific applications, performance tuning parameters, account creation, and
procedures associated with the DBMS that are separate from those of system
administrators and web administrators. The database administrator may also be
involved with the integration of data from older systems to new ones. As many or most
database systems are now available over the Internet (or at least over local area
networks), the administrator must also ensure proper security measures for remote
access.
Describe a Security Administrator's duties.
,Must stay informed of the many different types of attacks, such as denial of service
attacks on web servers, IP spoofing to intercept messages, and buffer overflow that
allows a hacker to invade computer memory with their own code. Although these are all
known forms of attacks, it does not necessarily mean that a system is protected against
them. And as these attacks are known, newer attacks are being thought of. It is the
responsibility of the security administrator to install, configure, and administer
appropriate firewall security to protect the organization's systems and to work
proactively against such intrusions.
Describe a Web Administrator's (aka Webmaster) duties.
The web administrator, also known as a webmaster, but more precisely referred to as a
web server administrator, is responsible for maintaining websites. This responsibility
differs from the development of websites. Specifically, the web administrator must
install, configure, maintain, secure, and troubleshoot the web server. The web server is
software that runs on one or more computers. The web administrator may or may not be
responsible for the hardware. Typically, the web administrator is not a system
administrator on that or those computers. Therefore, the web administrator will have to
work with the system administrator on some aspects of installation and configuration.
Securing the web server becomes critical for businesses. Individuals outside and inside
the organization may have reason to access data on the web-server without
authorization thus requiring the need for securing the web server. The web
administrator may be required to set up password files and establish locations where
server scripts can be stored and tested. Security may be implemented directly through
the web server software, or added through the operating system, or some combination.
Security issues may be discovered by analyzing log files that are also used for data
mining.
What are the two most common support IT roles asides from administrators?
training, and help desk. Training occurs as needed, but many help desks are available
24/7.
What is information technology?
Task of gathering data and processing it into information.
The ability to disseminate information using technology.
The technology itself that permits these tasks.
The collection of people who are in charge of maintaining the IT infrastructure (the
computers, the networks, the operating system).
Generic definition of IT.
We will consider IT to be the technology used in creating, maintaining, and making
information accessible. In other words, IT combines people with computing resources,
software, data, and computer networks.
IT personnel, sometimes referred to collectively as "IT," are those people whose job it is
to supply and support IT. These include computer engineers who design and build
computer chips, computer scientists who write software for computers, and
administrators who provide the IT infrastructure for organizations.
Define information.
, Information is often defined as processed data. That is, raw data are the input and
information is the output of some process. In fact, more generically, we should think of
information as any form of interpreted data.
What does DIKW Hierarchy stand for and what is it's purpose?
Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom. It describes the transition of data to information
to knowledge to wisdom.
Define data in relation to DIKW Hierarchy.
Data is the input directly received by the human or computer.
Describe ways a computer may receive data (relates to DIKW).
User entered values from application, camera, microphone, bar code reader, sensor,
pen tablet, etc.
When does data become usable?
After it's been converted to a relevant form, for computers this would be binary
representation.
In the DIKW Hierarchy what do we mean when we say information has been
inferred from data?
That one or more processes have been applied to the data to transform it into a more
useful form.
Define Knowledge in the DIKW Hierarchy.
Knowledge is sometimes defined as information that has been put to use. In other
cases, knowledge is a synthesis of several different sources of information. One way to
think of knowledge is that it is information placed into a context, perhaps the result of
experience gained from using information. Additionally, we might think of knowledge as
being refined information such that the user of the knowledge is able to call forth only
relevant portions of information when needed. As an example, one may learn how to
solve algebraic problems by studying algebraic laws. The laws represent information,
whereas the practice of selecting the proper law to apply in a given situation is
knowledge.
Define Wisdom in the DIKW Hierarchy.
Some refer to wisdom as an understanding of "why"—whether this is "why things
happened the way they did" or "why people do what they do." Wisdom can only come
by having both knowledge and experience. Knowledge, on the other hand, can be
learned from others who have it. Wisdom is the ultimate goal for a human in that it
improves the person's ability to function in the modern world and to make informed
decisions that take into account beliefs and values.
Define information system.
An information system is in essence a collection of data and information used to support
management of an organization. The term also refers to the technical components and
human resources that enable the assembly, storage, and processing of data, and the
delivery of information.
Give three examples of information systems.
A company's directory, a company's customer database, a university course catalog.
List the characteristics of quality data? (hint: RTTAR)
Relevance, Timely, Thorough, Accurate, Reliable.
What are the four operations a computer performs? (hint: IPOS)
Input, Processing, Output, Storage.
