Chapter 6 Architecture and Infrastructure

Chapter 6, Architecture and Infrastructure Multiple Choice 1. “Reuse” is a benefit of service-oriented architecture because it supports: a) Using sensitive data again and again b) The breaking apart of functionality into small services that can be used by many different systems c) Access to servers from many locations. d) The selection of a specific computing device by each employee. e) Reliable capacity-on-demand Ans: b (Medium) Response: See page 130 2. Google Maps is a web mapping service that provides street maps and directions. A Google Maps component can be added to a business’s web site to provide customers directions to the business location. This use of Google’s service by a business is an example of __________. a) Centralized architecture b) Decentralized architecture c) Service-oriented architecture d) Internet-based architecture e) Enterprise architecture Ans: c (Medium) Response: See page 130 3. Mohawk’s need for flexibility required a change to its IT architecture. SOA was chosen by Mohawk because Mohawk: a) Needed to be able to scale up or down operations as called for by the market or by its own arrangements with suppliers b) Wanted to eliminate the dependency on its ERP system. c) Needed to upgrade its infrastructure components to meet the increased IT demands. d) Believed that SOA provides the appropriate level of security it did not have with its original architecture. e) Benefited from standardizing on the SAP suite of products and reducing its reliance on multiple vendors. Ans: a (Medium) Response: See pages 124-125 4. The architecture that the large paper company Mohawk adopted enables the company to scale technology services up and down instantaneously according to its needs. The architecture is called: a) Centralized b) Decentralized c) Service-oriented d) Internet-based e) Mainframe Ans: c (easy) Response: See pages 124-125 5. A manager must know enough about the IT architecture and IT infrastructure so that he or she can: a) Select the correct wireless provider. b) Make realistic use of IT and know what to expect from IT. c) Choose the appropriate IT infrastructure components. d) Limit future business options. e) Ensure a rigid IT structure. Ans: b (Medium) Response: See page 126. 6. Which of the following best describes cloud computing? a) Virtual desktop computing b) Lightweight software that takes up little storage space c) Computing services that can be accessed on demand across the Internet d) The World Wide Web e) Mobile-based social IT Ans: c (Medium) Response: See pages 137-138 7. The components of enterprise architecture are: core business processes, linking and automation technology, the people who are served by the system and: ______________, a) Enterprise software b) A centralized architecture c) IT systems d) Shared data e) A framework Ans: d (Medium) Response: See page 136 8. This architecture is a complex framework whose main objective is to map how the organization’s IT supports the business processes. a) Centralized architecture b) Decentralized architecture c) Service-oriented architecture d) Web-based architecture e) Enterprise architecture Ans: e (Hard) Response: See page 136 9. This provides a blueprint for translating a business strategy into a plan for IS. a) IS infrastructure b) IS architecture c) ERP systems d) Centralized architecture e) SOA Ans: b (Medium) Response: See page 125 10. The IT infrastructure components should be evaluated based on their expected financial value. All of the following are used to quantify the financial value of IT components EXCEPT for the: a) Usability b) Risks c) Benefits d) Costs e) Maintenance Ans: a (Hard) Response: See page 142 11. The type of architecture where larger software programs are broken down into services which are then connected to each other, in a process called orchestration, is called: a) SOA b) ERP c) SAP d) ISP e) OSP Ans: a (Medium) Response: See page 130 12. Mary from sales is asking about the plan to implement Salesforce.com’s application. You explain to her that you are in the process of getting technical specifications and pricing so that you can move forward with the rollout. This would be part of which of the following plans? a) IT architecture b) IT infrastructure c) System architecture d) Server upgrade program e) IT strategy Ans: b (Hard) Response: See page 130 13. Marketing has repeatedly asked the IT department about the possibility of aligning the new marketing plan with the company's web site. They would like the new web site to be able to support more active content and permit customers to query an online catalog. You let them know that this is currently being considered and that you’re determining if this new business strategy can be translated into a viable plan of action. This would be part of which of the following? a) IT architecture b) IT infrastructure c) System architecture d) Server upgrade program e) IT strategy Ans: a (Hard) Response: See page 127 14. The type of software used in SOA architecture is often referred to as what? a) Services-oriented architecture b) Software-as-a-service c) Systems software d) Software-as-an-architecture e) System-as-a-service Ans: b (Medium) Response: See page 130 15. Which type of computer/IT architecture is limited to a central computer system? a) Mainframe b) Web-services c) Peer-to-peer d) Wireless e) Server-to-server Ans: a (Medium) Response: See page 130 16. _______________________ is the architecture where significant hardware, software and possibly even data elements reside on the Internet. a) Internet-oriented architecture b) TCP/IP architecture c) Web or Cloud-based architecture d) Mobile architecture e) Centralized architecture Ans: c (Medium) Response: See page 132 17. A small company in Des Moines wants to set up an IT infrastructure for its workforce. The company recently moved to an older building that has solid walls and ceilings. Furthermore, most of the staff likes the flexibility of moving around the open office space to perform work on their laptops. Which communication infrastructure makes most sense for this company? a) Mainframe b) Web-services c) Peer-to-peer d) Wireless e) Server-to-server Ans: d (Medium) Response: See page 132 18. All of the following are robust platforms EXCEPT for _________. a) iPhone IOS 9 b) Android KitKat c) Windows 10 d) MS Office 2016 e) Mac OSX Ans: d (Medium) Response: See page 127 19. A computer’s hardware and ____________ specify its platform. a) system software b) software applications c) hardware d) storage e) mobility Ans: a (Medium) Response: See page 127 20. Understanding the life span of the IT infrastructure and architecture is called: a) IT life cycle b) Strategic timeframe c) Architecture life cycle d) IT life span e) System timeframe Ans: b (Medium) Response: See page 140 21. Hypercompetition implies that any architecture must be designed with maximum scalability and _____________ to ensure it can handle the imminent business changes. a) modularity b) speed c) flexibility d) sustainability e) availability Ans: c (Medium) Response: See page 140 22. During an ice storm, JetBlue Airlines had an IT infrastructure that demonstrated which one of the following technical issues? a) Security b) Scalability c) Adaptability d) Maintainability e) Standardization Ans: b (Medium) Response: See page 141 23. Risks associated with cloud computing include all of the following EXCEPT: a) Increased dependency on third-party suppliers b) Security c) Lack of standards for virtual infrastructures d) Retooling existing applications to move to the cloud e) Scalability Ans: e (Medium) Response: See page 138 24. All of the following are reasons why a company may choose to use cloud computing for its IT infrastructure EXCEPT: a) Cost savings b) Speed to provision additional capacity c) Reduce dependency on third-party suppliers d) Consolidation of servers and even the elimination of a data center e) Reduce server maintenance costs Ans: c (Hard) Response: See pages 137-138 25. Using a cloud service from Amazon.com, the New York Times was able to a) Establish a strong social media presence. b) Virtualize its mobile application. c) Quickly digitize old articles without needing to purchase additional infrastructure components. d) Build a web-based application to search past articles for keywords e) Standardize its virtualization infrastructure. Ans: c (Medium) Response: See page 138 26. A legacy system is all of the following, except: a) Usually found on a mainframe b) A system that is already in place, from the past c) A system that often holds the middle tier of a multiple-tier system. d) Old systems that often require hard-to-use command languages e) Systems that most often have detailed information that can be accessed by a system at a higher tier. Ans: c (Hard) Response: See page 139 27. An example of when a software-defined architecture is most appropriate: a) A firm can't make the decision and wants software to do it b) Resources need to be re-allocated dynamically depending on the situation or time of day c) Sales are expected to be very high d) Sales are expected to be very low e) BYOD is discouraged in a firm Ans: b (Medium) Response: See pages 130-131 True/False 28. It is predicted that cloud computing utilization will decrease over time. Ans: False (Easy) Response: See page 138 29. An IT architecture with a high level of flexibility and agility will be in a position to support changing business needs. Ans: True (Medium) Response: See page 124 30. The idea of concurrently designing IT and business processes is out of the question. Instead, IT should be aligned with existing business processes. Ans: False (Hard) Response: See page 137 31. An enterprise architecture is a complex framework for establishing an IT architecture and infrastructure by defining how IT supports the business processes of the firm. Ans: True (Medium) Response: See page 136 32. For Barclay’s Bank, the enterprise architecture ensures the appropriate linkage between IT investment and business needs. Ans: True (medium) Response: See page 137 33. There are very few mainframe computers still in operation today. Ans: False (medium) Response: See page 130 Short Answer 34. Rigid architectures and organizational models are known to hamper the agility needed to grow a business it today’s hypercompetitive environment. Which one of the traditional IT architectures do you consider to be “rigid”? Ans: Centralized Response: See page 130 35. This type of architecture is popular in many organizations where a high level of security is required to protect the infrastructure assets. Ans: Mainframe architecture Response: See page 131 36. Consumerization of IT is growing at a phenomenal rate because employees and ___________ want to use their own devices to access a company’s IS. Ans: Customers Response: See page 133 37. The primary reason to base an organization’s architecture on its strategic goals is to prepare for inevitable ______ in the future. Ans: changes Response: See page 140 38. The functional specifications such as hardware, software and storage specifications are all part of this. Ans: IT Infrastructure Response: See page 128 39. This is the physical location where a company will run and manage centralized computing needs such as servers and mainframe computers. Ans: Data center Response: See page 130 40. As a result of social business, companies are being asked to include _______ in their architecture. Ans: mobile or social/mobile media or capabilities Response: See pages 143-144 41. A platform refers to the hardware and ______________ on which application software run. Ans: Operating system or system software Response: See page 127 42. This is the electronic representation of numbers and text. Ans: data Response: See page 129 43. Software-as-a-service (Saas) applications that are delivered over the Internet are often referred as this. Ans: Web-services Response: See page 130 Essay 44. As a small, newly formed organization, which IT architecture do you think you would choose and why? 45. Explain how cloud computing services benefit from virtualization. 46. Why would an organization use cloud computing for its IT infrastructure needs? 47. Explain what cloud service the New York Times successfully utilized and the benefit this solution provided. 48. Why must an organization’s IT architecture be based on an organization’s strategic goals? Matching 49. Match the term to the right that best describes the IT architecture on the left. Centralized Architecture Decentralized Architecture Service Oriented Architecture Mainframe Server-based Web-based 50. Match the IT architecture with the quality that best identifies it. Centralized Architecture Decentralized Architecture Service Oriented Architecture Easiest to secure Very Scalable Provides a high degree of agility 51. An organization should translate its 1. _________ into a(n) 2._____________ and then translate the later into the 3. ______________. 1. 2. 3. Business Strategy IT Architecture IT Infrastructure 52. Match each software product below to its classification as either system software or an application. System software System software Application Application Application Microsoft’s Windows iPhone’s iOS Microsoft Excel SAP R/3 Linked-In 53. When determining the IT architecture and its appropriate IT infrastructure, a manager may seek answers to the questions listed below. Match the question with the IT component it helps to select. Should our employees get a desktop computer, a laptop Hardware or a tablet device? Shall we implement Salesforce.com or Oracle CRM On Software Demand? Can we purchase a standard ERP package or do we need Software to write our own application? Who will provide us wireless capabilities? Network Will our critical business information be backed up onData site or done remotely over the Internet? 54. Match each term below with its definition. Capacity-on-demand Consumerization of IT BYOD The availability to quickly acquire additional computing services when necessary and reduce services when not needed. The drive to port applications to personal devices like smartphones and tablets. The desire employees have to connect their personal devices to corporate enterprise systems. 55. Architectural principles are applied to the design of an IT architecture. Match the architectural principle below to a question that would be asked to define that principle for a given company. Buy over build Flexibility and agility Data security Speed and quality Innovative Is there a vendor who provides the application needed or will it need to be developed? Will the system support future changes in the business? Is the data protected against unwanted hackers? Can the application be completed successfully and in the timeframe desired? Can the IT support newer technologies? 56. Designing an IT infrastructure requires an understanding of technical issues. Match the technical issue below with the questions that will be asked about it. Adaptability Scalability Security Maintainability Can the infrastructure adjust to emerging technologies? Is the architecture able to easily increase or decrease capacity as demand changes? Are the right mechanisms in place to protect the infrastructure assets? Can the infrastructure over time be supported with needed platforms, parts, and software? 57. Match the IT architecture choice with the term for which it is often associated. Cloud computing SOA Centralized architecture Enterprise architecture Virtualization SaaS Mainframe TOGAF