Home Business IT - What Is Information Technology ?

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Home Business IT - What Is Information Technology ?

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What Is Information Technology Today ?

The smallest, lowest-powered laptop computers available today have millions of times more raw processing power and storage than the room-sized UNIVAC I – and are light years beyond large desktop computers of as little as ten years ago. In addition to desktop and laptop computers, hand-held devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) allow people to take digital pictures and film clips, access their e-mail and the World Wide Web, input text information and even play video games! Not only do technology prices continue to fall, the technology itself continues to shrink in physical size as well.

This is a good thing, because the processing and memory demands of software programs – more properly known as applications – continue to grow exponentially. A good example of this would be a typical word processing program. A version released in 1993 could run very well on as little as 256 kilobytes of RAM (Random Access Memory) with a low-powered 16 mHz processor. Today’s version of that same application requires over one hundred times the memory and perhaps as much as two hundred times the processing power. Even the operating system software – the set of applications that make your computer operate in the first place (such as Windows XP or Mac OS X) has increased its appetite for memory. In the old days (early-to-mid 1990’s), operating software might have used less than a megabyte of RAM. Today, just the operating system (OS) can eat up to 250 megabytes – and that’s before you even start running any applications!

In addition to the growing demands of applications, the products of those applications – known as “files” – have expanded in size as well. Word processing documents can get extremely large when high-quality graphics are added, as well – something to think about if your small business is involved in publishing and/or graphic design.

Fortunately, the cost of both RAM and hard drives (where information is stored) has come down in cost considerably in recent years.

Types of Information Tools and Media

This subject by itself could easily fill a book, since information technology is so ubiquitous. Chances are, you and your business will need more than one of these tools, but will probably not need all of them.

Personal Computer

This is the heart of your small business I.T. system. You’ll find a plethora of models and options to choose from. New, low-end, entry-level machines today start at under $400, and include a processor running at 1.8 gigaHertz (Ghz), 256 MB (expandable up to 3 gigabyte [GB]) or RAM and an 80 GB hard drive. On the upper end are the latest Apple machines with 3 Ghz quadruple processors, 1 GB RAM (expandable to 8 GB), and a 250 GB hard drive. (Incidentally, if you’re not familiar with terms such as “gigabyte,” gigahertz” etc., don’t worry. These are defined in the glossary at the end of this book.)

The decision of whether to go with a PC (IBM-compatible) or a Mac (Apple) is less of an issue that it was just a few years ago. The newest Apple computers use the Intel chip used by the most popular PCs. In addition, Apple computers can now run Mac OS X side-by-side with Microsoft Windows. It’s really a matter of cost – a new, top-of-the-line Apple runs about $3200, is not easy to upgrade, and will probably be obsolete within two years. On the other hand, if you’re doing high-end video editing, high-resolution 3-d animation and special effects, you won’t find a faster machine than an Apple.

PCs become obsolete almost as fast as their Apple counterparts, but are much more easily upgraded. In fact, it’s not difficult to build your own custom PC from easily-obtained components. There are also several companies that will do this for you (see Appendix).

Bottom line – for most businesses, a mid-range PC equipped with a 2 Ghz processor, 2 GB of RAM and 160 GB hard drive will do just fine, and can be obtained for under $1000 (including monitor).

Laptop computers will do everything that desktop computers can, and have the added advantage of portability. There are three distinct disadvantages to a laptop, however:

1. A laptop tends to be substantially more expensive than a comparable desktop model;

2. The largest monitor size available on any laptop today is about 17” (most computer monitors today are 19”);

3. Laptop computers are easily stolen, and are popular with thieves.

Storage Media

Storage media is the most important element of your I.T. system, for this is where all your vital information – text files, spreadsheets, graphics, etc. – will reside. You’ll probably be keeping some of it on your computer’s hard drive, but it’s a very good idea to make sure that anything and everything you work on is backed up in a second and preferably third location.

Today, the best – and most widely used media – are rewritable CDs and DVDs. The media itself is relatively inexpensive, and most new computers are equipped with either a CD or DVD writer. Even if your PC lacks this accessory, external (plug-in) DVD writers can be obtained for as little as $50 new. The media itself is also inexpensive. Rewritable DVDs cost about $1.50 each in packs of 15, and offer a whopping 4.7 gigabytes of data storage. Compare this to the old 3.5” floppy disks commonly used ten years ago. These generally cost about $1 each and only furnished about 1 megabyte of data storage – roughly .00025% of a $1.50 DVD-RW.

That said, the 3.5” floppy is far from dead and gone. Many people still use them, and there’s a lot of information on them. Therefore, if your computer has no floppy disk drive, you’ll want to get an external drive, which can be purchased at any department or office supply store for about $30.

One other popular type of storage media from the past that’s still fairly common is the zip disk. If you’ve never seen one of these, they look like a 3.5” floppy on steroids, and are usually gray. Depending on the type, they hold either 100 MB or 250 MB of data. Again, these drives are easy to find and are available for under $100. (Note: make sure you purchase a zip drive for the 250 MB disk. These will read 100 MB disks, but the drives designed for the 100 MB disk will not read the 250 MB disks.)

Another option is to get a second, external hard drive specifically for data storage. This is a slightly more expensive option; a 250 GB external hard drive will run you about $150. It also has the disadvantage of not being particularly portable, although it is possible to pack one up in a briefcase and take it with you if necessary.

When it comes to high-capacity data storage that is both inexpensive and highly portable, you absolutely can’t beat a jump drive. Also known as a “thumb drive,” these little marvels hold up to a gigabyte of data, fit on your key ring, around your neck or into your pocket, and go anywhere.

Although relatively expensive when they first came out, the prices on jump drives have dropped dramatically, and a 1 GB capacity model can be purchased new for under $50. They will continue to become cheaper and cheaper over time.

One other option for data backup is the server. Technically, a server can be any computer that is powered up full time, is at the center of a network, and is used to deliver information to any other computers that are hooked up to it.

If you wind up having an internal network at your place of business, chances are you’ll have a server – and dedicating a part of that server’s hard drive to data backup is another option. (There will be more on networking later on.) Alternatively, if your business has a website that is hosted on an outside server, the company that is hosting your website may allow you to back up files to their server, or allow you additional space for this purpose for an additional monthly fee. Some web-based companies offer stand-alone data backup services as well.

Internet Options and Communication

If you are a casual home-user of the Internet, or use it strictly for e-mail and/or reading text articles, dial-up Internet is fine. Otherwise, don’t bother – it will lead to endless waiting and endless frustration. At a minimum, you’ll need cable or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), with download speeds of at least 250 KB/second (for comparison, dial-up is 56 KB/second). A T1 or T3 line will provide you with even faster download speeds, but is substantially more expensive. Depending on where you are located, you can get DSL or cable Internet service for around $50 per month. Unfortunately, your choices may be limited – particularly if you are located in a rural area.

Wireless Internet is another option. Some progressive cities such as Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California have wired their communities in such a way that makes high-speed internet available to almost anyone with wireless technology. Some other communities may offer this type of service for around $55 per month as well, although dependability and speed can vary.

In any event, if this seems expensive, remember that it’s a business expense that can be taken off your yearly tax return. The cost of high-speed Internet service can be partially offset by replacing your phone service with VoIP – “Voice over Internet Protocol.” This essentially allows you to make telephone calls to anyplace in the country (or the world, depending on your plan) of any duration for a flat monthly fee. VoIP varies a great deal in price, depending on who’s furnishing the service. On the low end, some companies charge as little as $17 per month, while others charge as much as $35 – so again, it pays to comparison shop.

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