Unit 9 - The Impact of Computing

Big Data Characteristics & Features Big data can be analysed and used by organisations to make better decisions and better business strategies. [1] Volume Velocity Variety Storage Processing Key Features Of A Data Warehouse A data warehouse is an environment used to store multiple data from databases for analytical purposes. [2] Subject Orientation De-Normalisation Non-Volatile Historical Data Ad Hoc Queries Planned Queries Data Load Control References SAS - Big Data Talend - What is a Data Warehouse and Why Does It Matter To Your Business?

Electricity Consumption & Its Environmental Impact Electricity is an essential part of most peoples lives in the world now a days, which means that power plants are working harder and creating even more pollution leading to damaging the ozone layer of our atmosphere. The ozone layer is what protects us from the heat and radiation from the Sun. Due to this being damaged, the heat and radiation cannot be absorbed and ends up passing through getting trapped in our atmosphere and raising the temperature of our planet. Our reliance on electricity has made scientists around the world search for more environmentally friendly ways to generate electricity, e.g. Wind Turbines and Solar Panels. Although these new methods may not output as much as the old power plants, they are a big step to improving the way we create electricity whilst having little to no impact on the environment. Improvements In Computing Power Per Kilowatt New computer components are becoming more powerful and t...

The Digital Divide With a lot of modern services now adopting the use of the internet, people who have no access to it are at a great disadvantage compared to those who have access. When someone who has never used the internet has to use a device that relies on it, this can cause a lot of confusion and it will be near impossible for that user to use the device. This can mainly be a problem for people living in developing nations where digital technology is near non-existent. This divide can also be seen in developed nations between the rich and the poor and between those who live in the cities and those who live in rural areas. While people in developing nations would have little to no internet access, poor and rural living people in developed nations would have very slow internet access, for some, no access at all. Difficulties Experienced By The Elderly & The Disabled For older and disabled people, it can be a challenge for them to keep up with the rapidly changing...

Increased Home Working Home working is increasing because organisations have seen the benefits it can have when their employees are working in an environment they are more comfortable in. Some employers think this could affect organisations in a negative way because the employees are not monitored and due to them not being monitored they could be doing something else during their work hours instead of working if they were being monitored within the organisation. Reduction In The Number Of Unskilled & Low Skilled Jobs With organisations around the world looking to automate a lot of unskilled and low skilled jobs, this means that those who are working in an unskilled or low skilled job will most likely end up being replaced by a robot and those people will be out of a job and finding it difficult to find another place to work for. Creation Of New Markets & Opportunities . References .

Increasing Reliance On Social Networking For Human Interacting Social networking has become very reliable on people interacting and staying connected with each other. It has helped billions of people around the world to meet others who share similar interests. However, lots of people are now saving their personal information to social networks which makes it easier for attackers to find information and gain access to private information. Consequences In Terms Of Lack Of Social Skills & Increasing Isolation The consequences that can come from the lack of social skills can have some major effects. Someone who is lacking in social skills may find it a lot more difficult to get a job compared to someone with good or excellent social skills. Health & Age-Related Issues Modern day technology can be very helpful for people with health-related issues. A mobile device can be used to call for a doctor for advice or to book an appointment...

Security considerations and the dangers inherent in extensive reliance on computing for every aspect of life The reliance on computing for every aspect of life requires systems to be more secure than ever before. Computers are not invulnerable to attacks. All it takes for an attacker to gain access to someone else’s computer is for the attacker to find a hole in the security, like outdated software or backdoors that are usually built into software during the development process. With computers becoming faster and more powerful, new security algorithms would have to be created to stay ahead of the processing speed and power of new computers. The attractiveness of systems to criminals & terrorists Computer systems are attractive to criminals and terrorists around the world due to the massive amounts of data that can be stored and can potentially be accessed without the proper security put in place. This data can be used by criminals to gain access to people's bank...

Decline In Some Traditional Market Sectors High Street shops that do not have a website setup on the internet have slowed in growth, whilst shops that are solely designed and created for online shopping, have seen a massive upturn in growth. Some High Street shops have seen the positive outcome of using the internet and have created a website where their customers can now shop online, as well as in store. Amazon and eBay are examples of online only retailers that have had a big influence on retail competition and has shown what the internet is capable of when used effectively for business uses. The Need For Organisations & Businesses To Take Advantage Of New Markets & Opportunities Organisations and businesses should aim to take advantage of new markets and opportunities if they are all a suddenly doing poorly within the market. They should investigate what successful organisations and businesses are doing to be as successful as they are and tr...

Internet Of Things The internet of things (IoT) is a new technology that is on the rise and it allows anything that uses a computer to connect and communicate with other things that uses a computer. For example, a mobile phone could connect to certain systems in a home, like the new smart central heating. This can allow someone to turn the heating on before they get home, so they do not have to turn up to a cold home and wait for it to warm up. IoT could be used within an organisation to speed up workflow by connecting devices and having them communicate with each other. Unfortunately, this technology has its disadvantages, just like any other technology. Due to all the things that use a computer can now connect to the internet and communicate with each other, this makes it easier for attackers to hack into and possibly take control of more rather than being isolated to one of those systems. This can be devastating for an organisation because it would make the job of figh...

Focus On Mobile Rather Than Desktop Computing Over the last two decades, mobile device hardware has advanced greatly. With the hardware becoming more advanced, a wide variety of software is now usable on a mobile device. The advanced hardware has allowed developers to create detailed software that was not before achievable due to the simplicity and restricted nature of mobile devices of the past. Development tools were made to make the process of creating software for mobile devices a lot easier because the more that developers want to add, the more complex the software becomes without the tools. These tools have made developing software for mobile devices quicker and easier, and with the more advanced hardware on top, a lot of developers have started creating applications that could not have been possible on mobile before. Lots of organisations have taken advantage of the advanced technologies in mobile devices by creating apps which also allows them to keep...