Management Information Systems for the Information Age

Management Information System for the Information Age

Networks are used to facilitate the flow in information between users In information and communication technology (ICT , networks are used primarily for the purpose of sharing , whether devices like printers and scanners or programs and data (Williams and Sawyer , 2005 ,

. 319 Before one delves into the different types of networks , it is important to define what a network is

A network comprises interconnected communication devices such as computers and telephones that communicate with one other and share applications and data (Williams and Sawyer

, 2005 ,

.319 . Networks may be WANs (Wide area network , MANs (Metropolitan area network ) and LAN (Local area network . LANs are either Client /Server or Peer to Peer (p . 321

In a client /server LAN , there is a client represented by the microcomputers requesting data and the servers or the computers supplying the data (Williams and Sawyer , 2005 ,

. 321 . A server acts as the manager , controlling the shared devices , like the printer for instance . In this setting , individual users share the services of the server or the centralized computers . Data and application are stored on the server and then shared to the clients or users , enabling them to share data s and programs . If two or more users want to communicate with each other , they have to go through the server first and then it will be routed to the target

On the other hand , a peer-to-peer LAN denotes that microcomputers communicate directly with one another without passing...