Fundementals of Information Technology

  Fundamentals of information technology include hardware, software, information systems, security, and privacy. Information technology refers to automated systems for storing, processing, and distributing information. When users enter information on computers, it is possible due to the hardware and software that make up the computer systems. Information can then be transferred across networks, which are also made up of modems, routers, servers, and other computers. Network and computer security systems help protect one's computer from getting viruses where their information can be stolen. Even with applications that protect one's data, it is still possible to have it stolen. A user on the internet leaves an electronic footprint similar to how a person walking leaves a physical footprint (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Any time a user enters information, there is the possibility of having that information stolen. This is especially true if someone puts information on social medi...

  Network Security Computers can get viruses like living things. A common way computers get viruses is when the user opens an e-mail and is tricked into downloading and running an application, unknowingly installing a virus (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Computer users can also get viruses by visiting unsecured websites and using peer-to-peer file transfer applications with viruses attached. Viruses wreak havoc on a computer's operating system. Computers with viruses may run slower, crash frequently, and have missing files ( National Cybersecurity Alliance, 2023). The computer may have to be wiped clean, and the operating system reinstalled to remove the virus.   Thankfully, there are ways one can protect themselves from getting a computer virus. One of the best ways to prevent viruses is by downloading trusted antivirus software. "Antivirus software is a program that looks for known viruses and strives to disable found viruses by searching a hard drive, and by monitoring...

  Computers play a very important role in the healthcare field. Those in the field need to be computer literate because of how much of the career involves computer usage. Computers are used to complete simple tasks like scheduling patient visits, charting medical diagnoses, and administering drugs. Additionally, computers are used for more complex tasks like operating equipment like MRI and CT scan machines and Gamma knife machines for treating brain tumors. At the least, patient care would take longer as it would take the employee longer to complete tasks like scheduling patient visits. Regarding something more serious, patients could be scheduled for the wrong surgeries or provided the wrong medication and treatment if the employee struggled with technology. Additionally, the treatment may not be as effective due to the employee administering it incorrectly.   Advances in technology like artificial intelligence (AI) will improve the field of healthcare in the f...

 The internet is made up of billions of computers connected together. When a computer communicates through the internet, it sends packets of data routed to a destination. Using the ping command, one can test the transmission speed of the packets to and from one’s computer. Ping is the measure of latency from your device to the server and back to your device (Century Link, n.d.). The higher the ping, the slower the communication speed. If one has a good home internet connection when playing an online game and starts to lag, it could result from a high ping. I tested the ping time from google.com, ciudad.com.ar, and blocket.se. The average roundtrip times were Google- 38ms., Ciudad-58ms., and Blocket-29ms. While blocket.se is in another country, it had the fastest ping time. The faster ping could be because the route to that site is freer. Depending on Internet traffic conditions, packets might follow different routes (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). There could be a few ro...

  Role of Applications Computers have many useful applications to assist one in personal and professional life. From one's computer, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, and database applications can help one complete tasks like writing a personal e-mail, budgeting, and creating work presentations. Describing the functions, making comparisons, and discussing which one is appropriate for documenting a day in my life will help one better understand each application. Word Processors A word processor like Microsoft Word allows one to write documents. Within word processors, there are many functions. One can change the layout, font types, and color and add headers and footers. A word processor typically has icons or menu items that allow users to format text, such as bold, italics, or underline ( Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). There is also the ability to add pictures to the document. Additionally, there is a built-in thesaurus and automatic text correction. Like other app...