Title: Instructor's Perspective - Module 10
Course: CIS2321 Information Systems > Section: Module 10 - System Architecture

Module 10:  System Architecture

The system architecture renders the system's logical design into a physical structure including hardware, software, and processing.
Before deciding on an architecture, you must consider enterprise resources planning, cost, scalability, modern integration, legacy interface compatibility, processing, and security.
The establishment of enterprise resource planning (ERP) defines an enterprise-wide strategy for IT resources and specific standards for data, processing, network, and user interface design.  ERP can be extended to suppliers and customers in a process called supply chain management.  Scalability allows the system to reach out to more entities.  A modern design will be Web-centric and follow internet design protocols and it must interface with existing systems.  System security is an important concern and continues to grow in importance.
An architecture often requires servers and clients.  Servers supply data, processing services, and other support to one or more client machines.  In mainframe architecture, the server performs all processing, and terminals communicate with the centralized system.  The same concept is being applied in cloud based computing.  In a typical client/server system, clients handle the user interface and the server stores the data and provides data access and database management functions.  Application processing is divided between the server and the clients.  Thin client designs provide better performance, because program code resides in the server, near the data.   They are becoming more popular; however, they depend on the connection to the server.
There has been enormous impact on system architecture from the Internet.  It should be considered when implementing any design.  Cloud computing and Web 2.0 are shaping the future of Internet computing and should be considered.

Attachments

- Mod10_InstructorPerspective.pdf