Chapter [2] Information Systems And IT Fundamentals Information Systems In the past, people could rely on manual processes to make decisions because they had limited amounts of.
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Chapter [2] Information Systems And IT Fundamentals Information Systems In the past, people could rely on manual processes to make decisions because they had limited amounts of information to process. Today, due to the new technologies of communication more and more relevant data is available with enterprises. IS is a technology based mechanism that collects, stores and processes these data and generate useful knowledge to help managers in decision making. IS help business in increasing operational excellence, customer and supplier relationship, improved decision making and competitive advantage. The information system involves layers of hardware, software (both Application as well as System), DBMS and networks to deliver the solution to the final consumer. Developing any information system involves various defined phases commonly called as System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Need for Information Technology IT may be referred to as a computer-based tool that people use to work more efficiently & productively. To leverage IT enterprises have to : • View IT as a strategic business enabler instead of • just a cost component. maximize their efficiency thru IT operations so that they can provide value and be responsive to changing. Advantages of using IT pervasively ~ Data and Information Management Automated Processes Faster Communication Data and Information Management Traditionally data used to be stored on papers and in human understandable form. Today, IT enabled enterprises to store data electronically in digital form on servers, storage devices and on cloud. Advantages of managing data and information electronically are – They can be accessed instantly at high speed. They can be accessed by anyone with access rights They can be accessed from any where. They can be protected with high security. Use of IT, enable enterprises to protect data and information from threat arise from intentional or accidental act; may come from internal and external source and may be any of the form ~ Technological conditions : program bug, Disk crash Natural disaster: fire, flood. Environmental condition : short circuit Hackers Viruses Security can be provided by – Authorization procedure Data encryption Firewall Device tracking system Automated Processes A set of activities that converts a given input into desired output is called Process. Automation allows organizations to maximize the benefits while keeping the operational cost of business processes as low as possible. Softwares like ERP systems helps enterprises in business process automation (BPA). Automation improve business processes through: – – – – Greater control over business processes; Reduced costs; Shortened cycle times Reduced risks Email, Video conferencing personal chat rooms etc. are some of the IT enabled communication capabilities which provide an efficient way to communicate across geographical boundaries. Text exchange through SMS is now improved to VoIP which provide even more hi-tech ways for employees to communicate with each other. Skype, Viber, WhatsApp etc. are some of the application developed using this technology. Using special softwares like Teamware or Groupware, companies achieve collaborative working of teams from different geographical locations. IT in Auditing • Increasing digitization of data increases use of IT by Accountants and Auditors to expand their skills beyond traditional roles. • The traditional core competencies of auditors need to be enhanced with increased understanding of technology and integrating it with their experience to create new strategic business processes. • Auditors will have to provide assurance on the Security, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Integrity, Availability, Privacy and Reliability of information. The objectives of Audit in IT environment depends on the type and scope of audit. However some of them are : Existence • Verify that the assets, liabilities, ownership, are real. • Verify that events that occurred are all Authorization authorised by management. Valuation • Verify that the accounting values fairly present item’s worth. Cutoff • Verify that the transactions are of proper accounting period. Compliance • Verify that the processing is incompliance with laws and regulations, policies and procedures. Operational • Verify operations are performed economically, efficient, and effectively. Assisting • Making suggestions to implement internal control. management Control implementation • Participating in designing computer control Efficiency • Verify efficient use of the organization’s Computer resources Effectiveness • Verify system accomplishes the business objectives and goals. Audit procedures in computerised environment requires the followings : Study Technical Aspects • Review documents describing the technology, programs, operating procedures, security procedures and so on. The focus is on general and application's controls. Use Unique • Review, Interview, Questionnaire. Techniques Audit Software Usage Observation and • GAS, GAP, CASE tools, flowcharting etc. can be used for Data file interrogation, review of audit trail, steps of process. IT Risk and Issues “Higher the use of Technology, Greater is the Risk and More is the need for Controls” Enterprise risks are mainly classified in two categories : Business risks and Technology risks. Technology risk materializes due to obsolescence and business risk occurs due to technology failure. Technology dependent organizations have to deal with following issues ~ What are the risks faced by the enterprise when it makes changes to a critical system? What type of process are use to identify these risks? Control procedure in IS IS control procedure may include: • • • • • • • • • • • • Strategy and direction; General Organization and Management; Access to IT resources, including data and programs; System development and change control; Operation procedures; System Programming and technical support functions; Quality Assurance Procedures; Physical Access Controls; BCP and DRP; Network and Communication; Database Administration; and Counter measures against internal and external attacks. Impact of IT on Risk 1 • Remote access to the server increasing temptation for abuse. 2 • On-line processing and validation checks would help the perpetrator in circumventing controls in inputs to computer. 3 • Appropriate controls are not implemented within the systems to detect or to prevent the accidents. 4 • Failure to recognize risks or impacts of those risks. 1 • On-line data entry creates non-availability of source document. 2 • Remote access to data complicate custodial functions of data. 3 • From start to finish the entire processing cycle is done by one user. 4 • Decline of accountability, traditional functions and responsibilities due to system generated transaction. 5 • Access Authorization has been changed. Develop new criteria in evaluating control weaknesses . Customize control testing techniques . Use CAAT to perform some audit examination. Business Process Automation BPA is an activity of automating the repetitive or standardized components from existing business processes. BPA offers many benefits, such as ~ • Cost reduction. • Elimination of human error. • Improving the performance, accuracy and efficiency of business processes. • More faster, robust, and flexible business process. • Less man power required. • Management can focus on core competencies. Steps of B.P.A. PHASES BPM is the methodology used by enterprises to automate and improve end-to-end business processes. [A] Analysis – Analysis of the current processes and Definition of requirements. [B] Design – Evaluation of potential solutions, business process designing and business process modeling. [C] Implementation – Project preparation, blue printing, development, final preparation, go live and support. [D] Monitor – Business process monitoring. Activities in BPA Integration • BPA allows to pass data between the applications of the business process as necessary. • The ability to bring tasks that exist across multiple Orchestration computers and different business departments under one business process. • Automation enables the capability of automatic Automation execution of multiple systems and enable a more effective, nimble and efficient business process. Benefits of BPA Reducing the Impact of Human Error Transforming Data into Information Improving performance and process effectiveness Making users more efficient and effective Making the business more responsive Improving Collaboration and Information Sharing Database access and changes • Access and updation via ODBC connections. File replication and data backup • Protects valuable data by backing up Systems and event log monitoring • Reviews and analyzes the event log and critical systems Job scheduling • Manages daily or unscheduled tasks. Application integration • Process integration can be automated File transfers • Automate deliver and retrieval of data Printing • Automation to simplify print jobs “Any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from or creating computers.” There are five sub-disciplines of the computing field ~ Computer Science Computer Engineering Information System Information Technology Software Engineering Computer Science It is the scientific and practical approach to study the feasibility, structure, and algorithms for acquisition, processing, storage, communication of information. Computer Engineering It integrates several fields such as electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science to develop computer hardware and software. Computer engineers are involved in many aspects of computing, from the design of micro-processors, Computers to Circuit design. Information System It refers to the study of computer resources used to collect, process, store and distribute data to support operations, management and decision making. Information Technology IT encompasses not only computers and computer networks but also other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. IT industry is supported by multiple industry sectors such as computer hardware, software, electronics, internet, telecom, and E-Commerce. Software Engineering It refers to the systematic approach to the design, development, operation, and maintenance of software. Computing Technologies Computing Architecture Server Micro Architecture System Design File Print ISA Network Database CISC BUS and Switches Memory Controller Application Web RISC Multi processing DMA Virtualization Server – A computer or device on a network to serve the needs of the users. – A server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs called the "clients". – Servers can be dedicated or non-dedicated. – Some common types of servers • • • • • • • File server: Store user files and allow shard access. Print server: Manages one or more printers. Network server: Manages network traffic. Database server: Processes database queries. Application Server: provide centralized, on-line processing. Web Server: Hosts web site and allow access through browsers. Mail Server: Move and store e-mail over networks. Computing Architecture The computer is based on a fixed hardware platform which is made to behave completely differently each time it is loaded with a different program. The interface between a computer’s hardware and software is its architecture. Popular computing architecture used today is called Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). – ISA includes the instruction set, memory address modes, processor registers and data formats. – Basically ISA is related to the programming of a what the chip does. It is of two types: RISC and CISC. S. No. 1. CISC RISC User INS is converted into Micro User INS activate micro codes activate micro circuitry circuitry generates control generates control signals. signals 2. Single electronic circuitry. Separate electronic circuitry. 3. Processors are large Processors are small 4. Variable length, instructions complex Fixed length, instructions uniform 5. Consumes more power Consumes less power 6. Expensive processor Less expensive processors 7. Complex addressing mode Simple addressing mode • Micro Architecture Also known as Computer organization, it is a lower level detailed description of the system. It is describing the operation of all parts of the computing system, and how they are interconnected and inter-operate. • System Design : (other h/w components) Computer buses and switches: It is communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer. Memory controllers and hierarchies: It is a digital circuit which manages the flow of data going to and coming from the main memory. Direct Memory Access (DMA): DMA is a CPU off-load mechanisms that allows hardware subsystems to access system memory independently of the CPU. Multi-processing : It is the use of two or more CPUs within a single computer system to allocate tasks between them. Hardware Virtualization: It refers to the creation of a virtual machine that acts like a real computer with an operating system. The instructions within CPU get executed in four phases called Fetch-Decode-Execute-Store. This is Machine cycle. Fetch and Decode are done by CU Execution is done by ALU and results are stored in Register. Emerging Computing Models • Cloud Computing • Mobile Computing Cloud Computing • Cloud computing is the use of various services, such as software development platforms, execution servers, storage and software, over the Internet, often referred to as the "cloud". Public clouds are administrated by third parties and the services are offered on pay-per-use basis. Advantages includes the following: • Affordable costs. • Highly scalable services • Reliable applications One of the limitations is Security assurance. Also called internal clouds, they are built primarily by IT departments within enterprises Advantages of private clouds are ~ Improve average server utilization providing higher efficiencies High Security Fully under control due to ownership. Reducing operations costs Reducing Administrative overheads due to automation Limitations is that IT teams in the organization has to be involved in buying, building and managing the clouds. It is possible in two ways ~ An organization has a private cloud and forms a partnership with a public clouds provider A public cloud provider forms a partnership with a vendor that provides private cloud platforms. This is the sharing of computing infrastructure in between organizations of the same community. For example, all Government organizations within India may share computing infrastructure on the cloud to manage data. Cloud Computing Architecture The Cloud Computing Architecture (CCA) involves communication among multiple cloud components such as ~ • On-premise and cloud resources, • Services, • Middleware • Software components It is about deciding their geo-location and the relationships between them through a loose coupling mechanism. CCA consists of the followings connected to each other through Internet. – Front End platform It is client’s devices and some applications needed for accessing the cloud computing system. – Back End platform The back end is cloud itself, which may encompass various Servers, Data storage systems and web application program – Middleware It is a special type of software installed on central server to be used for administering the whole system. There are some set of protocols followed by this server. Cloud Computing Service Models IaaS CaaS NaaS PaaS SaaS [A] IaaS • Provides virtual machines, other resources and storage required to host the services. • Cloud clients install operating-system and their application software on the cloud infrastructure. [B] PaaS • It gives us the platform to create, edit, run and manage the application programs. • Deliver a computing platform including operating system, programming language, execution environment, database, and web server. [C] SaaS • Provides users to access large variety of applications that are hosted on service provider’s infrastructure. [D] NaaS • Capability provided to the user is to use network/transport connecting services. [E] CaaS • Offers communication solution on lease to the users. The CaaS vendor is responsible for all hardware and software management and offers guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS). It is the use of portable computing devices with wireless communications technologies to enable users to access the Internet and data from anywhere in the world. Components Mobile Communic ation Mobile Software Mobile Hardware [1] Mobile Communication It refers to the infrastructure to ensure seamless and reliable communication. These would include Protocols, Services, Bandwidth and Portals necessary to support the services. The data format is also defined at this stage. [2] Mobile Hardware It includes mobile devices that access the service of mobility. They would range from laptops, Smart phones, Tablet PC’s to PDA. These devices are configured to operate in fullduplex, so that they are capable of sending and receiving signals at the same time. [3] Mobile Software It is the actual program that runs on the mobile hardware and makes the mobile device operate. It is the operating system of that appliance. Business Applications of Mobile Computing 1 2 3 4 5 6 • Increased workforce productivity. • Improved customer service. • Improved Incident management by resolving problems faster • Customers and employees can access to information, independent from location and time. • Enterprises can dynamically modify and update their offerings. • Used with proper security, enterprises can create new opportunities by improving the quality and efficiency of services. Security Risk Dangers of Misrepresentation Battery Power consumption Potential Health hazards DBMS Application People Hardware System Software Network Links Application software includes all those computer software that address several problems of end users and can be commonly used by many users. The different types of application software are:☺ Application Suite: It has multiple applications bundled together with related functions. E.g. MS-Office 2010. ☺ Enterprise Software: It addresses an enterprise’s processing needs and data flow in a huge distributed environment. E.g. ERP. ☺ Enterprise Infrastructure Software: Provides capabilities required to support enterprise software. E.g. Email servers, Security software. ☺ Information Worker Software: It addresses individual needs to manage and create information within departments. E.g. Spreadsheets, CAAT. ☺ Content Access Software: Used to access and publish multimedia contents. E.g. Media Players, Adobe Digital etc. ☺ Educational Software: It holds contents adopted for use by students. ☺ Media Development Software: It addresses individual needs to generate and print electronic media for others to consume. E.g. Desktop Publishing, Video Editing etc. Benefits of Application Software are: Addressing User needs: Less threat from virus: Regular updates Disadvantages : – Development is costly: Developing application software designed to meet specific purposes of many users can prove to be quite costly for developers. – Infection from Malware: If an application software is commonly shared online, it carries a highly real threat of infection by malicious programs. • To fulfill information need of their managers Every enterprise needs to do the following : Knowing its information needs; Acquiring that information; Organizing that information in a meaningful way; Assuring information quality; and Providing software tools so that managers can access information they require. • To achieve the objective of fulfilling information needs of users, enterprises use DBMS. • DBMS are software that aid in organizing, controlling and accessing the data needed by the application program. • Commercially available DBMS are Oracle, My SQL, SQL Servers and DB2 etc. • Hierarchy of database ~ Characters Fields Records Files Database Data Base Models Database is an electronic filing cabinet i.e., a collection of computerized data files helps us do various operations on the files. The way database organizes data in files is called data base models. [1] Hierarchical Structure :~ ☻ ☻ Records are organized in inverted tree pattern. The top record is called Root, bottom most records are called the leaves and all other records are called parent records. ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ The records are also called Nodes. Records have parent –child relationship. This structure implements 1-1 and 1-M relationship. Record queries are time consuming. Ad-hoc queries are difficult and time consuming. Relationship is establish in advance and implemented physically. [2] Network Structure :~ ☻ ☻ Records are organized in Sets. ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ It allows a records to be member of 2 or more sets. Each set has one Owner record and other as Member records. This structure implements All types of relationship. It is easy and fast to search records. Relationship is establish in advance and implemented physically. Student Database Master Rno NM Add Ph Marks Rno M1 M2 M3 [3] Relational Structure :~ ☻ Records are organized in Tables. ☻ Table represents a file, column represents a field and ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ rows represents a records. The table is called Relation, Named column are called Attribute and rows are called Tuples. The set of values the attributes are allowed to take is called Domain. In this structure a database can contain 2 or more tables with at least one common column called key. Relationship is not establish in advance and not implemented physically. More flexible and fast to search and access records. [4] Object Oriented Data Base :~ The database with the quality to store reusable objects. The goal of OODB is to provide programmer with a repository of reusable objects. Each object is an independently functioning application or program, assigned with a specific task or role to perform. Advantages of a DBMS 1 • Permitting data sharing 2 • Minimizing Data Redundancy 3 • Integrity can be maintained 4 • Program and file Standardization 5 • User-friendly 6 • Improved security 7 • Achieving program/data independence 8 • Faster application development System software is computer program that is designed to operate the computer hardware and to give platform for running application software. One of the most important and widely used system software is computer operating systems. An Operating System is a set of computer programs that manages hardware resources and acts as an interface with computer and applications programs. Some prominent Operating systems used nowadays are Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux, UNIX etc. Functions of Operating System 1 • Performing hardware functions 2 • User Interfaces 3 • Hardware Independence 4 • Memory Management 5 • Task Management 6 • Networking Capability 7 • Logical access security 8 • File management Input Device Output Device Processing Device Storage Device Input devices These are the devices through which we interact with the systems and include devices like Keyboard, Mouse, Scanners & Bar Code, MICR readers, Webcams, Microphone and Touch Screen. Output Devices – Output devices are devices through which system responds. Various types of output devices are: Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) Laser Printer Plotter Liquid Crystal Display (LCDs) Ink-jet Printer Speakers Processing devices It includes Central Processing Unit and main memory. The CPU or microprocessor is the actual hardware that interprets and executes the program. The processor or CPU is like the brain of the computer, built on a small flake of silicon. It consists of three sub- units: • Control Unit (CU): CU controls the flow of data and instruction to and from memory, interprets the instruction and controls which tasks to execute and when. • Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU): Performs arithmetic operations and logical comparison. • Registers: These are high speed memory units within CPU for storing small amount of data. Registers could be: • Accumulators: They can keep running totals of arithmetic values. • Address Registers: They can store memory addresses which tell the CPU as to where in the memory an instruction is located. • Storage Registers: They can temporarily store data that is being sent to or coming from the system memory. • Miscellaneous: These are used for several functions for general purpose. Data Storage Devices • It refers to the memory where data and programs are stored. Various types of memory techniques/ devices are given as follows: • Internal memory – Registers are internal memory within CPU, which are very fast and very small. • Primary Memory – These are primarily of two types: Random Access Memory (RAM) It is Read Write memory. It is volatile memory. It is used by the users. Read Only Memory (ROM) It is Read Only memory. It is Non-volatile memory. It is used by manufacturers. • Cache Memory – To bridge the speed differences between Register and Primary memory, we have cache memory. – Cache is a smaller, faster memory, which stores copies of the data from the most frequently used main memory locations so that Processor can access it more rapidly than main memory. • Virtual Memory – Virtual Memory is in fact not a separate device but an imaginary memory area supported by some operating systems in conjunction with the hard disk. – If a computer lacks the Random Access Memory needed to run a program or operation, Windows uses virtual memory to compensate. Virtual memory combines computer’s RAM with temporary space on the hard disk. • Secondary Memory Primary Secondary Volatile Non-Volatile Limited capacity Unlimited capacity High speed Slow speed Located inside the computer Outside the computer Costly Less expensive Integrated circuits FD, HD, CD, DVD, Pen drive Computer Network is a collection of computers and other hardware interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information. Each component in a computer network is called a ‘Node’. Networks could be of two types: • Connection Oriented networks: Wherein a connection is first established and then data is exchanged. • Connectionless Networks: Where no prior connection is made before data exchanges. Data has complete contact information of recipient and at each intermediate destination. Networks functionality : – Routing: It refers to the process of deciding path to communicate the data from source to destination. – Bandwidth: It refers to the amount of data which can be sent across a network in given time. – Resilience: It refers to the ability of a network to recover from any kind of communication error. – Contention: It refers to the situation that arises when there is a conflict for some common resource. 1 • Easy Information distribution 2 • Resource Sharing 3 • Increased Computational Power 4 • Reliability 5 • User communication Information System Life Cycle This is commonly referred as System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which is a methodology used to describe the process of building information systems. SDLC is document driven methodology where a phase is not complete until the appropriate documentation is produced. These are sometimes referred to as deliverables. It consists of a set of steps or phases in which each phase of the SDLC uses the results of the previous one. System Investigation • What is the problem and is it worth solving? System Analysis • What must the IS do to solve the problem? System Design • How will the IS do what it must do to solve to the problem? System Implement • How will the solution be put into effect? System Maintenance • How the system will continue to meet the users need? Phase 1: System Investigation • • • • • Technical feasibility Economic feasibility Legal feasibility Operational feasibility Schedule feasibility • • • • Interviewing staff Review internal document Sending out questionnaires Observation of current procedures Fact Finding techniques Phase 2: System Analysis • The Systems Analyst will: • • • • Examine data flow diagrams; Analysis of proposed system; Analyze costs and benefits; System implementation options.(e.g. in-house or out-sourced); • Consider possible hardware configurations; and • Make recommendations. Phase 3: System Designing Hardware platform Modular design Test data Software User interface Conversion plan Outputs Inputs Documentation: System Manual Phase 4: System Implementation This phase involves the following steps: • Coding and testing of the system; • Acquisition of hardware and software; and • Either installation of the new system or conversion from old system to the new. In Installation, there are following major activities: • Installing the new hardware. • Training the users on the new system. • File Conversion. Direct Changeover Pilot Conversion Conversion Strategy Phased Conversion Parallel Conversion Phase 5: System Maintenance and Review Post implementation review would be done to address: • Programming amendments, • Adjustment of clerical procedures, • Modification of Reports, and • Request for new programs. System maintenance objectives could be : • Perfective Maintenance • Adaptive Maintenance • Corrective Maintenance Recent Technologies Bluetooth Android Wi-Fi UltraMobile PC Laptop: Notebook iPod Tablet Computer Smart Phone iPad Touchpad Bluetooth is a wireless communication standard for exchanging data over short distances up to 50 meters. Through the use of a Blue tooth we can send pictures, videos, business cards, audio and data files between various devices. Bluetooth is a very low-power, short-range, radio signal. Few devices that utilize Bluetooth technology are: Keyboards and mice, Printers, Cell phones and headsets, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), Desktop and laptop computers, Digital cameras, Remotes: replacing IR (infrared). Wi-Fi is the wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide high-speed Internet. Wi-Fi term can be defined as any "wireless local area network (WLAN) that are based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Wi-Fi can be less secure than wired connections because an intruder does not need a physical connection. Large corporations use Wi-Fi products to extend standard wired LAN to public areas like meeting rooms, training classrooms and large auditoriums. The laptop was designed to be similar to a desktop, but be small and light enough that it could be used while keeping it on our lap. Notebook computers typically weigh less than 3 Kg and are small enough to fit easily in a briefcase. Both computers use flat-panel technologies to produce a lightweight and non bulky display screen. A tablet is a one piece general-purpose computer contained in a single panel. Some features of Tablets are: Input Method: Tablets use touch interface on the screen for all input. Size: Tablets have very small size and weight less than 1 Kg. Battery Life: Tablets are efficient because of the low power requirements of their hardware components. Storage Capacity: 16 and 64 gigabytes of storage. Performance: Tablet PCs are suited for tasks like email, web browsing, playing video or audio. Software: The two major tablet platforms are Android or iOS and plenty of applications that are available. Wireless: Tablets have Wi-Fi, blue tooth and mobile connectivity. A Smart Phone is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability than a feature phone. These devices integrate mobile phone capabilities with common features of a computer or PDA. Smart phone’s allow users to store information, e-mail and install programs. High-speed data access is provided by Wi-Fi and mobile broadband. A touchpad is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on screen. Touch pads are also available as detached accessories. Touch pads operate on capacitive sensing that sense virtual ground effect of a figure. Capacitance-based touch pads will not sense the tip of a pencil or other similar implement. The dragging motion of a finger is translated into a relative motion of the cursor on the screen. Hardware buttons equivalent to mouse's left and right buttons are positioned below, above, or beside the touchpad. The iPad runs on iOS. Apple introduced responsive multi touch gestures, like moving two fingers apart to zoom in. iOS uses less power. The iPod is a portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Inc. There are four current versions of the iPod: the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle, the compact iPod Nano, the touch screen iPod Touch, and the hard drive-based iPod Classic. iPods can have storage capacity ranging from 2 GB for the iPod Shuffle to 160 GB for the iPod Classic. UMPCs are smaller than subnotebooks, have a TFT display measuring about 5 to 7 inch. They are operated like tablet PCs using a touch screen or a stylus, and can also have a physical keyboard. The first-generation UMPCs were simple PCs running Linux. Android is a Linux-based operating system designed primarily for touch screen mobile devices. Android was built to enable developers to create mobile applications that take full advantage of power of mobile devices. Android devices come in all shapes and sizes, with highresolution displays and cameras, Android is open source and the permissive licensing allows the software to be freely modified and distributed. Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications.