a) You work as an accounts officer in a supermarket in Accra. The supermarket has recently witnessed a dramatic growth in its customer base. Management has therefore decided to install a Transaction Processing System (TPS) to cater for this growth. State FIVE advantages that would accrue to the firm with this decision. (10 marks)
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i) Time saving: TPS can process large volumes of data within a short period of time.
ii) Operational efficiency: TPS will facilitate the smooth operations of the supermarket and will provide the base for other internal information systems.
iii) Database stability: TPS facilitates database stability in the sense that in the event of network failure, the information will be stored in the database and the transaction will continue when service is restored.
iv) Activity tracking: TPS assists information system managers and staff to keep track of all activities and transactions of the company such as sales and receipts.
v) Access to a wider market: TPS will enable the supermarket to access potential customers to buy the goods when linked to the internet.
vi) Time sharing: TPS facilitates the sharing of the system and its properties among multiple users working on the same transaction at the same time.
vii) Back-up: TPS provides the basic building blocks for other systems in that it has a backup in case of system failure.
(Any 5)
b) Your company’s computer network was recently hacked into by fraudsters, stealing sensitive information. This has affected the credibility of the company. State FIVE measures that can be put in place to prevent a repetition of such an incident in the future. (10 marks)
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Prevention Mechanisms:
i) User authentication: This is the process that enables the system to ensure and confirm that the person trying to access the system has the right to do so by requesting certain information before the system opens up. It may request a user name and a password.
ii) Encryption: With this any information that is saved or being transmitted is converted from plain code into cipher text or a secret code that can be decrypted using a special code by the recipient of such information.
iii) Restrictions: The company can also restrict physical access to its servers and mainframe computers by some people in order to prevent crimes.
iv) Regular audits: The company must regularly conduct information systems audit on its database management systems to check whether there is an attempted intrusion.
v) Biometric Systems: The company can also install computer systems that use a person’s traits to detect differences by comparing it to stored data.
vi) The public key infrastructure (PKI) is a means which enables the firm’s users of unsecured public network such as an internet to securely and privately exchange data through the use of a private and public crypto- graphic key pair that is obtained and shared through a trusted partner.
vii) Intrusion Detection System: This is a software that monitors systems and network resources and notifies the company’s network security personnel when it senses a possible intrusion in order to put in preventive measures
(Any 5)