Introduction

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This chapter comprehensively explores software, its various types, and its crucial role in information systems, with particular emphasis on aspects like cloud computing and open-source characteristics.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you will be able to:

define the term software;
describe the two primary categories of software;
describe the role ERP software plays in an organization;
describe cloud computing and its advantages and disadvantages for use in an organization; and
define the term open-source and identify its primary characteristics.

The second component of an information system is software. Simply put: Software is the set of instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Software is created through the process of programming. Without software, the hardware would not be functional.

Source: David Bourgeois, https://pressbooks.pub/bus206/chapter/chapter-3-information-systems-software/
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