Components of Computer Systems

• Hardware is the physical part of the computer, like the system memory and disk drive.

• Firmware is the permanent software that runs the processes of the computer and is mostly

invisible to the user, like the start-up functions that make elements of the hardware work together.

• Software is the programming that offers services to the user and administrator. The operating

system, word processor, computer games, and Internet browser are all examples of software

commonly found on a computer.

Learning about these components tells Samantha what hardware, software, and firmware she has to

protect. She doesn't know what types of data she'll need to protect yet, but Samantha will work with people

across the company to learn what information is stored and processed in the computer systems.