- LBS (Location Based Services)
- Services that use a device's location to provide relevant information or functionality, e.g. local search results, ride-sharing apps.
- GPS (Global Positioning System)
- A satellite-based system that determines a device's precise geographic location — the underlying technology that powers most LBS.
Cloud computing — concepts and effects:
- Effect on local hardware needs — since processing/storage happens remotely, users can often get away with cheaper, less powerful local devices.
- Cloud services for application use (e.g. Google Workspace, Office 365) — software accessed via the internet rather than installed locally.
- Cloud storage for data — files stored remotely, accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
| Consideration | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|
| Permissions | Fine-grained sharing/collaboration control | Misconfigured permissions can expose data publicly |
| Security | Provider often has stronger security resources than an individual/small business | Data is stored on infrastructure you don't physically control |
| Bandwidth | Access from anywhere with internet | Unusable without a reliable, sufficiently fast internet connection |
Cloud licensing (often a subscription/pay-as-you-go model) is compared to the other licensing models covered in 10.1.6 (proprietary, open source, freeware, freemium) — a key cloud-specific issue is ownership of data: even though you're paying for the service, questions arise over who legally owns data stored on a third party's cloud servers and what happens to it if you stop paying.
Security services underpinning safe online transactions:
- Public and private key encryption
- An asymmetric encryption system: a public key (shared openly) encrypts data, and only the matching private key (kept secret by the owner) can decrypt it.
- SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
- A protocol (now largely succeeded by TLS, but still commonly referenced) that encrypts data transmitted between a browser and a website.
- Digital certificate
- An electronic credential issued by a trusted authority that verifies a website/entity's identity and enables secure encrypted connections.
Digital currency and blockchain:
- Blockchain technology — a distributed, continuously growing chain of data 'blocks', each cryptographically linked to the previous one, making the record extremely difficult to alter after the fact.
- Distributed database / decentralisation — instead of one central authority (like a bank) controlling the record, copies are maintained across many participants in the network.
- Transaction and ledger — each transaction is recorded in a shared ledger visible to (and verified by) participants in the network, rather than a single private institution.
💡 Exam Tip
For blockchain, the exam-relevant idea to master is WHY decentralisation matters: no single point of failure or single authority that can secretly alter the record, because every participant holds a copy that must agree.