Managing IT Solutions Near Minneapolis, MN
Information systems provide the communication and analytical power that many companies require to conduct commerce and manage the business globally. It is a set of interrelated components that enable information to be captured, processed, stored, and distributed to support an institution's decision-making and control.
Functions of a managed information system
Three activities of an information system produce the institution's information for decision-making, control of operations, analysis of problems, and creation of new products and services. These activities are:
(a) Feeding or input is the capture or collection of primary data within the institution or its environment for processing in an information system.
b) Processing is converting the input into a more understandable form to human beings (into something that makes more sense).
c) The product or output transfers the processed information to the people or activities to be used.
Information systems also require feedback: the product returned to people to the appropriate members of the institution to help them evaluate or correct the input stage.
Computer-Based Information Systems (CBIIS)
Formal systems rely on accepted and fixed definitions of data and procedures for collecting, storing, processing, distributing, and using it. They are structured and operate by predetermined rules that remain relatively fixed and cannot be changed quickly.
Informal information systems rely on implicit agreements and unestablished rules of behavior. There is no agreement on what information is or how it should be stored and processed.
Formal information systems can be computer-based or manual. Manual systems employ paper-and-pencil technology.
On the other hand, computer-based information systems rely on computer software and hardware technology to process and distribute information.
The purpose of the ICBIS is to capture, store and distribute information from an institution's environment and its internal operations to support the institution's areas or functions and for decision making, communication, control, etc.
Information systems transform pure data into useful information through three primary activities, input, processing, and output.
Difference between computers and information systems
Computers are the equipment for storing and processing information. Computer programs, or software, are sets of operating instructions that direct and control computer processing.
From a business point of view, an information system is an information technology-based organizational and management solution to a challenge arising from the environment. To design and use information systems effectively, it is necessary to understand the environment, structure, function, and policies of institutions and the role of management and management decision making.
It is then necessary to examine the capabilities and opportunities provided by current information technology to provide solutions.
Management
Managers perceive the business challenges in the environment. At all times, they must exercise responsible leadership.
Managers must do more than managing what they already have. A substantial part is a creative work driven by new knowledge and information.
It is important to note that roles and decisions vary at different levels of the organization.
Top-level managers or directors are responsible for long-term strategic decisions about what products and services to produce.
Middle managers are responsible for carrying out the managers' programs.
Operational managers or supervisors are responsible for monitoring the day-to-day activities of the institution.
Each level of management has different information needs and different system requirements.
Technology
Systems technology is one of the many tools available to managers to deal with change. It is the instrument through which management controls and creates.
SIBC (computer-based information systems) use software, hardware, storage, and telecommunication technology.
Computer hardware is the physical equipment used for input, processing, and output activities in an information system. Computer software is the detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate an information system's computer hardware components. Storage technology includes the physical media for information storage, such as magnetic disks or tapes.
Telecommunications technology, consisting of physical devices and software, links the various hardware pieces and transfers data from one place to another.
The administrative process
There is an interdependence between organizational business strategy, rules and procedures, and the institution's information systems in today's systems. Changes in design, management, and operations increasingly require changes in hardware, database software, and telecommunications. Existing systems can act as a constraint on organizations. Often, what the institution would like to do depends on what its systems allow it to do.
Contemporary Approaches to Information Systems
The study of information systems deals with issues and viewpoints that are contributions from technical and behavioral disciplines. It is a multidisciplinary field; there is no single dominant theory. The main disciplines are computer science, management, research and operations, psychology, sociology, and political science.
1.-) Technical approach
The disciplines that contributed to the technical approach are computer science (concerned with the establishment of theories of computation and computational methods, among others), management (emphasizes the study of models for decision making), and operations research (focuses on mathematical techniques such as costs, inventory control, etc.).
2.-) Behavioral approach.
It is related to behavioral issues and problems. Other behavioral disciplines also play an essential role. Sociologists focus on the impact of information systems on the group. Political science investigates the political effects and uses of information systems.
Psychology is interested in individual responses to information systems. This approach does not ignore technology, but the core of this approach focuses not on technical solutions but rather on changes in attitudes, management, and organizational policies and behavior.
3.-) Socio-technical approach
No single perspective effectively captures the reality of information systems. Systems problems and their solutions are rarely entirely technical or behavioral. The technical and behavioral components require attention, which means that technology must be changed and designed to fit institutional and individual needs. Institutions and individuals must also change through training and learning to allow the technology to operate and thrive.
Much of the value of ESSs lies in their flexibility. These are not systems for decision-making; they are tools to help executives make decisions. The most visible benefit of SSEs is their ability to analyze, compare and highlight trends. Executives use the SSE to track their areas of responsibility and track key performance indicators and take advantage of the timeliness and availability of data. Problems can be managed before they do too much damage, and opportunities can be identified in advance.