Table of Contents
Introduction
Information systems are continuously playing an important role in organizations. It is evident that hospitals can’t operate, banks can’t process payments, and governments can’t offer services without the support of information system. Additionally, organizations rely on information systems for seamless communication, information gathering, data analysis, and decision making. These insights are indications that efficient information systems management practices are key to the success of any organization. By definition, information system refers to a computer application that receives data, analyzes it, and provide output to the users. The intent of this paper is to outline the key components of information systems management and how they can be applied to an organization.
Discussion
Components of Information System Management
Regardless of the size of the organization, systems management is a combination of four distinct elements i.e. Data management, process management, tools management, and organizational management (Bourgeois, 2014). These elements need to work together if an organization is to realize benefits of using information system. Processes refer to how various information system tasks are carried out. Data refers to the digital information that is used to run any system processes. Finally, tools are equipment that is required to perform process while organization management refers to human resources that facilitate implementation of various system processes.
As stated above, these elements work together to actuate effective information systems management. Therefore, ignoring one element could have a negative effect on the implementation of an information system. Thus, prior understanding of the system management requirement is necessary to ensure optimal system management infrastructure. The primary requirements to consider when developing an information system management infrastructure include and not limited to an understanding size of the system, system complexity, security requirements, emerging technologies, environmental dependencies, and primary business needs.
Organizational Case Study
eBay is a multinational company that is based in California that is leading in e-commerce technology. The company uses its e-commerce website to sell a wide variety of goods and services to its worldwide customers. Although the company started as an auction website, it has expanded to become a leader in the technology industry. For instance, the company has acquired PayPal, Corrigan, and Skype Technologies which has enabled it to increase its customers. The success of the company has made it a target to data analysis with computer information systems researchers using it to analyze big data management.
Steps that have been taken by the organization to secure its information and knowledge
The company realizes that maintaining informational security is important to its reputation and survival. In March 2014, the company suffered a security breach where employee logins were compromised. Although the breach did not compromise customer’s financial information, it compelled the organization to come up with ways to manage its information security. The company thus introduced both technical and administrative security measures to ensure the security of its information system is guaranteed. Data security mechanisms implemented by the company included data encryption, use of firewalls, and identification and authorization controls (Chaffey, 2018).
Organizational steps to sustain a competitive advantage
The company faces both direct and indirect competitors from many countries. However, eBay has been able to remain competitive due to a number of reasons. First and foremost, the company enjoys a great deal of customer trust due to its distinctive brand and customer service. Better provision of services has facilitated retention of customers securing a large customer base. Finally, the company has used cutting-edge technology to ensure business processes are streamlined.
How the organization manages its IT infrastructure components
The company requires an efficient IT architecture to be able to manage the high number of customers. The company information system is based on a number of platforms that enable it to manage millions of customer requests per day. The primary platforms employed are Java, Oracle, Horizontal Scaling, Sharding, and a mix of UNIX and Windows. eBay’s IT infrastructure is comprised of layers that include users, web servers, Application servers, and Data Servers. The overall infrastructure can be categorized as grid computing as it allows scalability and error correction (LAYTON, 2017).
- Bourgeois, D. T. (2014). Information systems for business and beyond. Challenge by the Saylor Academy.
- Chaffey, D. (2018, January 06). A case study focusing on eBay strategy.
- LAYTON, J. (2017). eBay Infrastructure.