Information Systems Control and Security - Example

Information systems control and security Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Literature review 4 Qualitative Research/Types of information system control and security 5 Secondary Research/Importance of information systems control and security 7 Conclusion and Recommendations 8 References 9 Executive Summary This research report is all about the roles of managers in implementing the various information systems in the organizations. This report has different sections which are the introduction, the literature review and the conclusion. In the introduction section, the topic of information system is defined and the problem background of the topic is explained. The topic background is discussed in detail to enable the reader to understand why this research was conducted and its importance to the organization. The objectives of the research are also listed which will help the reader to know the aims of the research topic and how the research will influence the decision making of organizations. The second part is the literature review. This section comprises the information written by other scholars concerning the information system control and security. This section uses both secondary and qualitative methods of collecting data. The qualitative methods used are the focus groups and the interviews. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the qualitative methods. The secondary data used is the information which has already tackled the topic information system control and security and how it has been applied by various organizations. Roles of managers in implementing the information systems, types of information systems control and security, Issues affecting the implementation of the information systems and the importance of these information systems are also discussed in this section. Finally the conclusions and recommendation are given as section three of this research. This part summarizes what has been discussed in this research project and gives some recommendation based on the findings of the research. Introduction Information systems control and system is the system which aims to protect information of an organization from unauthorized users (Banker & Kauffman 2004). It aims to keep information safe from interruptions and how the managers are involved in the implementation of the information system and control adopted by the organization. It involves application of computer softwares and application to keep any confidential information from being accessed by unauthorized people. The purpose of this research is to study the importance of safeguarding the information of an organization and how the information systems have been used by different organizations to manage their affairs effectively. For a long time now, many organizations have not been using the information technology systems to keep their information secure thus exposing their secrets to their competitors. Also the competitors can use the information to advance on them hence has a competitive advantage. Information systems control can also improve the coordination of various operations in the organization like communication. It is this desire of improving the management of information that led to establishment of information systems so that the organization's confidentiality can be kept safe and for a long time. Many organizations are opting to use the information systems security and with the change in technology, the organizations can be well managed. This research will use both qualitative and secondary methods of collecting data regarding the information systems control and security. The main objectives of this research are; I. To design information systems which are controlled effectively II. Ensuring quality standards are met in executing projects III. Design systems which can protect the confidential information of the organization IV. To ensure that organizations keep records well Literature review The secondary methods used to collect data for this research is the existing literature concerning the role of managers in implementing the information systems control and management. From the research conducted, the manager plays very important roles in the implementation of the information systems control and security. First of all the systems managers oversees the team of experts who design the information systems control which is better for the organization (Claver et al 2000). The team of experts should be able to design an information system which can be easily adopted by the organization considering the resources available, for instance the financial capacity of the organization. Another role of the managers in implementing the information systems control is to collect all the information regarding the system of information to be adopted. It’s the duty of the information managers to collect data which is necessary in implementing an information system like the installation and running costs of the systems. They should also collect data regarding the environmental effects of the information system to be adopted. The information systems managers are responsible for installing the information software. The managers should ensure that the team of experts is able and has the experience to install the system of the information. If the team of experts does not have the skills to install the software then the managers are responsible for hiring the expert who can install the system effectively. The information system managers also are responsible for coordinating all the operations concerning technology in the organization. They coordinate purchasing of the information system equipment and focusing on the issues like the network and its safety to ensure that it is not tampered with by unauthorized people. Qualitative Research/Types of information system control and security The first type of information system is the management information systems ( Rainer et al 2009). This is the system which is used by the organization to manage its operations. This system uses recorded data to help managers to transact business and respond to problems. This system is more useful when making a summary of data. There is also an expert information system. This is an information system control and security which is used by a team of experts. This system is used to analyze data presented and produce meaningful information for decision making by the organization. The neutral system try to foster data as human beings can do like remembering that information. Another type of the information system and control security is the information system in the organizations. This system collects data and processes it to make meaningful information which can be used by the organization to make a long term meaningful decision. It processes data and stores it for future reference. Transaction processing system is also another type of information system control. This system collects data and processes it to make multiple transactions of the organizations. This system stores data in the databases to make reports for an instance summery of the inventories, ordering schedules and salaries. Finally, the last information system is the decision support information system control (Brien 2003). This system helps to analyze data to show some trends or projections. This system is mostly to make judgments and also improve the quality of decisions made by the managers. It provides external data which is helpful when making decisions on behalf of the organization. These information systems are of different types so that the organization will choose the best type of system which can be afforded by the organization. Big organizations and which use current technology can apply all the types of information to manage the affairs of their organization. An organization which uses information systems are better managed than those organizations which do not use any information system. On the other hand, there are qualitative techniques which were used to collect data concerning the role of managers in implementing information systems control and security. These techniques are focus groups and interviews. The interviews were conducted to the managers of Arcelomittal and were asked questions about the importance of using information systems, types of information systems in the organization and challenges which affect the successful implementation of the information systems. The respondents gave their views that the organization uses management information system to improve the performance of the organization by coordinating various operations of the organization. It helps to safeguard the information regarding the organization from unauthorized users. They also pointed out that information systems help managers to make timely and quality decisions for the organization because information systems provide data which is useful in projecting the future happenings. The advantages of interviews are; it is easier to explore complex ideas and it gives first hand data from the field, hence there is no distortion of the information (Brien 2003). The disadvantage is that, it is costly in terms of training the interviewers and there is no confidentiality of an organization’s confidential information. Focus groups also were used to collect information. They also pointed out that information systems are very essential for the organization. It helps the organization to have a competitive advantage through eliminating unnecessary costs for the organization. They also pointed out that management information system is the best system to implement. Information systems are cost effective and thus can minimize the cost of offering services or products. The advantage of focus groups is that it can be used to measure the performance of the organization by looking at the reaction of customers. It also helps to assess the competitiveness of the organization after using the information systems control. However, focus groups also have disadvantages which are; it may not collect adequate information like the interviews and that the members to the group may not give their sincere ideas concerning the information systems control and security (Brien 2003). Secondary Research/Importance of information systems control and security Information systems lead to operational efficiency (Davies 2009). The information systems control and security help managers make quality decisions concerning the welfare of the organization. The systems enable managers to coordinate the operations of the organization well thus leading to operational efficiency which increases the productivity of the organization. For example, Wal-Mart organization applies retail link system in its operations which integrate the suppliers and the outlets of the organization. This increases the efficiency in serving customers thus leading to customers’ trust and loyalty to the organization Information systems lead to innovation and creativity which lead to the development of new products (Davies 2009). This system shows the whole production model of the organization. Information system can change this model for a better one. For example, Apple Company changed its business model to a modern business models like the iTunes and iphone due to changes in technology. Information systems also help the managers in decision making in the organization. Information systems provide necessary data which are needed in decision making by the managers hence they base their decision on the available information and the forecasted trends. For example, Verizon Corporation uses the information systems to get information concerning its customers and make adjustments for complains. Information systems are used by organizations to have a competitive advantage (Davies 2009). Organizations use information systems to offer services and products which the competitors do not offer leading to build the customer intimacy. These systems help organizations to manage their operations better than the competitors thus getting the competitive advantage. For example, the Toyota Company uses the information systems to eliminate waste and practice continues improvement in their products which helps it to have a competitive advantage. Despite the information system control and security becoming a major practice in the modern business, it has faced some challenges including low productivity of organizations. This is especially when the organizational needs are not aligned with the information systems control and security requirements. This difference will lead to a software crisis leading to poor coordination of activities leading to poor production. Another issue in the implementation of the information systems control in organizations is the failures of outrights (Brien 2003). This has been brought by lack of matching the economic conditions with the information systems put in place. This will lead to low productivity and poor quality of products hence the systems fail to achieve the set goals and objectives. Finally, there have been business failures because of poor alignment of the information systems needs and the objectives of the organization. For instance, some managers still cannot access the information they need thus they cannot align the needs of the organization and the information systems. Conclusion and Recommendations From the research which has been conducted, it is clear that managers play a great role in implementing the information systems control and security. They select the team of experts to oversee the information technology sector; they install and expedite the purchasing of the softwares among other duties. The information systems control and security play a great role in improving the management of the organization. Management information system was the most preferred type of information by most respondents. Therefore, this research does recommend that information systems should be adopted by organization especially the management information system it is cost effective and aim at improving the general performance of the organization. References Banker, R. J. & Kauffman, R. J. (2004). The evolution of research on information systems: a fiftieth-year survey of the literature in management science, Management Science, 50(3), p. 281–98 Brien, A. (2003). Introduction to information systems: essentials for the e-business enterprise. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Claver, E,. Gonzalez, R. & Llopis, J. (2000). An analysis of research in information systems, Information & Management, 37(4), pp. 181–95. Davies, P. (2009). Business Information Systems. Basingstoke: Palgrave. Rainer, R., Cegielski, R. & Casey, G. (2009). Introduction to management Information systems Control . Boston: McGraw-Hill. Read More