Components of an Information System

• People resources
• Hardware resources
• Software resources
• Data resources
• Network resources
 People resources

• End users (also called users or clients) are people

who use an information or the
system information it produces. They
can be:
• Customers
• Salespersons
• Engineers
• Clerks
• Accountants
• managers
 People resources (continued)

• IS specialists are people who develop and

operate information systems. They include:
• systems analysts
• software developers
• system operators
• technical
• clerical IS personnel
 Hardware Resources

• The concept of hardware resources includes all

physical devices and materials used in
information processing.
• Specifically, it includes not only machines, such
as :
• computers and other equipment
• data media
• tangible objects on which data are recorded
• (magnetic or optical disks)
 Hardware Resources (continued)

• Computer systems, consist of central

which processing units
containing:
• micro-processor printers, scanners,
• peripheral devices
such as monitors, and so on.
 Hardware Resources (continued)

• Computer peripherals, which are devices

such as:
• Keyboard
• electronic mouse
• trackball
• video screen
• printer for output of information
• magnetic or optical disk drives for storage of data
resources.
 Software Resources

• The following are examples of software

resources:
• System software, such as an operating
system program.
• Application software, which are programs that
direct processing for a particular use of
computers by end users.
• Examples are a sales analysis program, a payroll
program, and a word processing program.
 Software Resources (continued)

• Procedures
• which are operating instructions for the people
who will use an information system.
• Examples are instructions for filling out a paper
form or using a software package.
 Data Resources

• The concept of data resources has been expand

by managers and information systems
professionals.
• The data resources of IS are typically organized,
stored, and accessed by a variety of data resource
management technologies into:
• Databases that hold processed and organized data

• Knowledge bases that hold knowledge in a

variety of forms such as facts, rules and case
examples about successful business practices
 Network Resources

• The concept of network resources emphasizes

that communications technologies and networks
are a fundamental resource component of all
information systems.
• Network resources include:
• Communications media
• Network infrastructure
 Information System Activities

• Input.
• Optical scanning of bar-coded
• Processing.
• Calculating employee pay, taxes
• Output.
• Producing reports &displays sales performance
• Storage.
• Maintaining records on customers, employees &
products.
• Control.
• Generating clear signals to indicate proper entry
of sales data. 2-47
 Recognizing Information Systems

• As a business professional, you should be able to

recognize the fundamental components of IS
you encounter in the real world. This means that
you should be able to identify:
• The people, hardware, software, data, and
network resources they use.
• The types of information products they
produce.
• The way they perform input, processing, output,
storage, and control activities.

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 System for collaboration and social business

Collaboration:

Short lived or long term

Informal or formal (teams)
Growing importance of collaboration:
Changing nature of work
Growth of professional work—“interaction jobs”
Changing organization of the firm
Changing scope of the firm
Emphasis on innovation
Changing culture of work
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 System for collaboration and social business

Social business
Use of social networking platforms, internal and external
Engage employees, customers, and suppliers
Goal is to deepen interactions and expedite information
sharing
“Conversations”

Requires information transparency

•Driving the exchange of information without intervention
from executives or others

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 System for collaboration and social business

Business benefits of collaboration and teamwork

Investments in collaboration technology can bring
organization improvements, returning high ROI
Benefits:

•Productivity
•Quality
•Innovation
•Customer service
•Financial performance
•Profitability, sales, sales growth
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System for collaboration and social business

Requirements for Collaboration

Successful collaboration requires an
appropriate organizational structure
and culture, along with appropriate
collaboration technology.

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 System for collaboration and social business

Building a collaborative culture and business processes

“Command and control” organizations
•No value placed on teamwork or lower-level
participation in decisions
Collaborative business culture
•Senior managers rely on teams of employees.
•Policies, products, designs, processes, and systems rely
on teams.
•The managers purpose is to build teams.

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 System for collaboration and social business

Tools for collaboration and teamwork

E-mail and instant messaging
Wikis

Virtual worlds
Collaboration and social business platforms
•Virtual meeting systems (telepresence)
•Cloud collaboration services (Google Tools, cyberlockers)
•Microsoft SharePoint
•IBM Notes and Enterprise social networking tools

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 System for collaboration and social business

Enterprise social networking software capabilities

Profiles

Content sharing
Feeds and notifications
Groups and team workspaces
Tagging and social bookmarking
Permissions and privacy

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 System for collaboration and social business

Two dimensions of collaboration technologies

Space (or location)—remote or co-located
Time—synchronous or asynchronous
Six steps in evaluating software tools
1. What are your firm’s collaboration challenges?
2. What kinds of solutions are available?
3. Analyze available products’ cost and benefits.
4. Evaluate security risks.
5. Consult users for implementation and training issues.
6. Evaluate product vendors.
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 The Time/Space Collaboration Tool Matrix

Collaboration technologies can be classified in terms of whether

they support interactions at the same or different time or
place or whether these interactions are remote or co-
located.
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