Information System Planning: An important thig to know!

1.      Discuss the Information Systems Development Plan – Purpose, Scope and Objectives. Give your opinion and reflections.

Information systems are implemented within an organization for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of that organization.  So information technology departments in larger organizations tend to strongly influence information technology development, use, and application in the organizations, which may be a business or corporation. A series of methodologies and processes can be used in order to develop and use an information system. The use of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) which is a systematic procedure of developing an information system through stages that occur in sequence will be a big help to the developers in developing the organizations operation. This can be accomplished by outsourcing certain components or the entire system. Capabilities of the information system and characteristics of the organization, its work systems, its people, and its development and implementation methodologies together determine the extent to which that purpose is achieved.

PURPOSE, PLANNING SCOPE AND PLAN OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of Information Systems Development Plan is to define the development activities in terms of the phases and iterations required for implementing some operations and to enable an organization to survive a problem and to continue normal business operations. In order to survive, the organization must assure that critical operations can resume/continue normal processing. The key objectives of the contingency plan should be to:

• Provide for the safety and well-being of people on the premises at the time of a operations.
• Continue critical business operations;
• Minimize the duration of a serious disruption to operations and resources (both information processing and other resources);
• Minimize immediate damage and losses;
• Establish management succession and emergency powers;
• Facilitate effective co-ordination of recovery tasks;
• Reduce the complexity of the recovery effort;
• Identify critical lines of business and supporting functions;

Management must make a decision to undertake a project that satisfies the following objectives:

• Determine vulnerability to significant service interruptions in the Data Centre and business facilities and define preventive measures that may be taken to minimize the probability and impact of interruptions;
• Identify and analyze the economic, service, public image and other implications of extended service interruptions in the Data Centre and other business facilities;
• Determine immediate, intermediate and extended term recovery needs and resource requirements;
• Identify the alternatives and select the most cost effective approaches for providing backup operations capability and timely service restoration; and
• Develop and implement contingency plans that address both immediate and longer-term needs for the Data Centre and other business facilities.

Opinions and Reflections:

This Information Systems Development Plan describes the overall plan to be used by an organization for planning or developing systems. The details of the individual iterations will be described in the ISDS. It is a big help for an organization in using ISDS because it defines the deliverables that the project is expected to deliver. In short, it will be a guide or outlined plan for the developers in achieving their organizational plans. Things will be done successfully if you already plan first what will you wanted to be done to your projects. Just like the Company Y, in order to achieved in implementing SAPI in its plants and its possible solution, they’d undergo planning and case study in which the company assigned different people in each different departments with different assignment also. The operations will not ruin in the end if you had your plans. ISDS is a key factor in developing and implementing projects operations.

2.       Comment on the relationship of IS and the organization (500 words)

               The relationship of information system and organization is really an issue of business transactions and institution regarding on its idea of effective decision making.   Information system and organization are two different aspect but it is interrelated to each other. As we say the decision we made in information system greatly affect on the stand of organization. This relationship between information systems and changes in the organization of modern enterprise, both within and across firms.  As we all know higher education institution poured millions of dollars into information technologies to increase the effectiveness of organization and information system, but still many institution face difficulty in integrating this institution to improved knowledge work and effective decision making. Reading some of the sources about the relationship of this two terms I could really say that the revolution in information systems merits special attention as both cause and effect of the organizational transformation.  As what have been stated this can be illustrated by considering two key variables: the location of information and the location of decision rights in organizations.

  When information systems change radically, one cannot expect the optimal organizational structure to be unaffected. Considering the interplay among information, incentives and decision rights in a unified fashion leads to new insights and a better organizational planning. Despite significant progress, our understanding of the economic role of information systems in organizations remains in its infancy. We conclude that successful design of modern enterprise will require further narrowing of the historic gap between research in information systems and research in economics. And as we/I think it again we/ I come up with the idea of asking why organization needs information system does really? Throughout reading the all about of the relationship of this two we come up with this answer  : “Computers are essential today. We check our email with it, find answers to questions, and watch media, bank and more using computers. Therefore we need systems that can organize, and serve information when people around the world request it. Servers do the task. Each website has a server. Take for example when you type google.com the server who host that website receives data from your computer and sends data back. Letting you access the servers data. Thus you see Google’s homepage. Without servers there would be no websites.  An institution needs to have consistent and well defined expectation and opportunities for sharing information organization wide. Divergent practices toward an organization can result in information practices that may be insufficiently   integrated toward the system. “More than being helped by computers, companies will live by them, shaping strategy and structure to fit new information technology.” While the importance of the relationship between information technology and organizational change is evidenced by the considerable literature on the subject.

               Information is the lifeblood of any organization. Damaged or lost data can cause disruptions in normal business activities leading to financial losses.  The organization of work is in the midst of transformation. We argue that IT is an important driver of this transformation.

3.      Describe the impact of information system and give your own reflections.

In this informatics society, the basic idea of Information system is “A system to convert data from internal and external sources to information and communicate that information in an appropriate form). It helps the managers at all levels in the functions to enable them to make timely decisions for planning, directing and controlling the activities for which they are responsible.

As the Information System flourishes in some institutions, it brings either a negative or positive impacts that really made a great change.Information System plays a key role, either leading directly to social change or acting indirectly to facilitate organizational change.          

The adoption Information System in organizations has been growing at a rapid pace. The use of it has evolved from the automation of structured processes to systems that are truly revolutionary in that they introduce change into fundamental business procedures. IS has changed the way management functionsdoes that had a great effects towards it. As a result, Management no longer relies on manual processes and a paper trail to perform everyday transactions. It made the works to be automated resulting to be more productive in terms of production.  It mainly serves to cut down the amount of resources spent on repetitive and time consuming tasks. It increases worked productivity and frees up employees time to spend on value added services. But as the Information System became rampant, it also contributes a negative one. It reduces the number of employees intended to do a desirable tasks, as a result many employees had lost their jobs. It is because of the change of the system from manual to automated, the man labor was being minimized.

In my own point of view, Information System greatly affects our lives. It helps the organizations works to be more productive, efficient and accessible. We do rely on the information system resulting us to be machine-dependent individual. Our mentality dictates that depending on IS greatly help us a lot. But we never consider that although it help our works to be more efficient and productive, it also contribute one major problem in our economy. Information System causes loss of jobs, it is because once an organization’s manual system were transformed into an automated one, it means that there is a minimization of man power because IS can cater some functions a human can do. I have no grievances towards the IS but what I want is “we must have a self-awareness for its contributions because we are the one who will be responsible for its risks “.

4.      Elaborate all the negative impact of the IS in the organization and give your justified suggestions or recommendations such that they can be reduced or avoided.

The negative impacts of the IS in the organization are:

Unemployment - While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also created job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed.

Privacy - Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge.

Lack of job security - Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure.

Dominant culture - While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else.

There are three things I can suggest:

1.      Never be totally dependent on computers and information system.

2.        Be careful with WiFi-enabled devices. She recommends that businesses set up passwords for their wireless devices to prevent people from tapping into their system.

3.      Have  clarification, it's not the actual drives that are dangerous, but it's what could happen with them that is dangerous.

4.      Paper can also be a technological concern. Now, you might be blinking or    scratching your head, but it does fall into this same category of security concerns. We all know that technology has replaced paper in many cases, but there are a lot of places that still rely on hard copies.

5.       Give your reflections on the ethical issues relating to the given IS planning and         implementation.

            Before anything else, let me discuss how the ethical issues arises in relation to Information System planning. The Information System plan was started perfectly, the Y Company choose to use the BPCS as the preferred software for the SAPI System but the mother company neglected it and reprimand that the MAPICS II should be implemented for the reason of it is perfectly adequate for most of the business in the parent company. Many grievances and complaints followed resulting to have an immediate closure to this critical issue. The company conducted an interview to different company directors in order to come up with efficient desirable solutions to their problem.

            In my own point of view, it is very important to focus to the information system to be implemented, giving more time to discuss and argue for it to come up with an efficient system. Like what the company Y had made, they have done some sort of interviews and investigation to be able to determine the system’s functions and needs. With their efforts they can make sure that they will derive into an efficient system. Considering it conflicts between the parent company and Y Company, it is very essential to have a complete closure from both parties in order that they could raise their suggestions and reasons in relation to their major issues.

            I like the way the Company Y had done, they conducted interviews and investigations about the company’s system needs in order to be fair with the both parties. A realization comes to my mind that a closure is very important for every misunderstanding because there is no such problem in this world which has no answers. Indeed securing the system plan for its effectiveness is very essential and thus the Y Company did their responsibilities well done.

One is to One Million.!!

          Do you think 1 (one) millimeter is small? Just imagine, the head of a needle is 1 millimeter (as what I've read), but 1 millimeter is equal to 1,000,000 nanometer! And a device can only be considered a product of nanotechnology if its size is less than 100 nanometer. That's the technology I'm talking about. And well, that's what is small!

          When K. Eric Drexler popularized the word 'nanotechnology' in the 1980's, he was talking about building machines on the scale of molecules.

          As I hear the word nanotechnology, I was thinking about new and modern technology. Doing the impossible, possible. Building an atomic detailed gear is just insane. How did those guys do that? Is it possible to also build a future machine out of atoms? Are those machines useful even though we are too big for them?

          I think nanotech is the "small but terrible" kind of technology.

          Nanosystems can be molecular in design or atomic designed systems or structures. It can be used in foods, battery, sunscreen, clothing, swimming pool cleaners, and many many more. I think it could dominate the things of our everyday living. 

          A company called Pilkington even produced a product they call Activ Glass, which uses nanoparticles to make the glass photocatalytic and hydrophilic. The photocatalytic effect means that when UV radiation from light hits the glass, nanoparticles become energized and begin to break down and loosen organic molecules on the glass (in other words, dirt). Hydrophilic means that when water makes contact with the glass, it spreads across the glass evenly, which helps wash the glass clean. - In short, Activ Glass is a Self-cleaning glass. This is just an example of a nanomaterial. Just imagine what nanotech could do in the coming days. Maybe a factory of nanomaterials in the future.

          Nanotech is indeed useful because like other technology, it makes everyday life easier. But it develops the past technologies and makes the easier more easier, and the comfortable more comfortable.

          But like many new technologies, there are also many issues against nanotechnology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their effects on global economy, and some even speculate about the 'end of the world' scenario. Because of these, it is still questionable if the  regulation of nanotechnology is allowed.

          There is a vast fields of science and technology that nanotech can relate with. A lot of different things could be discovered with the help of this kind of technology. Let's just hope that the inventors/scientists would use it for the common good and for the benefit of the whole planet. A technology that could change the world and save the planet and everything in it from being destroyed by whatever means it would be, is what we are hoping for.

           Nanotech, this is all I can say.

About Myself (I.T. inspired)

      Hello World!
      The first information that I will give you is of course my name, I am Joshua C. Areola, a 3rd year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology student of Central Mindanao University.
      Other people think that analyzing myself is so hard. They must decipher the encryption of how the codes of my system is encoded. But one thing that I can say is that the only constant thing in this world is change, as what the saying says. Like changing the wallpaper on your desktop according to your taste. One of my habits is changing personalities, sometimes if I want to be intelligent, I can be. If I want to be the joker, I can be. If I want myself to be the leader, I can be. But not all the time I change myself, it just comes.
      For me, praying is the best medicine. It is like the firewall of your life, the antivirus of your system. It solves all the operations and problems that must be solved. You cant design your whole life and type a code to run it. Life, you cant control it, maybe in some cases, it controls you. But the best thing to do is cooperate, just go with the flow. I believe that God is up there as the moderator and the program manager of life's system.
      I believe that all problems have its solution. All the viruses of life could be blocked and moved to vault. You just have to type in the right codes to fix it.
      I like to know and hear stories that could inspire me so that I can polymorph it in my own life. It helps me in troubleshoot whatever problems I encounter along the way of executing my life.
      I want to be successful in my own field. I want to be a computer expert. And if I want to be an expert, I can be, but I must first work hard for it.
      Thank you and God bless!!!