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Companies who operate in the digital world need comprehensive information system infrastructure to support their business strategy. In order to get a great return on IS investments, companies have to manage their IS infrastructure. Infrastructure is defined as the technical structures that enable the provision of services. An infrastructure is needed in any area where people work or live. People are often not aware of all the components of the infrastructure since these are invisible for people. For instance, people often do not know where their water comes from. Both the people and businesses located in an area depend on the infrastructure of a city. Cities with a good infrastructure are more livable and attract more inhabitants and businesses.Each area has its own characteristics and infrastructure and these create challenges for global organizations. The decisions of an organization depend on the provision of services in an area. In some emerging economies there is no continuous supply of water and no electricity. If a company is moving its activities to such an emerging economy then it must keep those things in mind.When making decisions and strategy, companies rely on information systems infrastructure. This infrastructure consists of software, hardware, storage, data centers and networking. Organizations depend on three capabilities supported by information systems to enable their business processes. These three capabilities are storage, transmission of data and processing. Almost all the business processes rely on an information system infrastructure.The business environment is changing every day and therefore it is necessary that companies can adapt quickly to these changes. As new competitors can arise quickly, competitive advantages are often of short duration. To adapt quickly an organization must be flexible and agile. To be...
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In the digital world, information systems are very important. These systems are used by many organizations to manage their activities in the digital world. One of the largest technology companies in the world is Apple. It is a very profitable company with many different popular products. Over the years Apple has become a very successful company and is not only a vendor of hardware but it also stores information of the people who are using the products. The personal information of the user is stored in the cloud and can be used to predict the future behavior of the user. This access to private information can be risky and one should be aware of it.
The most important components of the information systems (IS) are computers. These can be laptops, cameras, smartphones etc. Information systems are used by many organizations to record purchases, to optimize the supply chain and many more. Because of the increased global competition, firms had to find a way to do things faster, better and at lower cost. This can be achieved by using information systems. Through these systems new markets were more easily accessed.
Because of the changes in technology new ways of working and socializing have developed over the last few years. People are no longer bound to a stationary PC but can now do their work wherever there is a phone signal. Because of cloud computing, like Dropbox and Gmail, people can access their email, files pictures from any device. The technology changes also affect our social life. For socializing and communication people nowadays really need mobility and connectivity.
In 1959 Peter Drucker argued that information technology (IT) would become more and more important. He defined a knowledge worker as a professional who is relatively well educated and who creates and modifies knowledge as a fundamental part of his/her job. These workers have great career opportunities and are paid more than other workers. According to Drucker, the number of knowledge workers would increase over time and this would lead to a knowledge society. Many call this knowledge society the digital world. Some argue that there is a digital divide. Meaning that people who have access to IT have an advantage over people who do not have access.
According to Alvin Toffler there are three waves of change. The first is the wave of agriculture and handwork. The second wave is the industrial revolution. The information wave is the third wave. In developed societies people make use of IT. There are five trends in IT that have an effect on the shape of organizations and society:
Companies who operate in the digital world need comprehensive information system infrastructure to support their business strategy. In order to get a great return on IS investments, companies have to manage their IS infrastructure.
Infrastructure is defined as the technical structures that enable the provision of services. An infrastructure is needed in any area where people work or live. People are often not aware of all the components of the infrastructure since these are invisible for people. For instance, people often do not know where their water comes from. Both the people and businesses located in an area depend on the infrastructure of a city. Cities with a good infrastructure are more livable and attract more inhabitants and businesses.
Each area has its own characteristics and infrastructure and these create challenges for global organizations. The decisions of an organization depend on the provision of services in an area. In some emerging economies there is no continuous supply of water and no electricity. If a company is moving its activities to such an emerging economy then it must keep those things in mind.
When making decisions and strategy, companies rely on information systems infrastructure. This infrastructure consists of software, hardware, storage, data centers and networking. Organizations depend on three capabilities supported by information systems to enable their business processes. These three capabilities are storage, transmission of data and processing. Almost all the business processes rely on an information system infrastructure.
The business environment is changing every day and therefore it is necessary that companies can adapt quickly to these changes. As new competitors can arise quickly, competitive advantages are often of short duration. To adapt quickly an organization must be flexible and agile. To be flexible and agile a company has to align its business processes with the information systems infrastructure. As the business environment is changing there is a continuous process where business goals are adjusted in line with the information systems infrastructure.
The data that a company has is essential for gaining business knowledge and performing business activities. For every business process data are used or generated. The data can be analyzed to gain insights that can make the company more productive. However, just having data is not enough. A company must also be able to use the data effectively.
To effectively use data companies use software. Software is used to automate processes to reduce costs or to generate more revenue. With application software, companies are able to automate business processes. With this software a company can perform processes that otherwise would not have been possible. Websites such as Bol.com would not be possible without a system for automatically processing transactions.
Microsoft Office is also an application software that people use. There are many more different application software that individuals or companies use. The application software interacts with databases. The software stores the data that is needed for business processes and for gaining business intelligence.
A database is defined as.....read more
For conducting business electronically on a global basis the Internet and the Web are well suited. The e-commerce via the web has created many opportunities for marketing.
The electric commerce (EC) is defined as the exchange of services, goods and money supported by communication technologies, especially the Internet. The exchange occurs between firms, between firms and customers and between customers. The online market has become a major part of the global economy nowadays. Therefore, it has become a strategic necessity for companies to be on the Web.
Business-to-consumer (B2C) EC is defined as the transactions between consumers and businesses. However, EC is also used by organizations to conduct business. They make use of business-to-business (B2B) EC, in which there are transactions between business and business partners like intermediaries or suppliers. There are also transactions that do not involve firms. This EC is called consumer-to-consumer (C2C) EC, like eBay. Another form is consumer-to-business (C2B) EC. With C2B consumers offer products, services and labor to companies.
The mobile commerce (m-commerce) is defined as an electronic transaction or information interaction that is made using a wireless, mobile device and mobile networks. This transaction must lead to the transfer of real value in exchange for goods, services or information. The m-commerce trend is the result of the increased use of the mobile devices.
Through social media, organizations try to influence the social networks of their visitors to create a relationship or create other value. This has become a trend and is referred to as social commerce. Because of the Internet and the different trends, organizations have more data and can better understand each individual consumer.
E-government is defined as the use of information systems to provide organizations, citizens and other governmental agencies with information about public services and to enable interaction with the government. We can consider three different relationships when it comes to e-government:
Because of the global marketplace, companies face increased competition in all markets. Therefore, they have to position themselves to be able to compete in the EC area.
E-tailing is defined as the online sales of goods and services. There are several different strategies a company can use:
Social media has offered us a new set of capabilities for individuals and businesses. Social media can enhance organizational collaboration and communication.
Organizations depend on effective collaboration and communication within and outside the boundaries of the organization. It is necessary that there is communication and collaboration between the different departments, business partners, external stakeholders and customers. Companies that operate globally need good communication and collaboration between the different locations or subsidiaries.
Organizations used task forces to solve problems. These task forces are temporary working groups with a finite life cycle and task. However, due to the increased globalization companies now use virtual teams. These teams consist of members from different geographic locations which are put together to collaborate on a project.
The members of this team come and go as they are needed and can be part of several different teams. The tasks of these virtual teams are very dynamic and the members need to be flexible.
If you work with a team on a project you need several different communications, like talking, sharing files and making decisions with each other. There are several ways in which you can communicate with each other. We can distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous communication. Synchronous communication happens at the same time, like a phone call, while asynchronous communication is not coordinated in time, like an e-mail.
Virtual teams often have virtual meetings. These virtual meetings take place in an online environment and can be done synchronously, like a teleconference, or asynchronously, like discussion boards. In the past few years, several different tools to support communication and collaboration have emerged.
Groupware is defined as a class of software that enables people to work together more effectively. We can distinguish groupware on the ground of whether there is synchronous or asynchronous collaboration and communication and whether groups work together face-to-face or distributed.
Groupware supports several modes of group interaction:
Discussion forms are widely used for group communications. Discussion forms are also known as discussion boards or online forums and replace traditional bulletin boards and allow for discussions between participants.
There are many forms of synchronous and asynchronous software. An electronic meeting system (EMS) is defined as a sophisticated software tool that is used to support group members in solving problems and making decisions through interactive structured processes. Examples of such structured processes are idea evaluation, electronic idea generation and voting. Groups stay on track with the help of these structured processes.
Over the years the power of processors of personal computers has increased and Internet connections are faster now. Because of this we are now able to engage in desktop videoconferencing. To do this you need a webcam, a speaker or microphone, videoconferencing software and an Internet connecting with high speed. Many conference rooms of organizations have a videoconferencing system that enables team members across the world.....read more
High quality and timely information are very important for the effective management of a company. This can be provided by several different information systems.
Business intelligence is defined as the use of information systems to collect and analyze data and information to improve making good business decisions. The data and information can be both internal and external. Companies use business intelligence to gain or sustain a competitive advantage. Business processes occur at different organization levels and they are highly interconnected.
To monitor and control its business processes a company needs accurate and integrated information. This information is necessary to realize the strategic goals of the organization. Companies that make decisions that can be backed up with verifiable data are called data-driven organizations. Such organizations are measurably more profitable and productive than companies that are not data-driven.
Modern organizations face challenges from external factors, but these factors can also create opportunities. Examples of such external factors are globalization, societal changes and governmental regulations. The business environment is very complex and business intelligence can help organizations to better make decisions in this environment. Business intelligence can help by collecting and analyzing internal and external data more effectively.
If a company is able to effectively manage their data then this will increase the organizational performance of the company. However, many organizations are not able to harness the value of Big data. Big data is data which has high volume, velocity and variety. The trends in social and mobile field have led to an enormous amount of potential data.
The large volume of data enables companies to make decisions that are based on more factors. However, managing an storing such large amount is a challenge for companies. Companies obtain data at a very high rate. Useful data can have several forms:
For many companies it remains hard to successfully use Big data.
First, organizations did not have the right tools and information to plan their future continuously. Since the environment is nowadays changing very fast it is important that companies can react quickly and this requires new ways of planning. Many companies that are successful use a continuous planning process. With such a process, companies continuously analyze and monitor information and data. This continuously planning can only be executed because of accurate and timely business intelligence.
The most important assets for an organization are data and knowledge since these are crucial for business processes and gaining business intelligence. The database is used to place dynamic and customized information on their Web pages. At many Web sites of companies, customers can view product catalogs and place orders. On the Web site customers can find information on all products, there is a web page for each product.
There are electronic.....read more
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