Components of a computer-based information system
The text suggests that there are six components in a computer-based information system. They are hardware, software, databases, procedures, personnel, and telecommunications. Let’s first get it straight as to which component is most important. People are the most important component of any system. Don’t forget that! Without people, you don’t have an information system. Next, consider the relationship between hardware and software and the relationship between procedures and personnel. Software is the instructions for the hardware. Procedures are the instructions for the personnel. Both pairs work on the databases to produce information. We can consider telecommunications as the element that ties it all together. Together all these elements form a computer-based information system.
A term that you will read frequently is information systems architecture. Very simply this refers to a combination of several concepts. The first of these is business processes. These processes are tasks that are done by members of the organization. These tasks can be as simple as filling out forms, filing material. They could be more complex such as scheduling production or hiring.
The second component of information systems architecture is business systems. These include transaction processing systems, management information systems, decision support systems, expert systems, and other specialized systems. The third component is the technology infrastructure. The technology infrastructure is the hardware, software, databases, procedures, personnel, and telecommunications.