Information systems management
Now let’s take a look at information systems management. The basic philosophy behind information systems management and organization is that data and information have value for the firm. This may seem to be a very obvious statement. However, many firms do not have an accurate appreciation for the value of the information that is collected and maintained by the various information systems operating within the organization.
For example, consider the wealth of information collected by grocery store scanners. Initially, the major use of the scanner information was for inventory control purposes. It did not take long for savvy market research firms to recognize the value of the information. These marketing research firms purchased the scanner data from the grocery chains, performed data analyses and developed reports that they then sold back to the grocery chains. In addition, these same research firms then sold the information to the manufacturers of the products being sold in the grocery stores. Information has value!
The role of information systems personnel in an organization is to help organizations recognize the value of the data and information maintained by the organization. In addition, information systems personnel should help the organization make effective use of that data and information. The key goals of the information systems organization and personnel are to use IS to improve the quality of products and services to external and internal customers, improve productivity, align IS with company strategy and processes, reduce IS costs, and provide for ongoing training. All of this is accomplished through three major roles: operations efficiency, systems development, and user support.