Page 10 - DCAP309_INFORMATION_SECURITY_AND_PRIVACY

Information Security and Privacy
Notes
4 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY
those two alone, you have computer literacy. But if you don’t use the “liveware” side of the
triangle to complete the feedback loop, you don’t accomplish much. Add the “liveware” angle
with good feedback and then you have the beginnings of information literacy.
An information system differs from other kinds of systems in that its objective is to monitor/
document the operations of some other system, which we can call a target system. An information
system cannot exist without such a target system.
Example: Production activities would be the target system for a production scheduling
system, human resources in the business operations would be the target system of a human
resource information system, and so on.
It is important to recognize that within a vending machine there is a component/sub-system
that can be considered an information system. In some sense, every reactive system will have a
subsystem that can be considered an information system whose objective is to monitor and
control such a reactive system.
Need for Information Systems
Ask managers to describe their most important resources and they’ll list money, equipment,
materials, and people – not necessarily in that order. It’s very unusual for managers to consider
information an important resource and yet it is.
Competitive Business Environment
For many years computer technology was relegated to the backrooms or basements of a
corporation. Only the “techies” worried about it and were often the only ones who really knew
how it all worked. Now computers are all over the organization — one on every desk. It’s not
enough for you to know how to pound a keyboard or click a mouse. It is not even enough for
you to know how to surf the Web. Now every employee, including you, must know how to take
advantage of Information Systems to improve your organization and to leverage the available
information into a competitive advantage for your company.
Did u know? What is Management Information System?
Management information system is a refined orientation of available sources of information
which enables managers to tie planning and control procedures to operational systems of
implementation.
Self Assessment
Fill in the blanks:
4. The information system of an organization may be defined as a system that serves to
provide information within the organization when and where it is needed at any ...................
level.
5. During the ..................., the data is collected, stored, transformed and distributed in an
organization.
6. An information system differs from other kinds of systems in that its objective is to
monitor/document the operations of some other system, which we can call a ...................
system.