CIS 101
Information Systems
According to Britannica.com, an Information System is “an integrated set of
components for collecting, storing, and processing data and for delivering information,
knowledge, and digital products”. Others like Wikipedia.com define it as “the study of
complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organizations use
to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data”. No matter which definition you
go by, the most important fact is that all parts work together to play an important role
in any organization.
There are five components that make up information systems, hardware,
software and data, that are the technology part of the components. The other two
components remove the idea that information systems components are only
technology, these are people and process. People often confuse information systems
with technology as a whole. The hardware component is the physical part of the
technology; the computer, mouse and keyboard are some examples. The software
component are a set of instructions that tell the hardware component what to do. The
data component refers to information collected for a particular purpose, for example,
demographic data for employees. The people component is important because without
people there isn’t any need for gathering information. And last but not least we have
the process, which are the steps needed to obtain the result desired behind collecting
information.
2
Information systems supports organizational goals by organizing and analyzing
the company’s daily tasks needed to stay in business, like production, finances and
general management. As a school secretary information systems help me report to my
Principal the daily call out of staff, as well as student attendance. The school also uses
information systems to compile data that can be used to better serve the students that
are in need of extra support to fulfill the district’s educational achievement goal. It is
also used as a financial tool to manage school budgets and formally account for each
student vs funding provided by both city and the state. Without the information
system the school district is not able to run efficiently.
3
References
Zwass, Vladimir. “Information Systems”. October 11, 2001, Brittanica.com
https://www.britannica.com/topic/information-system. February 6, 2021.
Wikipedia entry on "Information Systems," as displayed on August 19, 2012. Wikipedia: The
Free Encyclopedia. San Francisco: Wikimedia
Foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_systems.
Bourgeois, David T.; Smith, James L.; Wang, Shouhong; and Mortati, Joseph, "Information
Systems for Business and Beyond" (2019).
https://bus206.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/#footnote-5-1