Information systems - formal socio-technical organizational systems designed to collect, process, store and distribute information. In the socio-technical aspect, they contain four main components: technology, processes, people and organizational structure.
Computer Information System Structure
A computer information system is a system in which a computer plays a major role. Such a system contains the following elements:
- Hardware - in the first place, the computer itself, containing the central processor, input devices, output devices, memory, communication devices.
- Information systems software - computer programs and manuals for them. Computer programs are machine-readable instructions that control hardware to create useful information from data. Programs are usually stored on computer disks.
- Data - information used by the program to create useful information. Like programs, data is stored in machine-readable form on disks.
- Procedures - policies that govern the functioning of a computer system.
- People - the main component that affects the success or failure of the entire information system. Each computer information system must be composed of people in order to be useful.
Information Processing Systems Software
Software systems - programs for processing information in accordance with certain rules. They are an essential component of modern information transfer systems. There are a large number of various computer programs designed to solve almost any task.
According to the purpose of the software system are divided into:
- system (operating systems and various utilities);
- applied (programs for performing highly specialized tasks);
- instrumental - special programs designed to develop and maintain other programs.
Block diagram of an information system
The information system can be represented in the form of a structure containing input information, output information and the information environment. To convert information from input to output, information processing tools are used. The output is sent directly to the recipient or other information processing system.
Information flows and channels
The control of any system is based on the processing of information circulating in it. Therefore, special attention is paid to the concepts of “information flows” and “information channels”.
Information flow - a set of messages circulating between the external environment and the system and designed to perform management functions.
A channel is a set of system links designed to transmit information.
Types of computer systems
Classification of computer information systems can be carried out:
By architecture:
- tabletop;
- local
- distributed:
- file server;
- client-server.
By the method of data processing:
- information and reference;
- decisive.
By area of use:
- economic;
- medical;
- geographical.
By the degree of coverage of tasks:
- individual;
- group
- corporate.
Types of computer information systems by type of tasks to be solved
The classification of computer information systems by the level of problem solving in the business environment is as follows:
1. Transaction processing systems are the most fundamental computer systems designed to capture, determine the type, store, maintain, update and retrieve transaction data. This data can be used to enter other information systems. The main goal of any transaction processing system is to optimize daily operations in any organization. A transaction is any event that affects the organization. One of the most common transactions are: issuing orders, billing, concluding contracts with employees. For the organization to function properly, transaction processing needs to be done systematically.
2. Management information processing systems. Computer-based data processing is extremely efficient for several reasons. Firstly, there is a huge amount of data that must be processed at high speed.
First of all, this applies to computer applications engaged in the automation of daily office tasks. However, in recent years, the focus has been on applications that provide information for managing, planning, and defining policies.
Information requirements in management information processing systems
- relevance;
- timeliness;
- accuracy;
- fullness;
- brevity.
3. Decision support systems - a type of modern information systems that provide information that cannot be predicted. As a rule, such information is needed by professionals only once. These systems are not designed to generate regular reports. Instead, they perform the function of generating responses to a wide range of requests.
Decision support systems help managers make decisions that are not highly structured. A decision is considered unstructured if there are no clear procedures for its adoption.
4. Office automation systems - modern information systems that have been developing rapidly recently. Designed to increase the efficiency and productivity of office workers: typists, secretaries, human resources workers, managers. Many organizations primarily automate the work of their offices.
Information processing systems are used to facilitate the collection, storage, verification and printing of text materials. Another area of application of these systems is the organization of e-mail, which allows people to exchange information electronically through computer terminals.
Thus, modern organizational management information systems perform the most important functions and support the most significant business processes of organizations.
Information System Requirements
They are as follows:
- real-time information processing in order to timely forecast the situation;
- universality - the ability to work with heterogeneous information coming from different sources;
- the availability of modern means of analysis and graphic display of information;
- the ability to quickly display business processes in the dynamics of their occurrence;
- the possibility of a comprehensive analysis of business processes: quantitative, qualitative, temporary.
Information Systems Development
Information technology departments in organizations are designed to manage the development and application of information technology. For the development of modern information systems, various techniques can be used. Many developers use the system design approach for the systematic development of an information system in stages.
The information system can develop directly in the organization or beyond. At the same time, the entire system or only some part of it can be outsourced.
Factors affecting the development of a modern system:
- improvement of organization management techniques;
- increasing the efficiency of computer systems;
- development of methods for software implementation of information systems.
Stages of the life cycle of an information system:
- planning;
- analysis of the system and the formation of requirements for it;
- design;
- development;
- association and testing;
- implementation;
- service.
Providing Information Systems
The following types of it are distinguished:
- technical - technical means (computers, various peripheral devices) for collecting, processing and presenting information;
- informational - ways of converting data into machine form;
- linguistic - programming languages and languages of information retrieval systems;
- legal - norms and rules contained in regulatory documents;
- mathematical - methods and means of constructing algorithms and mathematical models;
- organizational and methodological;
- software.
Information Systems Development Trends
They are as follows:
- the formation of databases in almost all areas of society;
- improving access technologies of an ordinary member of the society to these bases;
- the use of powerful computers and branched networks to increase the functionality of information systems;
- increasing the complexity of information products and the use of interfaces to facilitate the interaction of ordinary people with them;
- elimination of intermediate links in the delivery of information to the end user;
- globalization, which is expanding the geographical boundaries of the market for information services even for small companies.