Managerial issues in managing an organization’s IS infrastructure
Introduction
An information system refers to an integrated collection of components that assist in collecting, storage, and processing of data into meaningful information that is distributed to organizations in the right format for the purpose of making decisions. Organizations make use of information systems for the purposes of carrying out and managing their day to day operations, interacting with their customers and suppliers to give an organization an upper hand in competitive markets. Information systems are very delicate because of the sensitive information that is stored in them. For this reason, dedicated managers are required to manage information systems. This paper is made to focus on managerial issues associated with managing an organization’s Information system infrastructure. Some of the managerial issues include;
The amount of resources to manage in form of data has increased greatly. Recently, the amount of data being produced and processed by organizations has tremendously increased. This requires that the IS managers exercise a lot of caution when dealing with information systems because loss of this data means a big loss to the organization. For example, a company’s server may contain information about all the business transactions done by the company with a period of more than one year. Also with the growing data stored by a firm, more skills and experience are required.
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The increasingly changing technology makes both hardware and software of an organization obsolete within a very short period of time. This means that the information system managers will keep on buying new software and hardware-this makes the sector very expensive to manage. Also the changing technology calls for continuous learning. The managers are required to go back to class and update themselves with new technologies. This is not only very inconveniencing but also time consuming.
Another managerial issue associated with managing an organization’s information system’s infrastructure is building of a Responsive and adaptive information system Infrastructure. Systems that reacts to different situations in different ways and also that can be easily customized to be applied in a different sector should be developed. For example, when a system module of fails, the system is expected to provide the user with information that might have caused the failure.in addition, in case of failure of the system, it should respond quickly by guiding the user on what to do. The system should also be in such a way that it adapts to changing functions and user needs.
Another issue associated with managing an organization’s IS infrastructure is developing and Managing Distributed Systems. Firms with many branches cannot be operated as a single unit but rather as a distributed system whereby its services can be accessed anywhere. It is a challenge to manage a distributed system and ensure that same services are available in all the branches of the firm with the same ease and response.
Another managerial issue in managing an organization’s IS infrastructure is planning and managing communications networks. According to Watson (1997), use of technology for communication and processing information heavily depends on access to suitable external and internal communication networks. It is difficult to manage communication networks because of the many challenges associated with them. Many hackers target information systems communications networks and therefore managing IS infrastructure.
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According to Brancheau (1996), recruiting and developing information system human Resources is issue associated with managing an organization’s IS infrastructure. Currently, there is a high shortage of qualified information system personnel which continue to threaten the security of many firm’s IS infrastructure. Many people shy from information technology jobs because of its demanding nature- the IS personnel are require to stay up to date with emerging technologies like communication networks, multimedia interfaces, object-based development and distributed systems. This calls for more continuous training of which many people are not ready.
Information system managers are also faced with the challenge of improving Information Security and Control amid the many IT security threats. With the increasing number of cyber-crime related cases, it is now a challenge for IT managers to manage the IS infrastructures with ease. This is because anytime the information system infrastructure is at a threat of being hacked (Niederman 1991).
Preventative maintenance is an issue in managing an organization’s Information system infrastructure. IS software and hardware has to be protected from threats. For example, up to date antivirus software is required to protect IS software and hardware from virus attack. This is expensive in both time and finance required because the antivirus has to be kept up to date (Alavi 1999).
Managing an organization’s Information system infrastructure is also a challenge because the software and hardware used must adhere to the set international IS industry standards such as OSI and CISCO. Developing an IS that does not conform to the set IS international standards may affect things like data flow and make the firm’s information system easy to hack (valacich 2014).
Globalization is also an issue that affects management of organization’s Information system infrastructure. The development of information systems has changed the world to a village. Globalization leads to faster spread of cybercrimes, viruses among other threats.
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There are many managerial issues associated with managing an organization’s Information system infrastructure most of which may lead to financial loss to the organization. Issues like virus attacks and cybercrimes are very rampant and actions should be taken to solve them. A firm’s IS manager should take all the necessary actions to protect the information system infrastructure from any kind of threat.
References
Alavi, M., &Leidner, D. E. (1999).Knowledge management systems: issues, challenges, and benefits. Communications of the AIS, 1(2es), 1.Brancheau, J. C., Janz, B. D., &Wetherbe, J. C. (1996).Key issues in information systems management: 1994-95 SIM Delphi results. Mis Quarterly, 225-242.
Niederman, F., Brancheau, J. C., &Wetherbe, J. C. (1991).
Information systems management issues for the 1990s. MIS quarterly, 475-500.Valacich, J. S., Schneider, C., & Jessup, L. M. (2014).Information systems today: managing in the digital world. Pearson.
Watson, R. T., Kelly, G. G., Galliers, R. D., & Brancheau, J. C. (1997).Key issues in information systems management: an international perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 91-115.
