Introduction to Information System

Dr. Shimaa Ismail

Information System Department
Faculty of Computers and Artificial Intelligence
Information Systems in Perspective
Chapter 2
Information Systems in Organizations Part2

2
Organizational Culture and Change
• Culture: A set of major understandings and assumptions shared by a group, such
as within an ethnic group or a country.
• Organizational Culture: The major understandings and assumptions for a
business, corporation, or other organization.
• For example, Employees salaries and age , Faculty student Gender, etc.

• Organizational Change: How for profit and nonprofit organizations plan for,
implement, and handle change.
• Change can be caused by internal factors, such as those initiated by employees at all levels, or by
external factors, such as those wrought by competitors, stockholders, federal and state laws,
community regulations, natural disasters, and general economic conditions.
Organizational Culture and Change
• Implementing change, such as a new information system introduces conflict, confusion, and
disruption.

• People must stop doing things the way they are accustomed to and begin doing them differently.

• Successful implementation of change only happens when people accept the need for change and
believe that the change will improve their productivity and enable them to better meet their
customers’ needs.

• The so-called soft side of implementing change involves work designed to help employees
embrace a new information system and way of working.

• Change Management Model: A description of the phases an individual or organization goes

through in making a change and principles for successful implementation of change.
Careers in Information Systems
• Today, most organizations cannot function or compete effectively without computer-based
information systems.
• The information system worker functions at the intersection of business and technology and
designs and builds the solutions that allow organizations to effectively leverage information
technology.
• Successful information system workers must enjoy working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
where the underlying technology changes all the time.
• Characteristics of IS Workers:
➢ They must be comfortable with meeting deadlines and solving unexpected challenges.
➢ They need good communication skills and often serve as translators between business needs and
technology-based solutions.
➢ They must have solid analytical and decision-making skills to translate ill-defined business problems and
opportunities into effective technology-based solutions.
➢ They must develop effective team and leadership skills and be adept at implementing organizational
change.
➢ Last, but not least, they need to be prepared to engage in lifelong learning in a rapidly changing field.
IS Workers
• Specific technical skills that some experts believe are important for IS workers :
➢ Capability to analyze large amounts of structured and unstructured data
➢ Ability to design and build applications for mobile devices
➢ Traditional programming and application development skills
➢ Technical support expertise
➢ Project management skills
➢ Knowledge of networking and cloud computing
➢ Ability to audit systems and implement necessary security measures
➢ Web design and development skills
➢ Knowledge of data center operations

Technology is one of the fastest-growing areas of the U.S. economy, and information systems
professionals are in high demand.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts
Roles, Functions, and Careers in IS
• IS offers many exciting and rewarding careers.
• Professionals with careers in information systems can work in an IS department or
outside a traditional IS department as Web developers, computer programmers, systems
analysts, computer operators, and in many other positions.
• In addition to technical skills, IS professionals need skills in written and verbal
communication, an understanding of organizations and the way they operate, and the
ability to work with people and in groups.
IS Organization Functions
Typical IS Titles and Functions
Chief Information Officer
The role of the chief information officer (CIO) is to
• Employ an IS department’s equipment and personnel to help the organization
attain its goals.
• Understand the importance of finance, accounting, and return on investment.
• Help companies avoid damaging ethical challenges by monitoring how their
firms are complying with a large number of laws and regulations.
• Provides leadership and direction to the IS department to help an
organization achieve its goals.
• CIOs need technical, business, and personal skills.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
Senior IS Managers
• A large organization may have several people employed in senior IS managerial levels with job
titles such as vice president of information systems, manager of information systems, and chief
technology officer (CTO).

• A central role of all these people is to communicate with other areas of the organization to
determine changing business needs.

• Managers outside the IS organization may be part of an advisory or steering committee that helps
the CIO and other IS managers make decisions about the use of information systems.

• Together, they can best decide what information systems will support corporate goals.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
Operations Roles
• The operations group is responsible for the day-to-day running of IS hardware to process the
organization’s information systems workload.
• It must also do capacity planning to expand and upgrade equipment to meet changing business
needs.
• The operations group is constantly looking for ways to reduce the overall cost and increase the
reliability of the organization’s computing. This group is also responsible for protecting the
company’s IS systems and data from unauthorized access.
• Professionals in the operations group include those in the following positions:
• Data Center Manager.
• System Operator.
• Information Systems Security Analyst.
• Lan Administrator.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
• Data Center Manager:
➢ Data center managers are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the organization’s
computing facilities that may house a variety of hardware devices—mainframe and or
supercomputers, large numbers of servers, storage devices, and networking equipment.
➢ Data center managers supervise other operations workers to accomplish the day-to-day work
needed to support business operations as well as complete software and hardware upgrades.
➢ They also plan for capacity changes and develop business contingency plans in the event of a
business disruption due to a fire, power outage, or natural disaster.
• System Operator:
➢ System operators run and maintain IS equipment.
➢ They are responsible for efficiently starting, stopping, and correctly operating mainframe
systems, networks, tape drives, disk devices, printers, and so on. Other operations include
scheduling, maintaining hardware, and preparing input and output.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
• Information Systems Security Analyst :
➢ Information systems security analysts are responsible for maintaining the security and
integrity of their organizations’ systems and data.
➢ They analyze the security measures of the organization and identify and implement changes to
make improvement.
➢ Security analysts are responsible for developing and delivering training on proper security
measures.
➢ They also are responsible for creating action plans in the event of a security breach.

• LAN Administrators :
➢ LAN administrators set up and manage network hardware, software, and security processes.
➢ They manage the addition of new users, software, and devices to the network.
➢ They also isolate and fix operations problems.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
Development Roles
• The development group is responsible for implementing the new information systems
required to support the organization’s existing and future business needs.
• Importantly, they must also modify existing information systems as the needs of the
organization evolve and change.
• They are constantly on the watch for new ways to use information systems to improve
the competitiveness of the firm.
• Professionals in the development group include those in the following positions:
➢ Software Developer.
➢ Systems Analyst.
➢ Programmer.
➢ Web Developers.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
• Software Developer.
➢ These individuals are involved in writing the software that customers and employees
use. This includes testing and debugging the software as well as maintaining and
upgrading software after it is released for operation.
➢ Software developers frequently collaborate with management, clients, and others to
build a software product from scratch, according to a customer’s specifications, or to
modify existing software to meet new business needs.

• Systems Analyst.
➢ Systems analysts frequently consult with management and users, and they convey
system requirements to software developers and network architects.
➢ They also assist in choosing and configuring hardware and software, matching
technology to users’ needs, monitoring and testing the system in operation, and
troubleshooting problems after implementation.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
• Programmer.
➢ Programmers convert a program design developed by a systems analyst or software
developer into one of many computer languages.
➢ To do this, they must write, debug, and test the program to ensure that it will
operate in a way that it will meet the users’ needs.

• Web Developers.
➢ These professionals design and maintain Web sites, including site layout and
function, to meet the client’s requirements.
➢ The creative side of the job includes creating a user-friendly design, ensuring easy
navigation, organizing content, and integrating graphics and audio.
➢ The more technical responsibilities include monitoring Web site performance and
capacity.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
Support Roles
• The support group provides customer service for the employees, customers, and
business partners who rely on the firm’s information systems and service to accomplish
their work.
• The support group responds to queries from these constituents and attempts to be
proactive in eliminating problems before they occur.
• They often develop and provide training to users to enable them to better use
information systems services and equipment.
• Professionals in the support group include those in the following positions:
➢ Database Administrator.
➢ System Support Specialist.
Typical IS Titles and Functions
• Database Administrator:
➢ Database administrators (DBAs) design and set up databases to meet an organization’s
needs.
➢ DBAs ensure that the databases operate efficiently, and they perform fine-tuning,
upgrading, and testing modifications as needed.
➢ They are also responsible for implementing security measures to safeguard the company’s
most sensitive data.

• System Support Specialist:

➢ These skilled specialists respond to telephone calls, electronic mail, and other inquiries from
computer users regarding hardware, software, networking, or other IS-related problems or
needs.
➢ System support specialists diagnose the problem through dialogue with the user, research
solutions, and implement a plan to resolve the problem or refer the issue to specialized IS
staff.
➢ Many organizations set up “dropin” centers, where users can come to meet face-to-face
with the help desk specialists to get help.
IS-Related Roles outside the IS Organization
• Based on a recent survey of 165 organizations representing over $45 billion in information
technology spending in Europe and the United States, only about 60 percent of all information
technology outlays are controlled by the information systems department. This means other
business units are responsible for 40 percent of the total information technology costs within an
organization.
• Shadow IT : The information systems and solutions built and deployed by departments other than
the information systems department. In many cases, the information systems department may
not even be aware of these efforts.

• Certification: A process for testing skills and knowledge; successful completion of a certification
exam results in a statement by the certifying authority that confirms an individual is capable of
performing particular tasks.
• Getting certified from a software, database, or network company may open the door to new
career possibilities or result in an increase in pay.