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Paper Abstract: Describes the information system for a company including database servers, customer service decentralization of IT, and outsourcing. Paper Introduction: Analysis of a Business Information System The purpose of this report is to analyze the information system of afairly typical office that contains three database servers an invoice anddepartmental database an Intranet server with client Internet accessportal and a customer service database server The system contains asingle email server that allows for Internet access There are clientnetworked computers in the organization equipped with the non-serverWindows XP operating system Generally a database DB is understood as an entity in which datacan be sorted Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Analysis of a Business Information System The purpose of this report is to analyze the information system of afairly typical office that contains three database servers (an invoice anddepartmental database, an Intranet server with client Internet accessportal, and a customer service database server). Computer Weekly, May 9, 18.Saitta, J.A. Offshore sourcing involves athird party provider. Hooper and Page(1997, p. CIO, 21(11), 7 -72.Avensoft. SharePoint: SharePoint portal server makes your Intranet more manageable and easier to navigate. This reflects a collaborative approach to the use ofinformation technologies. Journal of Information Science and Technology, 2(4), 7-29.What is a database? This occurs not only in the form of regularlyproduced reports, invoices, and other texts or statistical documents, butin the form of email communications, sales and purchase orders, and evenmanufacturing data (Hooper & Page, 1997). Similarly, the output of some applications may become the input forothers. Accessed online March 31, 2 9.Reed, J. Service server. Inquiry and response (interactive) capability.. This information system therefore allows an organization and itsusers to construct a system covering such areas as cash receipts anddisbursements, sales and purchases, financial accounting and budgeting,customer service, and service delivery (Hooper & Page, 1997). & Fjermestad, J. Any business information system is composed ofcomponent subsystems and applications or modules that are designed toprocess data in specific areas of business activity. The system contains asingle email server that allows for Internet access. Database management at thetarget company is broken down into a suite of services or softwareapplications that enable access to data, permit multiple users to accessinformation, and facilitate manipulation of the data by inserting,deleting, and editing content. A department database as described by Reed (2 5) shouldleverage existing infrastructure, migrate existing databases to the newestversion of software products and applications, and deploy departmental Webapplications. Interfaces (the exchange of information) with other modules.. Many companies outsource customerrelationship management activities to third parties because theseactivities also include call centers which can be more economically managedby external actors, leaving internal staff more time to fulfill other workrequirements. Databases, regardless of their specific functions, provideusers with access to data that can be viewed, entered, or updated withinthe limits of the access rights granted to users inside the organizationand outside of it (What is a database, 2 8). Accessed online March 31, 2 9. A basic model for Information technology outsourcing. These arethe major subsystems of a business information technology (IT) system whichis the sum of all the tools, techniques, and procedures used by thebusiness to process data. (2 9). Saran(2 6) argues that hardware has moved away from the centralized model as isevident in the movement from the mainframe computer to the departmentalcomputer, onto the PC at the desktop level, and finally, to handheld mobilecomputer devices. & Page, J. (2 5). The interdependence of components in the databases described at theoutset of this report is commonplace. There are instances in which such an organization canlegitimately choose to outsource certain activities rather than maintainthem internally. Each of these hardware transformations has necessitatedthat the software programs become more network aware or conscious andfocused. Generally, a database (DB) is understood as an entity in which datacan be sorted in a structural manner with as little redundancy as possible.Databases are generally linked conceptually to networks used for sharinginformation. Many processing applications use the same basic data asinput but require that the data be organized differently (Hooper & Page,1997). The question of decentralization versus centralization and its impacton the management structure of the organization is significant. 9) state that "any business information system can be dividedinto processing systems of narrower scope which accept input data, processit, and interact with each other to produce output information and files ofdata." An invoice database can easily be developed by using softwareprograms such as PrimaSoft's (2 9) Invoice Organizer, a basic invoicetemplate that allows users to organize and manage all invoice related data. There are 2 clientnetworked computers in the organization equipped with the non-serverWindows XP operating system. Available at http://msdn.microsoft.com /en-us/magazine/cc3 16233(printer).aspx. IS & T launches departmental database development. The strategic partnership orcollaboration is one of the critical success factors for IT sourcing. Output reports of varying form, content, and frequency.. Available at http://web.mit.edu/ist/isnews/v21/n 1/21 111.html. In a smallerbusiness with a single accounting department or unit, centralization of allfinancial input and output activities is likely to be preferable. IS & T Back Issue, 21(1). Saitta and Fjermestad (2 5)argue that a management model for IT outsourcing must focus on achieving astrategic fit between the needs of the company and its new partners. Certainly, at the target organization, the email server is likely tobe an external actor as is the Internet server. Customer relationship management and database management aswell as server management are areas where a number of functions can andshould be outsourced. Each of the modules discussed herein(invoice/department database, Intranet server, customer service databaseserver, email server, and Internet server) provide a necessary environmentfor the other. Onlywhen such a fit exists should outsourcing be considered. (2 5). Any database used by a business must deliver the specificapplications that the business requires. As companies grow, they oftenrecognize that their initial approach to IT system development must bemodified to meet unexpected or emerging needs (Abreu, 2 8). Everybody wants to rule the world. These basic information system components clearly make it possiblefor users in and out of the organization to gather, organize, anddisseminate information. An Intranet does not necessarily need to provide access to theInternet, but in this instance, a network gateway with a firewall thatshields the Internet from unauthorized external access has been created.It also includes a client Internet access portal which implements userauthentication, encryption of messages, and virtual private network (VPN)connectivity (Callaghan, 2 2). (2 6). Outsourcing takes place because it is seen as lessexpensive in the long run than maintaining complex IT systems internally.The basic model described by Saitta and Fjermestad (2 5) consists of theuse of strategic partners that are aligned to business strategy supportedby executive management, and is overseen by governance committees. (2 2). In the hypothetical situation presented herein, the smallbusiness located on a single floor or a small department within a largerbusiness entity should centralize its database management and governanceactivities. A business such as that described herein must determine whether ornot it will use a program such as Service Server, a Web-based customerservice software, to set up a customer service and support Web site or usethe skills of professional service providers in the IT field (Avensoft,2 7). One such system is the SharePoint Portal Server (2 1), created byMicrosoft as a flexible, scalable solution that allows users to create,share, and publish information from a single Web portal interface that isarmed with nothing more than the site's URL. Saitta and Fjermestad (2 5) describe outsourcing as the contractingof information system functions such as the managing of data centers,operations, hardware support, software maintenance, network or applicationdevelopment to outside service providers. The use of terminals or workstations to input data, initiate processing,and receive output (Hooper & Page, 1997). It is quite possible that themost cost effective method of conducting certain types of work is using anoutsourcer or an offshore entity that is capable of delivering advancedcommunication through networking technologies that are now available.Saitta and Fjermestad (2 5) discussed a basic model for IT outsourcingwhich has become an accepted and viable alternative for IT managers who areseeking to reduce costs and to simultaneously improve the competitiveadvantage enjoyed by the business. When part of the Intranet becomesaccessible to customers and others outside the business, that part becomespart of an Extranet. Efficiency as well as effectiveness are the two criteriathat must be used to determine when outsourcing occurs. Available at www.primasoft.com/tour_invoice_software/invoice_ software_to... National Public Accountant, 42(9), 9-14.PrimaSoft. Businesses are choosing their own softwaretools, Web search engines, and service oriented architecture to facilitateglobal interaction (Saran, 2 6). Indeed, Abreu (2 8) states that the fundamental consideration iswhether or not IT authority should reside centrally, locally, or incombination. The hypothetical company has onits single floor 2 networked computers that connect the business to itsclients through various databases. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Hooper, P. Collaborative IT is the way forward. The effect of decentralization of IT functions on the organization isseen by Abreu (2 8) as creating greater flexibility within management,empowering individual workers for more autonomous and efficient activity,and fostering the need for new collaboration processes. Technology hasthe potential to facilitate collaboration, but there must be a well definedcollaboration process that shapes the technologies that are used, theprograms that are selected, and the databases and servers that a companyuses. (2 8). Available at www.avensoft .com/ptcs.html. ReferencesAbreu, C. (1997). Thesecharacteristics are:. (2 9). Invoices, for example, are output from an invoice database andinput in a customer service database server and an email server. Again, thequestion of centralized versus decentralized and outsourced IT managementis a question that speaks not only to the kinds of IT activities thecompany will undertake, but also the scope of those activities. In the hypothetical office described herein, an Intranet wasdeveloped to provide members of the organization with the mechanisms neededto create, share, and publish documents from a single access point (Bishop,2 9). Inside Intranets and Extranets. A database management system for certain databasesdescribed herein can be maintained in-house at a reasonable cost (What isa database, 2 8). Hooper and Page (1997) state that all of these component subsystemsor application modules share a number of characteristics. Users can easily integrate the system into existingwork processes by providing a Web-based portal, Microsoft Officeextensions, and the Windows Explorer Shell (Reed, 2 9). This is based on coreMicrosoft technologies and can be customized or used directly as formattedin its basic version. Callaghan (2 2) suggests that a company is well advised toensure interconnectivity between its various databases, including itsIntranet server and its Internet server. Available at http://en.kioskea .net/contents/bdd/bddintro.php3. These are decisions that need to be made when contemplating how acompany's IT operations will be structured. The organization of data into files that can be accessed by differentusers at different locations.. MSDN Magazine. The future of IT as a business function is in decentralization(Saran, 2 6). Accessed online March 31, 2 9.Saran, C. Organizing information & data flows in business systems. Such a system is departmental to theextent that invoicing is decentralized within a business. What is necessary, according to Saitta and Fjermestad (2 5), is amesh of infrastructure and technology that addresses interoperability andthe interaction of multiple components. Businesses are allowed to send messages that areencrypted. Accessed online March 31, 2 9.Callaghan, J. Create invoice database easily. (2 8). In essence, the organization being discussed in this report(which may also be a department within an organization) has centralizedservers with decentralized applications that can be accessed from multiplepoints off-site. (2 7). Accessed online March 31, 2 9.Bishop, D. The company is likely tohave an in-house IT function or department that makes use of softwareprograms such as those described herein and which is responsible formanaging the internal IT system and its various database and servers.However, the outsourcing of specific functions such as maintaining aclient Internet access portal and a customer service database server may beless costly than doing these things in-house. This essay has drawn upon the literature to analyze a typical officeIT system with a number of interdependent database servers and other ITfunctions involving Web applications as well as regular accountingfunctions. A business can choose to use this product as it is set up in its basicform or use the Designer or Designer Deluxe feature to refine or modifystructures for the invoice database. There is no perfect model and companies should considercentralizing and decentralizing at various stages of their development.Abreu (2 8) calls for centralizing for efficiency while decentralizing foreffectiveness. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.