to: NABIH ZOUROB from: [ Michelle Morrell ] subject: information systems date: July 10, 2016
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Many organizations are now facing huge threats to their stored information. This is putting organizations and individuals at risk of losing their privacy. There are factors that contribute to information vulnerability of an organization and to a personal level. In addition, there are measures that are put in place to help secure information.
Companies today invest in expansive resources across the organization and one of the main areas of investment is systems and security. As businesses rely more and more on advanced technological solutions to rise above the competition, greater strides are being made to conduct business tasks via reliable and secure information systems. In today’s business environment, companies will continue to utilize information systems and search for ways to secure these systems.
In order to be successful in the business world, an employee must have an understanding on how these systems work and why it is imperative that we continue to study and learn as much as possible about information technology while staying abreast of new technology developments.
Hardware, software and the data that resides in and among computer systems must be protected against security threats that exploit vulnerabilities. Organizations must therefore impose appropriate controls to monitor for, deter and prevent security breaches. Unless of course you are Hilary Clinton, then you just use an unsecured server in your basement. Three areas have been considered, in a typical sense, as the basic critical security requirements for data protection: confidentiality is used to assure privacy; principles of integrity assure systems are changed in accordance with authorized practices; and, availability is applied to maintain proper system functions to sustain service delivery
Selecting and acquiring information systems is important to organizations who are interested in business continuity and rising above the competition. Information systems are designed based on the organization’s needs, thus simplifying employee and customer needs. Information systems should accommodate all departments in a cross-organizational manner in order to be influential in streamlining information processes and procedures throughout the organization.
An information system is an expensive investment for senior management and choosing the right technology can greatly affect the organization. Many organizations utilize information systems complete with a structure database for holding customer data, employee data, inventory, sales orders, payroll, and other confidential information. Securing these databases is critical to the success of an information system. An unsecure system can be very detrimental to a company and can even lead to the demise of a company if sensitive information is leaked without prior authorization.
Choosing the Best Information System for the Workplace
Selecting and acquiring information systems is important to any organization in today’s economic climate. Information systems are designed based on the organization’s needs, thus simplifying customer needs, departmental needs, and other information. Information systems should accommodate all departments across an organization. Information systems hold many benefits for organizations and contain the following: * Databases * Storage * Identification * Security
When selecting what is needed for the organization one has to look at many different variables. Does the organization have many branches, do they have different specialties, and what about the needs of the staff? Communication between these variables is vital to choosing the right information system for the organization. The information also has to be user-friendly and easy to learn by staff members. If the information systems are not user-friendly, it will impact employee productivity and eventually, the bottom line.
Security and Business Continuity
Once the system is up and running, the organization still has to think about an offsite back-up storage location secured with a firewall. With the advent of crypto-locker and crypto-wall being on the forefront of security infiltration concerns, having an offsite backup and recovery plan is imperative to business continuity. Our organization supports many businesses in our community as we support their computers, servers, networks, firewalls, and offsite Datto storage devices. The difference in having a backup and not having a backup can mean the different in paying or not paying a ransom if hit with the crypto-virus. The crypto-virus encrypts all the files on a user’s infected PC and the user has the option of paying the ransom to receive their file back or not paying the ransom and restoring their files from a backup. If you can imagine this common scenario, then you can understand just home critical this can be to business continuity and survival in today’s unsteady economic climate.
Organizations Goals
Goals of any organization are important; and information systems support organizational goals by providing streamlined communication through the system. One of the most important goals of any organization is improve quality and safety of products and improve customer service. Information systems allow employees to work efficiently and securely store customer information.
Information System Selection
There are many ways to discover how the organization can receive the information they need to select the correct systems and formats for each department. Organizations can ask the staff for his or her input, but that may not work if he or she is not familiar with the system. However, if the organization can provide a demo or something similar the staff can give input and identify problem areas in the software. The organization could also do a department wide survey asking questions that pertain to each individual department within that organization to find out if it has all the needed features to support their department.
Conclusion
The selection of an information system is important because it remains the heartbeat of an organization. Information flows to and from an information system throughout the work-day and the business relies on this system in order to conduct business and make a profit. Each department in a company depends on an information system. For example, the Human Resource department depends on an information system to store employee social security numbers, salary information, and other highly classified information. The system protects this information and authentication protocols are added to ensure that no one can penetrate this top security.
Because information systems are expensive, senior managers should weigh all options when choosing a system for their organization. Decision-makers should review usability and determine if the system is easy to use and work with to obtain, secure, and store their information. The system can be a superior tool for the business if all of the components come together correctly and is user friendly.
The importance of information systems and security in an organization includes operational benefits, such as cost reduction and an increase in competitive advantage in the marketplace. In order for an information system to be the most beneficial to an organization, the organization should identify specific departments that would derive the most benefits from such a system. In addition to identifying specific departments within the organization, they should also identify areas that directly impact the company’s objectives and can therefore get the most out of the information system.

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