Introduction
Any institution’s desire is to see its various departments operate at optimum levels. This is by far the most important consideration that drives institutions to try and entrench the usage of information systems in its operations. However, the more an enterprise adopts new technology, the more the management begins to realize that information systems are useless without human intervention. This is because of the fact even the best of information systems cannot operate without commands, being fed into it and regularly updated. Information systems like other forms of technology also need regular maintenance and sometimes refurbishments. These are some of the important considerations that an organization has to consider before trying to fully adopt new information systems.
Management is one of the most important principles that works in tandem with information technology to ensure that desirable results are brought about by the installation of information systems within an organizations structures. Being a field in itself, management comprises the routine procedures carried out on the installed systems as well as the strategic concepts that are involved in installation of new systems and adaptation by staff to these new systems. This essay seeks to analyze the symbiotic relationship between Management and Information Technology. To this end, the paper shall illustrate the factors considered in the management of information systems, while laying focus on the installation and initial adaptation phases. Data backup and copyrighting software which on the face of it are aspects of Information Technology shall be studied in the light of Management influences.
Factors to consider in the management of information systems
Management issues generally tend to present in the initial stages of information systems installations. Research has actually shown that a majority of the information systems installed by companies fall below par (Kaniclides, & Kimble, 1994). It always seems like a brilliant idea to have old systems replaced by new ones that are seen to be more efficient. However, without proper involvement of managerial skills, most of the projects end up collapsing underway. Some of the factors that the management of an institution need to consider when trying to embrace the concept of information technology are explained below:
Staff motivation
Before trying to implement changes in an organization, it is a definite requirement that the persons directly involved in management take time to inform the rest of the staff on the intended changes (Kaniclides, & Kimble, 1994). Once the information has been circulated and it has been confirmed that all the members have understood the implications and are willing to embrace the changes, only then can the new systems can be installed.
Commitment
Whenever new information systems have been installed, it is always likely that individuals will gladly try to get them to take over their work. This essentially leads to the systems either getting worn out faster than expected or being misused (Kaniclides, & Kimble, 1994).. This is why the persons involved with management of the information systems are supposed to make it clear to their colleagues the kinds of jobs the system can handle and its limitation. One concept of proper institutional management is having associates clearly understand every aspect of the organization so that incidents of staff member printing wedding cards on paper printers are reduced.
Project leadership
One principle that essentially determines the success of any management project is leadership. Junior staffs need someone to look up to and this to a great extent influence the success rate of a project. Information systems are key components of any modern enterprise and in order for them to work effectively, it is mandatory that proper management is instigated (Kaniclides, & Kimble, 1994).. It would definitely not make sense for the manager of an institution to barn junior associates from irresponsibly using company systems and then goes ahead to spend time downloading videos using the company’s internet, in the process jamming it. In the case whereby a new system is to be installed altogether and individuals are not willing or enthusiastic to try it out, the best thing to do and this is again a management strategy is for the senior staffs to test it out themselves, in the process inculcating the willingness to learn in their associates.
Any institution’s desire is to see its various departments operate at optimum levels. This is by far the most important consideration that drives institutions to try and entrench the usage of information systems in its operations. However, the more an enterprise adopts new technology, the more the management begins to realize that information systems are useless without human intervention. This is because of the fact even the best of information systems cannot operate without commands, being fed into it and regularly updated. Information systems like other forms of technology also need regular maintenance and sometimes refurbishments. These are some of the important considerations that an organization has to consider before trying to fully adopt new information systems.
Data backup
Preparedness for any eventuality is a necessity if effective management of any venture is to be seen to take place. Information technology as a field faces certain challenges which sometimes pose as threats to the integrity of the information storage systems. For instance, viruses and elements of human error may appear as serious threats to information stored in particular databases. Through establishment of proper data management procedures, companies can save a lot of time and money. One of these data management procedure is data backup; a simple process that simply requires the most important information that guides a company’s operations to be duplicated well in advance and the copy(ies) stored in places where damage cannot befall it. It is in the eventual destruction of the data currently in use that these backups can come in handy to save the day. Reports have been made of large companies losing valuable data to crashed systems. Though in recent days methods of recovering lost data and repairing damaged files have been developed, this may prove to be a costly affair particularly to small companies.
Copyrighting software
Software manufacturing like any other business is mainly intended to make profits for the people involved. It is therefore important to make sure that once a particular software has been released into the market, there are ways to manage its influence with an aim of making sure that it benefits the real people behind it (Copywriting Software, 2010). One management principle that in itself comes in handy to guarantee that the product gets the creator the desired revenue is copyrighting. Copyrighting is the process of registering a product or idea under legal provisions provided by the laws for safeguarding ownership. Copyright law is entrenched both in constitutions of respective countries as well as international statutes. Therefore for anyone who is involved in publishing software, this is most important managerial step that will see them acquire full rights to their product (Copywriting Software, 2010).
Conclusion
As has been illustrated in this essay, Management and Information Technology particularly in modern day enterprises are aspects that work alongside each other. In some cases, they are intertwined in such a way that one cannot exist without the other. This essay has been a summary detailing the interaction of the two. Clear illustrations have been drawn by citing three concepts of information technology and showing how management comes in to influence them. it is worth noting that the examples used are just but a few of the many instances where Information Technology and Management work hand in hand.
Reference List
Copyrighting Software vs. Patenting Software. (2010). Havard Technologies. Web.
Kaniclides, A. & Kimble, C. (1994). Executive Information Systems: A framework for their development and use. Web.