Acknowledgments
To organize the paper, tremendous support and guideline have provided by my teacher. He has engaged his highest effort to get at the successful conclusion of this research. My friends and family also provided enough cooperation. The staff of Sakhr Software has cooperated with relevant data and phone interviews. Every one of the optimistic and creative attributes of this paper has been generated from those persons and organisations mentioned above. Thanks to all of them.
Executive Summary
Managing information is a challenge in the present internet and technology based world. Business firms are using many information management systems to ensure the protection of information and to use it. This paper will discuss the concepts of managing information of Sakhr Software Co., which is a popular language software company. SSC has produced innovative products to develop the business according to communication, knowledge management, education, and search system. SSC has a notable customer base across the Middle East. In SSC, Information management is a prioritised matter. This paper concentrates on the information management of SSC with the help of different tools and examples.
Methodology
The research design has included namely exploratory, descriptive, and causal research. The descriptive research has been adopted when the problems are well structured and well understood. The research purpose of this paper determines the best method of conducting a research work. Since the problem at hand is well prepared as well as well understood, the descriptive research design has been employed. The descriptive research requires several research approaches and research techniques based on the foregoing thought about the nature of the research. Here the author has mainly adopted the secondary source of data to conclude the paper.
Introduction
Information management is particular function of coordination and advocacy of an organisation to make decisions about strategic and operational systems. Every organisation requires accuracy of information with easy access to fulfil the needs of individuals of different countries and to manage the coordination of capabilities. Information has to manage based on organisational objectives, and verified for reliability, which would address the weakness of information management. The effectiveness of information management can increase through standardisation and support of organisation. This paper would consider the concepts of managing information of Sakhr Software, which is a popular language software company and it covers all individuals as their potential customers, including disabled and blind people.
Background of Sakhr Software Co
From 1983, SSC has positioned as a global leader for Arabic Language technology with technical products for Middle East’s e-governance, education, wireless communications, and security system. It is operating its business with 200 employees globally, and it has offices in Cairo, Egypt, and Washington DC, USA. Clients of Sakhr are from Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco. Many international companies and organizations like Acer Corporation, Epson Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Ricoh International, University of Kyoto (Japan) are also clients of Sakhr. Besides, Sakhr works as a golden partner for many famous companies like Microsoft. (Anon. 2009, p. 1)
Purpose of Sakhr Software Co
It has been serving about 300 million consumers in Middle East market and huge consumers in global market. Its purpose is to serve the consumers to access the easier technologies related to language for security and defence. Anon (2009, p. 1) expressed that SSC performs extensive analysis with understanding input text, and ambiguities prior to the translation of Machine Translation solution.
Objectives of Sakhr Software Co
ü Corporate Objectives: The CEO of Sakhr Software, Fahad Mohammed Al-Sharekh has stated the corporate objectives of the organisation mentioning that SSC is concerned about the development of knowledge of the employees in personal computer skills and other applications. AME info (2008, p. 1) argued that the organisation has aimed to train every person to make them capable in social and economic context with the fullest extent.
ü Marketing Objectives: Marketing objectives are developing according to the strategies of the traditional and competitive market, while the marketing manager of Sakhr Software focuses on customers’ preferences, their reactions, extracts knowledge from the experiences on the products and services, and then develops new objectives to compete in the sustainable market to the global market. Strategically, Sakhr Software is keeping efficient and quick projects combined with ICTARB as a strategic partnership for capturing private sectors of markets of the Arabic Linguistic Computing System. These objectives are making initiatives in Arab with successful steps of technical supports and number of products available in company. (UNDP 2009, p1)
Products of Sakhr Software Co
The company has been producing innovative products to amplify the business in terms of communication, knowledge management, education, and search system. The popular products of the company are:
- Arabdox: It is an Arabic- English- French document management system, which offers an integrated solution at the admin to intensify information collected from structured and non- structured documents of any enterprise.
- IDRISI[1]: It is a bilingual Arabic English search engine to explore the electronic data, documents, databases, and websites.
- Text Mining: This technology built ahead research and development in Arabic NLP, with available platform of server based engines with SDK.
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition): It converts scans of Arabic printed documents into digital text with proper security and business needs (Anon 2008, p.1).
- E-Portal: This education system is a virtual community for educational process that helps educational institutions on national, schools, managements, teachers, parents, and potential students.
- ü Text-To-Speech (TTS): This engine is converting any Arabic/ English text into human voices and not only plain text but also SSML input text.
Services of Sakhr Software Co
Sakhr is providing Arabic translation and localisation services to government and corporate clients, like telecom, media, education for electronic, web or paper content, and software in mobile, offices, computers etc with Arabic knowledge based and machine translation technologies (Anon 2009, p. 1). A table has been drawn to represent the purposes of its products and services.
Customers and Suppliers
SSC has an outstanding customer base across the Middle East. It is serving many governmental and other organisations in e-governance, teaching, telecom, media, and technology. The clients are of diverse categories such as global organisations, international alliances, exclusive governmental organisations, simple software firms, educational institutions, and many publishing houses. The nine Arab countries where it has customers are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, U.A.E., Jordan, and morocco. In Egypt, it have Arab League, Egyptian parliament, Ministry of trade and industry, ministry of commerce and many other ministries as customer. Furthermore, in other countries it has ministries and universities as customers. In case of supply, it expressed its suppliers as partners and has affiliation with many software providers like BPM[2], workflow, and content management.
Effective Information Management
Organisations are constantly seeking new ways to handle Information management in a dynamic way, preventing any lose or misuse. In the present electronic era, the electronic information is governing the world, and this information has different vulnerabilities and threats. Effective information management includes ensuring the safety protection of the data in an authentic way. (Dodsworth 2002, p.15) and Kamar (2006, p.4) stated that effective information management is the way for an entity to attain, organise, direct, publish and use the relevant information for different operations. In an organisation like SSC, the information management can face different types of problems.
Analysing the entire information system of SSC, it found a clear indication that SSC shared almost all of the information with its stakeholders, which may creates problems with data duplicity and it gives the room for misinterpretation of data. AS SSC is working for many ministries in many countries, it is not possible for them to be transparent with appropriate information sharing. The problems facing by SSC are:
Data redundancy and inconsistency: Sakhr is not publishing any authorised information kit or annual report for the stakeholders. For this reason, when the stakeholders need any information, they have to rely on the secondary sources which are not authorised. This secondary source creates the room for information redundancy and inconsistency. The availability of duplicate data and misinterpretation of same data cause problems in working with the information. These problems can happen when different divisions of a firm work and collect data independently and have no coordination with each other.
Dependence of data: When one data requires another to be completed, it will also create problems. All information must be complete and thus ready to use. In case of SSC, most of the information is not available from web site or other. Thus, some information needed remains incomplete.
Lack of flexibility: Some information has restrictions in the term of using. Many employees would not have the access of some information that is essential for his work. Thus, the lack of flexibility may create problems (Laudon & Laudon 2006, p. 233). For SSC, In case of the work with government organisations, there are some restrictions in publishing much information. This is acting as lack of flexibility for SSC.
In conclusion, the managing information effectively includes collecting, storing, recording, keeping, and using data in a safe, secure, flexible, non-redundant, and consistent way. Therefore, SSC must act accordingly to avoid these types of problems.
Contribution of Effective Information Management in SSC
Information 3 higher level of competition for which the security and safekeeping of its information have to be ensured. As it is a software company, it has developed much software to save its stored information. The information has variety in nature. Designs of software, programming tools, budget, and other financial information, past statistics, employment plan and many other facts could be managed effectively here. This effective management of information contributes in gaining organisational success and achievements.
- Overall Management: The overall management of other operations is dependant on the effective data management. For example, managing the employee satisfaction at workforce is one of the functions that have engaged to satisfy and SSC has undertaken many programs. The details related with the programs are kept undisclosed from the competitors as they can offer same incentives and programs.
- Success of Organisation: the company has been honoured with many prestigious awards. These are the signs of the organisational success. Besides, the wide range of customers also ensures the acceptability, reliability, and dependency of the firm. IM also contributes to this success.
- Effective Marketing: Effective marketing is a function of efficient communication, customer segmentation, and promotion. All these factors are also depended to IM. For example, SSC uses different means to promote different software. IM ensures to protect the promotion program planning.
- Proper Communication: Proper communication is also depended on Effective IM. Data management ensures the exchange of proper information between the firm and its stakeholders. The relevant information could easily communicate with the relevant person and thus confidential statistics can be safe from accidental exchange (Anon 2009, p.2).
Contribution of Development of IT
The Information technology has developed to assist effective IM. Many infrastructures have developed in IT sector and this infrastructure demonstrates the overall operations of a firm. IT infrastructure consists of different factors like Internet platforms, Computer hardware platforms, operating systems platforms, enterprise software, networking, telecommunication, consultants and system integrators and data storage. All these components have higher-level implication over EIM. The aggregation of these components is essential for an organisation like SSC, because every single statistic has to be stored safely. If there is lacking in ensuring the security of the software, or the computer hardware has installed carelessly, the entire data storage might acquire threat of theft or other means of vulnerability. (Laudon & laudon, 2006, p. 199)
In SSC, The contribution of the development of the IT has been ensured in every level of their operation. As it is Software Company, it is using its maximum technology to ensure the safety of their information.
Difference between IT and Non-IT Information
IT information means the data, which are using information technology. These types of information could attain from different electronic media, stored in electronic storage, exchanged, and then assessed with the help of technologies. Besides, Non IT information is the traditional presentations of information. The basic differences between the IT information and non-IT information depend on the source and ways of communication.
In Terms of Source: IT information is available in internet or in computerised formats. However, non-IT information uses to be in a paper format. For example, the information about a company’s performances or its mission statements is available in internet in “PDF” format, while its balance sheets have usually published in paper or non-IT information format.
Ways of Communication: Another difference is in the way through which the information has been communicated. There are two methods:
ICT Method: Here the information and communication technology has been used to communicate the data. Communication media like mobile phone, telecommunication, television, and the internet has extensively used here.
Non- ICT Method: here, the traditional approach like paper, letter, banner etc has used to do the communication work.
Communicating Information with Others
In SSC, information has communicated between all its stakeholders. SSC has developed a web site where any one can access its information through internet. The foundation of their information communication is largely IT based and they regard this as one of their strengths.
Data/Information Exchange between Company and Its Customers and Suppliers
SSC highly appreciates the participation of the customers and suppliers. Almost all of their information is available to the customers and the suppliers through the electronic and print media. Besides, they have the website where customers and suppliers can seek assistance whenever they need any.
Contribution of Information to Attain Organisational Objectives
Where the information needs to gathered have understood within the organisational employees, staff, customers and other stakeholders, Sakhr Software Co. has to embody the software systems for considering the main objectives of the organisation (OME. 2008, p.13). These systems could presented to end users, concerned personnel and various parties related to Sakhr Software, who are eager to access the objectives for progressing the software process through well-planned strategies and make sure that the information, are kept safely. There are three ways to attain objectives, shown below:
- To deal with administration of organisation,
- To deal with different departments of organisation and their works,
- To deal with the information process
Ways of Information Flows
The language and information system of Sakhr Software Co. has determining resources and experience with information revolution system, where electronic documents are the main medium of information rapidity (Anon 2009, p.8). The organisation has to handle large amount of information daily. For betterment of customer services, processing and maintaining information in proper ways has developed with full capabilities and technologies of organisation. Understanding language and information extraction is one of the major ways of information flows. Some other ways have developed with help of figures:
Adoption of New Techniques: Information could transform with the help of new technologies to generate proper information for the organisation.
Visualise Ways of Information Flow: The flow of information is visualised to represent information within formal and informal groups of organisations.
Need of Improvement: The information flow would improve with the help of diversification of useful information between groups of people of the organisation.
Innovation Indication: Information flows have indicated in different ways after innovation process of organisation and its people.
Information Processing System
Lawrence (2009, p.7) stated that information processing system is expanding with the methods of creation, edit, maintenance, transmission, and retrieve information to make decisions of managerial efforts of Sakhr. There are some major components of information processing system of this organisation, those are –
- Mono Lingual Search: In this process, the Arabic words have segmented and searched according to rank documents of information systems.
- Cross Lingual Search: In this processing system, Arabic word segmentation and morphological analysis have ranked in documents with statistical morpheme translation matrix. This process also used to translate English documents in Arabic words. The system is analysed morphology to improve performance of English query.
- On Demand Translation Machine of Statistical Analysis: This component used to examine direct channel translation model and dynamic programming decoder for perfect Arabic- English translation quality in processing system.
- Entity Detection and Translation for Arabic words: There are more than 31 categories of named entities for detection and highlighted in Arabic text to provide proper translation of these entities into English and other non- Arabic words, like person’s name, organisation etc. The user can access quickly with highlighted names of documents into processing system.
Storing and Recording Information
Sakhr Software has developed Data and information management by using tools and methodologies for managing critical information about software, customers, and vendors. In IT environments, there is high possibility of inaccuracy, redundancy, fragmentation and inconsistent information (TIBCO 2007, p.3). Therefore, Sakhr has to dedicate proper solutions in information management for storing and recording, for example, it should –
- Managing information includes repository, regulations, relationships, and hierarchy of organisation;
- Change and record information according to workflows and approvals;
- Synchronise internal and external information.
- Require proper maintenance and analysis of reporting of record.
- Make templates, practices storing, and recording information.
Example of Information Flow
In Sakhr, the information is the main resource and assets, which must be accurate and reliable to million of customers and related people of organisation. In the flow of information, Sakhr has maintained truthful relevance, which has focused by some values, such as
- Sufficiency: Cowgill, Wolfers & Zitzewitz (2009, p. 32) argued that the markets of software are sufficient according to its customers and vendors. However, some biases have risen in market, those are overpricing of software in market, short-term life span, optimistic, and under pricing in extreme conditions.
- Validity: The validity of information flows is weak in terms of type checking and code generation of computer base systems. Therefore, the execution of code analysis should be done to gather trust of vendors of Sakhr.
- Currency: the currency is being high for customers due to language extensions and computation changes are rising.
- Authenticity: Sabelfeld & Myers (2003, p.8) said that in language based information flow has not realistic criteria to judge it within time and statistically. Therefore, different policies and programmes for accessing information flow must enforce all documentations of Sakhr.
- Accuracy: For control information flow, it must track the enforcement of information flow with high precision and flow sensitive security systems to analysis imperative languages.
- Security: To maintain sound enforcements in language based techniques, Sakhr has to continue confidentiality polices for standard security practice in information flows of organisation. There are three areas, which must cover, like guaranteed end-to-end security, static analysis for well-formed programmes, and certifying security based languages.
Findings
Information management of Sakhr Software Co. has lacked behind comparing with other global brands of Software, because of less concerned about information technology applications. Therefore, the organisation should plan, budget, organise, direct, train, evaluate, and control information within and outside of organisation. As it is the software-based company, its products have to maintain procedures, equipment, and software for proper design, build, and operation in terms of collection, recording, processing, storing, and transforming information of the organisation.
Recommendation
The managers and analysts of information management systems should evaluate the effective and efficient way of information managed and used in context of present equipment, network, and software of Sakhr Software. They should also analyse before approval of new software and study future requirements of software in new systems. The cost and effectiveness of new approval and future assumptions also have to design in accordance in managing information.
Conclusion
The information management of Sakhr Software has been configured to input data from multiple different sources of communication with customers, suppliers, and vendors of organisation. The implementation of information management could perform in proper manner by accessing neutral networks, attracting new customers, and creating new opportunities for existing users with an efficient and effective way.
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