Manager’s guide to decision making about IS.pdf

Manager’s Guide to Making Decisions about IS Paul Gray Chapter 1: What is an Information System? Slides prepared by Louis Beaubien Providence College Copyright 2006 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 1 Managerial Questions What is an information system? What are some major applications of information systems? How does the Internet fit in? Copyright 2006 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 2 What is an Information System? An information system is a combination of technology, people, and processes to capture, transmit, retrieve and display information Copyright 2006 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 3 The Information System Information Systems pervade the enterprise You need to know: The technical aspects of information, but more importantly the concepts governing their use. How to make decisions about what you firm needs and what it does not. Copyright 2006 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 4 Components of an IS Hardware The physical devices like computers and printers Software Programs that can tell the hardware what to do Communications Modes of transmitting information (wires, wireless, etc.) Copyright 2006 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 5 Hardware The ‘first’ computers: mainframes (1950s) The pe