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Explore the impact of IT on managers, organizations, and the IS function. Learn strategies for managing IT components, application development, IS operations, and global e-business. Overcome cultural, political, and geoeconomic challenges in international IT management.
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Unit - IV Managing Information Technology
Business and IT • As companies are transformed into global e-businesses and players in global e-commerce, it is vital for business managers and professionals to understand how to manage this vital function.
The Impact of IT on Managers • A major force for precipitating or enabling organizational and managerial change • Enables innovative changes in managerial decision making, organizational structures, and managerial work activities
The Impact of IT on Organizations • Key dimensions of the networked enterprise • Organizational structure • Leadership and governance • People and culture • Coherence • Knowledge • Alliances
Managing Information Technology • Three major components • Managing the joint development and implementation of e-business and IT strategies • Managing the development of e-business applications and the research & implementation of new IT
Managing Information Technology (continued) • Three major components (continued) • Managing the IT processes, professionals, & subunits with the IT organization & IS function
Managing the IS Function • Organizing IT • Centralization • Decentralization • Latest trend, hybrid
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Managing Application Development • Involves managing activities such as • systems analysis and design • prototyping • applications programming • project management • quality assurance • systems maintenance
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Managing IS Operations • Managing the use of hardware, software, network, and personnel resources in data centers/computer centers within an organization
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Managing IS operations (continued) • Operational activities requiring management • Computer systems operations • Network management • Production control • Production support
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Managing IS Operations (continued) • System Performance Monitors • Monitor processing of computer jobs • Helps develop a planned schedule • Produce detailed stats for planning and control of computing capacity • Chargeback systems • Process control
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Human Resource Management of IT • Recruit qualified personnel • Develop, organize, and direct the capabilities of existing personnel • Train employees • Design career paths and set salary and wage levels
Managing the IS Function (continued) • The CIO and Other IT Executives • Chief Information Officer (CIO) • Oversees all use of IT in many companies. • Brings the IT function into alignment with strategic business goals • Concentrates on business/IT planning and strategy • Helps develop strategic uses of IT in e-business and e-commerce
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Technology Management • All IT must be managed as a technology platform for integrated e-business and e-commerce systems • May assign a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) • In charge of all IT planning and deployment
Managing the IS Function (continued) • Managing User Services • Functions to support and manage end user and workgroup computing • Provides both opportunities and problems for business unit managers • Help desks • Establish and enforce policies
The International Dimension • A vital part of managing an e-business enterprise in the internetworked global economies and markets of today.
Cultural, Political, and Geoeconomic Challenges • Cultural challenges • Differences in languages • Cultural interests • Religions • Customs • Social attitudes • Political philosophies
Cultural, Political, and Geoeconomic Challenges (continued) • Political challenges • Rules regulating or prohibiting transfer of data across their national boundaries • Severe restrictions, taxes, or prohibitions against imports of hardware and software • Local content laws • Reciprocal trade agreements
Cultural, Political, and Geoeconomic Challenges (continued) • Geoeconomic Challenges • The effects of geography on the economic realities of international business activities • Distance • Real-time communication • Lack of good-quality telephone and telecommunications service • Lack of job skills • Cost of living and labor costs
Global e-Business Strategies • Moving away from • Autonomous foreign subsidiaries • Autonomous foreign subsidiaries, dependent on headquarters for new processes, products, and ideas • Close management of worldwide operations by headquarters
Global e-Business Strategies (continued) • Moving toward • Reliance on information systems and Internet technologies to help integrate global business activities • An integrated, cooperative worldwide hardware, software, and Internet-based architecture for IT platforms
Global e-Business Applications • IT applications depend on a variety of global business drivers, caused by the nature of the industry and its competitive or environmental forces • Global customers • Global products • Global operations • Global resources • Global collaboration
Global IT Platforms • The technology infrastructure • Technically complex • Major political and cultural implications • Challenges • Managing international data communications networks • Network management issues • Regulatory issues • Technology issues • Country-oriented issues
Global IT Platforms (continued) • The Internet as a Global IT Platform • Companies can • Expand markets • Reduce communications and distribution costs • Improve their profit margins • Low cost interactive channel for communications and data exchange
Global Data Access Issues • Transborder data flows (TDF) • Data flow across international borders over telecommunications networks of global information systems
Global Data Access Issues (continued) • Many countries view TDF as violating their national sovereignty • Others, as violating their laws to protect the local IT industry or to protect local jobs • May view TDF as a violation of their privacy legislation
Global Data Access Issues (continued) • Internet Access Issues • High government access fees • Government monitored access • Government filtered access • No public access allowed
Global Systems Development • Challenges • Conflicts over local versus global system requirements • Difficulties agreeing on common system features • Disturbances caused by systems implementation and maintenance activities
Global Systems Development (continued) • Challenges (continued) • Trade-offs between developing one system that can run on multiple computer and operating system platforms, or letting each local site customize the software for its own platform • Global standardization of data definitions
Global Systems Development (continued) • Systems Development Strategies • Transforming an application used by the home office into a global application • Setting up a multinational development team to ensure the system design meets the needs of local sites as well as headquarters • Parallel development • Centers of excellence
Information System Architectures(Traditional architectures, Client/server/Point-to-Point architectures, Distributed architectures)
Architectural Elements Architectural Elements Server Client Network The perpose of the client is to provide a user interface. The server hold resourses as programs or data. Servers may be mainframe computers, minicomputers or PC. The more powerfull the server th more client it can handle. The server must responds the clients requests.
Components of the an information system architecture Some of the most important components of an information System architecture are • User Interface • Data management • Computation
User Interface • Sometimes it called front end. • It consist of a keyboard, a video display and a mouse. • There are three main user interface technologies are used today: • Dumb terminal • X – terminal • PCs
Dumb terminal The early dumb terminals keyboard and monochrom text – only display. Keyboard input/Text – based output. Dumb terminal was user – unfrendly. X- Terminals Such as in Unix systems. Keyboard and mouse input/Text or graphical output.
Data Management • Three main data management technologies are used today: • Flat Files • Relational Databases • Object-oriented databases
Flat Files • Characteristics: • Lack data independence. • Lack data sharing. • Lack standard language.
Relational Databases • Characteristics: • Provide data independence. • Provide data sharing. • Provide standard language (SQL).
Object-oriented databases • Characteristics: • Provide data independence. • Provide data sharing. • Provide elaborate support for objects. • Not yet standardized by international recognized standards body.
Traditional Architectures • There are two traditional Architectures: • Mainframe Architecture (1960) • File – Server Architecture (1980)
Mainframe Architecture Mainframe Server Dumb Terminal Dumb Terminal
Characteristics of Mainframe Architecture Component Characteristic • Server hardware Mainframe computer or minicomputer • Client hardware Dumb terminals • User interface Keyboard input, text output • Data management Flat files • Computation management COBOL programs (non-portable) executed on server • Cost Medium or high • Reliability High • Security High • Scalability High • Flexibility Low
File-Server Architecture Pc or Minicomputer Server Desktop PC Desktop PC
Characteristics of File-Server Architecture Component Characteristic • Server hardware PC • Client hardware PCs • User interface Keyboard input, text output • Data management Flat files • Computation management Programs Written in various languages (BASIC or dBase) executed on client • Cost Low • Reliability Low • Security Low • Scalability Low • Flexibility Low
Client/Server Architecture Pc Minicomputer or Mainframe Server Desktop PC Desktop PC
Characteristics of Client/Server Architecture Component Characteristic • Server hardware PC, minicomputer, or mainframe • Client hardware PC • User interface Graphical • Data management Relational database • Computation management Programs Written in various languages executed on server or client • Cost Low to medium • Reliability High • Security High • Scalability High • Flexibility High
Web-Server-Based Architecture Web Server Web Browser Web Browser
Characteristics of Web Server Architecture • This is a particular form of Client-Server Architecture. • Web server – act as Server. • Web browser – act as Client.