Chapter 12--Information Security Management

A security threat is a challenge to the integrity of information systems that arises from one of three sources: human error and mistakes,malicious human activity,and natural events and disasters.
Pretexting occurs when someone deceives by pretending to be someone else.
Phishing-used for obtaining unauthorized data that uses pretexing via email.
Spoofing-is another term for someone pretending to be someone else.
Sniffing- is a technique for intercepting computer communications .
Drive-by sniffers- simply take computers with wireless communications through an area and search for unprotected wireless networks.
Hacking-occurs when a person gains unauthorized access to a computer system.
Usurpation-occurs when unauthorized programs invade a computer system and replace legitimate programs.
A security program has three components: senior-management involvement, safeguards of various kinds,and incident response.
A security policy has three elements: the first is a general statement of the organizations security program. The second is the issue specific-policy. The third is the system-specific policy.
Risk is the likelihood of an adverse occurrence.
Uncertainty- refers to the things we do not know that we do not know.
Technical safeguards involve the hardware and software components of an information system.
A smart card is a plastic card similar to a credit card.
Biometric authentication- uses personal physical characteristics such as fingerprints,facial features,and retinal scans to authenticate users.
Hashing is a method of mathematically manipulating the message to create a string of bits that characterize the message.
A virus is a computer program that replicates itself.
Trojan horses are viruses that masquerade as useful program or files.
Spyware programs are installed on the user's computer without the user's knowledge or permission.
Adware is similar to spyware in that it is installed without the user's permission and that it resides in the background and observes user behavior.
A botnet is a network of bots that is created and managed by the individual or organization that infected the network with the bot program.
Hardening a site means to take extraordinary measures to reduce a system's vulnerability.
A hot site is a utility company that can take over another company's processing with no forewarning.
A cold site provides computer and office space.

Chapter 11- Information Systems Management

The major function sof the information sustems department are :

• Plan the use of IS to accomplish organizational goals and strategy.
• Develop,operate,and maintain the organizations computing infrastructure
• Develop,operate,and maintain enterprise applications
  
• Protect information assets
  
• Manage outsourcing relationships

Chief information officer- is the title of the principal manger of the IS department,it varies from organization to organization.
A steering committee is a group of senior managers from the major business functions that work with the CIO to set the IS priorities and decide among major IS projects and alternatives.

There are three important task in managing the computing infrastructure:

• Create and maintain infrastructurre for end-user computing
• Create,operate,and maintain networks
• Create,operate,and maintain data centers,data warehouses,and data marts

Enterprise Application Integration-include intermediary layers of software,and possibly intermediary databases to enable the integration of disparate systems.
Data administration describes a function that pertains to all of an organization's data assets.
Data standards- are definitions,or metadata,for data items shared across the organization.
A data dictionary is a file or database that contains data definitions.
Outsourcing is the process of hiring another organization to perform a service.
Risk of outsourcing is loss of control,potential loss of intellectual capital,outsource vendor may change managementand the outsource vendor may change its pricing strategy over time.
Cloud computing is a form of hardware/software outsourcing in which organizations offer flexible plans for customers to lease hardware and software facilities.
A legacy information system is one that has outdated technologies and techniques but is still used,despite its age.
Virtualization is the process whereby multiple operating systems share the same computer hardware,usually a server.
Green computing -is environmentally conscious computing consisting of three major components:power management,virtualization,and e-waste management.

Chapter 10-- Managing Development

Systems development- is the process of creating and maintaining information systems.
Brooke's Law- adding more people to a late project make the project later.
Systems development life cycle(SDLC)- is the classic process used to develop information systems
Phases: 1. System definition 2. Requirements analysis 3. Component design 4. Implementation 5. System Maintenance
Feasibility has four dimensions:cost,schedule,technical,and organizational feasibility.
Systems analysts are IS professionals who understand both business and technology.
A test plan consists of sequences of actions that users will take when using the new system
Product quality assurance-construct the test plan with the advice and assistance of users.
Beta testing-process of allowing future system users to try out the new system on their own.
System conversion converting business activity from the old system to the new.
Pilot installation- organization implements the entire system on a limited portion of the business.
Phased installation-new system is installed in phases across the organization.
Parallel installation-new system runs in parallel with the old one until the new system is tested and fully operational.
Plunge installation- organization shuts off the old system and starts the new system.
Projects that spend so much time documenting requirements are sometimes said to be in analysis paralysis.
Trade-offs are balancing of three critical drivers,requirements,cost,and time.
Diseconomies of scale-situation that occurs when adding more resources creates inefficiencies,such as those that occur when adding more people to a late project.
Work-breakdown structure- is a hierarchy of the tasks required to complete a project.
Critical path is the sequence of activities that determine the earliest date by which the project can be completed.
Critical path analysis- is the process by which project managers compress the schedule by moving resources,typically people,from noncritical path tasks onto critical path tasks.
A function point is simply a feature or function of the new program.
The challenges of managing IS development projects arise from four different factors. 1. coordination2. diseconomies of scale 3. configuration control 4. unexpected events
Configuration control refers to a set of management policies,practices,and tools that developers uses to maintain control over the project's resources.
Requirements creep- the process by which users agree to one set of requirements,then add a bit more,then add a bit more,and so forth.

Chapter 9--Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence- information containing patterns,relationships,and trends
Business Intelligence system-an information system that employs business intelligence tools to produce and deliver information.
Business intelligence tool-is one or more computer programs that implement a particular BI technique.
Reporting tools-programs that read data from a variety of sources,process that data,format it into a structured reports,and deliver those reports to the user who need them.
Data mining-tools-process data using statistical techniques,many of which are sophisticated and mathematically complex.
Knowledge-management tools-are used to store employee knowledge and to make that knowledge available t0 employees,customers,vendors,auditors, and others who need it.
A business intelligence application-is the use of a tool on a particular type of data for a particular purpose.
A reporting application- is a BI application that inputs data from one or more sources and applies a reporting tool to that data to produce information
Reporting tools produce information from data using five basic operations: sorting,grouping,calculating,filtering,formatting
RFM analysis is a technique readily implemented using reporting tools is used to analyze and rank customers according to their purchasing patterns
Online analytical processing- a second type of reporting tool is more generic than RFM.
Unsupervised data mining- analysts do not create a model or hypothesis before running the analysis.
A decision tree is a hierarchical arrangement of criteria that predict a classification or a value.
To address these problems,many organizations choose to extract operational data into facilities called data warehouse and data marts.
Curse of dimensionality-the more attributes there are the easier its is to build a model that fits the sample data but that is worthless as a predictor.
Knowledge management is the process of creating value from intellectual capital and sharing that knowledge with employees,managers ,suppliers,customers,and others who need it.
Real simple syndication is a standard for subscribing to content sources.
Expert Systems- attempt to capture human expertise and put it into a format that can be used non experts.
A business intelligence application server- delivers those results in a variety of formats to devices for consumption by BI users.
Portal servers- are like web servers except that they have a customizable user interface.

Chapter 8-- E-Commerce and Web 2.0

E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over public and private computer networks.
Merchant companies take title to the goods they sell. They buy goods and resell the,.
Non-merchant companies arrange for the purchase and sale of goods without ever owning or taking title to those goods.
Business-to-consumer e-commerce(B2C) concerns sales between supplier and a retail customer(the consumer).
Business-to-business e-commerce(B2B)- refers to sales between companies.
Business-to government e-commerce(B2G) refers to sales between companies and governmental organizations.
E-commerce auctions match buyers and sellers by using an e-commerce version of a standard auction.
Clearinghouses- Provides goods and services at a stated price and arrange for the delivery of the goods, but they never take title.
Electronic exchange- matches buyers and sellers; the business process is similar to that of a stock exchange.
Disintermediation-is the elimination of middle layers of distributors and suppliers.
Price Elasticity measures the amount that demand rises or falls with changes in price.
Companies need to consider the following economic factors:
1. Channel Conflict
2.Price Conflict
3.Logistics expense
4. Customer-Service expense
Hypertext transfer protocol(HTTP)-communication between the user and server computers
A webpage is a document coded in one of the standard page markup languages, that is transmitted using HTTP.
Web servers- are programs that run on a server tier computer and that manage Http traffic by sending and receiving web pages to and from clients.
A browser is a computer program on the client computer that processes web pages.
A commerce server is an application program that runs on a server tier computer.
Hypertext Markup Language(HTML)- is the most common language for defining the structure and layout of web pages.
An HTML tag is a notation used to define a data element for display or other purposes.
Hyperlinks are pointers to other web pages.
Attribute- is a variable used to provide properties about a tag.
A supply chain is a network of organizations and facilities that transforms raw materials into products delivered to customers.
Supply chain profitability is the difference between the sum of the revenue generated by the supply chain and the sum of the costs that all organizations in the supply chain incur to obtain that revenue.
Bullwhip effect is a phenomenon in which the variability in the size and timing of order increases at each stage up the supply chain,from customer to supplier.
Web 2.0-refers to a loose grouping of capabilities,technologies,business models, and philosophies.
Beta program- is a pre-lease version of software that is used for testing;it becomes obsolete when the final version is released.
In a social networking group is an association of SN members related to a particular topic,event,activity, or other collective interest.
A social networking application-is a computer program that interacts with and processes information in a social network.
Crowdsourcing- is the process by which organizations involve their users in the design and marketing of their products.

Chapter 7--Business Process Management

Business Process Management(BPM) - systematic process of creating,assessing,and altering business processes.
As-is Model- documents the current situation and then change that model to make adjustments necessary to solve process problems.
Functional Processes-involve activities with a single department or function
Islands of automation- work in isolation from one another.
Cross-functional processes- involve activities among several or even many,business departments.
Object Management Group(OMG)- created a standard set of terms and graphical notations for documenting business processes.
Process designers can increase the performance of a business process in three fundamental ways:
1. they can add or remove resources to a given process without changing.
2. designers can change the structure of a process without changing resource allocations
3. Designers can do both.
A functional application is a computer program that supports or possibly automates the major activities in a functional process.
Operations applications are especially prominent for non-manufacturers such as distributors.wholesalers, and retailers.
Order-entry application obtains customer contact and shipping data,verifies customer credit,validates payment method, and enter the order into a queue for processing.
Order-management applications track the order through the fulfillment process,arrange for and schedule shipping,and process expectations.
Inventory applications support inventory control and inventory management.
Manufacturing planning applications help businesses allocate inventory and equipment to manufacturing processes.
A bill of materials(BOM) is a list of the materials that comprise a product.
Materials requirements planning- an application that plans the need for materials and inventories of materials used in the manufacturing process.
Manufacturing resource planning- a follow-up to MRP that includes the planning of materials,personnel,and machinery.
A customer relationship management is a cross-functional application that tracks all interactions with the customer from prospect through follow-up service and support.
Customer life cycle: marketing,customer acquisition,relationship management, and loss/churn.
Service is a repeatable task that a business needs to perform.
Encapsulation places the logic in one place,which is exceedingly desirable.

Chapter 6--Data Communication

A computer network is a collection of computers that communicate with one another over transmission lines or wireless.
A local area network(LAN)- connects computers that reside in a single geographic location on the premises of the company that operates the LAN.
Wide area networks(WANs)- connect computers at different geographic locations.
An internet is a network of networks. The most famous internet is "the Internet"... which is the collection of networks that you can use send email or access a web site.
A protocol is a set of rules that two communicating devices follow. A switch is a special-purpose computer that receives and transmits messages on LAN.
Network interface card(NIC)- connects the devices circuitry to the cable. The computers, printers,switches,and other devices on LAN are connected using one of two media.
Connections between switches can use UTP cable, but if they carry a lot of traffic or are far apart UTP cable may be replaced by Optic fiber cables.
Bluetooth is designed for transmitting data over short distances, replacing cables.
Internet Service Provider(ISP)- three important functions:
1. provides you with legitimate Internet address
2. Serves as a gateway to the Internet
3. Pay for the internet.
DSL(Digital Subscriber Line)- operates on the same lines as voice telephones, but they operate so that their signals do not interfere with voice telephone service.
Cable modems provide high-speed data transmission using cable television lines
Narrowband lines typically have transmission speeds less than 56kbps. Broadband lines have speeds in excess of 256kbps.
A router is a special-purpose computer that moves network traffic from one node on a network to another.
Public switched data network(PSDN) network of computers and leased lines that is developed and maintained by a vendor that leases time on the network to other organizations.
A virtual private network(VPN) uses the internet to create the appearance of private point-to-point connections.
Tunnel- is a virtual, private pathway over a public or shared network from the VPN client to the VPN server.
Key-number used to encrypt the data.
Symmetric encryption-same key is used to encode and to decode
Asymmetric encryption-different keys are used
Firewall- a computing device that prevents unauthorized network access.
Packet-filtering firewall- examines each part of a message and determines whether to let that part pass.
Access control list(ACL)- encodes the rules stating which addresses are to be allowed and which are to be prohibited.
Presence- term that means you'll know who is on the system.

Chapter 5---Database Processing

The purpose of database is to keep track of things. A database is a self-describing collection of integrated records. A byte is a character of data. In a database bytes are grouped into columns . Columns are also called fields. Columns are grouped into rows, which are also called records. A group of similar rows or records is called a table or file.
Foreign keys- a column or group of columns used to represent relationships.
Databases that carry their data in the form of tables and that represent relationships using foreign keys are called relational databases. Metadata are data that describe data.
Components of a Database Application System: User---->Database Application: Forms,Reports,Queries,Application Programs----> Database Management System(DBS)----> Database: Tables,Relationships,Metadata.
A database management system is a program used to create,process, and administer a database.
Structured Query Language(SQL) is an international standard language for processing a database.
Database Administration is the management,development,operation, and maintenance of the database so as to achieve the organizations objectives.
A database application is a collection of forms,reports,queries,and application programs that process a database.
Data entry forms are used to read,insert,modify, and delete data.
Multi-user processing is when multiple users process the database at the same time.
Lost update problem is an issue in multi-user database processing in which two or more users try to make changes to the data but the database cannot make all those changes because it was not designed to process changes from multiple users.
Enterprise DBMS products process large organizational and workgroup databases.
Personal DBMS products are designed for smaller,simpler database applications.
Data model is a logical representation of the data in a database that describes the data and relationships that will be stored in the database.
The entity-relationship (E-R) data model is a tool for constructing data models. An entity is some thing that the users want to track. Ex: Order,Customer,Salesperson.
Entities have attributes that describe characteristics of the entity. Ex:Order, Subtotal,Tax
Entities have an identifier which is an attribute whose value is associated with one and only one entity instance. Ex: order number is an identifier of order. Entities have relationships to each other. Ex: An order has a relationship to a customer entity and also to a salesperson entity.
One-to-many relationships- one department can have many advisers,but an adviser has at most one department.
Many-to many relationships- one adviser can have many students and one student can have many advisers.
Normalization is the process of converting a poorly structured table into two or more well-structured tables.
Data integrity problem - in a database, the situation that exists when data items disagree with one another. Ex: two different names for the same customer.
Data aggregators - companies that obtain data from the public and private sources and store,integrate, and process it in sophisticated ways.

Chapter 4: Hardware and Software

Hardware consists of electronic components and related gadgetry that input,process,output,and store data according to instructions encoded in computer programs and software.
Input devices are the keyboard,mouse, document scanners,and bar code scanners.
Processing devices include the central processing unit (CPU) which is sometimes called "the brain" of the computer.
The CPU selects,instructions, processes them,performs arithmetic and logical comparisons, and stores results of operations in memory.
Dual processor is a computer with two CPU's . A Quad-processor is a computer that has four CPU's.
The CPU reads data and instructions from memory, and it stores results of computation in main memory. Main memory is sometimes called RAM( random access memory).
Special function cards can be added to the computer to augment its basic capabilities.
Output hardware- consists of video displays,printers, audio speakers,overhead projectors,and other special-purpose devices,such as large flatbed plotters.
Storage hardware- saves data and programs. ex: magnetic disks,CDs, DVDs,etc.
Computers represent data using binary digits,called bits. A bit is either a zero or a one. Bits are used for computer data because they are easy to represent electronically.
Storage Capacity terminology
Byte- number of bits to represent one character
Kilobytes----1,024 bytes-----K(abbreviation)
Megabyte----1,024K=1,048,576 bytes----MB
Gigabyte -----1,024 MB=1,073,741,824 bytes---GB
Terabyte-----1,024 GB=1,099,511,627,776 bytes

To run a program or process data,the computer first transfers the program or data from disk to the main memory. Then,to execute an instruction,it moves the instruction from main memory into the CPU via the data channel or bus. The CPU has a small amount of very fast memory called cache.
Operating system(OS) is a program that controls the computer's resources.
Memory swapping is the movement of programs and data into and out of memory. If a computer has insufficient memory for its workload, such swapping will degrade system performance.
CPUs today are classified as 32-bit or 64-bit. The cache and main memory are volatile,meaning that their contents are lost when power is off. Magnetic and optical disks are nonvolatile,meaning that their contents survive when power is off.
Users employ client computers for word processing,spreadsheets,database access,and so forth.Servers provide some service. Some servers process email;other process websites;others process;large,shared databases;and some provide all of these functions or other,similar functions. A collections of servers is called a server farm.
A grid is a network of computers that operates as an integrated whole;the grid appears to be a single computer.
Cloud refers to the computing network on the internet. Instruction set is the commands that a CPU can process.
Four Major Operating Systems
Windows-an operating system designed and sold by Microsoft. it is the most widely used operating system.
Mac OS- an operating system developed by Apple. It was developed for the Powerpc, but as of 2006 will run on Intel processors as well.
Unix- an operating system that was developed at bells labs in the 1970s. It has bee the workhorse of the scientific and engineering communities since then.
Linux-a version of unix that was developed by the open source community.It is a popular operating system for web servers.
When you buy a computer program,you are not actually buying that program. Instead, you are buying a license to use that program. large organizaitons buy a site license, which is a flat fee that authorizes the company to install the product on all of the company's computers.
Application software performs a service or function. ex: Microsoft Excel,Word, Quickbooks,etc.
Horizontal-market application is a software that provides capabilities common across all organizations and industries.
Vertical-market application software serves the needs of a specific industry.
One-of-a-kind application is a software that is developed for a specific,unique need.
You can buy computer software off-the-shelf software,off-the-shelf with alternation software,or tailor made,which is called custom developed software.
Firmware is a computer that is installed into devices such as printers,print servers, and various types of communication devices.
Client-server applications require code on both the client and the server. Email is a good example.
Thin Client- a client-server application that requires nothing more than a browser.
Thick Client- requires programs other than a browser on the user's computer.

Open source means that the source code of the program is available to the public. Source codes is computer code as written by humans and that is understandable by humans. Source code is compiled into a machine code that is processed by a computer. Machine code in general not understandable by humans and cannot be modified. In a closed source (ex. Microsoft Office) the source is highly protected and only available to trusted employees and carefully vetted contractors.
Because of Moore's law, hardware,and software will likely undergo major changes by 2020.

Chapter 3: Information Systems for Competitive Advantage

An organization's goals and objectives are determined by its competitive strategy. Competitive strategy determines the structure,features,and functions of every information system.
Five force model is used to assess an industry structure.
Five Force Model


The intensity of each of the five forces determines the characteristics of the industry,how profitable it is, and how sustainable that profitability will be.



An organization responds to the structure of it's industry by choosing a competitive strategy.

Porter's Model of Four Competitive Strategies




According to Porter, to be effective, the organization's goals,objectives,culture,and activities must be consistent with the organization strategy.

Value- the amount of money that a customer is willing to pay for a resource,product,or service.
Margin- the difference between the value that an activity generates and the cost of the activity.
A value chain is a network of value-creating activities. That generic chain consists of five primary activities and four support activities.

Primary Activities
Inbound logistics- receiving,storing, and disseminating inputs to the product.
Operations/Manufacturing- transforming inputs into the final product.
Outbound logistics- collecting,storing,and physically distributing the product to buyers.
Sales and Marketing- inducing buyers to purchase the product and providing a means for them to do so.
Customer Service- assisting customer's use of the product and thus maintaining and enhancing the product's value.
Support activities contribute indirectly to the production,sale, and service of the product.

A business process is a network of activities that generate value by transforming inputs into outputs. The cost of the business process is the cost of the inputs plus the cost of the activities. The margin of the business process is the value of the output minus the cost.
A business process is a network of activities;each activity transforms input resources into output resources. Resources flow between or among activities. Facilities store resources;some facilities,such as inventories,store physical items.

Organizations gain a competitive advantage by creating new products or services,by enhancing existing products or services,and by differentiating their products and services from those of their competitors.
Organizations can lock in customers by making it difficult or expensive for customers to switch to another product. This strategy is called establishing high switching costs. Competitive can also be gained by creating entry barriers that make it difficult and expensive for new competition to enter the market. Other ways to gain competitive advantage is by reducing cost and establishing alliances.

Chapter 2: Collaboration Information Systems

Collaboration-occurs when two or more people work together to achieve a common goal,result,or work product.
Critical collaboration Drivers:

1. Communication- a critical factor in collaboration,consisting of two key elements. First is the ability of individuals to share information and receive feedback and the availability of effective systems by which to share information.
   
2. Content Management- when multiple users are contributing and changing documents,schedules,task lists,assignments, and so forth,one user's work might interfere with another's.
3. Workflow control- a process or procedure by which content is created,edited,used,and disposed.

Collaboration Information System Components:

1. Hardware

• Client Hardware- consists of the computers and other communication devices that users employ to participate in collaboration activities.
• Server Hardware- consists of computers that are installed and operated by IT professionals that support the collaboration system.
  

2. Software

• Google Docs & Spreadsheets: a version-management system for sharing documents and spreadsheets data.
  
• Microsoft Office Grove: a collaboration product that includes version management and other useful tools.
• Microsoft Share Point: a version-control application that includes many collaboration features and function including document check-in/checkout,surveys,discussion forums,and workflow.
  

3. Data- collaboration data consists of documents,discussions, tasks, lists, and other types of team data

Procedures- there are two types of procedures important for collaboration:procedures for using the collaboration software and procedures for conducting the collaborative project. The second type of collaboration procedures concerns ho9w the team will perform it's collaborative work.

Starting Phase is to set the ground rules for the collaboration.
Planning phase is to determine "who will do what and by when."
Doing phase is when tasks are accomplished.
Wrapping Phase is when the question are we done is asked.

People are the most important component in an information system. Good communications skills,speaks their mind even if its an unpopular viewpoint, willing to enter into difficult conversations,skillful at giving and receiving negative feedback,willing to put forward unpopular ideas and thinks differently than I do/brings different perspectives are some of the twelve most important characteristics for an effective collaborator.

Synchronous communication occurs when all team members meet at the dame time, such as with conference calls.
Asynchronous communication occurs when team members do not meet at the dame time.
In virtual meetings participants do not meet in the same place and possibly not at the dame time, you can use conference calls, webinars, or multiparty text chat.
Shared view is a Microsoft product for sharing a computer screen.
Discussion Forums is where one group member posts an entry,perhaps an idea,a comment ,or a question, and other group members respond.
Team surveys is where one team member creates a list of questions and other team members respond.

File server is a computer that stores files...just like the disk in your local computer.
Version Management tracks changes to documents and provide features and functions to accommodate concurrent work.
Wiki is a shared knowledge base in which the content is contributed and managed by the wiki's users.
Voice over IP(VoIP) enables meeting participants to conduct telephone conversations using the internet connection. No separate phone line is necessary.
Sequential workflow activities that occur in a sequence and Parallel workflow reviews would occur simultaneously.
A problem is a perceived difference between what is and what ought to be.
Operational decisions concern day-to-day activities. Information systems that support operational decision making are called transaction processing systems(TPS).
Managerial decisions concern the allocation and utilization of resources.
Strategic decision concern broader-scope,organizational issues.
A structured decision process is one for which there is an understood and accepted method for making the decision . An unstructured decision process on one for which there is no agreed-on decision making method.
One consequence is that by 2020 face to face meetings will be rare.

Chapter 1: The Importance of MIS

Introduction to MIS is the most important Class in the Business School because of Moore's law.
Moore's Law- Gordon Moore, Co founder of Intel Corporation, stated that because of technology improvements in electronic chip design and manufacturing " The number of transistors per square inch on an integrate hip doubles every 18 months."
Because of Moore's Law, the cost of data communications and data storage is essentially zero.
Future business professionals need to be able to assess,evaluate,and apply emerging information technology to business.
Nonroutine cognitive skills:

• Abstract reasoning-ability to make and manipulate models.
• Systems thinking-the mental process of making one or more models of the components of a system and connecting the inputs and outputs among those components into a sensible whole,one that explains the phenomenon observed.
• Collaboration- the situation in which two or more people work together toward a common goal,result,or product.
  
• Ability to experiment-careful and reasoned analysis of an opportunity,envisioning potential products or solutions or applications of technology and then developing those ideas that seem to have the most promise.

MIS (Management Information Systems)- the development and use of information systems that help businesses achieve their goals and objectives.

Five components of an Information System- Computer hardware, software, data, procedures, and people.

Information- is knowledge derived from data, whereas data is defined as recorded facts or figures.
Another definition of information is processed data.Information is data processed by summing,ordering,averaging,grouping,comparing,or other similar operations.
What makes some information better than other information?
Accurate- good information.
Timely-produced in time for it's intended use.
Relevant-information that is appropriate to both the context and subject.
Sufficent- purpose for which it is generated but just barely so.
Worth it Cost- an appropriate relationship must exist between the cost of information and its value.
Information Technology- refers to the products, methods,inventions, and standards that are used for the purpose of producing information.
Information System- is an assembly of hardware,software,data,procedures, and people that produces information