Harnessing information management

Harnessing Information Management, the Data, the Infrastructure

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Harnessing Information Management, the Data, the Infrastructure

The advancements in technology and business world have led to computer based information management. The sophistication in information technology available has led to improvement of information management. This form of information management, as compared to the manual filing system and the traditional file based information management increasesthe efficiency of the operations of any business organization. Data storage and management in form of various methods and programs such as databases, data warehouses or data marts are important in organization and management of information in any business organization.Organizations choose data storage techniques based on their organizational needs in terms of information management.

Information management is important for this organization as it serves various critical purposes. Information management is essential in management of records for this organization. Records may be financial, employee information including demographic data and academic qualifications. Records in this organization include inventory management, customer order details and goods specifications. Record keeping is essential for regulatory purposes, preparation of forecasts, detection of deficits and problems for corrective action. Decision making by top management in an organization involves the utilization of information management. Through information management, information about various important aspects of the organization can be compiled and generated , then presented to top management and can be used in decision making.

Information management in the organization facilitates communication between the various departments. Information management enables generation of reports, files and folders, which are then shared between various departments through a network, or through email. Management of the organization’s operations through an information management system is essential in the development and generation of progress reports for the organization and for management of organizational operations. This way, information management systems provide information beneficial in gaining cost advantage over competitors and in provision of better customer service.

Enterprise architecture and information technology architecture affect information management in any given organization.Enterprise architecture determines the criteria used to determine information technology projects tobe pursued, the technology used to implement the project and the infrastructure needed. Enterprisearchitecture has been in existence for the past few decades, with John Zachman being a pioneer in this field. Zachman identified the need to use a logical construction blueprint to define and control the integration of systems and their components.Based on the needs and goals of this organization, enterprise architecture appears to be an effective approach for business and information systems management in this organization.Existing literature further supports the effectiveness of enterprise architecture including faster procurements, increased return on investment and more efficient information technology operations.

Enterprise architecture is efficient because it provides support for tasks such as documenting the current state of affairs, business development, product planning, planning, communication and decision-making support, and business process and information systems consolidation. These processes are key in the improvement of the productivity of the business and customer satisfaction.This organization intends to use enterprise architecture for both business and information technology concerns. The overall impact of enterprise architecture in this organization is the achievement of organizational goals and satisfaction of the needs of stakeholders through the utilization of enterprise architecture.

Information technology architecture (IT architecture) would affect this business organization in various aspects. Information architecture is similar to enterprise architecture but deals with the application and data aspects of an information technology system. This often includes application architecture and the corporate data model. Application and data aspects are important to any organization in terms of efficiency of an information management system. Without proper handling of application and data aspects in an information management system, organizational goals will be difficult to achieve.

Information technology architecture affects the effectiveness and efficiency of information management. Information technology architecture is key in management of information in an organization. It is critical to develop or adopt information technology architecture that suits the information management needs of the organization. When information technology architecture is in line with the information management needs of an organization, organizational needs are met in terms of streamlined business operations, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and stakeholder needs. Organizational needs in terms of information management determine the effectiveness of information technology architecture adopted by an organization. A change in the information management needs of an organization affects the effectiveness of information technology architecture.

The organization may use various data storage methods. These include database, data warehouse and data mart. Other data storage methods includespreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and statistical programs with database options such as Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and SAS. A database is a collection of related data. The operation of database system is through database management systems, which are software packages, or systems to facilitate the creation and maintenance of a computerized database. Software packages that are available for use include MySQL, MS Access, and Oracle, among others. The data and the database management system software form the database system.Information in the organization is stored in the database and can be modified based on organizational needs. Transaction processing, retrieval of reports and queries is possible when database is used.

A data warehouse is a form of a relational database designed for query and analysis and not for transaction processing. It contains historical data derived from transaction data or data from other sources. Data warehouse enables management of the process of gathering data and delivering it to business users through facilitating the data warehouse environment which includes an extraction, transportation, transformation and loading solution, an online analytical processing engine, client analysis tools and other applications.An example of a data warehouse is the SQL server data warehouse. A data mart is a component of a data warehouse and is the access layer of a data warehouse in which information about a particular department is stored. This information is accessible within the shortest time possible.

The rationale for the suggested data storage methods is that the organization is a business organization in nature and its operations therefore involve storage and manipulation of large amounts of data. The possible data storage methods as suggested above are all applicable in the business organization.A data warehouse is very good for handling large volumes of data, and the utilization of data marts within the data warehouse would enable easy retrieval of information in various departments of the organization. The applications that support data warehousing and the operations of the data warehouse environment would enable achievement of organizational goals.

Most of the data storage methods suggested above are applicable to the business organization. However, data warehouse with data marts is the best and optimal data storage method for this business organization. This is because as described above, a data warehouse enables storage and retrieval of large volumes of data in the business organization. The data warehouse supports data mining that is analysis on data for financial or other purposes. Within the data warehouse is a relational database management system and online analytical processing (OLAP) database. This form of data storage enables users to access stored data from the central data warehouse of from smaller collection points in the data warehouse called data marts.

The data marts in the data warehouse enable storage of information specific to a department, and users can access this information from the datamart in the data warehouse. A data warehouse can have about forty to fifty data marts, each with different data. This is convenient for the business organization that has several departments and handles data from several customers each day. This eases operations in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of business operations and is critical in achievement of organizational goals. The rationale for selecting data warehousing and data marts, as the preferred data storage method for the business organization is that these methods match organizational needs of the business organization in terms of function and volumes of data.

In conclusion, information management is an essential function in any business organization. Data storage and manipulation is key in ensuring effectiveness and efficiency of business operations, and in achievement of organizational goals. Data storage methods need to be selected with organizational needs in mind. The assessment for suitability of a storage method is important before the adoption of any data storage method by an organization.

References

Bernus, P., Nemes, L., & Schmidt, G. J. (2012). Handbook on Enterprise Architecture. Springer Science & Business Media.

Galliers, R. D., & Leidner, D. E. (2014). Strategic Information Management: Challenges and Strategies in Managing Information Systems. Routledge.

Tse, P. K. (2008). Multimedia Information Storage and Retrieval: Techniques and Technologies: Techniques and Technologies. IGI Global.