Wednesday, October 22, 2008

What is Information Management (IM)?

Information Management aims to help the development of organisations, communities and individuals by improving information flows and recorded memory. It involves the design, development, implementation, management, use and evaluation of library, archival and recordkeeping systems and services.

Information Management assists the cycle of data capture, processing, storage, retrieval, manipulation, presentation, communication, use and evaluation. Organisations and structures provide a framework for the cycle. In Information Management the emphasis is on processes and methods of use, and evaluating their effectiveness from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.

Information Technology Management and Leadership.

Leaders and managers who work in the higher education IT environment face challenges common to all university leaders: rapidly changing technology, shrinking budgets, policy and legislative changes, globalization, private sector competition, a changing student population, and much more. Successful IT leaders must have the talents, qualities, perspectives, and political skills to support the institution's goals and strategic directions and respond to these business drivers. In addition, they must be aware of trends in the IT field and their implications for higher education. As well as possessing excellent communication and organizational skills, effective IT leaders understand the nature of higher education, the style and context in which decisions are made, and the technology employed.
EDUCAUSE’s wealth of resources for IT leaders and managers focus on the environment in which IT leadership takes place, the planning and organizational skills needed to provide institutional leadership, and the individual characteristics required to develop and sustain a career in IT leadership. We encourage you to explore these pages to find articles, books, conference presentations, effective practices, and relevant communities to support your information needs. EDUCAUSE members contribute much of what you will find here. We invite you to submit your work to further enrich the IT management and leadership area.

Management Information System.

Management Information System (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solving business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy. Management Information Systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization.Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making.

Information Technology of management.

Information technology management (or IT management or management information system) is a combination of two branches of study, information technology and management.
Strictly speaking, there are two incarnations to this definition. One implies the management of a collection of systems, infrastructure, and information that resides on them. Another implies the management of information technologies as a business function.
The first definition stems from the practice of IT Portolio Management and is the subject of technical manuals and publications of various information technologies providers; while the second definition stems from the discussion and formation of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library(ITIL).
The ITIL has been in practice throughout regions of the world mainly conducted by IT service providers consulting companies. The relative paucity in the use of the best practice set can be attributed to a lack of awareness among IT practitioners

CAD and RMS Technical Assistance Available

LEITSC offers Technical Assistance to law enforcement agencies that are in the process of procuring or updating a Computer Aided Dispatch system or Records Management System. The technical assistance is driven by an agency’s use of the Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement CAD and/or RMS. LEITSC is able to provide technical assistance and expertise that a law enforcement agency can use when developing a request for proposal (RFP) and can support delivery during an agency’s selection/procurement process of a CAD or RMS. In addition, technical assistance is offered to agencies that are interested in implementing the Information Exchange Package Documents (IEPDs) for CAD or RMS that LEITSC helped developed.

Information Tecnology of Computer.

Traditional Information Technology Degrees

Traditional IT degrees are still available in colleges and universities and are typically located within specific departments of these schools, such as: business, engineering, art, and liberal arts. The following briefly describes these degrees:
  • Computer Science – a rigorous theoretical study of data structures, operating systems, and programming.
  • Information Systems – called management information systems which teach databases, programming, and computer applications.
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering – a study of software design, communication systems, digital circuits, and technical products.
    Degrees in any one of these areas are perfect for those who want to design electronic products and programs or for those who want to design new and better integrated circuit chips and digital applications.

Practical Information Technology Degrees
Employers want employees who know the practical applications of IT, along with the ability to adapt to evolving computer technology uses, equipment, and programs. These are some of the new degrees with brief descriptions:

  • Game Development – programs focus on designing and creating new games for computers and gaming systems.
  • Interactive Media – programs focus on the creation of websites and digital media to allow more interactivity in cell phones, kiosks, MP3 players, Internet, and gaming systems.
  • Network Engineer – programs focus on the application of IT in databases, programming, and networks.
  • Human Computer Interaction – programs focus on the practical application how humans interact with technology and the development of new computer interfaces.
  • Software Engineering – programs focus on the engineering applications and practical approaches to software development.
  • Multimedia Specialist – programs focus on the practical applications of computer programs and software in various industries for presentation and professional development.
  • Education Technology – programs focus the practical applications of IT in educational settings.

What is Information Technology of Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is a business strategy that many corporations have used for decades. Although not on the scale of their banking counterparts, insurance companies have adopted Information Technology Outsourcing as a means to support system maintenance, application development and improvements to their technology infrastructures.
Increasing numbers of businesses and other institutions are outsourcing their information technology requirements:
1) To reduce costs and internal staffing commitments
2) To release capital to more productive uses
3) To gain access to specialized expertise; and, in some cases
4) To establish or strengthen strategic business relationships
The most common processes outsourced by Information Technology Outsourcing are software development, system maintenance, core systems hosting and other systems hosting. Whether a company wants to outsource all or part of its security assessment, the financial benefits of doing so are immediate. As security assessments and penetration tests are conducted periodically, organizations can choose whether to carry the staff overheads all year round, make staff cuts or simply allocate the resource elsewhere in the department. Organizations that make staff cuts don’t have to maintain specialist, emerging assessment and testing skills, instead they are just bought in.
When thinking about outsourcing, modern businesses must consider not only functions traditionally outsourced but also their rapidly evolving information technology (IT) requirements, that why many firms have adopted Information Technology Outsourcing in recent years as a means of governing their information technology operations.
Information Technology Outsourcing involves a third party who is contracted to manage a particular application, including all related servers, networks, and software upgrades. Of all the jobs being outsourced its Information Technology Outsourcing or the global it outsourcing that stands out of the rest by taking almost 28% of the total outsourcing market.

Benefits of Outsourcing

The short term benefits gained through outsourcing:

  • Ability to focus resources and attention on core business processes
  • Reduced human resource management costs
  • Access as needed to specialized resources
  • Refinement of risk management, project management, and service delivery abilities.
  • Implementation of demand management and service delivery disciplines.
  • More accurate process management and support operations.

Typical long-term benefits include:

  • More predictable results-based budgeting for the outsourced function over the period of a certain outsourcing agreement.
  • Joint and interactive problem solving and creativity.
  • Superior management of the business operations portfolio.
  • Better management, contracting, and outsourcing integration skills.

Is Your Laptop Or Home Computer Wireless Enabled?

Built in wireless capabilities are becoming almost standard equipment on most laptop and home computers these days for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons is cost. Adding wireless capacity is so inexpensive that it would be silly for the manufacturers not to add it. The perceived value of any machine with wireless capacity far exceeds the cost to add it. Wireless is the wave of the future, so if the manufacturers want to stay ahead of the technology curve they need to add it to all but there most basic models.
However, if you're like most people you probably can't even check how much memory your computer has, let-alone if your computer is wireless enabled. Throw in the fact that you may not even know what wireless networking is and it's easy to ignore even trying to determine if your computer has that capacity. As a result, having ever taken the time to set it up is clearly out of the question.

 
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