INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Information Systems



Information System

Introduction

It is generally accepted that information is a vital commodity for the successful operation of today's organizations. Nowadays modern business organizations are using computerized information systems in order to obtain such information. However as the technology advances rapidly the main issue is how can an organization should effectively use such an information system - which its management sometimes can be unpredictable - in order to effectively help the whole organization structure to improve and take the most out of it.

This report will try to analyze intranet and its impact on the use of information in organizations, as well as what actions an organization might take to make the most effective use of it.

What is intranet?

A lot of definitions have been given about the meaning of intranet. Non-technical management define it as anything that runs on the internal network, while software engineers (developers) define it as a client-server application developed using Web tools that runs in an internal network - Intranetjournal.com -

Initially the intranet was used fundamentally for sharing information such as policies, procedures and forms. However, the next intranet generation creates a collaborative medium that provides users quick, comprehensive access to everything their jobs require“ files, programs, and people, both inside and outside the organization“ while capturing and managing each persons work so that others in turn can find and use it.

Help your employees

Just as physical work spaces rely on architectural plans to optimize efficiency, an intranet needs to be carefully designed to help employees access information and collaborate effectively. Because the public does not see the intranet, information design for intranets often receives scant attention. Unlike customers, employees are assumed to be insiders, able to easily locate company information. So, while the company Web site usually has the input of the marketing department, design and structure of the intranet is often relegated to the IT department.

By default, an organization chart of the company is often used to organize information on the intranet. However an organization chart cannot help employees from the marketing and legal departments collaborate on bringing a document through the approval process. It will not allow employees from marketing and research and development to work together to create a new product.

Think about tasks rather than documents

Thinking of the intranet as tool means understanding the intranet as more than a collection of documents. People use documents to complete tasks. Tasks include fulfilling orders, looking up a customers billing history, or collaborating on a research document. To complete these tasks, people need to have related documents and tools close at hand.

Organizing by task can be demonstrated by the example of working at a desk. When you sit down to begin a task (i.e. budget creating), you have a variety of information and tools at hand. While a spreadsheet is a calculation tool, and last years budget is an internal document, both need to be next to each other in order to develop a new budget. Similarly, on the corporate intranet, the tasks of the users ...