Information Systems

 

A combination of hardware, software, infrastructure and trained personnel organized to facilitate planning, control, coordination and decision making in an organization.

The 6 components that must come together in order to produce a Computer-Based Information system are:

1.People
2. Data
3. Procedures
4. Hardware
5. Software
6.Telecommunications

1.Hardware:The term hardware refers to machinery.This category includes the computer itself, which is often referred to as the central processing unit (CPU), and all of its support equipment. Among the support equipment are input and output devices, storage devices and communications devices.

2.Software:The term software refers to computer programs and the manuals (if any) that support them. Computer programs are machine-readable instructions that direct the circuitry within the hardware parts of the CBIS to function in ways that produce useful information from data. Programs are generally stored on some input / output medium,often a disk or tape.

3.Database: Data are facts that are used by programs to produce useful information.Like programs,data are generally stored in machine-readable form on disk or tape until the computer needs them. Database is an organized collection of facts and information, typically consisting of two or more related data files.

4.Procedures: Procedures are the policies that govern the operation of a computer system. "Procedures are to people what software is to hardware" is a common analogy that is used to illustrate the role of procedures in a CBIS.

5.People: Every CBIS needs people if it is to be useful. Often the most over-looked element of the CBIS are the people, probably the component that most influence the success or failure of information systems.

6.Telecommunications: These are electronic transmission of signals for communications which enables organizations to carry out their processes and task through effective computer networks.