MIS Assignment 1: IS/IT Best Practices

{ Posted on 1:50 AM by Ariel Serenado }
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For this assignment we are tasked to visit a local organization and to identify its IS/IT best practices.



The approved local organization that I have visited was the Hubport Group Interactive, located at the 3rd Floor Conpinco Building, along J.P Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City. The person that we interviewed regarding this assignment was Mr. Paulo Saravia, the Operations Officer at Hubport Interactive Inc. Also, he is a Web Designer, Project Manager and under training in Operations Management for Information Technology / Management and Business Process Outsourcing. Besides, he is specializing in IT business process development, IT product branding, human resource acquisition, project management, client negotiations, web design, application process design, interactive flash development and many more.


Before stating the best IT/IS practices of the said local organization. Let us first review the company profile of the Hubport Group Interactive.


Hubport Interactive Inc. enables a business to build an imperative subsistence in the online B2C (Business-to-Consumer) space. We empower your website to attain optimum function and revolutionize your business by creating online channels to effectively connect with existing clients and successfully tap new ones. Our accomplished E-Commerce Storefront encoders, Retail Shop Managers, Online Marketing Consultants, and Production Team associates provide the technology backbone that launch prospering and profitable websites.


Satellite offices in North America, the U.K., and an upcoming presence in Japan help counter communication, and accessibility issues. Subsequently, creating a smooth working relationship between client and service provider. Projects are delivered on time, with little or no hitches. Our fulfillment teams observe a synchronized shifting schedule to accommodate client concerns at any time most convenient to them. Hubport Interactive Inc. is sensitive to a clients’ web investment margin and his ultimate goal of increasing profits.

Hubport Interactive Inc. has a high regard for service excellence and client satisfaction. Hence, we only have people whose commitment is as fervent as ours. Project managers and fulfillment teams who specialize in Website Development, Web Application Program, E-Commerce Business Process Development and Maintenance, System Software Development, Auto CAD, Animations, Graphics Development, Video Editing, Music and Audio Voice Development, GSM SMS Service, WIFI Mobile Solutions, IT Managerial and IT Marketing Development.

As we visited the said organization, we have come to know their best practices on the field of Information Technology and Information System. Here are the following:


  1. ISO Certifications.

ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. It is an internationally recognized standard for the quality management of businesses. It applies to the processes that create and control the products and services an organization supplies. It prescribes systematic control of activities to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met. It is designed and intended to apply to virtually any product or service, made by any process anywhere in the world. The benefits of this certification is the key reason why Hubport has been practicing this certification. Implementing a Quality Management System will motivate staff by defining their key roles and responsibilities. Cost savings can be made through improved efficiency and productivity, as product or service deficiencies will be highlighted. From this, improvements can be developed, resulting in less waste, inappropriate or rejected work and fewer complaints. Customers will notice that orders are met consistently, on time and to the correct specification. This can open up the market place to increased opportunities. “By the certification we can cope with the minor and the major changes of the business”, Mr. Saravia added. Therefore, ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society.


  1. Proper Documentation.

Proper documentation is really important in a business organization. It enables to have a “roll back”. Roll back has something to do with recovery plan of a certain system. Using the roll back system, this will restore the transaction being made before a system has been interrupted in any instance. If any interruption will happen the administrator can manipulate to do the roll back, to restore the transaction before the interruption (e.g. Power Interruption) occurred. Also, the work of the roll back is similar to “UNDO”. Basically, UNDO is used every time the user wish to revert the current version of the page, turning back the page to its original version.


  1. Security.

It includes FIREWALL, SPYWARES and etc. Firewall is a part of the computer system to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized communications within the network of the organization. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. Spywares. It is installed on personal computers to collect information about the users their computer or browsing habits without their informed consent. With Hubport, IT personnel are very particular with this security system for some of the data and information requires confidentiality. In the case of Hubport, every system unit designated in every department of the company has NO CD/DVD Rom NOR USB Ports. If one wished to print some information, he/she must go to the IT department where printing of information is made possible to check the print outs as to the data to stick on their practice which is confidentiality with the information within the private network of the organization.


  1. Disaster Recovery Plan.

This plan is intended to mitigate and manage if there is a disaster happening, such as in case of fire also includes server break down. This is one of the measures that Hubport is practicing in their communication plan. Disaster recovery planning is a subset of a larger process known as business continuity planning and should include planning for resumption of applications, data, hardware, communications (such as networking) and other IT infrastructure. In the case of Hubport, they used 3 internet servers; if and when one server will experience break down then it will be easy for the manager to connect to the other internet server. Also, they are monitoring as to which of the servers work faster in terms of its bandwidth. This is to practice IT related infrastructure recovery and continuity plan. Furthermore, disaster recovery planning is the aim of the organization in avoiding larger losses in the event that the business cannot continue to function due to loss of IT infrastructure and data.


Prior the interview was conducted we were informed that some information are confidential. Therefore, not all their practices are presented in this section. In as much as best practices is concern, the (4) four IT/IS best practices are considered vital and some of the best practices that any company must bear.


During the interview we took some pictures. Again, due to confidentiality we were not allowed to take more pictures. However, I have some pictures which I think are proofs that we conduct an interview based on the above-stated topic.




The group with Mr. Paulo Saravia (center), Operations Manager, Hubport Interactive.



Ariel Serenado at the Hubport Interactive, 3 Floor Conpinco Building, J.P Laurel Avenue , Davao City.



Sources:


http://www.iso.org/iso/about.htm

http://www.isoqar.com/iso9001/qualintro.htm


IS/IT Leadership Roles

{ Posted on 3:32 AM by Ariel Serenado }
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IS/IT Leadership Roles


According to the Computer Science Corporation (CSC) here are the Information System LEADERSHIP Roles:
1. Chief Architect. The chief architect designs future possiblities for the business. The primary work of the chief architect is to design and evolve the IT infastructure so that it will expand the range of future possibilities for the business, not define specific business outcomes. The infastructure should provide not just today's technical service, such as networking databases and deskstop operating systems, but an increasing range of business-level services, such as workflow, portfolio management, scheduling, and scpecific business components or objects.

2. Change leader. The change leader ochestrates resources ro archieve optimal implementation of the future. The essential role of the change leader is to orchestrate all those resources that will be needed to execute the change program. This includes providing new IT tools , but itv also invlobes putting in the place teams of people who can redesign roles, jobs, and workflow, who can change beliefs about the company and the work people do, and who understand human nature and can develop incentive systems to coax people into different behaviors.

3. Product developer. The product developer helps define the company's place in the emerging digital economy. For example, a product developer might recognize the potential for performing key business processes (perhaps order fulfillment, purchasing or delivering customer support) over electronic linkages such as the internet . The product developer must "sell" the idea to a business partner , and together they can set up and evaluate business experiments, which are initially operated out of IS. Whether the new methods are adopted or not, the compnay will learn from the experiments and so move closer to commercial success in emerging digital markets.

4. Technology provocateur. The technology provocateur embeds IT into the business strategy. The technology provocateur works with senior business executives to bring IT and realities of the IT marketplace to bear on the formation of strategy for the business.The technology provocateur is a senior business executive who understands both the business and IT at a deep enough level to integrate the two perspectives in discussions about the future course of the business. Technology provocateurs have a wealth of experience in IS disciplines, so they understand at a fundamental level the capabilities of IT and how IT impacts the business.


5. Coach. The coach teaches people to acquire the skillsets they will need for the future. Coaches have basic responsibilities: teaching people how to learn, so that they can become self-sufficient, and providing team leaders with staff able to do the IT-related work of business. A mechanism that assists both is the center of excellence - a small group of people with a particular competence or skill, with a coach responsible for their growth and development. Coaches are solid practitioners of the competence that they will be coaching, but need not to be the best at it in the company.


6. Chief operating strategist. The chief operating strategist invents the future with senior management. The chief operating strategist is the top IS executive who is focused on the future agenda of the IS organization. The strategist has parallel responsibilities related to helping the business design the future, and then delivering it. The most important, and least understood, parts of the role have to do with the interpretation of new technologies and the IT marketplace, and the bringing of this understanding into the development of he digital business strategy for the organization.


source(click here)



my M.I.S______________________________________________



Managerial Roles


The following are the managerial roles according to Henry Mintzberg:

Henry Mintzberg took a live study of five CEO's of a company and came up with ten managerial roles that best reflected all the daily tasks a manager performs. These ten tasks or roles are broken up to in groups called interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The groups are managerial behaviors the manager would go through on the job.


1. Interpersonal managerial. The interpersonal managerial roles have three roles within it figurehead, leader, and liaison. A figurehead role was to perform a number of routine duties of legal or social nature. An example would be a manager in charge of the legal department or sign contracts for sales deal. The leader role was in charge of motivation, training, and staffing. An example would be manager hiring an employee or human resource manager. The liaison role was to keep contact information of vendors that would supply information at work. A manager would keep this information to do everyday business to keep in contact with vendors.

2. Informational managerial role. Informational managerial role also has three roles within it are monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson. The monitor keeps current with all company information from within and the outside world. A manager would want to keep current to tell or show new things that employees or other personal would need to know. The disseminator shares knowledge with other employees. A manager would do this by holding meeting or sending out emails.The spokesperson would share information to the outside world like the press or other organizations. A manager would hold a conference or inform the media of new things to come.

3. Decisional managerial role. Decisional managerial role has for roles that are entrepreneur, disturbance hander,resource allocator, and negotiator. The entrepreneur would seek out new ideas and look for the opportunities for improvement. A manager would create ideas or get information back from employees to present ideas to the company.

source(click here)

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mY RefLecTion....mY LeArNings...my M.I.S...

{ Posted on 1:23 AM by Ariel Serenado }
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__M.I.S___________________________________________________

Thursday, June 18, 2009 marked the first meeting of our subject in Management Information System or simply MIS with Dr. Randy S. Gamboa as our facilitator (according to him) for he never called himself a professor but a facilitator (humble) of course to aide the students the learning that is due to the students. The meeting started solemnly with a prayer and I was the one assigned to lead the prayer, so I did. Since, there were new faces from USep (tagum campus) he asked those students to introduce themselves and render a song for those who came late. After which the formal class started. The whole discussion was all about the course description of the subject, when nobody can justify the question of Dr. Gamboa, Is the description (Management Information System) appropriate or not? He gave us an assignment which is a blog entry in 1000 words.

By referring alone the term Management Information System is quite cumbersome to comprehend, especially if one finds it difficult and strange. Since, this is my first time to take the course Management Information System or simply MIS, at first i really don't have the idea what comprises this course, nor the relationship that invloves in it.

This blog entry serves as my reflection and my own understanding towards the course description, Management Information System (MIS).

Before one can explain the real thing about Management Information System (MIS), the terms management, information, system, and information system must be briefly be defined. By definition a system is a combination or arrangement of parts to form an integrated whole. A system includes an orderly arrangement according to some common principles or rules, or simply it is a plan or method of doing something. Information is what is used in the act of informing or the state of being informed which includes the knowledge acquired in any means possible. Lastly, management is usually defined as planning, organizing, directing and controlling the operation. Besides, if management has the knowledge of planning, its decisins can be made on the basis of facts, and decisions are more accurate and timely as a result. Through the given definitions of the above-stated terms we can now distinguish the differences and similarities if any of those terms somehow will help us to identify distinctions if any of those presented terms.

By definition Management Information System (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures. Another definition says that MIS is an organized approach to the study of information needs of a management. MIS can be separated into two terms, management, and the information system. The former implies that someone has to be managed inherently working independently, meaning to say that one has to be supervised by another individual to provide a valuable function in that one is being supervides can arrive into a coherent and structured information that would otherwise be useless if not supported. The latter has its components - Hardware, referred to as the physical attribute of the system; Software, referred to as the applications and programs found in the system; Peopleware, the ones capable for supervising the availability of software and hardware or in a more specific manner, Information System is also referred to as a system of people, data components that process the data and information in an organization that supports the data-intensive application.

This means that Information System is viewed as the processing of data, from routine facts and figures into information which is then used for decision making. Thus, Dr. Gamboa proposed in the class to consider the equation, Hardware + Software + Peopleware = Information System. After presenting it to the class, Dr. Gamboa asked now the question, Is Management Information System an appropriate course description?

Now, as for my learnings and observations, MIS have been created to support and regulate activities. As for my understanding with Management Information System, it is therefore a structured and planned system of imparting, retrieving, storing and processing the data in the form of information vital to carry out the functions of management. In a way that the enhancement projection or simply the development of management will assist and execute the general workforce of the process such that it will relate to the enhancement of information. Seeing now the perspective of MIS we can affirm how management and information system relate each other in any means. The information are being assured to be disseminated appropriately in all functions to make timely and effective decisions, planning, directing, and controlling and that management involvement and interaction between information system assures a more suitable and effective management information systems. We can really see how the two (Management and the Information System) interact from each other, each and every point of definition is a supporting detail to satisfy that the description, Management Information System is an appropriate one.

In a general sense, Management Information System is covering the application of people and procedures -- collectively called information systems -- and that int makes a lot of sense to justify further that the term MIS is formulated wuth appropriate details for it to be relevant and is not subject for any form of arguments.

Lastly, Management Information System deals with planning for development, management, and use of information technology tools to help people performall tasks related to information processing and management. In the field if MIS one will also find various functions that you as a knowledge worker must undertake to ensure that your organization maximizes its adavantages . Hence, IT is the key source of Management Information System. Indeed, it is critically important set of tools for working with information.

I think I have imparted all my learnings and reflections regarding MIS and for that I hope I made some necessary points to be considered in any possible way. By the way, this is all for my Reflection..mY LeaRniNgs..my M.I.S.

sources:
- http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/information_systems
- http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/description#description
- http://www.answers.com/topic/management-information-system



nyC day!!!


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