Week: 8 Date: 7thJanuary ,2015 Time: 09:00 – 10:20hrs

Topic: Information Systems Sub-Topic: Information System Model Class: Sixth Forms Objectives: Students will be able to identify

the Resources needed before/during/after setting up an Information system.

Components of an Information system

An Information System is a system that accepts data resources as input and processes them into information products as output.

How does an information system accomplish this?

What system components and activities are involved

Information System Model

• The Five basic resources of Information Systems are:

PeopleHardware

Software

Data

Networks

Components of an

Information System

• All information systems use people, hardware, software, data, and networks resources to perform input, processing, output, storage, and control activities that transform data resources into information products.

People Resources

People are required for the operation of all information systems. These people resources include End Users and IT Specialists.

• End users – Also called users or clients are people who use an information system or the information it produces. They can be accountants, salespersons, engineers, clerks, customers, or managers.

• Most end users in business are knowledge workers, that is people who spend most of their time communicating and collaborating in teams and workgroups and creating, using and distributing information.

Examples of End users are anyone else who uses information systems.

• IT Specialists - are people who develop and operate information systems. They include systems analysts, software developers, system operators, and other managerial, technical, and clerical Information systems personnel.

• Systems analysts design information systems based on the information requirements of end users, software developers create computer programs based on the specifications of the systems analysts, and system operators help to monitor and operate large computer systems and networks.

Hardware Resources• Hardware resources includes all physical devices

and materials used in information processing. Specifically, it includes not only machines, such as computers and other equipment, but also all data media, that is tangible objects on which data are recorded, form sheets of paper to magnetic or optical disks.

• Examples of Hardware Resources are:Machines – computers, video monitors, magnetic disk drives, printers, optical scannersMedia – floppy disks, magnetic tape, optical disks, flash drives, plastic cards, paper forms.

Software Resources

• This includes all sets of information processing instructions. The generic concept of software includes not only the sets of operating instructions called programs, which direct and control computer hardware, but also the sets of information processing instructions called procedures that people need.

Examples of software resources:• System Software – operating system program, which

controls and supports the operations of a computer system.

• Application Software – which are programs that direct processing for the particular use of computers by end users. For example sales analysts program, payroll programs, and word processing and spreadsheet programs.

• Procedures – which are operating instructions for the people who will use an information system. Examples are instructions for the filling out a paper form or using a software package, error corrections, paycheck distribution and data entry procedures.