Business Information Systems - Research Paper Example

?Introduction The field of information technology is changing fast and the parameters of competition are changing too. Enormous improvements in the telecommunication technology, improvements in mobile phone technology, development of intelligent systems etc. has completely revolutionized the way information systems have been used. The recent trends in the information systems suggest that there is a surge in the use of peer to peer architecture which is being used for the information distribution purposes. Peer to peer date management systems are considered as new systems which are fast replacing the old ways of sharing and managing information at large scale in the organizations. Similarly, on the hardware and software side, firms are increasingly using cloud computing as the valid alternative to process information. The concept of software as a service is not new and increasingly, firms are using these services to take advantage of large data volumes as well as better efficiency and management of the information technology resources. Cloud computing has also allowed the firms to reduce their IT costs by hosting or using third party systems to achieve the same level of productivity and efficiency. The expansion of global e-commerce markets has been assured due to rapid changes in the telecommunication and internet infrastructure. The high speed wireless internet access through mobile phone devices has allowed firms to directly access their customers on their cell phones and deliver personalized advertisement messages to their customers. This paper will therefore attempt to research and analyse the emerging trends in the business information systems and information technology. Information System Trends One of the key trends which have emerged during last few years is the use of peer to peer structure for the management and distribution of information. This new design is based upon the self organization principles and rather than depending upon the central points locations, allow systems to coordinate with each other freely and become more scalable as well as robust. Peer to peer infrastructure is also considered as an innovation in the hardware component of the information systems with better and more robust infrastructure to share and disseminate information at least cost.1 It is also important to note that organizations are increasingly relying on virtualization as one of the key information technology tools which can help them to reduce cost as well as present their message to their targeted audience. It is also important to note that virtualization has also necessitated changes in the software as well as hardware requirements too under which organizations are shifting towards more handheld devices to use. Virtualization of business systems is also considered as a part of the autonomic computing in which computer systems will regulate and manage themselves on their own based on the computing activity. This trend therefore may be one of the key trends suggesting a gradual shift towards the use of information technology in a relatively new manner. It is also important to note that virtualization takes place both in software as well as in hardware. Hardware virtualization can be done by replicating the whole system through a virtual machine with its own operating system. It is also important to note that businesses can go for complete as well as partial virtualization. Cloud Computing Probably one of the most important emerging trends in the business information systems and information technology in general is the rise of the cloud computing. Cloud computing is used as a service instead of a product and as such requires an extensive coordination between the service providers and the firms. (Finnie, 2011) Under the cloud computing shared resources, software as well other utilities are provided over a network. Cloud computing is increasingly become more common because it can significantly reduce the overall costs for the firms as well as offer them enough capability to utilize state of the art technology without actually managing it. It is also important to note that by using cloud computing technology, firms can actually utilize the strengths of the service providers and gain access to better and more robust and up to date technology to carry out their day to day operations. (The Economist, 2009) Cloud computing services use the concept of software as a service and provide a cost effective alternative for the use of traditional systems. It is also important to note that the cloud computing systems are scalable and can be adjusted according to the specific needs of the organization. This aspect of cloud computing therefore offers much needed flexibility as well as the readiness with which organizations can actually use such systems. E-Commerce and Social Media Probably the most important platform available to the businesses today is the social media which is extensively being used for the purpose of achieving the required level of penetration in the target market. Social media services such as Facebook.com as well as Twitter has become one of the explosive trends in the information technology and also opened new ways of doing business for the firms. International firms are extensively using this platform to not only market and sell their own products but also using the same for the purpose of communicating with different stakeholders. Though social media is not extensively used for sharing large data but it can serve as one of the most effective tools to track and measure the behavioral patterns of the employees as well as to use them as a part of better networking opportunities. Organizations are therefore not only using them for the purpose of sourcing new customers. Web 2.0 and software changes The explosive growth of the tablet computers and improvements in the mobile phone technology has allowed the expansion in the way software and web 2.0 technologies can be used. It is important to understand that the trends are indicating that the firms will increasingly use the web2.0 technology for the enterprise purposes. The changes and improvements in the software such as access of data over the tablet computers through the date centers can certainly offer an important advantage to the firms to become competitive in the long run. (Perez, 2008) Privacy Issues One of the key issues which have emerged as a result of these trends is the privacy issue as violation of customer and firms’ information resources has been frequent. During the recent times, the Sony’s data has been accessed and millions of customer records and their credit card information may have been accessed. It is also important to note that data communication has also become one of the key issues in terms of privacy because it is generally perceived that the data communicated over different devices or use of cloud computing may pose serious risks for the data protection. Conclusion The field of information technology is changing fast and as such firms are finding it difficult to keep a pace with the changing nature of the technology. It is however, important to note that trends such as use of virtualization, cloud computing, Web 2.0 are some of the trends which can dominate the future of business information systems. The extensive use of social media is also another important trend affecting the way businesses actually interact with their customers. It is critical to note that social media services such as facebook as well as twitter are now considered as dominating phenomenon in the field of information technology. Businesses are also extensively using such services in order to access large base of customers. The use of above services has also raised serious questions regarding the privacy and protection of the data also. The use of third party services such as SaaS can pose serious threats to data security and safety. References 1. The Economist, (2009, 10 15). Clash of the clouds. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/14637206 2. Perez, S. (2008, 04 08). Enterprise 2.0 to become a $4.6 billion industry by 2013. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/enterprise_20_to_become_a_46_billion_industry.php 3. Finnie, S. (2011, 01 20). In 2011, the clouds will be rolling in. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9205880/In_2011_Clouds_Rolling_In Read More