Information Systems Components - Article Example

Information Systems Components The success of the Olympics Games largely depends upon good information management systems on the part of the organizers. It is important that the organizers institute a good information management system that will ensure that the flow of information throughout the event occurs in the most successful way possible. Considering the nature of the games and the hordes of humanity expected to attend the various games, it is certainly expected that a lot of information will need to be relayed to various places at the quickest way possible. In the same way, it is important to realize that the likelihood of loss or distortion of information in such situations is always high. At the core of proper information management is the collection process. Collecting information includes all the activities that pertain to the gathering of the information from its source. In the London Olympics, much information will have to be gathered from thousands of places in order to be analyzed and translated. The collection process has to be done exhaustively and unobtrusively in order to ensure that nothing important is left behind. In this regard, proper information gathering techniques have to be used in order to obtain quality information from the fields and other sources. Such techniques should not have any loopholes that can lead to some information being lost or distorted during the collection process. Good information management for the Olympics will require that information is normalized in order to create a sense of uniformity and conformity for the organizers. In this regard, it is important to use advanced computer software that can effectively normalize the large volumes of information that will have to be dealt with in the process. The organizers should therefore ensure that they use proper computerized information management systems that will ensure that the whole event is devoid of any mishaps that can occur in such instances. It has to be realized that if the wrong information is gathered from the ground, chaos will begin to erupt in the games. It is therefore important that information gathered has to be confirmed and counterchecked in order to ensure that no distortion has occurred in the collection process. The information gathered from the field will normally be at its raw state. In order to make it presentable and easily understood by the millions of people across the world that would be waiting, it is important that the information is properly analyzed. The raw data can be analyzed through the use of various methods. In this regard, the analysis of the information has to be highly computerized in order to effectively address the large volumes of information that would be available. It is also important that the information system to be used to has a good backup process in order to take care of any eventuality. While many people across the world would eagerly be waiting to receive updated information on the various events on progress in London, the organizers have the important duty of ensuring that this flow of information occurs without any interruption or hiccups. In order to ensure that nothing is taken for granted, it is necessary that the organizers of the London Olympics to regularly conduct database checkups in order to ensure the functionality of the information systems and to ensure that everything progresses as planned. Since the data gathering process is expected to be top notch, it is also important to ensure that the data quality strategy is regularly checked and enhanced. This would be greatly important considering that the data obtained from the event will have to be kept and used for several years to come. In order to ensure that only the appropriate information is gathered and relayed across, it is necessary to track the deliverability of the information across the whole system. Quality information can only be obtained if it is tracked across the movement in order to ensure that no additions or eliminations occur. The major objective in this regard is to ensure that only the accurate information and the most relevant issues are relayed across the information system. The whole information management process has to be monitored very closely throughout the whole system. Investment in information technology normally involves a lot of money. Such technology can only become useful if it is appropriately used to the benefit of the event. Indeed, the benefits of proper information management to the London Olympics cannot really be overemphasized. To an event of such magnitude, a successful management of all the information would translate into a lot of positive results for the event. More importantly, it is important to note that such an information system would ensure that the quality of the data and information relayed to the millions of people across the world is of the highest quality possible. Quality in this respect implies that the information would be very accurate and consistent. Quality information will also imply that the receivers will obtain the information in a manner that they can easily decode and interpret very fast in order to keep track of the events in London. Good information management will also ensure that the whole event become as much efficient as possible. It is certainly the flow of information which ensures that the flow of events occur as planned. In terms of operational efficiency, good information management will ensure that data is consolidated in the most appropriate way and all the activities in the event happen as initially planned. Most of the activities in the whole event will essentially depend upon the outcome of others. In this way, there has to be a proper way to ensure that the flow of information occurs in the most efficient way to enhance operational efficiency. The security of information held within a particular database is normally one of the most important aspects of an information system. Indeed, a proper information management process will ensure that all the information is certainly safe and secure. Such security is normally important in order to safeguard the information from any people or systems that might interfere with it. In such a case, the information can become distorted or lost thereby resulting in uncoordinated flow of events which might eventually cause a lot of inconveniences and challenges in the course of events. The security of the information has to be taken care of through the use of proper security infrastructure that cannot easily be broken. In the same way, considering that certain information might nevertheless be lost despite the extensive measures in place, it would be necessary to develop data recovery strategy that would prevent the eventual loss of important information. The London Olympics will greatly benefit from the dynamics of a proper information management process in place. In this case, it is normally realized that decentralization is one such benefit that accrues out of a good information management program. Decentralization has so many benefits to an organization. It ensures that operations can effectively be monitored at the lowest levels and that all the activities in the event happen without any challenges. In the same way, a proper information management will ensure that coordination of activities at the event easily occurs. In this regard, decentralization will also ensure that information overload is greatly minimized so that all the activities in the event occur as initially planned. Good information management has the benefit of creating a better planning and control process. All the activities and operations in the Olympics will require the cooperation and collaboration of all the relevant parties. Such proper coordination and planning can only be enhanced through a good information management process that will eliminate any challenges that might emerge. Such proper planning will create efficient and better ways of managing resources and measuring the performance of all the activities. In the same way, proper control will ensure that accurate information is relayed and all the stakeholders in the event play the respective roles. The above measures are intended to ensure that the management of information in the forthcoming Olympics occurs in the best manner possible so that the event becomes a success. However, the failure to observe these measures might actually prove quite detrimental to the success of the whole event. In this case, there would be an uncoordinated flow of information which would cause a lot of disorganizations in the event. In the same way, such a situation would lead to the loss or distortion of very relevant information. In such a case, the information might fall into the wrong hands where it might be used against the success of the event. The management of information is therefore one of the most critical aspects considering the success of a large event like the Olympics. Without doubt, it would certainly be impossible to have any coordinated flow of events if information is not managed effectively in the event. Without a backup process in place, it would become impossible to safely retrieve the information incase anything happens to the mainstream information system. The benefits of a proper information system can therefore not be overemphasized. Reference Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2002). Management information systems: managing the digital firm (7th ed.). 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