The Technical System: Information, Information Technology, and Information Systems - Research Paper Example

The technical system:  Information, Information Technology, and Information Systems Introduction The evaluation of achievement of any business enterprise in its field of trade and operation depends on its potential of meeting the set targets. In order to meet the targets set every Business Enterprise must act on proper planning. The planning function of any Business Corporation to be effective depends on the availability of relevant information regarding the performance of the company. To make future projections in regards to business performance the data collected is analyzed based on historical information. Data generated for the stated purpose needs to be grouped and interpreted accordingly for meeting business needs. It is here that Business Intelligence activities earn paramount importance in effectively collecting, storing and interpreting raw data for business needs. Henceforth Business Intelligence activities serve the means for taking Strategic Business Decisions and pervade the different organizational levels, supporting different organizational functions. (Blokdijk, 2008. p-151). To this end, the paper critically analyzes Business Intelligence Systems of IBM, Microsoft, SAP and Oracle based on their information and analysis capabilities and hardware and system software required to run the application. Business Intelligence Framework The Business Intelligence Application systems are the true weapons that help a business earn success in its future activities if total integrated with its Information Technology resources. Business Intelligence Software has such great potential in meeting strategic business objectives for having a large data storage capacity in it. An effective Business Intelligence framework functions depending on four pillars, which help in integration of the system with business operations and information technology. The four pillars count to be the people, business plans, business processes and performance parameters of any Business Corporation. People are the most essential resources for any concern to function in the large business hemisphere in today’s world. However, with the introduction of information technology the pattern of human resource operation is altering drastically. People functioning in global corporations operate in a collaborative and informative environment where they can share ideas for effective business performance. The use of Knowledge Management in the business paradigm helps in the previously mentioned business activity. Henceforth, effective Business Intelligence software entails its active integration with the Knowledge Management module of any business. The higher management of any business corporation chalks out the performance targets for a future period through effective planning. Information as to business targets and related incentives and compensation schemes are gradually percolated through the hierarchy levels. Planning to be effective must make the right forecasts and streamline resources to achieve the expectations set on business performance. Percolation of information based on targets and incentives encourage collaboration among the employees whose performance is rightly monitored. Business Intelligence takes care of this monitoring mechanism to help in the achievement of business targets. Business plans being set effective implementation of such depends on the right business process in use. In this regard, the Business Process Management as a function manages the effective designing, simulation, installation and integration of the right business process to execute business planning. Effective monitoring of the business process in use is another key function of Business Process Management. The whole gamut of business operations and the processes involved for achieving business success is managed by Business Transaction Application systems. The effective integration of Business Intelligence Systems helps in the close monitoring of the business operations. They generate data, which helps in making comparison of business operations to the targets set and take effective steps in case of underperformance. Owing to the nature of the previously mentioned Business Intelligence Activity, it is connoted as Business Performance Management. Business Intelligence Systems incorporated in Business Performance Management helps in making the right moves in planning and forecasting functions and solves business query as to such. Business Intelligence Systems help in generation of huge amount of data needed for analytical functions. Data generated is stored in separate areas like operational data, enterprise data and data mart stores. (White, 2005). Business Intelligence framework defined thus signifies its close operation with the entire business operation and participative practices through data generation activities from its own data storage points. In this juncture the paper moves on to critically understand business intelligence systems of companies like IBM, Microsoft, SAP and Oracle. IBM Business Intelligence The Business Intelligence Services provided by IBM focus on capitalizing on historical and current customer data for analytical purposes. Decisions taken at the tactical and strategic levels in marketing management functions of a concern are supported by innovative business intelligence methods. IBM by the designing of Business Intelligence Technologies like advanced data warehousing, operational data stores, deep analytical techniques and optimization process are designed and developed by IBM to serve the needed ends. Moreover, the Business Intelligence systems evolved by IBM focusing on customer analysis helps the organization to group the data generated by the system in rightly addressing business needs. Business to Business and Business to Consumer needs of an organization being rightly addressed by the Business Intelligence System designed by IBM makes a concern potentially competitive. Generation of historic and current customer data supports effective decision making on product launch and promotion campaigns. Capitalizing on the data gathered by taking effective business decisions helps the firm not only to generate revenue but also in enhancing customer satisfaction. Customers generate desires by gathering product information from different sources like mobiles, web sites, telephones or through service points. Gathering data from all these sources by the Business Intelligence systems help the firm to get aware of customer approaches and design promotional activities accordingly. The Business Intelligence System created by IBM helps in making infrastructural analysis in terms of cost benefit ratio and planning the implementation stage through existing and future systems architectural designs. Data storage technology used by the system covers Internet clickstream technology in addition to data warehouse systems. This helps in continuous generation of both historical and current customer data. Statistical and data mining activities practiced by the system help in targeting the internet traffic zones. This helps the firm to have an insight on the frequency of customer visits to websites. (IBM, 2000, pp. 1-3). The IBM Cognos 8 Business Intelligence Services helps conduct several activities like reporting, making analysis, dashboards and score carding activities to measure and monitor business performance on standards set and that to on a single Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). (Cognos 8 Business Intelligence, N.D.) Hardware systems that support steady installation of Business Intelligence Systems include Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000 and Linux Operating Systems on Intel Servers. (IBM, 2003, p. 6) Microsoft Business Intelligence Microsoft has devised different Business Intelligence Software like Server Query Language (SQL) 2000, Server Query Language Accelerator for Business Intelligence, Office XP and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) applications for helping a business organization in extracting, organizing and analyzing huge amount of data from enterprise database files. Software like Server Query Language function in collaboration with Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cube technology and hence is a relational database model. The software helps in conducting data mining and analysis functions in relational to other software like Customer Relationship Management and Enterprise Resource Planning. Business Intelligence system devised by Microsoft help in the easy execution of Business Intelligence Projects taken by a company in integration with the existing system. Microsoft Business Intelligence helps in the easy accessibility of information gathering. Data mining activities made easy to access helps in reducing costs and enhancing profits. Finally, Business Intelligence Software designed by Microsoft makes ease in analysis of customer and transactional data to improve business performance. (Nucleus Research, 2003, pp.2-5) SAP Business Intelligence Systems The Business Intelligence Systems evolved by SAP function on a ‘Closed-Loop Business Analytics Process’. The ‘Closed-Loop Business Analytics process is essentially a five stage model involving functions like Track, Analyze, Model, Design and Act. Tracking involves acquisition and storage of business data. The data is generated depending on the frequency of data requirement and is of a standardized nature. Data thus generated serves the process of making analysis for solving of business queries, reporting and functions like conducting multidimensional analysis. After preliminary analysis has been conducted, the data is made amenable for designing of models relating to forecasting, decision-making and simulation designs. Finally, decisions are taken to act on business problems based on the models and analysis conducted and a planned course of action is thereby taken to resolve such. The design of NetWeaver 2004 enabled SAP to implement the ‘closed-loop process architecture’ in software designs. SAP NetWeaver 2004 has the several features of a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), which includes availability of an application platform, segregation of process and services, joint incorporation of operational and analytical business functions and an ability to manage the lifecycle of the components in use. The SAP NetWeaver 2004 enables the company to cultivate transparency and information sharing activities with its employees. Further, Business Intelligence Software of SAP help in the planning function of a business by the design of user interfaces and realistic design tools. Finally, the integration of NetWeaver 2004 in business functions help in embedded analytical functions through the application of user interface applications like Visual Composer. (Egger, Fiechter, Kramer, Sawicki, Straub, Weber, N.D, pp.16-17, 29-31, 36). The SAP Knowledge Management Software consists of ‘SAP R/3 System’, which is a set of comprehensive business applications, content and associated cache servers. In times of query, firstly, user authentication is checked in; subsequently the content structure is transferred to the user’s end. Finally, the content data is traced from the content server, which is thereby transferred on to the Cache Server. (Missbach & Hoffman, 2001, p.15). Oracle Business Intelligence System Oracle has designed three separate application software for Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing practices. The three separate applications designed by Oracle constitute Oracle Discoverer 10g, Oracle Business Intelligence Standard Edition One and Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition. The first Business Intelligence application helps a user to conduct query applications with tables and charts. The software enables users to do a number of functions like aggregation and adding of calculations. Oracle Discoverer presents personalized software to meet user ends regarding query functions. Oracle’s second business application aims at providing a one-stop solution to Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse functions for the middle level companies. It has features like a dashboard helping in monitoring functions, data integration facilities and database management functions. (Oracle Business Intelligence, N.D.). For installation of Oracle Business Intelligence Systems, the main hardware requirements for Windows application software are mentioned as follows. The Central Processing Unit must be of 500 Mega Hertz, must have a memory of 1 gigabyte, Disk space of 1.6 gigabyte, Virtual Memory of 1535 Mega byte and a Monitor supporting 256 color displays. (Oracle Business Intelligence Installation Guide, 2005). Conclusion Business Intelligence activities earn paramount importance in today’s business world of growing complexities. A business to thrive efficiently in this vast competitive environment must have loads of data at its end to make effective and timely decisions. It is to this end that Business Intelligence earns its true recognition. References 1. Blokdijk, G. (2008). Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets - 100 Most Asked Questions: The Missing BI Software, Tools, Consulting and Solutions Guide. Lulu.com. 2. White, C. (2005). The Smart Business Intelligence Framework. Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://www.b-eye-network.com/view/1182 3. IBM. (2000). IBM Business Intelligence Services. Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://www.sas.com/partners/directory/ibm/eca_spec.pdf 4. Cognos 8 Business Intelligence.(N.D ). Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/products/cognos-8-business-intelligence/capabilities.html?S_CMP=wspace 5. IBM. (2003). Basics of business intelligence systems—an executive overview . Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/resources/systems_storage_solutions_business_intelligence_pdf_business-intel.pdf 6. Nucleus Research. (2003). ROI Evaluation Report: Microsoft Business Intelligence. Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://nucleusresearch.com/library/microsoft-roi/d14.pdf 7. Egger, Fiechter, Kramer, Sawicki, Straub, Weber. (N.D ). SAP Business Intelligence. Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://www.galileo-press.de/download/dateien/1190/sappress_bi.pdf 8. Missbach, M. & U. Hoffman. (2001). SAP hardware solutions: servers, storage, and networks for mySAP.com. Ptentice Hall. 9. Oracle Business Intelligence. (N.D.). Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://www.bi-dw.info/oracle.htm 10. Oracle Business Intelligence Installation Guide. (2005). Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from: http://download.oracle.com/docs/html/B16030_01/requirements.htm#CEGEFAGH Read More