Management of Computing Resources - Coursework Example

Management of Computing Resources Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Reflective Essay Week 1 Entry Management computing resources is about management of resources, issues and change (Tevfik, 2012). Although I have not practiced as information systems professional, I feel that change forces of long-term change are shifting behavior and performance of companies and organizations. I learned that change in digital infrastructure, global public policy, social and working practices, and new flows of knowledge have altered economic structure, capital and flow of information around the world. Majendran (2013) argues that while organizations experience changes in business operations and Information Technology (IT), challenges arise on dependency, security and governance as well as roles and responsibilities of employees in the functions. However, Al-Qirim (2012) suggests that organizations respond to such challenges by outsourcing specific services such as access to new technology, high quality services from the outsourcer and access to experts. I learned that these experts have the specific skills and competencies to handle issues such as those states in cloud computing. I have been thinking of how I can improve on lifelong skills to harness critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, computing, career and cross-cultural understanding. I found that I need to focus on my future professional practice in business information systems in a more broad and practical way. I will require RMIT graduate attributes such as innovation, growth mindset, lifelong learning, global outlook, environmental awareness and work-readiness. I have learned that problem solving in business information systems is multidisciplinary and transcends departments. As Casciaro and Piskorski (2004) reiterates, the resource based view of a firm, interdependent relationships arise from power imbalance, and that possession of certain resources creates the notion of power. I have learned that organizations should develop certain resources for them to have a notion of power. At an individual level, I feel that in the context of managing computing resources, I need to develop such as skills as problem-solving, decision making, people management and change management to also have a notion of power. Week 2 Entry Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is a means of improving decision quality. According to Sackett, et al. (1996, p. 71), EBP refers to a judicious, explicit and conscientious use of current best evidence and skills by a doctor to make decisions on individual patient care based on external evidence and personal experience. I made attempt to relate EBP in clinical medicine with that of managing computing resources and found that it had similar steps. I learned that the five-As of Ask, Acquire, Appraise, Apply and Assess apply in both contexts. I also feel that I need to develop the good evidence based practice by using evidence, facts and reflecting on ethical implications of any decisions made. Evidence based practice has challenges in application in the context of information systems such as difficulty of identifying causes and effects, relative paucity of independent assessment and discovering the realities of what happened (Demner-Fushman, et al. 2008). I learned that overcoming such challenges requires accountability, expert skill and intuition, research, decision supports and critical thinking. I learned that in business information systems, we are looking for studies with the highest level of evidence and design that best answers the question. Pfeffer and Sutton (2006, p. 6) assert that leaders needs to work on best scientific evidence and face hard facts if they are to promote healthy skepticism and best management practices. I have learned that evidence should be relevant, reliable and representative of the population to gain application in the managerial world. I think my thoughts on causal connection and alternative explanation of evidence has helped me to understand better issues of internal validity and reliability of data collection instruments. I feel that EBP has the power to overcome that lower resistance, data changes and increased appreciation by managers. I think the future of EBP in managing information systems is great owing to increasing interest and application many fields of business, engineering and medicine. I have learned that business managers find experiments impractical and prefer an all or nothing approach. Week 3 Entry Expectations in business operations are driven by business and technology demands. However, emerging forces and solutions in operations management has driven the need to increase productivity in information technology. I learned that the current business expectations are about reducing costs, improving effectiveness and efficiency, new product development, and providing managers with information to support decision making. I also learned pre-empted IT infrastructure library (ITIL) is one of the frameworks for improving IT services and encouraging continuous review. According to Duggan and Thachenkary (2004), Joint Application Development (JAD) was developed in the late 1970s as a problem-solver to system users while using conventional methods of systems requirements determination. Based on this development, I think that the success of such frameworks and models have to be supported by experimental designs that are able to overcome internal inconsistencies and validity. I feel appreciation of the evolution of thought regarding relevance of IT strategies when proper strategic planning and implementation is done. I have learned that IT can be a source of competitive advantage since companies engage in continuous product and process innovation. Brynjolfsson, McAfee and Norton (2014) while writing The Second Machine Age note that human brains are inadequately equipped to understand sustained growth exponentials. With this view in mind, I feel that ICT can be deployed as successful strategies to create sustained competitive advantage in companies. The US Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020 reiterates sharing of health information and increasing electronic collection by including new sources of information and disseminating knowledge in an efficient, secure and quick manner. With this insight, I think that companies and public institution are employing IT strategies to increase efficiency and improve their processes. I understand that at the centre of business strategies is disruptive innovation that creates process improvements and distinctive capabilities. I feel that there is need for me to improve my way of communication and access to knowledge as well as alignment and management of IT systems. Week 4 Entry Business Process Management (BPM) is start to end management of business processes using policies and rules that at a given point in time that supports a stated business model (Lehmann, 2012). I think that a true BPM runs within the cultural constraints, meets conflicting goals and considers all the contexts. I learned that there are three waves in the history of BPM; scientific management, and software and systems implementation, and lastly ability to change. I think that increased use of BPM frameworks helps in increasing productivity, quality, and time to the market. In a quadrant to idealize the four kinds of knowledge in a stage cycle, Kolb (1984, p. 38) asserts that learning is a process in which knowledge creation takes place by way of transformative experience. In this case, I identify with the first stage, concrete experience, which is actually a reinterpretation of existing experience. I knew about business processes but could not associate with any change management frameworks. I feel that I have reinterpreted my understanding of automation of business processes in terms of best practices, validation, and continuous improvement. Consequently, I have been able to learn and develop some of the graduate attributes required in the managing computing resources course. For example, I now have global outlook of various industries and organization, I am aware of different cultures and social dispositions of organizations, and also to a greater extent develop a growth mindset. I am yet to work on lifelong learning when I get to the active experimentation stage as noted by Kolb. In the nutshell, I have learned that BPM is instrumental and capable of replacing old approaches to application of information systems in business. I feel that my future in the world of information systems is bright given that IT professional have fully embraced business processes and organizations are investing a lot of time and resources to make systems and people succeed. Week 5 Entry Emerging issues in information systems operations management underscores performance of hardware and software, network operational management, security of systems, problem solving and supporting users. Current business expectations have been raised to a point where companies are brainstorming on cost effective process and procedures, and best practices (Garson, 2007). I think the difficult point is getting a starting point. With many emerging responses, I have learned that business should concentrate their efforts on a portion of current operations, and that is IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). I learned that it is a solution because it has comprehensive description of processes and definite concrete actions. Besides, being a solid foundation for customer expectations management, I learned that it is a maturity model applicable in public and private institutions. I also learned that Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) has been developed to increase abilities of tools, information, processes and people. Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT) is also a new aspect of data control translated to security. I learned that COBIT constitutes business risks, technical issues and control requires and enable good practice and clear policy development. I feel that companies have a responsibility to use COBIT charts for more accountability and ownership. As suggested by McLeod (2010) people with assimilating learning style are effective in science and information careers, since they prefer exploring analytical models, lectures, and readings. I feel that I am adopting and implementing the assimilating learning style by exploiting my watching and thinking abilities. This is evident in the way I critically analyze the models such as ITIL, COBIT and RICA so as to understand their construction, application and limitations. With great exposure to models, theories and concepts in management computing resources, I feel that I have the knowledge to approach the future of information systems in an organizational context with ease. Week 6 Entry Management of computing resources has been a topic and subject of interest to me since I enrolled in the Business Management Information Systems course. I have always of thought of how some organizations create sustained competitive advantage while others have temporary competitive advantage. As I went through the various journals, books, and magazines on information systems I established that I needed to improve my abilities in conducting research, developing business models, analyzing business data and application in real life situations. With advanced knowledge in information systems, I could be able to work in leading information development companies, investment banks and private systems developers. Why organizations take long to increase their leverage in terms of innovation and process improvements, I think, could be a rigid of corporate rigidity and resistance to change. I need to delve more into the topic of organizational culture and readiness for change in order to understand how organizational embrace change. Though I have little experience in some leading organizations that have embraced change and implemented automated business process, I could easily find one through the library resources or internet and make an application for internship. I have learned that business information systems is the reigning discourse in organizational development, and has contributed to increased efficiency, reduced costs and increased productivity in firms. As I look forward to my internship and real life application of issues addressed in management of computing resources, I feel that I need to increase my uptake on graduate attributes such as creativity, environmental awareness, lifelong learning and growth mindset. I will also try to develop and bolster concrete experience as indicated by Kolb (1984) in the first quadrant of the learning cycle. I have been asking myself how companies and successful companies have been able to implement business growth models with little difficulty. In this case, I will try to learn more on concepts, theories and application of business models. References Al-Qirim, N. (2012). The strategic outsourcing decision of IT and eCommerce: The case of small businesses in New Zealand. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 5(3), 32-56. Brynjolfsson, E., McAfee, A. & Norton, W. W. (2014). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies, Strategy+Business, PwC Strategy & LLC. Casciaro, T., & Piskorski, M. J. (2004). Power imbalance AND interorganizational relations: Resource dependence theory revisited. Academy of Management, New Orleans, Demner-Fishman, D., Seckman, C., Fisher, C., Hauser, S. E., Clayton, J. & Thoma, G. R. (2008). A Prototype System to Support Evidence-based Practice, AMIA Annual Symposium, pp. 151-155. Duggan, E. W. & Thachenkary, C. S. (2004). Supporting the JAD Facilitator with the Nominal Group Technique, Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, Vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 1-19. Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015- 2020 (Plan), The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Office of the Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services. Garson, G. G. (2007). Modern Public Information Technology Systems: Issues and Challenges: Issues and Challenges, Idea Group Inc (IGI). Khosrowpour, M. (2006). Emerging Trends and Challenges in Information Technology Management: 2006 Information Resources Management Association International Conference, Washington, DC, USA, May 21-24, 2006, Volume 1. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Lehmann, C. F. (2012). Strategy and Business Process Management: Techniques for Improving Execution, Adaptability, and Consistency, CRC Press. Majendran, S. (2013). Organizational Challenges in Cloud Adoption and Enablers of Cloud Transition Program, Working Paper CISL# 2013-13. Composite Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) Sloan School of Management, Room E62-422 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02142. McLeod, S. A. (2010). Kolb-Learning Styles. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Book Review and Commentary on Evidence-Based Management, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Sackett, D.L., William, M. C., Rosenberg, J. A., Muir, G. R., Haynes, B., Scott, W. R. (1996). Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't, BMJ, Vol. 312, pp.71. Tevfik, K. (2012). Data Intensive Distributed Computing: Challenges and Solutions for Large- scale Information Management: Challenges and Solutions for Large-scale Information Management, IGI Global. Read More