What is integrated Management of information.

What is integrated Management of information.

Answer:

Integrated Management of information

In today’s competitive business environment information is one of the key resource, the key resource of every organisation. If the organisation does not have an efficient and effective mechanism that enables it to give the decision-makers the right information at the right time, then the chances of that organisation succeeding in the next millennium are very remote. An information system is an open, and a purposive system that produces information using the 'input-process-output' cycle. You can list the three basic elements of information system as people, procedures, and data. People follow the procedures to manipulate data to produce information. 

Today, an information system is an organised combination of people, hardware, software, communication networks, and data resources that collect, collate, transform, and disseminate in an organisation.

The problem with traditional information systems is that they operate at a departmental level, and they only give information that has been pre-defined. So each department has its own database and information systems. When systems work in isolation, it becomes difficult for you to collect and analyse the data needed for your department's functioning. Decision-making becomes more tedious and difficult with the isolated data received from each department in the form of various reports. Even if verified there may be loss of valuable time that could have been better spent in decision-making. In reality, an organisation cannot function as islands of different departments. Every department needs information inputs form other departments. For example sales is related to finance department also.

This is where Integration Management of Information comes in. Any mechanism that automates this information gathering and analysis process enhances the chances of the organisation to beat the competition. So, what is needed is a system that treats the organisation as a single entity, and caters to the information needs of the whole organisation. If this is possible, and if the information that is generated is accurate, timely, and relevant, then these systems will go a long way in helping the organisation in realising its goals. And this can be realized through integrated management of information.