Information Systems

Introduction to Information System

Information System

When you think of a microcomputer, perhaps you think of just the equipment itself. That is, you think of the monitor or the keyboard. Yet, there is more to it than that. The way to think about a microcomputer is as part of an information system. An Information System  has five parts: People, Procedures, Software, Hardware, and Data.

• People: It is easy to overlook people as one of the five parts of an information system. Yet this is what microcomputers are all about making People, end users like you, more productive.
• Procedures: The rules or guidelines for people to follow when using Software, Hardware, and Data are Procedures. These procedures are typically documented in manuals written by computer specialists. Software and Hardware manufactures provide manuals with their products. These manuals are provided in either printed or electronic (web link) form.
• Software: A Program consists of the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer how to do its work. Software is another name for a program or programs. The purpose of software is to convert Data (unprocessed facts) into information (processed facts). For example, a payroll program would instruct the computer to take the number of hours you worked in a week (data) and multiply it by your pay rate  (data) to determine how much you are paid for the week (information).
• Hardware: The equipment that processes the data to create information is called Hardware. It includes the keyboard, mouse, monitor, system unit, and other devices. Hardware is controlled by software.
• DATA: The raw (unprocessed facts) including text, numbers, images, and sounds, are called data. Processed data yields information. Using the previous example of a payroll program, the data (number of hours worked and pay rate) is processed (multiplied) to yield information (weekly pay)

Almost all of today's computer systems add an additional part to the information systems. This part, called connectivity, typically uses the Internet and allows users to greatly expand the capability and usefulness of their information systems. In large computer systems, there are specialists who write procedures, develop software, and capture data.. In microcomputer systems, however end users often perform these operations. To be a competent end user, you must understand the essentials of Information Technology (IT), including software, hardware, and data.

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