Assignment 2

Based on the organization(s) that you visited, what do you think are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change? (1000 words)

The answer to my second assignment is just a continuation of the interview which we conducted last June 25, 2009, Thursday. The company we visited was the remote office of Dole Philippines located in Lanang, Davao City and we interviewed a company MIS Programmer.

The risks associated with business and Information Systems or Information Technology change will be discussed below.

One of the risks associated with business and Information System or Information Technology change is the user. If you are going to create a system, you will have to inform the user about the new system so that the user will be prepared and will know what type of system will be created, how the system flows, and what will be its purpose. The MIS Programmer also mentioned that you really have to consider the user especially id the user is already used to the environment of the system, and it also depends to the user because some users would want to use the older system.

I agree with what the MIS Programmer said about having the user considered before changing the system. If the user will be informed about the system change or system upgrade, they will be able to get a chance to say what kind of system they would like to use, they will be able to have a bird’s eye view and somehow be prepared or trained to use the new system.

However, if the users will not be informed about the system change or upgrade, the users might have some difficulties in using the new system. They might think that they will train again for another type of system which they might not like or which seems not a comprehensible program. Moreover, they might think that they will undergo another training when they are already comfortable using the old one.

There are other risks associated with business or things to be considered before changing Information Systems or Information Technology. According to the MIS Programmer whom we interviewed, you have to plan what type of system you are going to change. Is it the database? Are you going to upgrade the system, what type of language will be used for the new system? Or are you going to change the system from a desktop or web application.

The MIS Programmer also mentioned that if it is only the database that you want to change, you have to verify some things like looking at the data, seeing if you can upgrade it, and knowing if it would still synchronize with other versions before changing such system. Moreover, when it comes to the type of language you are going to use, you have to check if there is really a need to change from one type of language to another type of language or to switch from desktop application to a web application depending on the need. The MIS Programmer mentioned further that the desktop application is user side while the web is not. Once you browse the internet explorer or the mozilla firefox, you will already see the system. The desktop application on the other hand, you will have to install the application because it has its own executable file. According to the MIS Programmer, these are the things you need to consider before changing the system because it is like creating a new system. The MIS Programmer also mentioned about system failure.

Finally, on the business perspective, the risk associated with business on Information Technology or Information System or a thing to be considered before changing the system is the data. The MIS Programmer said that whatever the data is before, it will be the same data that the users will be able to see or to access.

I agree with what the MIS programmer said that if you want to change the database, you have to look at the data for the reason that if you overlooked or lost important data, it would cause a very big problem for your company. There must also be compatibility with other versions so that the end users will not find it hard use the system in any types of application.

Aside from the compatibility on changing the database, you also risk security and confidentiality of the data. You have to maintain or improve its security and confidentiality when developing the system. If not, your database will be vulnerable against system hackers or system thieves.

When it comes to switching from web application to desktop application or vice versa, you really have to consider the type of users who will be using your system. A web application, I think is very suitable for what the MIS Programmer said about mobile users while the desktop application on the other hand will be very suitable for users who are non-mobile.

The MIS Programmer mentioned about system failure. It is true that when changing your system, you will not be free from system failures during implementation. System failures may come any time but somehow, it can be prevented. To avoid such, newly developed systems must undergo a series of tests before being implemented. Moreover, System failures can cause communications to breakdown, lost of profit and delay of reports. Moreover, it can cause massive lost of data that might become a big problem for the company.

I think you also have to consider the cost of the system, because if you do not have enough budgets for the new program, it will be impossible to change or upgrade such system unless the programmers will do the job for free. Moreover, you should also consider the amount of money that you will be able to save by the time the new system will be implemented and compare it with your savings using the old one. If you are purchasing your program from in IT outsourcing company, you should consider the cost of buying such program. If you have an Internal IT department, you should also know the cost of such program so that you will be able to decide whether to buy a new program or just create a program.

Evidences are recorded