The document discusses trends and issues in information technology, highlighting the complexity of IT systems and the challenges they present. It covers the evolution of hardware, software, and data management, emphasizing the importance of effective management and user involvement. Additionally, it addresses the role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in shaping IT strategy within organizations.

1. Information
Technology Trends
Dr. Merle P. Martin
MIS Department
CSU Sacramento

2. Acknowledgements
 Dr. Russell Ching (MIS Dept)
Source Materiel / Graphics
 Edie Schmidt (UMS) - Graphic Design
 Prentice Hall Publishing (Permissions)
Martin, Analysis and Design of
Business Information Systems, 1995

3. Agenda
 Information as Power
 The IT System
 IT Trends
 IT Issues
 Chief Information Officer (CIO)

4. Information as Power
 Collapse of Communism
 Information and
Totalitarianism
 Information and
Organizations
Power
Just in case
Information Overload

5. Relevance
 IT is a critical resource
 Requires mgmnt decisions
 IT people have been making
these decisions by default
lack of management awareness
lack of management knowledge
inpenetrable jargon (binary curtain)

6. The IT System
TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
COMPUTER USER
Hardware/Soft-
ware
Interface
Change
Management
Decision
Support
Application
Programming
Systems
Development
Database
IT Operations
Management
Connectivity

7. Shneiderman’s
10 Plagues
 of the Information Age
 Who is Ben Shneiderman?
Univ Maryland (College Park)
Computer Science
Human Factors Institute
System Philosopher

8. The Ten Plagues
 Anxiety
“computer shock”
“terminal terror”
“network neurosis”
 Alienation
less connected to other people
“Whose voice is that, anyway”

9. Ten Plagues (cont.)
 Information-poor minority
another way for
disadvantaged to
be more disadvantaged
 Impotence of individual
everyone treated the same
no special treatment for exceptions

10. Ten Plagues (cont.)
 Bewildering complexity
and speed
Windows 98?
 Organizational fragility (SciFi)
 Invasion of privacy
Alaskan jury list

11. Ten Plagues
 Unemployment
and displacement
clerks / typesetters
VP - mortgage loan decision
replaced by Expert System (ES)
 Lack of professional responsibility
“Sorry, the computer won’t let
me ________.”

12. Ten Plagues
 Deteriorating image
of people
“smart machines”
“intelligent terminals”
“expert systems”
“Maybe they’ll keep us as pets.”
Shneiderman’s computer with
arms and legs.

13. Ten Plagues (cont.)
What are some of
your experiences?

14. IT Trends
 Hardware
 Software
 Data
 Telecommunications
 Systems Development
 End-users

15. Hardware Trends
 Batch to on-line
Batch is delayed
processing
 Airport limousine
 Monthly billing application
On-line is instantaneous processing
 Airport taxi
 Airline Reservation System

16. On-line with Delayed Processing
On-line Batch

17. Hardware Trends
Central to distributed
processing
Mainframe to PC
Individual productivity
 Centralized to decentralized
resource control
Departmental purchases

18. Software Trends
 Large to small system
development
 Reusable code (packages)
 Outsourcing
 Prototyping
 3GL to 4GL
concept of the Macro

19. Concept of the Macro
 Computer processes
one instruction at a time
CAD PAY
ADD BONUS
STO NEWPAY
 Macro is one-to-many
ADD PAY, BONUS, NEWPAY

20. Third Vs. Fourth GLs
COBOL
OPEN INPUT EMPLOYEE-FILE.
READ EMPLOYEE-FILE.
PERFORM WHILE NOT EOF
IF EMP-ID = SEARCH-KEY
DISPLAY EMP-ID " "
EMP-FIRST-NAME " "
EMP-LAST-NAME " "
EMP-YTD-PAY
END-IF
READ EMPLOYEE-FILE
END-PERFORM.
SQL
SELECT EMP-ID,
EMP-FIRST-NAME,
EMP-LAST-NAME,
EMP-YTD-PAY
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE EMP-ID=1234

21. Data Trends
 Centralized to
decentralized
mainframe to PC
 Keystroke to optical scanning
voice?
 Multimedia
voice / animation / video, etc.
 Data to information

22. Telecomm Trends
 Link organizations to
customers
 Amer Hosp Supply (AHS)
suppliers
Porter Model
 LAN to WAN
 Internet

23. Development Trends
“Information systems are
becoming too complex to
develop by conventional means.”
John Podlipnik
Vice President,
American Management Systems

24. Increasing Complexity
 Program Lines of Code
1970’s - 10,000
1980’s - 100,00+
1990’s - 1,000,000+
 Type Hardware
1970’s - Standalone
1980’s - Networked
1990’s - Distributed

25. Increasing Complexity
 Type of Data
1970’s - Text
1980’s - Graph User Intrface (GUI)
1990’s - Object-oriented User
Interface (OOUI)
 Data Organization
1970’s - Files
1980’s - Databases
1990’s - Relational Databases

26. Increasing Complexity
 Software Languages
1970’s - 3GL
1980’s - 3GL / 4GL
1990’s - 3GL / 4GL / Objects
 Application of Blaab’s Law

27. Blaab’s Law
“Old technologies persist
in the face of new
technologies.”
Magnetic tape
Windmill east of Livermore

28. Issue
“Our company is committed to
providing each employee with
the latest technology.”
Anonymous CEO
WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT THIS POLICY ?

29. Increasing Complexity
 Standards
1970’s - None
1980’s - Some
1990’s - “Open”

30. Podlipnik’s Question:
“How do we deal with changing:
business environment ,
technology landscape AND
increasingly complex systems?”

31. Podlipnik’s Answer
 Advanced user interfaces
user-centered
methodologies
 Client / server solutions
integration to legacy systems
 Object-oriented techniques
 Open systems
to address technology evolution

32. Legacy Systems
Client/Server Object Technology

33. End-user Trends
 More knowledgeable users
More demanding of IT
 More opportunities for
misuse of IT resources
mischief
computer crime
 IT people as communicators

34. IT Issues Model
End-user
IT Dept
Company
Society

35. End-user IT Issues
 Computer Literacy
What is it?
Costs
How do we deliver?
Changing content
Shneiderman plagues
 anxiety and alienation
 information poor minority

36. End-user Issues
 User development
how much?
power / control / misuse
 Safe IT work environment
(Ergonomics)
 IT humanization
Human Factors
deteriorating image of people

37. IT Department Issues
 Centralize or decentralize
IT resources
 Interconnectivity
islands of technology
 Alignment of IT dept. goals
with organization
 Organizational level
VP? Report to whom?

38. Department Issues
 Technology transfer
“bewildering complexity
and speed”
scouting the future
predicting trends
technology mapping
prototyping / demonstrations
technology implementation

39. Company IT Issues
 Strategic role of IT
 Computer crime / security
 Reengineering with IT
 Business value of IT (e.g, waste)
 IT Top-down planning

40. Company Issues
 Organizational fragility
Worst case scenarios
Contingency Management
 Electronic Data Systems
(EDS) example
Change Management

41. Societal Issues
 Ethics
“professional responsibility”
 Individual privacy
 Unemployment / displacement
 Social responsibility

42. Chief Information
Officer (CIO)
 VP for IT Services
 Understands business
 Technology transfer
 Create IT vision
sell it !
 Implement IT infrastructure
chassis for building on

43. Issue
Does your firm have a CIO?
To whom does the CIO report?
Has the CIO created an IT vision?
Does the CIO have a technical or
management background?
TELL US YOUR EXPERIENCES!

44. Points to Remember
 IT Trends
 IT Issues
 CIO
 Apply to a business organization
Exercises
Research paper