Discuss the importance of information system in public sector

Definition(s):
(i) Information systems are the software and hardware systems that support data-intensive
applications that helps organize and analyse data.
(ii) Its a combination of hardware, software, infrastructure and trained personnel organized
to facilitate planning, control, coordination, and decision making in an organization.
An information system is any organized system for the collection, organization, storage and
communication of information.
An information system is the information and communication technology (ICT) that an
organization uses, and also the way in which people interact with this technology in support
of business processes. Any specific information system aims to support operations,
management and decision making.
Components of information system:
While information systems may differ in how they are used within an organization, they
typically contain the following components:
1) Hardware: Computer-based information systems use computer hardware, such as
processors, monitors, keyboard and printers.
2) Software: These are the programs used to organize process and analyze data.
3) Databases: Information systems work with data, organized into tables and files.
4) Network: different elements need to be connected to each other, especially if many
different people in an organization use the same information system.
5) Procedures: These describe how specific data are processed and analyzed in order to
get the answers for which the information system is designed. Procedures are the
policies that govern the operation of a computer system. "Procedures are to people
while software is to hardware" is a common analogy that is used to illustrate the role
of procedures in a system
6) People: Every system needs people if it is to be useful. Often the most over-looked
element of the system are the people, probably the component that most influence the
success or failure of information systems. This includes "not only the users, but those
who operate and service the computers, those who maintain the data, and those who
support the network of computers.

7) Feedback: it is another component of the Information system, that defines that an

information system may be provided with a feedback (Although this component isn't
necessary to function).

The first four components are part of the general information technology (IT) of an
organization. Procedures, the fifth component, are very specific to the information needed to
answer a specific question. Data is the bridge between hardware and people. This means that
the data we collect is only data, until we involve people. At that point, data is now
information.

References:
Kroenke, D M. (2008). Experiencing MIS. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
O'Brien, J A. (2003). Introduction to information systems: essentials for the e-business enterprise. McGrawHill, Boston, MA

Beynon-Davies P. (2009). Business Information Systems. Palgrave, Basingstoke

Jessup, Leonard M.; Joseph S. Valacich (2008).Information Systems Today (3rd ed.). Pearson Publishing.
p. 416