Managing Knowledge and Information Systems (Coursework Sample)

Managing Knowledge and Information Systems Name Institution Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc468929557 \h 32.0 Defining the phrase "software as a service (SaaS)" in the context of cloud computing PAGEREF _Toc468929558 \h 33a. How the IT sector of a company can benefit from the use of SaaS in Management Information System PAGEREF _Toc468929559 \h 43b. Challenges in using SaaS in Management Information Systems PAGEREF _Toc468929560 \h 54.0 Mitigation measures PAGEREF _Toc468929561 \h 75.0 References PAGEREF _Toc468929562 \h 9 Managing Knowledge and Information Systems 1.0 Introduction Management information system (MIS) is used to refer to a computer-based system comprising of tools which can be used by the managers of an organization to organize, assess, and manage the various departments making up the organization in an efficient way. This computer-based system may have software that renders the process of making decisions in the firm easier (Goutas et al., 2016). This work will start by defining the phrase "software as a service (SaaS)" in the context of cloud computing. Next, the report will highlight two key benefits for organizations adopting cloud based SaaS model in the area of management information systems. Once these benefits are discussed, the paper will then identify three key challenges associated with introducing cloud based information system in management information systems. Lastly, the report will propose three key measures that can mitigate the identified challenges. 2.0 Defining the phrase "software as a service (SaaS)" in the context of cloud computing In the arena of cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS) refers to a model used to execute the distribution of software so that customers can have access to the software through the internet. In this particular arrangement, the application as well as its data center is hosted by a service provider, who then negotiates with clients so that they can use it through a standard Web browser. Most SaaS vendors share certain common characteristics. Firstly, updates are infused automatically, therefore, customer intervention is not possible (Goutas et al., 2016). Secondly, in this model, customers are required to subscribe so as to get the services offered. Moreover, customers are not needed to purchase any hardware in order to benefit from the online software. The idea of using SaaS first came up in the 1990s with the main motivation being to allow several customers to share end-user licenses so as to reduce costs. Moreover, organizations were endeared to SaaS owing to the fact that most of these applications require only a web browser to operationalize (Younas et al., 2016). 3a. How the IT sector of a company can benefit from the use of SaaS in Management Information System Firstly, SaaS applications are acquired through the "pay as you go" plan and this makes them affordable by even small businesses and individuals. Traditionally, the IT sector of industries was forced to spend high amounts of resources in buying, building and maintaining their own management information systems (Younas et al., 2016). Presently though, courtesy of SaaS, these companies can simply plug in and pay their subscription to access a wide spectrum of tools available in this online shared infrastructure. The fact that SaaS applications do not require the company to pay license fees also translates to quite low initial costs. Moreover, the firm using this model does not incur any maintenance expenses as the service provider is the one who manages the IT infrastructure. Therefore, such an arrangement serves to eliminate hardware and software related costs. Further, it is the work of the service provider to manage all required upgrades and updates. As such, the company enrolling in this arrangement does not need to download any patches for installation. Additionally, as the user base grows, customers are not required to purchase any additional bandwidth. These assertions certainly show that the IT sector is able to cut cost tremendously hence a key benefit (Goutas et al., 2016). Secondly, since data is centrally stored in the cloud, collaboration between teams in the company becomes much easier and the speed with which these applications work is much faster than in traditional models. For instance, if the IT Company intends to use SaaS in an MIS function such as leave management, the possibility of having delays as the approving officer goes through paper work is eliminated. Before firms started using SaaS for leave management, employees were required to do a manual application. In the event of a disagreement between the applying side and the approving side, allegations of lost applications were common. Doing this process online eliminates the possibility of malice as the system sends email notifications to both the applicant and the approving officer (Goutas et al., 2016). Employees do not even need to travel all the way to their offices to do the leave application. All they need is a working account and an internet connection. Once the worker logs into their account, they are just required to select the date they desire to be on leave, fill a form indicating this date and then send it to the MIS department. Once this application is received, the attendance record of the particular employee is automatically updated (Younas et al., 2016). 3b. Challenges in using SaaS in Management Information Systems Although SaaS is rapidly gaining popularity and adoption, many organizations are still uncomfortable with the issue of lack of visibility about the exact manner in which their data is stored and its security. As such, addressing the issue of enterprise security remains one of the greatest challenges faced in the adoption of SaaS applications. In SaaS models, the data of enterprises is stored in the provider’s data center (Younas et al., 2016). All the firms using the same provider have their data stored in the same data center. Additionally, a SaaS provider while leveraging a public cloud computing service stores the data of organizations in the same cloud as other unrelated SaaS applications. The provider of the cloud service may decide to copy this data in diverse locations across the globe so as to ensure high availability. These issues make enterprises very uncomfortable about the safety of their data. In the traditional on-premise models, data stays within boundaries of the enterprise and its access is governed by a set of policies which ensure that it is not easily violated. However, in the SaaS model, organizations are not given information regarding the way their data is stored and secured (Goutas et al., 2016). The second challenge is in budget and financial constraints. Organizations face the problem of determining where exactly the finances they need to be hosted in the cloud can come from. For the enterprise to justify their need for the SaaS model, the IT sector must develop a strong business case justifying the adoption. Such justification can only be achieved through making a sound forecast of the benefits likely to accrue to the enterprise following the adoption of the model (Goutas et al., 2016). Many members of the organization may propose that the firm should continue using the traditional on-premise model as it also works. As such, they may argue against the allocation of resources to a task which can be performed locally (Younas et al., 2016). The third challenge the organization may face is that of skill development. After adopting the SaaS model, the firm is required to invest in two types of skill development. The first one is competence in contract management owing to the fact that both public and hybrid models of cloud deployment entail an interaction with third party providers (Goutas et al., 2016). As such, it is necessary that all the workers of the organization become competent enough to deal with all cases of exigency by the SaaS provider. Moreover, when the organization adopts the use of SaaS, new business as well as governance structures are brought onboard, thereby, necessitating the need for all members to familiarize themselves ...