IMAT 5206 Management of

Information Systems
Sessions, Stories and Tasks

Table of Contents
Session 1 Organisational and Intra-Organisational Structures......3
Story 1 IS and organisational structures.............................................................3
Story 2 Legacy Systems..................................................................................... 3
Story 3 Retail IT.................................................................................................. 4
Story 4 Government IT Projects..........................................................................4
Story 5 Universal Credit IT System.....................................................................5
Story 6 Systems Integration...............................................................................6
Story 7 ERP......................................................................................................... 6
Story 8 The IT department.................................................................................. 7
Story 9 Top Technology Issues............................................................................7
References.......................................................................................................... 8

Session 2 Information System Procurement and Implementation

.............................................................................................. 10
Story 1 Information Systems Procurement.......................................................10
Story 2 Information System Implementation....................................................11
Story 3 Implementation of Mainframes............................................................11
Story 4 The anatomy of a supplier....................................................................12
Story 5 Managing the Supplier.........................................................................12
Story 6 Procuring Services for Information Systems.........................................13
Story 7 Sole supplier procurement...................................................................13
Story 8 Global sourcing of IT services...............................................................14
Story 9 Financing IT services............................................................................ 14
Story 10 The Appliance Model..........................................................................14
Story 11 Information Systems Management in Developing Countries..............15
References........................................................................................................ 15

Session 3 From Data Centres to Business Analytics...................16

Story 1 Cloud Computing..................................................................................16
Story 2 Development and management of a data centre.................................16
Story 3 Business Intelligence/Business Analytics..............................................17
Story 4 IT governance...................................................................................... 18
Story 5 Public Cloud.......................................................................................... 19
Story 6 Server architecture and selection........................................................19
Story 7 Cloud Security and Trust......................................................................19
Story 8 IT asset management...........................................................................19
Story 9 Data Centres and Privacy.....................................................................20
Story 10 Saxbanes-Oxley and the regulation of IT systems.............................20
Story 11 The Future of Data Centres................................................................20
References........................................................................................................ 21

Session 4 Managing resources technical and human...............22

A. People........................................................................................................... 22
Story 1 The CIO................................................................................................ 22
Story 2 Skills Framework in an Information Age...............................................22
Story 3 Human resource issues in IT................................................................23
B. Technology................................................................................................... 23
Story 4: Capacity planning............................................................................... 23
Story 5 Managing Desktops.............................................................................. 23
Story 6 Network procurement and management..............................................24

Story 7. Software as a Service..........................................................................24

C. Risk.............................................................................................................. 24
Story 8 IT Security Management......................................................................24
Story 9 ISO27001............................................................................................. 24
Story 10 Cybersecurity as a global issue..........................................................25
Story 11 Risk Management...............................................................................25
Story 12 Introduction to Open Source..............................................................25
Story 13 Access Management..........................................................................26
Story 14 Managing the Globally Distributed Data Centre.................................26
Story 15 Implementing ITIL..............................................................................26
Story 16 The Customers of Information Services Management........................27
Story 17 Cost cutting........................................................................................ 27
Story 18 Futures - Cognitive Computing...........................................................27
Story 19 Futures - Collective Awareness Platforms...........................................28
References........................................................................................................ 28

Session 5 IT Development and on to IT services........................30

Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story

1 The software development environment..............................................30

2 Introduction to PRINCE2 project management.....................................30
3 Management of software testing..........................................................31
4 Anatomy of an IT project......................................................................31
5 Software metrics and software estimation...........................................31
6 Agile development...............................................................................32
7 DevOps................................................................................................. 32
8 Managing incidents..............................................................................33
9 Problem Management..........................................................................33
10 ITIL and ISO20000.............................................................................. 33
11 Availability management....................................................................34
12 Procuring a service desk management system..................................34
13 Professionalism.................................................................................. 35
14 Futures: The Internet of Things..........................................................35
15 Futures Autonomic Computing...........................................................35
16 Futures: Robots.................................................................................. 36
17 Ambient intelligence and Ubiquitous computing................................36
18 Bring Your Own Device.......................................................................37
19 Ethics in information systems management quality...........................37

Session 6 Building theoretical foundations...............................39

Story 1 Technology adoption............................................................................ 39
Story 2 Organisations as Social and work structures........................................40
References........................................................................................................ 41

Session 1 Organisational and IntraOrganisational Structures

Organisational and Intra-organisational structures. How organisations are
structured and the range of information systems that drive the structure. Webbased systems and the driving of supply chains. The increasing role of mobile
computing. Infrastructures and the maintenance of infrastructures. Customer
relationship management systems and enterprise resource packages. The
example of the retail industry.

Story 5 Universal Credit IT System

Universal Credit is a government system which intends to unify six different
benefits into one system: The overhaul of the welfare system has been driven
by Mr Duncan Smith, who argues that too many people are trapped on benefits.
He says the changes are designed to make work pay - instead of people seeing
their income drop when they move off benefits and into low-paid work. The move
is also a bid to simplify the system by merging a string of working-age benefits
and tax credits into one single payment, called universal credit. This is supposed
to reduce the amount of fraud and error that hits the benefits system amounting
to billions of pounds a year. ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business11735673). The system requires links with the tax systems. The IT system at
the heart of universal credit has been subject to many problems, delays and a
loss of money. 34 million was written off in 2013; the initial system
development by external contracts using and agile approach has been halted
and development of a new system taken in-house by the Department of Work
and Pensions. As of 26th February 2015, the 2reset2 system has been delayed by
six
months.
(http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/public-

sector/3599395/universal-credit-new-reset-system-delayed-by-six-moremonths/). It has been subject to a number of critical reports by the National

Audit
Office
including
one
in
2013:
http://www.nao.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/09/10132-001-Universal-credit.pdf and in November
2014: http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Universal-Creditprogress-update.pdf
Tasks
1 Does the case of universal credit identify fundamental lessons about
systems development and contract management? If so what?
As far as you can tell, what is the current state of universal credit IT
development?
Universal credit will be a problem for the new UK government. What
recommendations would you give?
Story 4

McBride, N.K. (2015) The Application of Extended Hierarchy Theory in

Understanding Complex Organisational Studies: The Case of FIReControl.
Systems Research and Behavioural Science submitted.
National
Audit
Office
(2014)
Universal
Credit
Progress
update
http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Universal-Creditprogress-update.pdf
The Guardian 5th September 2013 David Camerons 2.4 billion universal credit
project
riddled
with
problems.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/05/david-cameron-24bnuniversal-credit-problems
Story 5
Kazman, R.., Neilson, C and Schmid, K. (2013) Understanding patterns of
Systems of system integration. CMU Software Engineering Institute
Technical
Note
CMU\SEI
2013

TR
17
http://repository.cmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1771&context=sei
Bakar, Z. A., Baharum, N and Yaacob, M. (2001) Systems Integration and Project
Management. Malaysian Journal of Computer Science, 14(1) 9- 15
http://mjcs.fsktm.um.edu.my/document.aspx?FileName=109.pdf
Kou, D. C. L., Smits, M. (2003) Performance Integrated Supply Chains,
Proceedings of the 36th Hawaii International Conference on System
Sciences.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.10.4569&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Fargoe (2015) GIS/IT systems integration http://www.fargeo.com/gis-it-integration

Session 2 Information System

Procurement and Implementation
Procurement of information systems. Developing a data centre. Procurement of
information systems. Roles of information systems suppliers. Tenders, proposals
and contracts. Monitoring IT suppliers. Developing a data centre.
Implementation. Implementation failures. The case of Connecting for Health.
For any Information Technology department, a range of systems must be
procured. While some information systems may be developed in-house, a
majority of application, hardware and resources managed in a typical IT
department are bought in. That requires the management of suppliers, the
development of relationships with suppliers, dealing with contracts and
monitoring contracts. Not only are procurement concepts and skills not given
much treatment in information systems courses, the practice is often found
wanting. Failure in government IT are often down to failure in OT procurement
and supplier management. In this session we will explore a range of issues
specific to the procurement of IT systems in organisations. We will develop an
understanding of suppliers, examine the tendering process and develop
processes for procurement. We must structure the Invitation to Tender. This
involves understanding the requirements and translating them into a set of
mandatory and desirable requirements. Further on in the process, once we have
shortlisted possible suppliers and systems, we will need to evaluate potential

candidates this may involve demonstrations, visits to other sites and formal
presentations to IT departments, managers and users.
A major aspect of the work in information systems management will involve the
introduction of the right systems and services into the organisation to ensure
competitive support and delivery of information throughout the organisation.
Primarily this will involve importing systems: hardware, applications and
services: support, software development, maintenance, training etc. into the
organisation rather than producing them in-house. This means that information
system management needs to develop skills in connecting with suppliers,
evaluating what they offer, negotiating contracts, selecting and implementing
systems and services, and maintaining on-going relationships with suppliers.

Story 3 Implementation of Mainframes

Over 10% of business IT works on mainframes. All credit card transactions, most
banking transactions and much travel and retail work is done on mainframes
which are transaction processing machines working at a high rate on processing
transactions. The recent release of the IBM z13 might herald an increase in the
role and usage of mainframes. Mainframes require a different approach to
information system management. Systems programmers are required and quite
a big team to implement and operate a mainframe.
Tasks
1 Using material from the launch of the IBM z13, explain the architecture of
the z13.
Identify key feature of the z13
and discuss some of the issues faced in its development and
manufacture.
Outline IBMs case for the z13, particularly in terms of mobile computing,
cloud computing and business analytics.
Comment on the future of mainframes and the prospects for the z13
being a success and returning the billion dollars IBM have invested in it.

Session 3 From Data Centres to

Business Analytics
Cloud computing. Developing a data centre. Values and motivation for
business intelligence. Tools and processes of business intelligence.
Deriving and managing data for business intelligence. Effect of business
intelligence on the organisation. Pitfalls and difficulties of business

intelligence. IT Governance. How to manage and report to senior

management.

Story 3 Business Intelligence/Business Analytics

The rise of business intelligence and business analytics has been an
influence in the development of data centres. Machines such as the z13
now offer real time analytics in which, for example, the past purchases of
a customer can be analysed while a transaction is taking place. Business
analytics requires systems which can combine data from a number of
sources into one coherent data base against which various kind of analysis
can be applied which will support areas such as marketing, strategy
development and product development.
We will firstly examine two areas to develop an understanding of the
scope and use of business analytics. We will then look at the process of
business analytics development, particularly looking the extract,
transform and load steps and problems associated with them. We will
consider the management issues associated with them and finally extend
our studies into the arena of big data.
Tasks
1. Business Intelligence in Education. Explain the concepts of Learning
Analytics. (see for example, Learning analytics conference site:
http://lak15.solaresearch.org/home )
Identify a range of data sources which might be used for learning analytics.
How might they be combined in a BI application?
Comment on a possible data models.
Having defined learning analytics, identify the benefits of it.
Is learning analytics a disruptive technology?
Using a case study, discuss how it might it change higher education.
Discuss the social and ethical problems associated with learning analytics.
Concept of Learning Analytics.
Value of learning analytics.
Where the data comes from. Social and ethical problems of learning
analytics.

References
Comparing
public
cloud
providers:
https://users.cs.duke.edu/~xwy/publications/cloudcmp-imc10.pdf
Review on cloud service evaluation:
6

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=6716686
How do I select a DCIM for my data centre?
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/05/31/selecting-dcim-toolsfor-data-center/
Hewlett Packard Servers: https://www.hpe.com/uk/en/servers.html
Zero trust security model:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2487123/data-privacy/cloud-computing2014--moving-to-a-zero-trust-security-model.html
Building user trust in cloud security:
http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Security-in-the-cloud-Top-nine-issues-inbuilding-users-trust
Establishing trust in cloud computing.
http://www.computer.org/cms/Computer.org/ComputingNow/homepage/2010/111
0/rW_IT_EstablishingTrustCloudComputing.pdf
Security and Trust Challenges in Cloud Computing Environments:
http://sefcom.asu.edu/publications/security-privacy-challenges-privacy2010.pdf
UCIAS IT Asset Management:
https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/~/media/Files/members/activities/ITIL/servicetransition/s
ervice_asset/ITIL_guide%20to%20SA%20and%20CM%20management
%20pdf.ashx
Why the cloud provider community needs to get on board with ISO27018.
http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Why-the-cloud-providercommunity-needs-to-get-on-board-with-ISO-27018
Dropbox
secures
ISO27018.
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500246451/Dropbox-secures-dataprivacy-focused-ISO-27018-standard
Introduction to Sarbanes-Oxley: http://www.soxlaw.com/introduction.htm
Overview of controls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEVuxIZWLuU
Sarbanes-Oxley:
IT
perspective:
https://technet.microsoft.com/enus/magazine/2006.09.businessofit.aspx
Impact of Sox on IT outsourcing:
http://www.informationweek.com/whitepaper/whitepaper/Business_and_Careers/
wp100284/6202?gset=yes&
Next generation data centres:
http://public.dhe.ibm.com/common/ssi/ecm/rl/en/rlw03027usen/RLW03027USEN.
PDF

Session 4 Managing resources

technical and human
People: The CIO. The Skills Framework for an Information age. Human resource
issue in IT. Technology: Capacity Planning, Managing desktops, Network
Management, Software as a Service. Risk: IT Security Management, ISO27000,
Cybersecurity as a Global Issue, Information system risk management, managing
open source.
The management of information system, like any other management area
involves the management of resources to achieve business ends. The business
end for information systems is to provide IT and information to the internal
customers of the business to support processes and support information analysis
to help with directing business direction. This management involves managing
technical and human resources. For information systems, an expertise in the
technology is particularly required. This requires specialist skills which might not
be found elsewhere in the organisation. Hence IT has dual complexities:
managing a complex set of technology and managing experts to deal with it.
Further than that, management of information systems concerns the
management of risks. These risks have to be controlled and constrained. Such is
the reliance of organisations on IT that failure to manage risk can have wide
ranging consequences which can lead to the demise of the organisation.
In this session we examine the resources that must be managed and look at risk
management, with a particular focus on the growing concerns of IT security
management.

Story 7. Software as a Service

If a company cannot afford a large software package such as an ERP, one
possibility is to subscribe to it on a network. The rise of cloud computing makes
software as a service a viable option for managing some IT applications. This is
not a new idea, but has gained widespread use as cloud has expanded. In any
procurement software as a service (SaaS) should be considered as an option.
Tasks
Define software as a service and give an example of how it works.
How big is the SaaS market?
What benefits does it offer?
What are the risks?
Besides ERP and CRM, what other applications may be provided as SaaS?
What are the security risks?
Who are the main providers of SaaS?
Explain how an IT director might make a decision on whether to use SaaS and
what applications should be provided in this approach.

ServiceNow provides an IT service Management application. What is an ITSM

application and how is it delivered as SaaS by ServiceNow?

References
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-tapscott/do-companies-still-need-acio_b_6214482.html:
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/uk/cio/pdf/ciw03002-gben-00_2.pdf?
ca=evolvingrole_whitepaper1&me=w&met=uk_cio_evolvepageHP
Peppard, J and Ward J. (1999) Mind the Gap: diagnosing the relationship between
the IT organisation and the rest of the business. Journal of Strategic
Information Systems, 8(1) 29-60.
Sans Institute. Introduction to Information Systems Risk Management.
http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/auditing/introductioninformation-system-risk-management-1204
Computer
Weekly:
Trouble
shooting
data
management
centres:
http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Troubleshooting-datacentremanagement-issues;
Global
distribution
service
in
the
cloud.
https://f5.com/resources/white-papers/global-distributed-service-in-thecloud-with-f5-and-vmware
Example in Myanmar: http://www.worldwidemyanmar.com/data-center
Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/server-cloud/cloud-os/globaldatacenters.aspx
Ford
et
al.
Availability
in
Globally
Distributed
Storage
Systems
https://www.usenix.org/legacy/event/osdi10/tech/full_papers/Ford.pdf
Rationalising
IT
10
ways
to
cut
the
budget:
http://er.educause.edu/articles/2009/7/rationalizing-it-rationing-10-ways-tocut-the-it-budget-and-what-not-to-cut.
Liverpool Victoria Case Study: https://www.axelos.com/case-studies-and-whitepapers/lv-video-case-study
HBZS Mining Rescue Services Case Study: https://www.axelos.com/case-studiesand-white-papers/hbzs-mining-rescue-services-itil-in-a-smb
Implementing ITIL in a Bank: http://eprints.usq.edu.au/2882/1/297_final.pdf
UCISA
A
Guide
to
Access
Management:
https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/~/media/Files/members/activities/ITIL/service_opera
tion/access_management/ITIL_a%20guide%20to%20access
%20management%20pdf.ashx; 6 Steps to making your security policies
work: http://www.itsmsolutions.com/newsletters/DITYvol3iss33.htm.
IBM Research Cognitive Computing: http://www.research.ibm.com/cognitivecomputing/
IBM Watson: How it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xcmh1LQB9I
Accenture:
Turning
Cognitive
Computing
into
Business
Value:
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-cognitive-computingsystems.aspx.
Computer Associates Capacity Planning. http://www.ca.com/gb/opscenter/cacapacity-manager.aspx
Lutz et al (2012) Information Technologies capacity planning in manufacturing
systems: Proposition for a modelling process and application in the
semiconductor industry. Computers in Industry 63(7) 659-668.
14 global cybersecurity challenges for 2013: http://www.zdnet.com/article/14global-cybersecurity-challenges-for-2013/
9

Sestini, F. Collective Awareness Platforms: Engines for Sustainability and Ethics:

http://caps2020.eu/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/CollectiveAwarenessPlatformsEngineforSustainabil
ityandEthics-1.pdf;
Giannotti et al. A Planetary Nervous System for Social Mining and Collective
Awareness:
http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/683/art
%253A10.1140%252Fepjst%252Fe2012-01688-9.pdf?originUrl=http%3A
%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1140%2Fepjst%2Fe2012-016889&token2=exp=1449052297~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F683%2Fart
%25253A10.1140%25252Fepjst%25252Fe2012-01688-9.pdf%3ForiginUrl
%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Farticle
%252F10.1140%252Fepjst%252Fe2012-016889*~hmac=d4086eff170254583ef9ac102c7ffe83575cf106c758e2a088c08fe
4c4f1a485;
6
Crowd
labour
platforms
compared.
http://info.cloudfactory.com/p/crowd-labor-platform-reviews?
gclid=CIyYzOn6vMkCFcE_Gwod8YoFAA.

10

Session 5 IT Development and on to IT

services
For many organisations, software development is a very small part of the
responsibilities of an information systems manager, since applications, most of
which are standard and are bought from third parties. For some large companies,
such as energy providers, the extent of software requirements may make it
economical to build in-house and development may be required for specialist
applications which cant be obtained commercially. For suppliers and software
providers, development is a core competencies and business activity. Software
must be developed and then implemented in the live environment. At that point
IT services take over. Applications must be maintained and incidents dealt with
by the helpdesk.
In this session we will investigate the process and management of software
development and consider the processes and activities involved in managing IT
services. This will involve considering some aspects of IT service management, in
particular the whole process of incident and problem management and the
importance of managing availability.

Story 7 DevOps
One of the problems with agile is that it is not much good having agile
development if the operations and release process is anything but agile. Agile
systems would have to wait for the progression of a slow change management
process before the software could be released. This frustration has given rise to
the recent devops movement which seeks to make operations agile. It Improves
collaboration and productivity by automating infrastructure, automating
workflow and continuously measuring application performance. And makes
operations part of the development team. The Devops community has grown
rapidly and has its own website and resources (see: www.devops.com), and is
being taken up by large developers of software such as IBM.
Tasks
Define DevOps and give an example of its practice.
What is the history of Devops and how has it developed?
What are the principles of DevOps? (See:
v=p9DvalpydbQ).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

What are the benefits and risks with Devops?

Devops emphasizes the use of tools: what are these tools, what do they do and
why are they important?
Critique DevOps: does it have a future or is it trend which will pass?

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