Information Systems

The largest growth in most economies is coming from 'information' industries. The success of such knowledge-based organisations lies in their information systems. Also, forced by technological change and globalization of markets, many manufacturing industries are also placing increasing emphasis upon information systems. Information systems are more than just computer programs. Though information and communications technologies are playing an increasing role in meeting organisations’ information needs, an information system is a much more general concept. It refers to the wider systems of people, data and activities, both computer-based and manual, that effectively gather, process, store and disseminate organisations’ information.

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Careers within Information Systems

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Information Systems Mentor: Delon Lukow - ProStar Solutions, Las Vegas, Nevada

Marketplace
What are your projections for the industry?
As far as sales are concerned, things have flattened out a bit and it is hard to make a lot of money with sales because of how the economy is right now. The internet and computers, however, are not going away any time soon. Information systems, as a career, is growing right now and has been for the past 40 years. It will continue to grow according to Moore's Law. There is a definite demand for people to join the IT field and fill the needed positions to help companies grow.

What are the key trends or issues?
The internet and Web 2.0 are big things right now. It seems that more and more of business and advertising is taking place on the web and the web is going to continue to grow in that respect. Businesses are using social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin, so there is a high demand for people to work with these sites and allow businesses to use them to their advantage. People are moving away from large computers and servers and moving more to "cloud computing". Everything is becoming virtual and business is being taken care of over the internet rather than with face to face transactions.

What and where are the opportunities?
The opportunities are with the internet and wit specialized IT stuff. Social media is huge and as technology gets more advanced, there is a larger demand for people who understand it to set things up and make everything work as it should.

What are the typical salaries in this type of job? What are the opportunities for career growth?
For an entry-level employee, one should not expect a lot of income. $10-12 is possibly an average, but there is a tremendous opportunity for growth. In each job, there is going to be a ceiling which one will eventually reach and they will not be able to make any more money, but they can look for other employment opportunities and there is also always the option to open one's own business.

Entry into Position
When and how did you get involved in this work?
When he was 15 years old he got his Patriarchal blessing and was told in it that he should pursue a career in computers and such. This is what first captured his interest in the field. After the mission, he went to BYU and decided that he did not want to go into computer science because it involved too much math and such, so he went for a degree in International Relations and had hopes of getting into some big Japanese/oriental business stuff in the Pacific. He ended up doing construction for a while and eventually gravitated to computers. He got a jobs with a few different companies that ended up not lasting long, but while working for these small companies, he was able to become a CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) back in 1992and ever since then he has been involved with networking and stuff. He is now running his own business.

What was your training and background?
He did not have a big background with computer to begin with. He did not get a degree in computers while in college, but he got into computers later and did become a CNE. Since then he has been keeping up with the times, learning the new technologies and teaching himself the trade with the help of webinars and magazines and the like.

Is it important to have certain credentials?
Not necessarily. More important than credentials is to have experience and integrity.

Job Specifics
What is a typical day like for you?
He is currently focusing a lot on marketing and advertising his business in hopes of getting more clients. He spends a lot of time each day with his clients fixing problems and interacting face to face with his customers. He work s mostly with people who run 10-30 computers and he sets up and maintains their networks. He devotes about 2 hours per day to marketing and learning new thins about the industry, 4 hours working with clients, and another 2 hours ding miscellaneous things to make the business operate.

What do you like most about your work?
He loves interacting with people. He feels like his strongest talents are related to business rather than the technical stuff, so he loves to do things that will help the business to grow.

What do you like least?
He doesn't like to spend time doing the dirty work. He feels like there are more productive things he can do for the business.

What attitudes or values are important?
It is very important to be patient and dedicated to what you do in this field. It can be easy sometimes to do things half-heartedly and leave loose ends. Being detail-oriented is a must.

Who doesn't do well in this type of work?
People who are impatient and dishonest will not do well in this field. Most people really really trust their IT guys and we do not want to jeopardize their reputations.

How do you advance or get promoted in this type of work?
The is a type of "natural evolution" int his field. Expertise comes with experience, not schooling. In order to succeed and get promoted you have to keep up with the times and do excellent work.

Recommendations
What would you recommend I do if I want to go into this type of work?
Apply yourself well in school and get involved in the department at the school that best suits your desired career. Always read up on the latest advancements and technologies and make sure that you understand what you are getting into.

Key terms

Network - In information technology, a network is a series of points or nodes interconnected by communication paths. Networks can interconnect with other networks and contain subnetworks.
Server - In information technology, a server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs (and their users) in the same or other computers.
Database - A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images.
Internet - The Internet, sometimes called simply "the Net," is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers).
World Wide Web - A technical definition of the World Wide Web is: all the resources and users on the Internet that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).A broader definition comes from the organization that Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee helped found, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C):
"The World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human knowledge."
Firewall - A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway server, that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks. (The term also implies the security policy that is used with the programs.) An enterprise with an intranet that allows its workers access to the wider Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private data resources and for controlling what outside resources its own users have access to.
Enterprise Resource Planning - ERP (enterprise resource planning) is an industry term for the broad set of activities that helps a business manage the important parts of its business. The information made available through an ERP system provides visibility for key performance indicators (KPIs) required for meeting corporate objectives.
Customer Relationship Management - An information industry term for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way. For example, an enterprise might build a database about its customers that described relationships in sufficient detail so that management, salespeople, people providing service, and perhaps the customer directly could access information, match customer needs with product plans and offerings, remind customers of service requirements, know what other products a customer had purchased, and so forth.
Bandwidth - In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps).
WiFi - Wi-Fi (short for "wireless fidelity") is a term for certain types of wireless local area network (WLAN) that use specifications in the 802.11 family. The term Wi-Fi was created by an organization called the Wi-Fi Alliance, which oversees tests that certify product interoperability. A product that passes the alliance tests is given the label "Wi-Fi certified" (a registered trademark).
Moore's Law - The original Moore's Law derives from a speech given by Gordon Moore, later a founder of Intel, in 1965, in which he observed that the number of microcomponents that could be placed in an integrated circuit (microchip) of the lowest manufacturing cost was doubling every year and that this trend would likely continue into the future. As this observation and prediction began to be frequently cited, it became known as Moore's Law. In later years, the Law was occasionally reformulated to mean that rate. The pace of change having slowed down a bit over the past few years, the definition has changed (with Gordon Moore's approval) to reflect that the doubling occurs only every 18 months.

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