Summary Information Management
Chapter 1: Business information management and BiSL
• Business Information Management = the part of an organisation that deals with the management of
information provisioning, its design and adaptation, and maintaining and monitoring the working of
information provisioning.
—> So MORE than IT (only realisation and implementation of a part of information provisioning)
—> In other words: it is about how businesses and institutions can ensure that they are able to
direct their organisations by means of internal and external information in such a way as to
provide an optimal service to their customers
—> The link between business and IT, crucial that both components support each other properly
• Why use information management:
- Businesses must keep up with information technology innovations
- So, businesses must invest in information management systems
• Business information management is a function that deals with:
- Supporting use of information provisioning
- Mapping out the needs for information provisioning
- Translating needs into concrete demand for IT support
- Deciding what to do, when to do it and at which level
- Determining long-term perspectives of information provisioning
• Not only automated information is required, also non-automated like work instructions, regulations and
procedures.
• There are 3 levels of control of business information management:
1. Strategic —> CIO and IT manager (organisation and information strategies)
- Deals with long-term thinking
2. Managing —> Product manager, system owner (managing the processes)
- Deals with time, quality, money, agreements and contracts
3. Operational —> key user, business information administrator (use and functionality management
- Deals with content
- Deals with completion of information provisioning
• Business information management is crucial for successfully operating business processes. However,
there are few constraints:
1. Business processes change, and information provisioning must change with it. However, end
users cannot always adapt that fast.
2. Average organisation has no control over IT providers (like Microsoft)
3. There are finite possibilities, capacities and qualities
4. It deals with policies setting frameworks, based on e.g. legislation.
• Many different departments deal with information management (e.g. financial director with financial
system, HR manager with HRM system etc.)
—> Therefore: Business Information
Management Groups (BIM)
—> On the right, 5 different BIM:
- Coordinating policy
- Logistical info prov.
- Personnel info prov.
- Financial info prov.
- Infrastructure (e.g. workplaces)
—> CONSEQUENCE: seldom one point from
which information provisioning of an
organisation is managed. So, clear
agreements are needed.
, Chapter 2: the BiSL Framework
• Some important concepts (explained later on):
- IT = Information Technology
- ICT = Information and Communication Technology (same as IT)
- IS = Information Systems
- IP = Information Provisioning
- IM = Information Mangement
- MI = Management Information
- BIM = Business Information Management
• IT = the entirety of technical resources used to deliver information provisioning
—> Important condition for information management
• IS = information systems: The people, procedures, data, data carriers, software and hardware
producing the information in order to meet the objectives of an organisation or part of an organisation.
- IS is automated or non-automated, or a combination of the two.
- IS is often used to support a single operational process, or part of such a process.
- An application = the digital data carriers and data collections used by an organisation to carry out
or support information processing procedures.
• IP = information provisioning: information used to implement and direct the operational process.
—> IT and IS are required, but also:
- procedures
- working instructions
- manual administrative systems
- well-trained users
• IM = Information Management: the content and form of information provisioning, which are constantly
monitored. It deals with the questions How to organise information provisioning?
• MI = management information: the outcome of an IS.
—> Used by management to make decisions on how to properly manage the organisation
• BIM = business information management: element of an organisation concerned with the management,
design and modification of information provisioning as well as the monitoring of its performance.
- It monitors the information provisioning from a commercial point of view
- So, not part of IT organisation, but of users organisation! See picture:
• The internet revolution: everyone has access to information. All people can publish and share
- Websites, blogs, blogs etc.
- Social media (more information, but also a new dimension to public life)
- Many streaming services
- AND: new media channels have improved the information management function
• BiSL = Business Information Services Library, can grant certification to BiSL experts. It has developed a
framework, dividing the information management into clusters that are closely connected. See next
page