Business Information System

CBIS CASE STUDY-Business INFORMATION SYSTEMS Computerized Business information systems refer to set of integrated business applications that help organizations manage their inventory, financial and customer data in an efficient manner. These applications can vary from company to company but mostly focus on quick and easy access and exchange of information between concerned parties or departments.

For example of the Finance departments wants to share last year financial record with research department, it would take a long time to email all files and therefore it is best to have a central system that can be accessed by all employees who have access permission. This helps in streamlining information and company data in a less time-consuming manner.

While large organizations can afford to have all kind of IT applications installed, small businesses usually have to make a conscious effort to keep cost down when choosing CBIS because they have allocated limited funds for IT section. But information systems certainly make a great difference in all kinds of organization and therefore it is important to select the ones that you need the most and which is likely to meet all your requirements.

For example, while a small business have limited access to IT applications because of cost constraints, it must try to invest in only those IT applications that are critical for a company's success. Alchemix, a company in Carefree that researches and develops methods of providing affordable clean energy, recently installed a Microsoft small-business server. "We're a relatively small company with remote employees in Australia. We also have a lot of people who travel internationally," said Michelle Hicks, network administrator.

"Our biggest asset is our proprietary information and we are able to maintain internal security through our exchange server." (Wagner, 2003) Several such examples can be cited to prove that computerized business information systems can be successfully utilized by all organizations provided they select the right set of applications that help in maximizing efficiency while keeping costs low. After carefully studying the case of Hideaway Motel Limited, it appears that the company is not investing as much in CBIS as it should.

For one we notice that the motel has only one computer whose data cannot be accessed from home or another place. This is indeed the biggest problem because if Wong and her partner install some product like Microsoft small business server, they would not only be able to access their data from home, it would also help them manage their financial record in a better manner.

Tipene complains that though he wants to pay more attention to management of company's finance, he is unable to do so because of many other responsibilities. But if they can access this data from other places apart from motel, it would put their mind at ease and they can maintain accounting records more efficiently from home.

As the busy tax season kicks in, Camala Bailey, who runs her own Valley CPA firm, is convinced she made the right move by setting up a server that her accountants can access from their homes. Productivity gains are among the many benefits she has seen by using Microsoft's Small Business Server. "I can work from 7 a.m. To 6 p.m. At the office, then get on the computer at home and bring up the same information that I have at the office," she said.

"The other accountants can do that as well. "We're all moms, we all have kids and we want to be able to see our family, even during tax season," she said. "Being at home makes a huge difference." (Wagner, 2003) Wong and Tipene must also understand the importance of running proper accounting software that is missing from its computer system.

Despite running a relatively successful motel where everyday transactions need to be recorded properly, Wong is keeping all financial data on some excel sheets which is on the one hand an inefficient way of maintaining record, and on the other is quite a risky thing to do. A hard disk crash can completely destroy all valuable.