BUS 809 ASSIGNMENT

QUESTION: WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF INFORMATION SYSTEM

SUBMITTED BY: AL’HASSAN-EWUOSO H.O

THE FUTURE OF INFORMATION SYSTEM

What is Information Systems (IS)?

Information system, an integrated set of components for collecting, storing,

and processing data and for providing information, knowledge, and digital
products. Business firms and other organizations rely on information systems
to carry out and manage their operations, interact with their customers and
suppliers, and compete in the marketplace. Information systems are used to
run interorganizational supply chains and electronic markets. For instance,
corporations use information systems to process financial accounts, to
manage their human resources, and to reach their potential customers with
online promotions. Many major companies are built entirely around
information systems. These include eBay, a largely auction
marketplace; Amazon, an expanding electronic mall and provider of cloud
computing services; Alibaba, a business-to-business e-marketplace;
and Google, a search engine company that derives most of its revenue from
keyword advertising on Internet searches. Governments deploy information
systems to provide services cost-effectively to citizens. Digital goods—such
as electronic books, video products, and software—and online services, such
as gaming and social networking, are delivered with information systems.
Individuals rely on information systems, generally Internet-based, for
conducting much of their personal lives: for socializing, study, shopping,
banking, and entertainment.

As the world of information technology moves forward, we will be constantly

challenged by new capabilities and innovations that will both amaze and
disgust us. Many times the new capabilities and powers that come with these
new technologies will test us and require a new way of thinking about the
world. Businesses and individuals alike need to be aware of these coming
changes and prepare for them.

Information systems have evolved at a rapid pace ever since their

introduction in the 1950s. Today, devices that we can hold in one hand are
more powerful than the computers used to land a man on the moon. The
Internet has made the entire world accessible to us, allowing us to
communicate and collaborate with each other like never before. The future of
Information System shall be

1- Global

The first trend to note is the continuing expansion of globalization. The use of
the Internet is growing all over the world, and with it the use of digital
devices. The growth is coming from some unexpected places; countries such
as Indonesia and Iran are leading the way in Internet growth.

2- Social

Social media growth is another trend that continues. Facebook now has over
one billion users! In 2013, 80% of Facebook users were outside of the US and
Canada. Countries where Facebook is growing rapidly include Indonesia,
Mexico, and the Philippines.

Besides Facebook, other social media sites are also seeing tremendous
growth. Over 70% of YouTube’s users are outside the US, with the UK, India,
Germany, Canada, France, South Korea, and Russia leading the way. Pinterest
gets over 50% of its users from outside the US, with over 9% from
India. Twitter now has over 230 million active users. Social media sites not
based in the US are also growing. China’s QQ instant-messaging service is the
eighth most-visited site in the world.

3- Personal

Ever since the advent of Web 2.0 and e-commerce, users of information
systems have expected to be able to modify their experiences to meet their
personal tastes. From custom backgrounds on computer desktops to unique
ringtones on mobile phones, makers of digital devices provide the ability to
personalize how we use them. More recently, companies such as Netflix have
begun assisting their users with personalizations by making suggestions. In
the future, we will begin seeing devices perfectly matched to our personal
preferences, based upon information collected about us in the past.

4- Mobile

Perhaps the most impactful trend in digital technologies in the last decade has
been the advent of mobile technologies. Beginning with the simple cellphone
in the 1990s and evolving into the smartphones and tablets of today, the
growth of mobile has been overwhelming. Here are some key indicators of
this trend:

 Mobile device sales. In 2011, smartphones began outselling personal

computers.

 The number of smartphone subscribers grew at 31% in 2013, with

China leading the way at 354 million smartphone users.

 Internet access via mobile. In May of 2013, mobile accounted for 15% of
all Internet traffic. In China, 75% of Internet users used their
 smartphone to access it. Facebook reported that 68% of its active users
used their mobile platform to access the social network.

 The rise of tablets. While Apple defined the smartphone with the
iPhone, the iPad sold more than three times as many units in its first
twelve months as the iPhone did in its first twelve months. Tablet
shipments now outpace notebook PCs and desktop PCs. The research
firm IDC predicts that 87% of all connected devices will be either
smartphones or tablets by 2017.

5- Wearable

The average smartphone user looks at his or her smartphone 150 times a day
for functions such as messaging (23 times), phone calls (22), listening to
music (13), and social media (9). Many of these functions would be much
better served if the technology was worn on, or even physically integrated
into, our bodies. This technology is known as a “wearable.”

Wearables have been around for a long time, with technologies such as
hearing aids and, later, bluetooth earpieces. But now, we are seeing an
explosion of new wearable technologies. Perhaps the best known of these is
Google Glass, an augmented reality device that you wear over your eyes like a
pair of eyeglasses. Visible only to you, Google Glass will project images into
your field of vision based on your context and voice commands. Another class
of wearables are those related to health care. The UP by Jawbone consists of a
wristband and an app that tracks how you sleep, move, and eat, then helps
you use that information to feel your best. It can be used to track your sleep
patterns, moods, eating patterns, and other aspects of daily life, and then
report back to you via an app on your smartphone or tablet. As our population
ages and technology continues to evolve, there will be a large increase in
wearables like this.

6- Collaborative
As more of us use smartphones and wearables, it will be simpler than ever to
share data with each other for mutual benefit. Some of this sharing can be
done passively, such as reporting our location in order to update traffic
statistics. Other data can be reported actively, such as adding our rating of a
restaurant to a review site.

The smartphone app Waze is a community-based tool that keeps track of the
route you are traveling and how fast you are making your way to your
destination. In return for providing your data, you can benefit from the data
being sent from all of the other users of the app. Waze will route you around
traffic and accidents based upon real-time reports from other users.

Yelp! allows consumers to post ratings and reviews of local businesses into a
database, and then it provides that data back to consumers via its website or
mobile phone app. By compiling ratings of restaurants, shopping centers, and
services, and then allowing consumers to search through its directory, Yelp!
has become a huge source of business for many companies. Unlike data
collected passively however, Yelp! relies on its users to take the time to
provide honest ratings and reviews.

7- Printable

One of the most amazing innovations to be developed recently is the 3-D

printer. A 3-D printer allows you to print virtually any 3-D object based on a
model of that object designed on a computer. 3-D printers work by creating
layer upon layer of the model using malleable materials, such as different
types of glass, metals, or even wax.

3-D printing is quite useful for prototyping the designs of products to

determine their feasibility and marketability. 3-D printing has also been used
to create working prosthetic legs, handguns, and even an ear that can hear
beyond the range of normal hearing. 3-D printing is one of many technologies
embraced by the “maker” movement. In a nutshell, the term “Maker” refers to
a new category of builders who are using open-source methods and the latest
technology to bring manufacturing out of its traditional factory context, and
into the realm of the personal desktop computer. Until recently, the ability to
manufacture was reserved for those who owned factories. What’s happened
over the last five years is that we’ve brought the Web’s democratizing power
to manufacturing. Today, you can manufacture with the push of a button.

8- Findable

The “Internet of Things” refers to the idea of physical objects being connected
to the Internet. Advances in wireless technologies and sensors will allow
physical objects to send and receive data about themselves. Many of the
technologies to enable this are already available – it is just a matter of
integrating them together.

In a 2010 report by McKinsey & Company on the Internet of Things, six broad
applications are identified:

 Tracking behavior. When products are embedded with sensors,

companies can track the movements of these products and even
monitor interactions with them. Business models can be fine-tuned to
take advantage of this behavioral data. Some insurance companies, for
example, are offering to install location sensors in customers’ cars. That
allows these companies to base the price of policies on how a car is
driven as well as where it travels.

 Enhanced situational awareness. Data from large numbers of sensors

deployed, for example, in infrastructure (such as roads and buildings),
or to report on environmental conditions (including soil moisture,
ocean currents, or weather), can give decision makers a heightened
awareness of real-time events, particularly when the sensors are used
with advanced display or visualization technologies. Security personnel,
for instance, can use sensor networks that combine video, audio, and
vibration detectors to spot unauthorized individuals who enter
restricted areas.

 Sensor-driven decision analysis. The Internet of Things also can support

longer-range, more complex human planning and decision making. The
technology requirements – tremendous storage and computing
 resources linked with advanced software systems that generate a
variety of graphical displays for analyzing data – rise accordingly.

 Process optimization. Some industries, such as chemical production, are

installing legions of sensors to bring much greater granularity to
monitoring. These sensors feed data to computers, which in turn
analyze the data and then send signals to actuators that adjust
processes – for example, by modifying ingredient mixtures,
temperatures, or pressures.

 Optimized resource consumption. Networked sensors and automated

feedback mechanisms can change usage patterns for scarce resources,
such as energy and water. This can be accomplished by dynamically
changing the price of these goods to increase or reduce demand.

 Complex autonomous systems. The most demanding use of the Internet

of Things involves the rapid, real-time sensing of unpredictable
conditions and instantaneous responses guided by automated systems.
This kind of machine decision-making mimics human reactions, though
at vastly enhanced performance levels. The automobile industry, for
instance, is stepping up the development of systems that can detect
imminent collisions and take evasive action.

9- Autonomous

A final trend that is emerging is an extension of the Internet of Things:

autonomous robots and vehicles. By combining software, sensors, and
location technologies, devices that can operate themselves to perform specific
functions are being developed. These take the form of creations such as
medical nanotechnology robots (nanobots), self-driving cars, or unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs).

A nanobot is a robot whose components are on the scale of about a

nanometer, which is one-billionth of a meter. While still an emerging field, it is
showing promise for applications in the medical field. For example, a set of
nanobots could be introduced into the human body to combat cancer or a
specific disease.

In March of 2012, Google introduced the world to their driverless car

by releasing a video on YouTube showing a blind man driving the car around
the San Francisco area. The car combines several technologies, including a
laser radar system, worth about $150,000. While the car is not available
commercially yet, three US states (Nevada, Florida, and California) have
already passed legislation making driverless cars legal.

A UAV, often referred to as a “drone,” is a small airplane or helicopter that can

fly without a pilot. Instead of a pilot, they are either run autonomously by
computers in the vehicle or operated by a person using a remote control.
While most drones today are used for military or civil applications, there is a
growing market for personal drones. For around $300, a consumer can
purchase a drone for personal use.

In conclusion, the future of Information System is very bright and it is going

to be the most lucrative. My fear is that as new trends unfold in the IS world
any organization or individual that fail to comply will be thrown out of the
system. Indeed the future is IS.