Andreas Sofroniou

Logical Analysis of Systems, Risks, Changes Andreas Sofroniou

There can be little doubt that Information System, the Internet, and Information Technology in general, is, and will be increasingly important in the years ahead. This book has been designed for the business person, for the student and the systems professional who needs an overview regarding the logical analysis in Information Technology and the systems involved. The book explores the fundamental aspects of operational computing, the development of new information systems, and the structured methodologies used. Systems Analysis is discussed according to their structure and the book focuses on further developments in information technology and their planning. In writing the book, the author is mostly concerned with the logical analysis and the managing of systems and people in multi-national corporations, software houses, government departments, the European Union, and academia. In the past, the majority of data processing has been carried out by companies using batch style computer systems. With the cost of hardware rapidly reducing and with the hardware power and facilities increasing inversely, on-line and Internet systems are now becoming easier to justify and develop. The objective of I. T. systems is to capture data, process it, and present the information. Because of the widespread use of the Internet, and all the versions of computers within business, it is sometimes assumed that data always refers to some type of financially oriented transaction. In fact, data has a more general meaning. In general terms, data can be used to denote any or all facts, numbers, letters, and symbols that refer to, or describe an object, idea, condition, or any other function. But data can only be of value if it can be organised in some way, so that it becomes meaningful to somebody; this is information. The data must be checked for integrity, to ensure that errors have not arisen during any data capture processes. Data are compared to establish relationships, similarities, and differences. By now the data should have been completely processed, but to be proper information the processing results must be presented in such a way that it has relevance and meaning. Finally, the information must be produced on a medium that is legible. In years bygone, on-line systems of any form have been difficult to justify because of the cost of: -Additional hardware needed to sustain speedy response times, -Systems software needed to support individual terminal activity, -Additional design overhead for systems assurance. With hardware power increasing and their costs reducing rapidly, these objectives are now disappearing. Indeed, the justification for modern applications must be much easier now, when their benefits include: -Speedier data entry, -Reduced data error rates, -Faster processing cycles, -Quick response to user enquiries.