With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, the management of information systems becomes vital to the survival of any business. For a business to succeed, it must evolve and adapt to advances but this is not done at no cost. Those who do not like the way technology is managed argue that technology is only offering poor value. Business executives see IT as a drain on the organization’s financial resources, blaming it for cost overruns, ineffective systems and misalignment between business strategy and IT strategy.
A new book entitled “Technology in Business” by Dr. Jamil El-Imad (Tihama Publishing & Distribution, Jeddah; $40) seeks to address the bigger picture of technology management by viewing technology as a strategic business tool while admitting the hardships experienced by business and IT executives trying to effectively and efficiently manage the resource. The author has been involved in the IT industry for the past 25 years. He holds an MBA and PhD in technology management and has occupied managerial and other senior positions both in the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
The author says the book was written for business and IT executives whose biggest challenge in managing technology is how to deliver effective and efficient IT solutions. “The IT fashion is becoming extremely dangerous to businesses. Some follow these fashions blindly in the belief that if they install a certain software or hardware they will be at the forefront of technology. This is not the case. What works for one company might not work for another.”
Saudi businessman Walid Juffali, who wrote the forward, believes businessmen should begin to move away from traditional ways of business thinking and venture into what is new. “There are many business procedures that we have inherited and if we were redesigning them in the light of modern technology, we would design them completely differently. Executives today are finding it difficult to comprehend some of the new technological solutions, let alone employ them.
The book is divided into eight chapters dealing with management in its various areas, including strategies, cost, people, data, technology and system management. It looks into the business areas that constitute information system management and attempts to identify the various approaches that can be used in each of these areas.
The objective, says Dr. Imad, is to identify the best genetic theories that, if used, will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the function of the management of information system. No technical issues are discussed in the book which deals rather with strategic aspects while discussing the management aspect of IT and the various key concepts that ought to be considered.
The approach used by Dr. Imad in his book sought to first identify and segment the broad areas of the management of enterprise information systems, then review general literature and theories, identify the different genetic theories that can be applied to each segment and finally analyze using the survey. The book reviews a number of bench-making methods that are used to measure information systems efficiency and also reviews benchmarking in the IS industry.
