Free Report on Understanding the Context (Ecosystem) of Information Management

Introduction

Information management (IM) refers to the strategic and purposeful collection, storage, distribution, maintenance, and management of information in all forms (Rosacker & Rosacker, 2010). The spectrum of information management is not only wide but also involves policies and procedures guiding its storage and dissemination among individuals, corporate organizations, or various information systems that make up the information life circle. It is utterly a daunting task, therefore, to have a full and comprehensive understanding of information management as it is a highly complex process. With the advancement of sophisticated technology and science, information has become an invaluable and indispensable tool for all organizations because the information collected can be used for almost everything, from marketing to the prediction of organization performance or profits (Richards et al 2001). There is no limit to what access to a particular kind of information can do as it can come with a mixture of good or bad depending on how it is used. Because of the existence of various kinds of information, big chunks of data can be manipulated to fit an unlimited number of purposes. For instance, if competitors get access to information on how a company conducts its business, it can use that information to outcompete the parent company (Valacich, 2018). Also, wrong information can land in the hands of a hacker, leading to blackmail, threats, or cyberbullying. The current technological era has come with frequent cyberattacks that have led to damaging the images of reputable organizations, businesses, or people. Israel recently conducted a cyberattack on the operations of a major port in Iran and used the attacks to threaten and intimidate Iranian officials against attacking Israel (Bergman & Halbfinger, 2020). These activities have been made easier by advanced or modern information technologies (IT) that have made it easy to collect and manipulate by unlimited means. Purpose-built information management systems are responsible for the management of information. The systems not only support the business process but also outline guidelines for businesses to follow to achieve success. Information management is also associated with the means through which information is delivered or shared with recipients through various computing devices or platforms, including company websites, servers, computers, applications, or mobile devices. This paper examines major IT and IM stakeholders in public sector organizations and their importance in achieving organizational success.

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IM/IT Public Sector Stakeholders

The public sector heavily relies on information management and information technology to push forward policies and issues of governance. There is a decreasing paucity of empirical studies focused on information technology governance(ITG), especially in public sector organizations due to the ever-growing importance of IT in state affairs (Laita & Belaissaoui, 2016). Several IT projects have improved how the government manages big data. It is one of the reasons why ITG has become one of the core levels of governance. ITG has been demarked as an enterprise in public sector organizations as it forms an integral piece of governance (Laita & Belaissaoui, 2016). It consists of organizational and leadership structures as well as processes that ensure the organization’s IT is sustainable and strategic and that it can be used to achieve well-identified objectives.

The task of managing sensitive public sector information has been trusted by some incredible IT and IM firms with a good reputation in doing their business. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) is one of the many systems tasked with performing operations across numerous industries (TrendMicro, 2019). It is one of the existing industrial control systems leading the automation era of manufacturing by the industrial control systems. However, the real strength of any information system related to governance is highlighted by the major stakeholders behind the companies providing information technology and management services. In the context of IT governance, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) defines stakeholders as people charged with responsibility, interest, or expectation to respond to issues related to information in the enterprise (Valacich & Schneider, 2018). As far as IT governance is concerned, the role of the stakeholders includes working to ensure the public sector enterprise maintains the balance between achieving benefits and optimizing risks and effective use of available resources. Value creation is a primary core objective for any organization, including those operating in the public sector. Because businesses cannot operate purely in their microcosms, they need a combination of both internal and external environments. Internal stakeholders refer to individuals inside the enterprise. Therefore, at the highest level of public sector organizations, stakeholders are categorized within both environments. The internal stakeholders include the enterprise’s board, its chief executive officer (CEO), chief information officer(CIO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief risk officer, business process owners, business executives, service managers, security managers, privacy officers, human resource managers, internal audit, IT managers and IT users among others (Orbus Software, 2014). On the other hand, external stakeholders refer to individuals whom the organization interacts with on the outside, such as suppliers, partners, government, standardization organizations, consultants, external auditors, and external users, among others.

The repercussions of vulnerabilities of systems such as SCADA can be greatly damaging if those involved are not alert. Because SCADA is involved in many industries such as oil and gas, smart buildings, and wastewater treatment distribution, among others, if it becomes faulty many aspects of life will go wrong (Trendmicro, 2019). Traffic lights could mix up to cause accidents, the flow of water and electricity would be disrupted, and manufacturing would stop, among other challenges for automated systems. It would be disastrous for the environment if water and sewerage systems were disrupted (Richards et al 2001). Some states like San Francisco have been accused of relying on old technology that needs refurbishment failure to which even train and traffic operations could become disastrous (Varghese, 2019). For reasons like these, the stakeholders must be very alert to protocols. In organizations where I would like to work, the major stakeholders will be the internal stakeholders, with the chief information officer occupying the high rank as far as information management and IT are concerned.

Stakeholder Importance

The success or failure of any enterprise is greatly dependent on the structure of the organization's leadership and the management within. The working relationship dictates how operations are run and how efforts are channeled for the overall success and achievement of objectives (Solera, 2009). Major stakeholders are deeply involved in the design and structure of the information systems and can predict where possible uncertainties might arise. Those in charge of collecting and manipulating information to predict outcomes can also use the same information to find possible weaknesses in a system and be ready for the unseen. Roush (2018) has highlighted how good relationships with the stakeholders can lead to overcoming unexpected challenges that arise, and the same can be applied in the path of data security. Every project or initiative is prone to some unexpected problems that can only be effectively addressed when there is a good relationship with or among the stakeholders (Solera, 2009). Trust is one of the fruits of a good relationship, as it can cultivate confidence in what is done. For instance, stakeholders can trust that competence is an IT person after having interacted with them or seeing what they have done. If the person is in good books with the decision-makers, then responses to problems can be more challenging. The bad relationship makes the stakeholders doubt one’s competence in the job (Roush 2018).

Stakeholders are the custodians of public sector organizations. They are at the center of every aspect of organizational development, meaning they can make or break success efforts in any enterprise (Solera, 2009). Public service is a very sensitive sector as it contains government information regarding many issues, including governance structure, protocols, security, financial information, and matters related to policies used in the service of the people. Being the custodian of sensitive information, stakeholders are responsible for overseeing security protocols on many levels in the internal environment. They have full control of what happens within the organizations while also regulating the kind of information available for the external stakeholders and the public in general (Phelps, 2007). Their knowledge or intelligence regarding all types of information on various components, including but not limited to information management systems and servers, are parameters through which information is regulated. They guard information to prevent data leaks through means such as encryption. Attempts of cyberattacks and hacking are some common threats facing public sector organizations as malicious parties are always on the lookout to harvest such data. People conducting cyberattacks use security loopholes to attack information systems (Phelps, 2007). For instance, the incident of cyberattacks between Israel and Iran used a loophole, which revealed that some components of water pumps connected to the internet were not well-protected. The attack disrupted major operations in the Iranian port because the government officials in charge of information intelligence did not act in time. As custodians, the core stakeholders must have contingency plans in place to respond to such cases of cyberattacks. The incident between Israel and Iran revealed that the authorities at the port of Iran failed to deal effectively with the incident before reverting to the annual means of management when loading and unloading (Bergman & Halbfinger, 2020). Any organization that wants to succeed with reference to information security must ensure the relevant stakeholders are knowledgeable and well-equipped to protect the system and handle any unexpected anomalies or attacks on the public sector information systems.

Success in the public sector regarding IT and IM is dependent on the stakeholder reports on the performance of employees (Roush 2018). Project managers and chief financial officers are responsible for approving all requests concerning the development of automated systems or system maintenance. A professional relationship with these individuals is fundamental for growth in an organization because each task can be performed with ease when approvals are done in time. The project sponsor can be an executive within the organization's ranks, meaning they have the authority to assign resources and decide to conduct policy and governance-related projects. Roush (2018) has also indicated that a good relationship with stakeholders can enable one to cut through bureaucracy and deliver projects faster. For personal future success in the governance enterprise, I would like to explore useful means of engaging stakeholders in every aspect of my IT and IM work that requires their input.