IT & Management (subject) 1st Year College Risks and responses associated with IT systems

What can go wrong and why?

-Lack of knowledge or fear of computers in management, can result in IT departments having a free run. Possibly resulting in overly "techie" minded IT departments rationalising and justifying upgrading to the "latest and coolest" software or hardware without considering organisational goals, financial concerns or even the true relevance of the application etc.

-Poor forecasting of initial/ongoing costs related to maintaining or upgrading existing systems.

-Resistance within the organisation to change/under use of new and existing systems.

-Lack of communication resulting in inadequate/inappropriate changes.

-Poor support/training structures.

-Poor integration between systems, both new and existing.

-Lack of planning resulting in over running time and budgets.

-Hardware/Software failure, resulting in loss of information, loss of time, or total closedown.

-Security compromise, by way of virus, hacking, or internal security breaches.

-Lack of flexibility, or compatibility with potential expansion/upgrades.

-Possible complication rather than simplification of processes.

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Organisation

System Update

-Staff abuse of company resources, for example by way of unauthorised web use.

It is clear from the above risks listed that it's preferable and advantageous for management to be comfortable with general computer usage, and educated on what's involved when it comes to implementing and maintaining new IT policies, procedures and systems. In the first place, management needs to be able to make educated decisions or to be able to sign off on any that come before them in an informed fashion. Failure to do so may leave management at the mercy of other departments. This also assists in researching and monitoring costs, risks, benefits, and complications etc of any new potential development in the area of IT. Research being an important factor in it's own right to help prevent poor integration of systems, promoting flexibility and future compatibility as far as is possible, and preventing bad predictions regarding...