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Information U.K. 2000
Book Reviews the dynamic nature of the environment is contrasted with the time required for such development. The authors call for a new paradigm in application development, focusing much more upon addressing the needs of users, to enable companies to meet future challenges quickly.
The Open Enterprise: Corporate Flexibility in the 1990s (1992) In this report, the authors seek to present a strategy which would enable senior management to take control of the direction of information policy, and to have it more closely aligned to corporate strategy. The underlying assumption is that the implementation of IT throughout the industry has departed considerably from corporate objectives.
147
Information U.K. 2000, JOHN MARTYN, PETER VICKERS and MARY FEENEY (eds), Bowker-Saur (1990), 293 pp., A27.00. This book is part of a series from the British Library on research projects to improve the organization and use of information. It is now clear that the organization which can identify and exploit relevent information can develop competitive edge over other organizations. This book could provide much useful background information for this approach. The book consists of reports from a series of working parties on specific topics in terms of new technology and its impact on specific sectors such as archives, libraries and information services, publishing, recording and reproduction, communications infrastructure, manpower, education and training.
Against this riced for flexibility, the centrist nature of much corporate computing presents a challenge to integrated information systems throughout the enterpise. At the same time the introduction of desktop computers has added to the fragmentation of corporate systems in many cases.
The most useful areas of this book for the decision makers are the overview of developments with predictions of how and where new information technology will develop and how it will be used. This knowledge is vital for any organization in planning its future. The purchase of the right technology is essential but it is a tool to be used in order to make the organization more effective. Chapter 10 on organizations and their use of information provides a useful background in developing an information policy which is vital for any future success. From my experience in organizations there is a mismatch between external information of interest and internal information created by the organization. Interaction between the two is essential in order to remain ahead of the competition.
In order to resolve the problems, an evolutionary approach to the integration of enterprise wide information seems to rest upon the delivery of: portable applications that can run on a range of machines; scalable applications that run on a tier of computing from mainframes to desktop; connectivity across systems and architectures.
The book also deals with the future of the information professions and the role of government in the U.K. and governments in Europe. One area of growth is the home based worker as with online systems and CD/ROM this person can be as well informed as the large organization and have more freedom of action.
The need for planning is highlighted, with mention of the need for organizational solutions as much as technical ones. Senior management need to take control of the direction of corporate information systems.
There is also a large market for the information industry as a whole and for the information worker. It is concluded that by the year 2000 most workers will be information workers and many of them could be working from home.
In essence, the report suggests that management must be able to draw upon information from all sectors of the enterprise. This facility is necessary if the organization is to respond to change, and to achieve maximum flexibility. Open systems are touted as one way to enable such a situation to occur.
There is a useful glossary, as many people are bewildered by the fact that people in the IT sector talk to each other in initials, plus a list of the task force members.
Flexibility and responsiveness to changing market conditions are the key themes. Any new management and organization structures must be preceded by an enterprise wide framework for information. A change is needed in the analysis, use, and distribution of information to facilitate new ways of working, new management structures, and increased integration. However, how this may be acheived is not really explored.
These reports are essentially descriptive rather than prescriptive, and those looking for direction on ‘How To’ should focus their attention elsewhere. Those with some experence, both of direct practice and of recent published works in the areas under discussion, will find little, if anything, new in these reports. That said they do highlight many important points in a readable form, which are not diminished by iteration.
An update is available from The British Library, R & D Dept, Information U.K. 2000, by John Martyn, October 1992, 11 pp. The fact that there has been agreement for a single operating system for UNIX is important as this is the basis of the networking revolution. Updates arc also given on hardware and software, communications, networks and satellites and sectors such as publishing and the leisure industries.
The reports provide a broad overview of some current themes in the application of information systems. Given the intended readership, the reports may contribute to that provision of understanding amongst senior managers that 41 per cent of IT managers felt was missing.
Comment is also made on the information professions such as ASLIB, The Library Association and The Institute of Information Scientists who have failed to agree on a common policy. As an ex-member of all these bodies, I feel this is a matter for regret. What is certain is that for any successful organization there will have to be an overall information policy but it is not yet clear who will have the holistic vision to be able do this. However, for anyone interested in formulating an information policy this book will be of assistance.
KEITH HORTON, Napier
BRIAN BURROWS. Futures Information
University
Associates
The Open Enterprise: Corporate Flexibility in the 1990s (1992) In this report, the authors seek to present a strategy which would enable senior management to take control of the direction of information policy, and to have it more closely aligned to corporate strategy. The underlying assumption is that the implementation of IT throughout the industry has departed considerably from corporate objectives.
147
Information U.K. 2000, JOHN MARTYN, PETER VICKERS and MARY FEENEY (eds), Bowker-Saur (1990), 293 pp., A27.00. This book is part of a series from the British Library on research projects to improve the organization and use of information. It is now clear that the organization which can identify and exploit relevent information can develop competitive edge over other organizations. This book could provide much useful background information for this approach. The book consists of reports from a series of working parties on specific topics in terms of new technology and its impact on specific sectors such as archives, libraries and information services, publishing, recording and reproduction, communications infrastructure, manpower, education and training.
Against this riced for flexibility, the centrist nature of much corporate computing presents a challenge to integrated information systems throughout the enterpise. At the same time the introduction of desktop computers has added to the fragmentation of corporate systems in many cases.
The most useful areas of this book for the decision makers are the overview of developments with predictions of how and where new information technology will develop and how it will be used. This knowledge is vital for any organization in planning its future. The purchase of the right technology is essential but it is a tool to be used in order to make the organization more effective. Chapter 10 on organizations and their use of information provides a useful background in developing an information policy which is vital for any future success. From my experience in organizations there is a mismatch between external information of interest and internal information created by the organization. Interaction between the two is essential in order to remain ahead of the competition.
In order to resolve the problems, an evolutionary approach to the integration of enterprise wide information seems to rest upon the delivery of: portable applications that can run on a range of machines; scalable applications that run on a tier of computing from mainframes to desktop; connectivity across systems and architectures.
The book also deals with the future of the information professions and the role of government in the U.K. and governments in Europe. One area of growth is the home based worker as with online systems and CD/ROM this person can be as well informed as the large organization and have more freedom of action.
The need for planning is highlighted, with mention of the need for organizational solutions as much as technical ones. Senior management need to take control of the direction of corporate information systems.
There is also a large market for the information industry as a whole and for the information worker. It is concluded that by the year 2000 most workers will be information workers and many of them could be working from home.
In essence, the report suggests that management must be able to draw upon information from all sectors of the enterprise. This facility is necessary if the organization is to respond to change, and to achieve maximum flexibility. Open systems are touted as one way to enable such a situation to occur.
There is a useful glossary, as many people are bewildered by the fact that people in the IT sector talk to each other in initials, plus a list of the task force members.
Flexibility and responsiveness to changing market conditions are the key themes. Any new management and organization structures must be preceded by an enterprise wide framework for information. A change is needed in the analysis, use, and distribution of information to facilitate new ways of working, new management structures, and increased integration. However, how this may be acheived is not really explored.
These reports are essentially descriptive rather than prescriptive, and those looking for direction on ‘How To’ should focus their attention elsewhere. Those with some experence, both of direct practice and of recent published works in the areas under discussion, will find little, if anything, new in these reports. That said they do highlight many important points in a readable form, which are not diminished by iteration.
An update is available from The British Library, R & D Dept, Information U.K. 2000, by John Martyn, October 1992, 11 pp. The fact that there has been agreement for a single operating system for UNIX is important as this is the basis of the networking revolution. Updates arc also given on hardware and software, communications, networks and satellites and sectors such as publishing and the leisure industries.
The reports provide a broad overview of some current themes in the application of information systems. Given the intended readership, the reports may contribute to that provision of understanding amongst senior managers that 41 per cent of IT managers felt was missing.
Comment is also made on the information professions such as ASLIB, The Library Association and The Institute of Information Scientists who have failed to agree on a common policy. As an ex-member of all these bodies, I feel this is a matter for regret. What is certain is that for any successful organization there will have to be an overall information policy but it is not yet clear who will have the holistic vision to be able do this. However, for anyone interested in formulating an information policy this book will be of assistance.
KEITH HORTON, Napier
BRIAN BURROWS. Futures Information
University
Associates