Myself and the Future of MIS

Michael Nespola

The rate at which the world is changing is astounding. Technology is no different. The advancements made in the last few decades have changed business forever. Communication is at the heart of it all. This includes internal communication, communication with suppliers in certain industries and most importantly, communication with customers. Customer service and customer relationship management keep businesses running. Without the customers, there is nothing. Companies are learning to give customers what they want. This is evident through increased customization and personalization. I can log on to Amazon and view my recent purchases and then see what Amazon recommends based on those purchases. Similarly, when I log on to Netflix, I can rate movies and in turn receive suggestions about which movies I may enjoy. Each of these examples makes the customer feel that they matter and that they have some control.

In the future, there will no longer be a need to sift through large amounts of information. If a customer wants a specific set of data, such as new stories, they will be able to select exactly what they want and what they do no want. Pages like Google, MSN, and Yahoo allow users to receive feeds from countless sites. With Google, I can find everything from weather to news, from movie times to sports headlines and from jokes of the day to maps. These RSS feeds allow for a better overall experience. I see feeds being sent to cell phones and PDAs in the future. As more mobile devices transition to operating systems like Windows Mobile 6, it becomes even more of a reality. Companies can now and will continue to be able to remain constantly connected to both employees and customers.

When technologies such as WiMAX become fully integrated across the country, business will once again change. When this occurs, everyone will be able to experience broadband internet all around major cities. Companies will be able to better receive real-time data from employees in the field. Meeting with customers will become easier. With these advancements in the applications of technology, there will also be advancements in security. Information is the cause and solution to many problems. There will always be those people who try to corrupt data or steal sensitive information. People want to be assured that their information is safe. Authentication will become more important. Some computers already have devices to read thumbprints. Other forms of biometrics will also become more widely accepted.

I have always found technology to be fascinating. I knew early on in high school that I wanted to go into business and I wanted to work with technology. I never had to worry about what I wanted to do with my life. It started with simple things like networking and troubleshooting. I worked closely with friends years ago and we did work on the side for family, friends, and anyone else that had relatively simple IT problems that we could fix.

My views changed once I began taking MIS courses. I soon realized that things like networking, troubleshooting, and basic support were not at the true heart of the business and technology. These things could be outsourced. Companies no longer needed to have someone present to fix things. Instead, they can be out of state or even out of the country. Now, the application of technology and the strategies used in business are important.

Upon graduation, most of my immediate work will be commercial consulting. My work will range from simple things as networking, as I mentioned above, to the structure and strategy of a business. I will have customers in education, medicine, law enforcement, and various other industries. This work is a mix of both above and below the line thinking. Once I get a security clearance, I will be moving into information assurance. This is the area which I have been most interested in for the past year or two. As defined by the NSA (National Security Agency), information assurance is “the set of measures intended to protect and defend information and information systems by ensuring their availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and non-repudiation. This includes providing for restoration of information systems by incorporating protection, detection, and reaction capabilities.” Information insurance involves risk assessment and is more focused on strategy rather than operations. This type of thinking is "above the line" and that is the heart of MIS.