The Role of Software in It Systems

Module 1: The Role of Software in IT Systems

Case Assignment: Proprietary vs Open Source vs Free Software

-Should a company select proprietary, open source, or free software for its most important business information systems?

Firstly, for the implications of this paper, I would like to establish how we’ll define an information system and a business information system. Quite simply, an information system can be any organized combination of people, hardware, software, or other technologies within a given organization. I perceive the Case Question implies the actual use of the software within an information system and its relationship to the incurred technology (the internet, data resources, etc.). Business information systems are practices, procedures, and processes often implemented by software in support of marketing, finance, production, and other functions of business. (Source 1)

In order to smartly answer the proposed Case Question and refine my research efforts, I will next define what I will consider the “most important” business information systems. In a document titled “Foundations of Information Systems in Business,” authored by Professor Anatoly Sachenko, Prof. Sachenko emphasizes five components of business information systems: People Resources, Software Resources, Hardware Resources, Network Resources, and Data Resources. Because we’re dealing with software in IT systems, and again to direct further research, of those five I’ll identify only software and data resources as a couple of the “most important” business information systems. (Source 1)

Software resources include everything from operating systems, tool suites (i.e. Microsoft Office), web browsers, and many other far more specific tools such as GIS mapping programs. Data resources can be local, remote, or cloud storage as well as the generation of analytics and statistical data. Software and data resources will often complement each other, such as the need for software to...