What Is Computer Information Systems (CIS)?

Last Updated on 4 months by Touhid

Computer information systems are the technology-based application or solution to accomplish the business needs of an organization. The main components of computer information systems are software, hardware, databases, networks, and people. In this post, we’ll define and discuss what is computer information systems, degrees, and careers in computer information systems.

What Is Computer Information Systems?

First, define the information system. Information systems can be defined as an integrated set of solutions that help to collect, store, analyze data, and provide valuable information for an organization or individuals. Typically, the main key elements of information systems are software, hardware, databases, procedures, and networks.

Let us now clarify, what is Computer Information Systems? Computer information systems (CIS) are the technology-based application software or solutions that are used to accomplish the specific job or business needs of an organization or individuals. Computer information systems play an important role in every sector, such as education, research, financial institutions, government, and corporate organizations.

CIS is a solution that helps to complete and manage a job of an organization instead of performing manually. CIS will provide you with a solution or application and you’ll put your technical skills to work and accomplish your task.

The solution or application can be software or hardware-based; software-based solutions include websites, accounting software, banking software, and online shopping software. Hardware-based solutions include CCTV, gate scanning, robotics, servers, fire alarms, and hardware firewalls.

Components of Computer Information Systems

So, what is a computer information system? A computer information system is a solution that applies information technology in order to conduct and perform the technology-related business activities of an organization.

Now, what are the main components of a computer information system? Basically, there are five major components or elements of computer information systems which are as follows:

1. Computer Hardware
2. Computer Software
3. Database
4. Networks Resources and
5. Human Resources

1. Computer Hardware

Computer hardware is the physical components of a computer information system that are required to make a complete computer system. There are several basic components of a computer system such as a Motherboard, Central Processing Unit, Random Access Memory, Power Supply Unit, Video card, Hard Disk Drive, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, and Speakers.

2. Computer Software

Computer software refers to the set of instructions or programming code that executes on a computer to do a specific job or task. There are mainly three types of computer software such as system software, utility software, and application software.

Simply put, system software is operating software such as Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS are examples of system software. Utility software is one kind of system software or part of the system software such as anti-virus software which scans for viruses and malware on your computer.

Application software is a software program that’s been designed to accomplish a particular job for end users. There are different types of application software such as database software, multimedia software, word processing software, presentation, and educational software.

3. Database

Databases are another important component of computer information systems. A computer database is a data structure that is used to store, and retrieve a set of organized data of an organization. For example, the data of an organization can be employee information, financial data, customer information, and product information stored in a database.

Typically, database software is used to read, update, delete, and manage required data. There are different types of relational databases on computers such as Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, SQLite, and IBM DB2 which are widely used and most popular databases

Learn more How to secure your database.

4. Network Resources

Network resources are the key elements of computer information systems that are very much required to communicate with other organizations or within the organization network. That’s why computer networks are the very basic requirement of information technology (IT).

Computer networking refers to the connectedness with one another’s computing devices such as laptops, desktops, servers, and other devices. It is a set of computers or a group of computers that are connected to one another for the purpose of resource and information sharing.

So, you need a computer network in order to communicate and file sharing within the organization or other organizations. There are different types of network resources that are required to establish a computer network, such as a server, network interface card (NIC), switch, router, and cable.

Learn more about Computer Networking.

5. Human Resources

The last and another important component of computer information systems is human resources. Human resources are required to develop a computer information system and are also essential to operate the computer system.

Typically, the resources included in developing an information system are systems analysts, software engineers, system engineers, security officers, and IT support personnel. The resources who are using or operating the information system are called end-users; they may be accountants, salespersons, operators, customers, or managers.

So, human resources play an important role in implementing a CIS because the success or failure of an information system depends on it.

What is a Computer Information Systems Degree?

A computer information systems degree is an information technology-related degree or certification course that you’ll get after completion of the full course. The degree instructs students on how to develop a system and how to properly utilize your degree in real life.

A CIS degree covers the most important topics of information technology such as software, hardware, communication, programming, networking, cyber security, and databases.

There are different levels of certification degrees such as Diploma, Undergraduate, and Graduate with different subjects such as Computer Science (CS), Computer Science & Engineering (CSE), Computer Information System (CIS), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

You can achieve a degree from your country’s best university or college. Even you can study for this degree from a foreign university. Here is a list of some best universities in the world for computer information systems, which are as follows:

• University of Oxford, UK
• Stanford University, US
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
• University of Cambridge, UK
• ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal institute of Technology, Switzerland
• Carnegie Mellon University, US
• Harvard University, US
• University of California, Berkeley (UCB), US
• National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Princeton University, US

What is Computer Information Systems Careers?

Now, what is computer information systems careers after completion of a degree? After successful completion of a CIS degree, a student can make his career as an IT professional such as:

• Network Administrator
• Database Designer
• Database Administrator
• Application Developer
• Business Analyst
• Cyber Security Expert
• IT Manager
• Database Manager
• Web Developer
• Systems Analyst
• Programmer
• Software Engineer
• Network Engineer
• Hardware Engineer
• Application Software Developer

Conclusion

Finally, CIS is the technology-based solution to complete the functionality of an organization. The main components of CIS are software, hardware, database, networks, and people. In this post, we’ve discussed what is computer information systems, degrees and careers of CIS. Hope this article will be supportive for you to learn about computer information systems and its careers.