Clint on Security

We use them all the time, but what exactly is an “Information System”?

Let’s break down the words…

To me, a System is “a collection of components organized to meet an objective.”

What kind of components? What ever components are needed to meet the objective! Traditionally, that means “people, processes, and technologies.” And, what is the objective of an Information System?

To me the objective of an Information System is “to transfer, process, store, and manage” information.

But, what is Information?

Information is data that is relevant and has meaning in a context.

So, the numbers 7155551212 are not information; they are data. But, if I ask you to call Linda at 715-555-1212, those numbers become information in the context of making a telephone call.

Now, our definition of an Information System is more complete. Let’s put it all together:

An Information System is a collection of people, processes, and technologies organized to transfer, process, store and manage data that is relevant and has meaning in a context.

It’s quite interesting because data are only representations of aspects of the real-world and of our ideas. There really is no physical thing that is the letter “A”. “A” is just a symbol to represent something in the real-world (perhaps the sound we make when we say the letter “A”), or an idea (what ever that “A” sound represented long ago).

So, in reality, an Information System (such as a computer) is just a collection of components organized to transfer, process, and store relevant and meaningful representations of the real-world and our ideas. Simple enough. But, take that collection of components and make them operate very, very fast, and now you have something that can really transform our world and our ideas.

Source: Laskowski, Clint. What is an Information System?:We use them all the time, but what are they, exactly? [Internet]. Version 3. Knol. 2008 Jul 24. Available from: http://knol.google.com/k/clint-laskowski/what-is-an-information-system/3v4qe269ituzc/2.

I here by declare 84.6% to be known as “Donn Parker’s Number.” It is good to be King!

I was just talking to my neighbor and friend, Phil Gerbyshak – The Make It Great Guy, about using social media when looking for new work. I have friend who has been looking for new work in IT for quite a few months. Here are some ideas Phil suggested:

1. Make sure your profile on LinkedIn is complete and up-to-date.

2. Make sure you have plenty of positive recommendations. If you feel you did a good job, you should not hesitate to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation for every project and every manager you’ve worked for.

3. Make time during your job search to join and participate in discussions in LinkedIn Groups, and to answer questions posted to LinkedIn Answers. The goal is to present yourself as an expert in your domain(s).

4. Use TweetDeck to follow JobAngels (@jobangels). Filter by tags if needed (i.e., #milwaukee if you are in Milwaukee, WI).

5. Join one of the professional organizations in your field and help them get up-and-running on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Phil’s last suggestion was his best:

6. Read Phil Gerbyshak’s blog. He covers real-world use of social media – including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter – every day.

How about it? What are your tips for using social media when looking for a new job in IT in 2009?

For future reference:

• http://www.balsamiq.com/products/mockups#
• http://www.evolus.vn/Pencil/
• http://www.mockupscreens.com/
• http://visualwx.altervista.org/
• http://wxglade.sourceforge.net/
• http://www.projectspace.nl/
• http://tof2k.com/ext/formbuilder/
• http://dub.washington.edu/denim/
• http://www.serena.com/products/prototype-composer/home.html
• http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/OmniGraffle/
• http://napkinlaf.sourceforge.net/
• Microsoft Visio, PowerPoint, Visual Studio WinForms,
• http://www.istartedsomething.com/20071018/powerpoint-prototype-toolkit-01/
• http://www.krisjordan.com/2008/09/07/10-minute-mock-prototyping-tips-for-powerpoint/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjbeCkn0bJg
• Article by Eric Burke at http://stuffthathappens.com/blog/2008/07/26/balsamiq-mockups/
• http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/wireframes/
• http://nickfinck.com/stencils/
• http://www.adobe.com/products/fireworks/
• http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/gallery_mockup_print.html
• http://glade.gnome.org/ 
• Qt Designer
• NetBeans Gui Builder
• Py4Qt
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged?tagnames=gui

It’s all fun and games, until someone looses the decryption key.