Introduction
Efficient manipulation of information is the key concept towards ensuring effectiveness in the organization operations and facilitating the organization to match up the present competitive nature of both local and global market. This therefore implies that the paradigm of strategic planning needs to change frequently in order support the new and emerging technologies in information technology and information systems. Strategic Information System planning (SISP) is always directed towards assisting the business enterprise or organization in the realization of its business goals and objectives through the identification of necessary portfolio and implementation of computer based application that will aid the company in the execution and management of its daily objectives (Cassidy 2006). The organizational management therefore has to ensure they implement effective information systems and the management information system to facilitate the realization of its business goals and objectives. Cogent Communications has for a long time put emphasis on the importance of information systems to facilitate the company in the delivering of its services to its clients. Since it was formed, the company has always relied on the use of information technology as its communication platform in terms of management and communication with its potential clientele. This paper highlights the strategic importance of information systems for Cogent Communications with respect to organizational information processing aspect. This implies that the fundamental role of information systems is to facilitate the process of robust data management, which can be expanded in accordance with the strategic plan of the organization with respect to information processing (Clarke 2001).
Overview of Cogent communications
Cogent communications is a global Internet Service Provider that specializes in the delivery of high quality internet connections and collocation services. It serves at least 25000 Enterprises and numerous single user customers in 60 countries where, its facilities are present, and their connections uses optical fiber. Cogent has numerous data centers to facilitate in the delivery of its services. The following table represents the various systems that make up the Cogent communications.
Strategic importance of Information systems
The first strategic importance associated with information systems is the automation of business processes (Hazel 1997). Business processes are an integral element of any business enterprise. The design of information systems can be tailored to aid in the automation of the business tasks of Cogent Communications. Automation of business tasks is a critical success factor because of its efficiency and time saving characteristic of automation information systems. This is because automation of business processes by the organization streamlines the organizational workflow and plays a significant role in saving the resources of the organization. Business processes automation can be perceived as an alignment methodology, implying that it serves to streamline the company’s execution of operations and management procedures with the strategic information system (Levin 2006). This methodology, which originally was an idea established by International Business Machine, involves a mix of top down planning approach with a bottom up implementation strategy. For the context of Cogent Communications Solutions, the methodology focuses on the business processes of the company ranging from the management operations to the user management. The use of the Business Systems Planning is appropriate for the Cogent Communications solutions primarily because it focuses on the effectiveness of the business processes, which is significant in ensuring the success of the organization. Cogent Communications primarily depends on the use of information systems in execution of its processes such as employee management portal, access to the company’s corporate resources and customer transaction processing which may be online or paper based (Oz 2006).
The second strategic importance of information systems for the organization is that IS offers a framework for decision support. Decision-making is a core business process during information processing. Decision support systems are primarily used to aid the decision making process in ill structured contexts. It is more of a managerial tool that aims at ensuring the competitive advantage of the company through ensuring effective and well-laid decision-making procedures. It will be used to evaluate the impacts of the managerial decisions towards the strategic information system planning. The present competitive market requires efficient decision managerial decision-making skills; therefore incorporating decision support systems in the information systems provides the company with a competitive advantage over its competitors in the engineering services market. Information systems can also be used to provide relevant data in order to aid the top management in making business decisions. Data compilation can be done by use of routine queries that are integrated within the information system. The decision-making procedures should be in line with the organization’s business goals and objectives (McNurlin et al 2009).
Another significant importance of strategic information system is that it facilitates a multi-processing business context (O’Brien 1999). Cogent Communications business operations require real-time approach in to facilitate their effective execution. This implies that the productivity of the company significantly relies on real time multiprocessing environment, which are deployed effectively using information systems. A multiprocessing environment plays a significant role in fostering the competitive advantage of the organization by increasing employee productivity (Stahl 2008). Employee productivity is achieved by use of Information technology will facilitate the access to the company’s resources which could either be remotely or within the company premises. The access to the company’s information will facilitate employee productivity through effective management approaches that the information system will implement. This therefore ensures competitive advantage over other companies offering the same service both at global and the local market place.
The key elements of employee productivity that will experience a significant boost will include ease of access to the company information and hence fostering enhanced execution of the business processes. In addition, the use of information system facilitates the availability of the Company’s information to its current and potential clients. Implementation of information system will ease the company transactions with their customers (Stair & Reynolds 2009). This can be achieved through online transaction processing, posting of orders via the company’s information system portal. The use information technology in such strategies will ensure competitive advantage of Cogent Communications solutions (Tipton 2009).
Data protection laws
The increased use of electronic communications in the recent past has resulted growing concerns regarding personal privacy on the online platform. These concerns led to the establishment of data protection and privacy laws in the United States; these policies outline the guidelines and treatment of data that is classified as personal. The data protection laws usually have an effect on information processing by organizations, with respect to the disclosure of private data. The following section outlines that data protection laws in the United States and the strategies deployed by Cogent Communications with respect to the data protection and privacy laws (Hazel 1997).
The United States does not have strict data protection and privacy policies compared to other countries such as the European Union countries. One if the most significant data protection laws that affects information processing in organizations is the Privacy Act and the Computer matching and Privacy Act that was passed during 1974. This dealt with the privacy of personal data in the custody of the federal government. This meant that the laws aimed at protecting the personal data of people found in federal databases. This particular data protection law required that disclosure of personal information was to be done under the consent of the individual or reasons for disclosure of personal data should be specified in advance. With this respect, organizations have the responsibility of ensuring security of personal data of individuals that are found in the organizational database. In addition, the organizations have the responsibility of ensuring integrity of personal data in their database. With regard to this law, Cogent Communications has implemented well-laid policies and procedure regarding information disclosure, whether personal or organizational information. Information security is one of the major responsibilities of the executive board and top-level management. As such, the executive directors have the responsibility of ensuring that information security is an integral part of the company’s corporate governance. In this context, the executive board and the company’s top management have to ensure that the deployment of network security policies and strategies will foster the realization of the company business goals and objectives, and pose minimal risks and threats to the overall execution of the company’s activities (Hazel 1997).
Apart from data privacy being a legal requirement for organizations, it can also be an ethical requirement for the business. This is due to the confidential information found in the business database about their employees, financial status, clients and other data. Data protection laws in the United States demand that any personal information for a third party is supposed to be confidential and not subjected to unwarranted disclosure. This implies that organizations have the responsibility ensuring that the confidentiality of any personal information in their database is maintained at the highest levels possible, with minimal cases of confidentiality breaches, which may due to flaws in the information system or breaches to human disclosure. With respect to this, Cogent Communications has deployed appropriate information security strategies in their information system in order curb any incidences associated with data theft. This implemented by use of information security policies to curb information disclosures of any sort.
Another data protection laws in the United States that affect information processing is the Security Breach Notification Laws, whereby an organization has the responsibility to notify information users of any incidences of compromise of personal information. Cogent Communications handles such incidences by establishing an incidence response desk at the company, through which the staff members can report their confidentiality breach incidences. In addition, there the company is embarking on the creation of awareness of the dire consequences to parties involved in confidentiality breach cases. Presently, the organization deploys the use of effective approaches to controlling security breaches which entail the use of network intrusion systems and the deployment of appropriate ethical hacking approaches that can be used to investigate the levels at which the network can identify potential threats and deploy appropriate control measures (Levin 2006).
Conclusion
It is imperative for organizations do deploy appropriate information security measures in order to enhance the functionality of the information system in a manner that is expected of it. The principle object behind it is to avoid cases entailing information theft and confidentiality breaches.
References
Cassidy, A 2006, A practical guide to information systems strategic planning, Boca Raton, Fla:
Auerbach Publications.
Clarke, S. 2001, Information systems strategic management: an integrated approach, London:
Routledge.
Hazel, K 1997, Good practice in risk assessment and risk management 2: protection, rights and
responsibilities, Washington: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Levin, M 2006, Composite Systems Decisions, New York: Springer.
McNurlin, B. C Sprague R, H. J & Bui, T 2009, Information Systems Management in Practice, New
York: Prentice-Hall.
O’Brien, J 1999, Management Information Systems – Managing Information Technology in the
Internetworked Enterprise, Boston: Mc Graw Hill.
Oz, E 2006, Management information systems, Mexico: Cengage Learning, 2006.
Stahl, B. C 2008, information systems: critical perspectives, New York: Routledge.
Stair, R & Reynolds, G 2009, Principles of Information Syste, Boston: Cengage Learning, 2009.
Tipton, H 2009, Information Security Management Handbook, Volume 3, New York: Taylor and
Francis.
Ward, J & Peppard, J 2002 Strategic planning for information systems. New York: John Wiley and
Sons.
Wim, G 2002, Information systems evaluation management, London: Idea Group Inc (IGI).
