To be valuable, information must be accurate, organized, timely, accessible, useful, and cost-effective to produce. Generating information from a computer requires the following five elements:
- Hardware
- Software
- Data
- People
- Procedures
Together, these elements (hardware, software, data, people, and procedures) comprise an information system.
The hardware must be reliable and capable of handling the expected workload. The software must be developed carefully and tested thoroughly. The data entered into the computer must be accurate.
Most companies with mid-sized and large computers have an IT (information technology) department. Staff in the IT department should be skilled and up-to-date on the latest technology. IT staff also should train users so that they understand how to use the computer properly. Today's users also work closely with IT staff in the development of computer applications that relate to their areas of work.
Finally, all the IT applications should have readily available documented procedures that address operating the computer and using its programs.
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