Agile MIS Infrastructure, Research Paper Example

The success of the natural food store requires its management information systems (MIS) to reflect the rapid expansion of technology. Hardware, software, and telecommunications must help to produce revenue, decrease expenses, and cement good relationships with customers. Agile MIS infrastructures support the constantly changing technology and have certain characteristics which will help the natural food store achieve its goals. These characteristics are ranked accordingly: accessibility, availability, reliability, maintainability, usability, scalability, and portability.

The natural food store must be competitive, creative, and innovative. Its services include providing fresh produce, a food and smoothie bar, and general healthy, organic, and vegan foods. The store has plans to offer assistance to customers who are growing their own products and provide them with resources such as natural methods of pest control, compost, and petroleum-free fertilizers. These features will help the small natural food store stay ahead of its competition. However, in order for the store to be successful, customers must be able to readily access information. A website can be used to promote the natural food store to customers.

While at one time, printed materials such as fliers, brochures, and pamphlets met the needs of most advertising, technology today has changed the way people have received their information. Accessibility to relevant information is extremely important. Current and potential customers must be aware of store’s latest developments. Having a website can increase both the availability and accessibility of the store’s information and reach a greater number of people. Information must be usable; if a website is disorganized and difficult to navigate, customers will not be able to access the information. Reliability and maintainability are also important factors in agile MIS infrastructures. Customers need to know that the information is relevant, can be accessed without malfunction, and will be able to be maintained over a long time period. Scalability and portability go hand in hand with developing technology. For example, while having a website is important to a business reach its customers, it is also important for customers to be able to comfortably access information using their iPads, Smart Phones, or other mobile devices.

Though these characteristics are all important features and are ranked accordingly, the changeability makes each one important at different times in the business’s timeline. In a few months, technology could advance so rapidly that scalability and portability may outrank the necessity of reliability and maintainability. Fortunately, the agile MIS infrastructure will support the changing climate of technology and will allow for the success of the natural food store.

References

Alexoponlou, N., Kanellis, P., & Martakos, D. (2006). Agile information technology infrastructures. Idea Group Inc