Harnessing Information Management: Data and Infrastructure, Research Paper Example

Information management is a necessary component of the telecommunications industry because it is used to ensure that transmitted information is protected and is only transferred to the individuals that it was intended to reach (Goldhaber, 1974). In the modern era, the protection of information via telecommunication methods is particularly relevant in the light of the wiretaps by the NSA. This demonstrated to the American public that it is possible for these modes of communication to be interrupted and listened to, which caused an uproar. It is therefore important for the individuals that are responsible for the safety of these communications to ensure that it is only the government who is able to access this information, as they wrong individual could use knowledge of conversations to commit crime.

Information management is important because it protects the privacy and enables the safety of individuals who regularly utilize telecommunications. It is extremely challenging to avoid using any form of telecommunication in today’s world, and the importance of this job is therefore becoming more emphasized. The individuals who are responsible for managing the information transmitted by telecommunications are also responsible for ensuring that the messages are accurate and of high quality so that there is no opportunity for this to be misconstrued. These tasks become even more important when there is a national emergency and communications must be made in mass form to make the public aware of a given event. Such was necessary for events such as 9/11 and hurricane Katrina.

The use of IT and enterprise architecture in information management allows this process to be more efficient. While these plans are typically utilized in the business setting, they are used in the telecommunications industry to determine priorities and ensure that all operations are well organized. In practice, the enterprise architecture provides the organizations with a means by which plans can be identified and modified according to needs. Furthermore, it enables people and organizations to succeed by establishing “business, information, process, and technology changes necessary to execute their strategies” (Greefhorst et al., 2009). Ultimately, information technology impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of information management. In the modern world, computers and related devices are easily available a quick to operate. This allows information to be transmitted more efficiently than it had been in the past, which is due in part to a computer’s ability to store a large quantity of information. The telecommunications industry can benefit through use of computers for information management because computers can be quickly programmed to enact these organizational plans. In reality, the field is becoming more concerned with how to effectively program the computers to operate the telecommunication systems rather than determining how humans can achieve these same goals manually. Thus, the effectiveness and efficiency of information management is synonymous with information technology use in the modern telecommunications industry.

One data storage method that is utilized for telecommunication is data warehousing. This system is useful for allowing the consolidation of data in addition to increasing the speed of stored information in a manner that helps reduce security risks (IBM, n.d.). As a consequence, this is a reasonable means by which data could be stored in the telecommunications industry to achieve data protection. It is also quick and easy to retrieve this information from storage so that it can be utilized when needed. Using a data mart is practically useful for storing demographic and call data. This information could then be utilized to determine the amounts of calls coming from certain areas in order to gain a greater understanding of the telecommunications patterns that occur. However, it is reasonable for the telecommunications industry to utilize a variety of data storage mechanisms to suit different purposes.

It appears that the most useful and practical storage method available for use by the telecommunications industry is the data mart. Since the data mart is a small component of the data warehouse, it is easier to use for data analysis purposes. Therefore, information that is gathered from call demographics can easily be stored in this type of system to be analyzed when necessary. This is useful because it helps telecommunications companies gain a greater understanding of the behavior patterns that its customers follow and this allows them to use this information in order to enhance marketing campaigns. Ultimately, data is only valuable if it can be used and the data mart allows the particular information that the telecommunications industry works with to be stored in a manner that makes this process easier. Furthermore, since this information can be retrieved from the database, it makes the analysis more manageable and specific by allowing the researcher to request only the information that is in accordance with certain rules and requirements. This could then be done on a smaller scale using the data mart to gain a more insightful understanding of the information that had been collected. While all three forms of data storage are necessary, the data mart is the most relevant for this purpose.

References

Goldhaber, G.M. (1974). Organizational Communication. Brown Publishing Co.

Greefhorst D, Propper E.(2009).Enterprise Engineering: Architecture Principles – The Cornerstones of Enterprise Architecture. Heidelberg: Springer.

IBM. (n.d.). Accelerate development of enterprise data warehouse solutions. Retrieved from  http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/en/telecom