ICSAN MIS flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Information System

Interrelated components - people, process, data, software, hardware and networks - that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making, coordination and control in an organisation.

Transaction Processing System

An operational-level system that records and processes routine daily transactions such as orders, payments and payroll, requiring high reliability, speed and complete audit trails.

Value Chain

Porter's model dividing activities into primary (logistics, operations, marketing, service) and support activities, used to identify where information systems add competitive value.

Strategic Alignment

The degree to which information systems plans derive from, and demonstrably support, corporate objectives, assessed through communication, governance, partnership, scope and skills maturity.

IT Governance

The system of direction and control for IT, specifying decision rights and accountability for principles, architecture, infrastructure, investment and prioritisation, aligned with enterprise governance.

Strategic Grid

McFarlan's framework positioning applications by current and future strategic dependence on IT, guiding investment levels and contingency planning for each quadrant.

Segregation of Duties

A control separating authorisation, custody, recording and reconciliation so no single person can initiate, execute and conceal a transaction without detection.

Residual Risk

The risk remaining after controls have been applied; it must be compared with the organisation's risk appetite and treated if it exceeds tolerance.

Three Lines Model

A governance structure where operational management owns risk, a risk and compliance function provides oversight, and internal audit gives independent assurance to the board.

IT General Controls

Controls over the IT environment as a whole - access management, change management, operations and backup - that underpin the reliability of application controls.

Earned Value Management

A project control technique comparing planned value, earned value and actual cost; CPI = EV/AC and SPI = EV/PV, with values below one indicating overrun.

Critical Path

The longest sequence of dependent project tasks, determining the minimum project duration; tasks on it have zero float and any delay extends the project.

User Acceptance Testing

Formal testing by business users against agreed requirements; sign-off confirms the system is fit for purpose and transfers ownership to the operational business.

Build Versus Buy

A sourcing decision comparing custom development with packaged acquisition on total cost of ownership, strategic differentiation, integration risk, time to market and vendor lock-in.

Enterprise Resource Planning

Integrated software supporting core business processes - finance, HR, procurement, manufacturing and inventory - on a shared database with standardised master data and processes.

Bullwhip Effect

Demand amplification moving upstream in a supply chain, caused by poor information sharing, batch ordering and price promotions, mitigated by shared demand data.

Master Data Management

Discipline establishing a single trusted source for core entities such as customers, products and suppliers, reducing reconciliation failures and inconsistent reporting.

Business Process Reengineering

Radical redesign of processes around desired outcomes rather than incremental automation, often a prerequisite for realising ERP benefits.

ACID Properties

Transaction guarantees: atomicity (all or nothing), consistency (valid state), isolation (concurrent independence) and durability (survives failure), protecting database integrity.

Data Warehouse

A subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant and non-volatile store of historical data structured to support management analysis and decision making rather than transactions.

Normalisation

A design technique removing redundancy and update anomalies: first normal form eliminates repeating groups, second removes partial dependencies, third removes transitive dependencies.

OLAP

Multidimensional analytical processing supporting operations such as slice, dice, drill-down and roll-up over a data cube for management reporting and analysis.

Cloud Shared Responsibility

The division of security duties between provider and customer: the provider secures the underlying infrastructure, while the customer secures data, identities and configuration.

Digital Transformation

Deep integration of digital technology into business strategy and operating models, changing how value is created and delivered rather than merely digitising existing documents.

Robotic Process Automation

Software agents that mimic user actions to automate rule-based, repetitive tasks at the interface layer; fast to deploy but brittle when interfaces change.

CIA Triad

The core security objectives of confidentiality (authorised access only), integrity (accuracy and completeness) and availability (timely, reliable access for authorised users).

Ransomware

Malicious software that encrypts or exfiltrates data and demands payment, countered by offline immutable backups, patching, segmentation and tested recovery plans.

Recovery Point Objective

The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, determining backup frequency and replication design in continuity planning.

Incident Versus Problem

An incident is an unplanned service interruption or degradation; a problem is the underlying unknown cause of one or more incidents, managed through root-cause analysis.

Change Advisory Board

A group assessing normal changes for risk, impact, resource needs and backout plans before authorisation, while standard changes are pre-approved and emergency changes fast-tracked.

Service Level Agreement

A documented agreement between provider and customer defining measurable service commitments, responsibilities and remedies, supported internally by operational level agreements.

Data Minimisation

A data protection principle requiring collection and processing of only personal data that is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the stated purpose.