• What is Information Systems?
  • Business Information Systems
  • Accounting Information Systems
  • Business Security Management
  • eBusiness
  • Interactive Marketing
  • Health Informatics
  • Professional Practice
  • Quantitative Business Analysis
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Technology Management
• Undergraduate Courses
• Bachelor of Business Information Systems
  • BBIS Prospects
  • Student Profile
  • Applying for the BBIS
  • BBIS course structure
• Bachelor of Business Information Systems combined course
• Honours
  • Honours Prospects
  • Applying for Honours
• Postgraduate Courses
• Master of Information Systems
  • MIS Prospects
  • Applying for the MIS
• Master of Accounting Information Systems
• Doctor of Philosophy

What is Information Systems?

People often confuse the terms IS (Information Systems) and IT (Information Technology) and think they mean the same thing. Yet the two terms, IS and IT, are different, although they often complement each other. The debate as to whether the two terms are different or not has gone on for some time and led to a lot of confusion.

According to McKeown (2003, p. 473), Information Technology refers to the "technology that is used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms".

Information Systems, on the other side, are "systems that develop the information that managers and other employees combine with knowledge to make decisions" and a "system is a group of elements (people, machines, cells and so forth) organised for the purpose of achieving a particular goal" (McKeown, 2003, p. 473).

To put this another way:

• IT focuses more on internal aspects of computers and how they process data to produce information
• IS focuses more on external aspects of computers and how they are used by people as part of larger systems. An information system includes both computers and people to process data and information in order to make decisions and support business objectives.

The School of Information Systems concentrates its teaching expertise in several areas:

• Accounting Information Systems
• Business Information Systems
• Business Security Management
• eBusiness
• Health Informatics
• Interactive Marketing
• Professional practice
• Quantitative Business Analysis
• Supply Chain Management
• Technology management

Reference:
McKeown, P. G. (2003). Information Technology and the Networked Economy (2^nd Edition), Thomson Course Technology