Compare the relative qualities and characteristics of Modular Essay

Compare the relative qualities and characteristics of Modular Information Systems against Integrated Software Systems in respect - Essay Example This information is produced to meet a business objective and it is valuable to the company. Information system is a set of elements which collect data, process and give the output data and information (Sommerville 2010). Business information systems are used by businesses and organizations for storing, processing and analysing data. The information systems are useful to the organizations since they enable the employees to recognize new patterns and relationships in the stored data. This enables the companies to make important decisions which ensure that the organization gains a competitive advantage in the market. The information systems ensure that the organizations activities are conducted efficiently and reliably and this improves the overall performance of the business. There are different types of information systems and this leads to variations in the functionalities of business systems. Computer systems are software programs that are developed to capture, store and manipulate data. There are different types of computer systems in the market and this depends mostly on the functionality of the software (Ajmani 2004). There are different processes of developing software programs and this result to different software products with different characteristics. The process of developing that system is crucial to the functionality of the systems. Modular information systems are comprised of different modules that are connected together. The development of this system is done by partitioning the overall system into distinct parts known as modules. The modules have different functionalities and are developed independently. This type of development is preferred by organizations which have different functionalities and require detailed processes in the software systems. The modules are then integrated to form one huge system which can be used by an organization to conduct its business activities. Integrated software systems are developed as single units and the func tionality of the system is achieved by the whole system. Most of the integrated software systems are off-the shelf systems which are bought directly from the software dealers (Bass,et al., 2008). The functionality of the system meets the requirements of the organization and there is no need for gathering specific requirements of the organization. Modular information systems are flexible. This is because it is possible to replace or add one component to the system without affecting the other rest of the system. This is useful in organizations that are involved in many activities which are dynamic (Clements and Kazman 2008). The new activities that are carried out by an organization might require the development of a new system to meet the functionality required by the organization. Organizations which have modular systems can easily integrate new modules to meet their requirements. This is effective as there is little interruption to the business activities since one module is only a ffected. Integrated systems might result to the disruption of the whole system as new functionalities to the existing systems cannot be added without affecting all the system processes. The modular information systems perform better than integrated systems. The modular systems are developed from requirements that have been gathered from the organization. This ensures that the system is developed to perform better in the