what is the difference between information systems and information technology

Information systems can be manual but the compulsions of competition in modern business makes information systems run on information technology platforms. Information technology is a term used to describe a set of technologies that includes technologies from the domain of computer science and engineering, networking, electronics and telecommunication and other such domains.

Information technology ensures that processing of data is faster and accurate so that the right information can be supplied to the right person at the right time with better efficiency. Information technology helps information systems to deliver greater value to the management by technology intervention not only in the procession arena but also in the delivery of information, visualization, communication and ease of access areas.

Management using information systems have greater options when such systems are technology enabled. Technology not only ensures the faster processing, storage and retrieval of data but also generates a lot of flexibility in the system by introducing different options making the task of the end user easier. For example, on a manual system the monthly sales information can be delivered to a marketing manager on a hard copy format only, i.e. on paper. This means that the individual cannot have the information on monthly sales when he is traveling, but if technology based information systems are used then the monthly sales related information can be made available through mobile communication technology to the mobile computing device of the marketing manager even when he is traveling, making his work much easier. These kinds of options are possible when technology is used. They make an impact on the information quality as well as the information delivery and provide the users (managers) with a host of options. The technological interventions most commonly used in information systems are:

Common interventions (this is apart from the standard hardware and system software like operating system, etc., interventions that constitute the physical computer infrastructure),

1. Database management system
2. Computer networking
3. Application development tools (3GL or 4GL)
4. Internet based tools
5. Report generation utilities

Niche interventions (this is over and above the common interventions),

1. Wireless communication
2. Enterprise systems
3. Enterprise resource planning
4. Customer relationship management

1. Knowledge management
2. Mobile computing
3. Multi tier architecture
4. Business intelligence
5. Data warehousing and data mining

These technological interventions make the job of a manager easier when dealing with information. The ease of use, ensured quality of information and a host of available options that provide flexibility in information delivery, capture, processing, retrieval and storage makes information technology an integral part of information management and information systems.