Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
SOR. The SOR need not be transaction based in the formal sense; it could
be a system of record of eligibilities for a program, for example.
How unchangeable should SORs be? How long should data be retained?
Do SORs have to be read-only? Can it be an SOR if data is being modified
or dropped? These must be defined internally. For an SOR to have validity
at a later date, access to it must itself be controlled and monitored with
all modifications being recorded.
Changes must be made first to the SOR. That may not always be
feasible. Local data stores may have more up-to-date information as they
are closer to the edge or some aspect of the process.
And in the End, How Useful Is Information?
John Keegan, one of the best military historians of our day, in his topic
entitled
, comes to the conclusion that good intelligence
has a limited effect on military outcomes. Similarly, information has a
limited effect on the success of organizations. Information, by itself, cannot
guarantee success or even its proper use without the proper management
skills and the presence of other required resources and conditions needed
for success. It is an important input but remains a secondary factor in
management.
From the chapter entitled “The Value of Military Intelligence”:
Intelligence in War
“[I]ntelligence, however good is not necessarily the means to
victory; that, ultimately, it is force, not fraud or forethought,
that counts. That is not the currently fashionable view. Intelli-
gence superiority, we are constantly told is the key to success
in war, particularly the war against terrorism. It is indisputably
the case that to make war without the guidance intelligence
can give is to strike in the dark, to blunder about, launching
blows that do not connect to the target or miss the target
altogether. All that is true; without intelligence, armies and
navies, as was so often the case before electricity, will simply
not find each other, at least not in the short term. When and
if they do, the better informed force will probably fight on the
more advantageous terms. Yet having admitted the significance
of the pre-vision intelligence provides, it still has to be recog-
nized that opposed enemies, if they really seek battle, will
succeed in finding each other and that, when they do, intelli-
gence factors will rarely determine the outcome. Intelligence
may be usually necessary but is not a sufficient condition of
victory.”
