Principle of Informatiion Systeam theory and pratice - Essay Example

(Mcafee and Berkley 1) The IT infrastructure at SYSCO was initially decentralized for all of its operating companies around the world which created a lack of common systems, procedures and information type. The lack of unison among the different units of the company created an appalling situation and the need for a common platform became evident. At first, a central ERP system was rolled out among all the operating units to handle the basic operations of the company ranging from processing of orders to delivering goods etc.

The ERP system started being used effectively but then the need for centralized information arose. Therefore a central data repository had to be introduced in the company. This brought about unison in the information that was earlier kept in different forms by every operating unit. Even after the integration of ERP system and central data warehouse, the IT department felt the need for smarter software that would enable the employees of SYSCO to make informed decisions and critically analyze the data without running complex queries all the time.

The modern world of business relies heavily on information since companies develop their strategies according to the changing market trends and customers’ choices. The IT department of SYSCO, led by Twila Day, also gave the suggestion of incorporating BI software with the same vision. There were many considerations and decisions that had to be made before the final roll-out, some of them are discussed below: SYSCO showed interest in the implementation of BI as early as 1995 but the condition of its implementation was the presence of a data warehouse in the company.

After successfully achieving the incorporation of data warehouse, they finally opted for the BI software. Another obstacle that was faced by the respective company was that they wanted the implementation to take place over the