Office Information Systems

In the past 20 years computers have exerted a powerful effect on the office environment and the way in which offices operate. Computers and communication technology made possible the concept of office information systems (OISs).

An office information system (OIS) helps knowledge workers manage the preparation, storage, retrieval, reproduction, and communication of information within and among business offices. A knowledge worker is a person who creates, processes, and distributes information. In the Information Age these activities are the predominant tasks of most business workers, making an office information system extremely important to the efficient management of information in today’s business world. An OIS makes the production and flow of information more efficient, cheaper, and faster.

OISs incorporate a variety of technologies. Word processing is the most widely adopted of all the office technologies. Computer technology has also changed the way data are processed, stored, and retrieved in a business office. Computerized equipment automates and in many cases separates data-processing activities from general office activities. Most of a company’s records are now stored electronically in separate data-processing departments. Some records need to be stored for many years; electronic media, such as tapes and disks, take up much less space than traditional file cabinets. OISs link data-processing departments electronically to other department offices, permitting secretaries, managers, executives, and others to access relevant data and information while remaining at their desk.