BUS 362 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Open-Source Software, Enterprise Resource Planning, System Integration

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Business Administration
• Course: BUS 362
• Professor: Drew Parker

Document Summary

Custom development building a new system from scratch. As developers work with business users, their understanding of the business grows and are better able to align information systems with strategies and needs. Applying similar knowledge in future projects becomes easier: allows team flexibility and creativity, unique solutions created for strategic advantage. Cons: requires significant time and effort staff may already be overcommitted. Also called cots commercial off-the shelf software. Cons: a custom-built add-on program that interferes with the packaged application, called workaround, can be created to handle special needs. Not provided by vendor thus ineffective when upgrades are made: may require system integration. Outsourcing means hiring an external vendor, developer, or service provider to create or supply the system: requires the least in-house resources. Outsourcing firms called application service providers (asps) supply software applications and/or service over the internet. The asp hosts and manages a software application, and owns and operates, and maintains servers that run the application.