Today, it’s hard to imagine any industry or business that has not been affected by computer-based information system and computer applications.
Most experts agree on the fundamental difference between data and information. Data are raw facts about the organization and its business transactions. Most data items have little meaning and use by themselves. Information is data that has been（71） and organized by processing and purposeful intelligence. The latter, purposeful intelligence, is crucial to the definition—People provide the purpose and the intelligence that produces true（72）. In other words, data are a by-product of doing business. Information is a resource created from the data to serve the management and decision-making needs of business.
Information technology (IT) is a contemporary term that describes the combination of computer technology (hardware and software) with telecommunications technology (data, image, and voice networks). Information technology has created a data and information （73）in virtually all businesses. The ability of businesses to harness (利用)and manage this data and information has become a critical success factor in most businesses.
An information system is an arrangement of people, data, processes, information presentation, and information technology that interact to support and improve day-to-day operations in a business, as well as support the problem-solving and decision making needs of management and users. Stated simply, information systems（74）data into useful information. An information system exists with or without a computer. But when information technology is used, it significantly（75）the power and potential of most information systems.
