Students

The MSIM curriculum part three: Business intelligence and security

Technology now enables organizations to amass and organize vast quantities of data about business processes and customers. Data can deliver efficiency and competitive advantage, but businesses must be able to use the information they collect strategically. And, once they compile data, companies must be sure they have security and control measures to keep it safe. Professors Uday Kulkarni teach about these issues in the MISIM program. Here’s a taste of what students learn.

2012-07-10

Technology now enables organizations to amass and organize vast quantities of data about business processes and customers. Data can deliver efficiency and competitive advantage, but these benefits are by no means automatic. Businesses must be able to use the information they collect strategically. But once they compile data, companies must be sure they have security and control measures to keep it safe, while at the same time providing adequate security for their systems. The Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) degree teaches students how to use technology to achieve business goals. That includes being smart about the use of data, and educated about the security and controls that protect information. In this series, KnowIT asks the MSIM faculty about the business needs that frame the curriculum and what their students learn in the program. This month we tracked down Uday Kulkarni, who has been on sabbatical in Lima, Peru, working on a research project with faculty at ESSAN — the first Spanish language graduate school of business. Kulkarni teaches business intelligence in the MSIM. We also talked to Paul Steinbart, who is teaching the enterprise information security and controls class. Business intelligence The past decade has been a watershed period for data collection. “The amount of data about the behavior of customers, events in highly complex supply chains and financial transactions is overwhelming,” says Kulkarni. “With the availability of data and the technology to organize data for analysis, it is possible to make valuable information out of that data which can help in complex decision making. This just wasn’t available a decade ago.” The information that results from the analysis of data is called business intelligence (BI) and a growing list of companies have used it to create sustainable competitive advantage. Kulkarni lists Amazon, P&G, Netflix, IBM, Li & Fung and Marriott among those companies. By the time students reach this course, they have the data information management course taught by Robert St. Louis under their belts. Kulkarni’s course takes them a step further — why firms using analytics or algorithms have a sustainable competitive advantage. “Then we get into what kind of problems can be solved, what type of expertise is needed, how to tackle these problems,” Kulkarni said. “What do tomorrow’s leaders need to know to make such complex decisions based on the evidence in data?” Next, students learn how data is used in the various areas of a company. This part is taught using business cases that show how companies have deployed BI. Finally, the course looks ahead — where is business intelligence evolving? Students learn what to look for in new technologies in order to make good IT decisions for their companies. Kulkarni exposes them to real time business intelligence and predictive analytics — areas where the field is growing rapidly and where “there is competitive advantage still to be had in these areas.” They also learn about performance management – how to design performance metrics that align with strategy and that will allow managers to set achievable short and long term goals. A masters program not only develops mastery of a discipline – it equips students with the skills they need to keep their knowledge base current. “They learn how to learn, how to look for evolutions in the field and how to identify the enhancements that will benefit their companies,” Kulkarni said. Enterprise information security and controls A recent Wall Street Journal article discussed the growing need for law firms to pay close attention to cyber security. “There have been a number of cases in the last few years of lawyer’s offices being attacked and breached,” said Paul Steinbart, who teaches the Enterprise Information Security and Controls course in the MSIM. “Security is not just an IT problem — it’s a managerial issue — it’s moved to the point where every business must be aware of security.” The enterprise information security controls class, according to the syllabus, is an introductory survey from a managerial perspective. The goal, Steinbart explained, is to develop an understanding of the basics — not train experts. As a result, MSIM graduates will be managers who will know how to work with the security staff in their firms. “In the past, in the security area, there was a common phrase that ‘users are the weak link’ – and they can be if they are not educated,” Steinbart said. “But users and managers can also be one of more effective links if they’re properly educated. Hopefully after taking my class our students will be contributing partners with security.” According to the syllabus, “information security and internal controls are fundamental to the reliability of an organization’s information systems, enabling managers to trust the information they get from those systems.” Security and controls protect valuable organizational resources, and are necessary to fulfill the requirement of regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and PCI. The focus of this class is on developing, implementing and maintaining cost-effective security and controls, but it also delves into the technical aspects of specific technologies. As managers, students will have to take security into account when making decisions, Steinbart said. “Because this is a business program and a business course, I try to stress that security is not the driver of business decisions. Security decisions have to be made in the context of the overall strategy of the organization — the overall risk appetite of the organization.” Sometimes, Steinbart said, after analyzing all the factors, “sometimes you say we’re willing to live with a little more risk because there are valid business strategy reasons to do so.” A good manager, he added, not only knows what the business needs, but also knows enough about security and controls to decide how to take advantage of new opportunities without adding unnecessary risk. Learn more about the MSIM:   Part One: The Line-of-Business Ladder Part Two: Data and Project Management

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