Financial Services Information Systems

Module code: CO7218

Business organisations worldwide are experiencing a number of market forces that have significant impact on the way they used to think on and operate their IT systems. On the business side, cost optimisation has become an even more critical success factor, the economy is more global, more dynamic and more turbulent, markets regulation has further intensified, customers are better informed, more technologically savvy and have different life patterns. On the technology side, major forces include, among others, the advent of even more advanced communication technologies with new exciting capabilities, the increasing use of mobility solutions and the popularity of social networks. In this environment, IT systems are not only critical for the continuous operation of the business, but also as transformation and differentiation enablers. Therefore, in order to be able to effectively manage, develop and operate IT systems in such organisations, good technical knowledge and skills do not suffice: IT professionals also need a holistic view and sound understanding of fundamental business principles and of the interrelationships between the operating environment, organisational structures, key processes and IT systems. Taking the above into account, this module is designed to achieve the following:

• Explore the basics and give a holistic view of todays information systems (i.e. the different functional and architectural perspectives). Financial services organisations will be extensively used as the reference business domain and therefore an introduction to some of the financial services concepts, business processes and functions will also be provided.
• Provide a good overview of the different roles and respective responsibilities of IT professionals in large organisations. We will give emphasis to IT Management/Governance functions, introducing some of the basic terminology, concepts and methods used by professionals in such functions.