With the intention to utilize and manage distributed systems, there is a demand to use what is known as system management software. Assuming an enterprise is big enough and has operations spread out significantly enough to guarantee a distributed system, the advantages are really quite clear. For a growing company, you will find a cutoff point at which it becomes not viable to do individual installations on each station, and sort through the paper and electronic trail left by every user in an attempt to centralize the whole setup.

It therefore becomes necessary for managers to determine the information need of the organization and established goals for what is to be achieved with the proposed information system. It is imperative for the manager to ensure that his proposed information system has the full support of the management and adequate or required finances are appropriated for the project. If not the project might fail.

The moment the organization makes decisions to develop and install information system, a task force within or outside the organization is necessary to supervise and monitor the project.

The configuration manager also makes sure to uphold the four tasks used to define the sound implementation of the changes within the system. The first of which is configuration identification, which makes out all the traits that define each facet of a configuration point such as the hardware or software having an end-user intention.

Managers have to develop proper documentation of how the system works and organize effective training for the employees on how to use the system. Both manual and computerized documentation help diagram and instruction sheets. Subsequently, this will avail the employee an opportunity learn how to use the system for different purposes. Beyond pure documentation, however, training may also include sessions which will enable employees to practice using the system under the guidance of experts.

Then there is configuration control, which is the list of methods and approval stages that are needed to modify a configuration point's traits and reinitiate them. Configuration status accounting is the facility needed to document and deal with the configuration baselines correlated to each point at any time period. The last task is Configuration audits, which has two aspects: functional audits and physical audits. The former deals with the functional and performance attributes of the configuration point. On the other hand the latter makes certain that the configuration point is established according to what is required by the detailed design records.


Systems management is a continual process. Even if an effective information system can be created and put into use there is still a good chance that it will need to be modified occasionally to fit the changing environment