3. Advantages of computerised information systems

There are many advantages in using a computerised information management system:

- You can save space (which is expensive in rented offices and buildings) You can get rid of the filing cabinets that were used to store paper based copies of the information.

- Many people can access the information at the same time. With a paper-based system, only one person can be at the filing cabinet at any given time. Whereas with a computerised system, it is only limited by the number of computer terminals it is connected to.

- With a paper-based system, records can be lost or misfiled. This makes it difficult to find the information when it is needed. With a computerised information system, it is much less likely that records will be lost.

- It reduces the need to store multiple copies of the information. With the old paper based system, there would probably need to be more than one copy stored in different locations.

- The system can be used in conjunction with a Word Processor to create a mass mailing letter using mail merge or a spreadsheet to perform some analysis of the data.

- Data can be imported or exported depending on how the system is set up.