Professional Issues in IT

By (author) Frank Bott, Neil Taylor

Publication date:

26 August 2022

Length of book:

236 pages

Publisher

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

ISBN-13: 9781780175881

To be effective at a senior level, IT professionals need not only appropriate technical skills and experience, but also a broad understanding of the context in which they operate. Relevant to all sizes of organisation, this book addresses the social, legal, financial, organisational and ethical issues faced by IT professionals, in alignment with the BCS HEQ ‘Diploma in IT’ core module: Professional Issues in Information Systems Practice. This new edition takes into account the social and legal implications of the changes to legislation and technology over recent years, including the GDPR and Data Protection Act, with comprehensive updates across the book in line with the latest syllabus.

Law and Government
The Computing Profession
What is an Organisation?
Structure and Management of Organisations
Financing a Start-Up Company
Financial Accounting
Management Accounting
Investment Appraisal
Human Resources Issues
Diversity, Inclusivity and Equality
Intellectual Property Rights
Software Contracts and Licenses
Data Protection, Privacy and Freedom of Information
Internet Issues
Computer Misuse

This excellent book provides a full, but easy-to-read, description of all relevant professional issues for those involved with IT from law to finance. From my perspective this book is very well written guide which bridges what can be a gap between an IT expert's technical knowledge and knowledge of the business side of the industry. The book covers issues such as intellectual property and data protection law and the laws on hacking in the UK. The financial side is well covered as is relevant employment legislation such that individuals who might work for themselves in this sector or set up their own company have a ready to use guide and can also see where they may need to take more specialist advice. Many people working in the IT and related fields would find this book a very useful purchase. It is the kind of book where even just one chapter can save a reader thousands of pounds. As a solicitor who advises many clients who make mistakes all the time and do not have written agreements about copyright and their relationship with fellow shareholders in their limited company, I can see immediately how many 'elephant traps' this book would help an IT professional avoid.