IT and information systems has changed how we do business.  With so much information now on the cloud and everyone carrying mobile phones, Business Technology Management (BTM) is needed to ensure that an enterprise’s business strategy is being correctly accommodated by the updated technology it deploys.  According to an article at Hopkins Medicine, monitoring internet search traffic about influenza to prepare hospital emergency rooms for any upcoming surge in sick patients may be better than to wait for outdated government flu case reports.  Using Google’s Flu Trends tool, the researchers have found a strong correlation between a rise in internet searches for flu symptoms and the rise in sick patients coming into the hospital.  This example is very similar to the example given in Class 17 where we learned about how Target figured out a teen was pregnant before her father did.  I believe that Google will greatly utilize the valuable information to their benefits from people using their Gmail, Youtube, Google Maps, and search engine.  As shown above, IT and information systems is a very valuable tool in the business world nowadays that can ensure businesses better execution, risk control and profitability.

Sources:  http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/_hopkins_researchers_find_google_flu_trends_a_powerful_early_warning_system_for_emergency_departments