Any firm needs to understand the different of data and information and that is exactly what the Reputation Management Expert has been able to do. Data are unprocessed facts while information is data that have been processed or turned into some useful form. Normally companies get the data they need and use that information received for many purposes in the company. In order for the Reputation Management Expert to be able to gather and process data into information and distribute it to people who need it, the company will develop a information system (IS). This is the combination of technologies, procedures and people who collect and distribute the information in order to make decisions and to coordinate and control different company activities. Most large firms have these information systems and a senior management team that includes a chief information officer who is in charged of overseeing information and telecommunications systems in fact operates them. There are also information managers who are in charged of determining the information needs of people in the firm, collecting the right data, applying the technology to convert data into information and directing the flow of information to the right people.

An enterprise resource planning system is used by many large and mid-size companies that rely on these integrated systems to channel information to multiple users. This enterprise resource planning system integrates the computer needs of all activities across the enterprise to a single system that serves all users. The ERP software manages information flow among all database applications including accounting which it records sales and payments and tracks business performance, it tracks operations controls inventory throughout the supply chain, from procurement to distribution, it tracks the marketing division by being able to coordinate sales activities and handle customer-relationship management. The ERP Software also tracks finance such as reports customer’s credit rating and current selling prices. it also is able to track the human resources department by being able to recruit, train, evaluate, and compensate salespeople.