Write short notes on the following: Characteristics of a good Executive Information System.

An Executive Information System (EIS) is a type of management information system intended to facilitate and support the information and decision-making needs of senior executives by providing easy access to both internal and external information relevant to meeting the strategic goals of the organization. The characteristics of a good executive information system are as follows: Simple use interfaces are crucial. Good systems provide a wide variety of user interfaces such as a mouse, a touch screen, or a keyboard and allow the executive to choose which ever he or she is comfortable with. An EIS should be secure because the data that is contained and (or accessed by an EIS is obviously important and often proprietary information. An EIS should support what-if-analysis and ad-hoc queries. An EIS should have the capability of allowing the executives to drill down into the data. Very quick response time is necessary. Colour graphics capabilities are important for displaying the information. The data used in an executive information system may reside in many different locations therefore efficient network is essential for expert systems. The EIS should be capable enough to have data from all associated systems and should be flexible in integrate with basic tools like excel and Access or any other database systems.