Distributed information systems are the systems that do not reside on a single server but instead run on several connected servers which are arranged in such a way that if one of the servers is rendered useless of attack, the rest of the servers take over and ensure that the system can stay alive and render services to its users.
These systems are used for modern systems that are always on and continuously available to their users and the customers are always logging into the information system to get one service or the other. The design of the distributed information systems is such that the users of the system can keep it running even when one of its head has been cut off.
If one of the servers has stopped working, the processing load is delicately passed over to the rest of the servers and balanced out across all of them which makes it possible to keep on staying active and rendering services to the customers that depend on this information systems.
For instance, a ministry in a government that has adopted distributed information systems to handle its citizens will be able to render these services round the clock without having to worry about hackers and other incidents that in typical cases would have rendered the ministry out of touch for extended durations as a single server gets repaired or replaced.
Instead, the server that is out of order is taken offline while the rest of the servers kick in to handle the additional load that has been left by the server that is not currently working. This way, the server can keep serving the citizens and they get to have the best experience at the ministry.
The use of the distributed information systems also makes them easier to secure as one of the servers can act as a firewall which is used to filter the information that is coming into the servers and in the event of an impending attack, this server will be able to detect the attack before it takes place and put up defenses and activate applications which will redirect the rogue traffic and reduce the burden on the rest of the servers.
This is also a reason why modern information systems are designed to work in a distributed manner so that they can comfortably and securely handle more customers and ensure that they can render their services to more people and not have to expose any of the servers to security threats.
Additionally, the distributed information systems are much easier to secure as the servers are arranged or laid out to minimize the impact of any attack and this makes it possible to keep the servers online and active around the clock instead of taking them offline whenever there is an attack. This is a reason one is encouraged to take up distributed information systems as they are easier to secure and much cheaper to manage and maintain.
