Retrospective and Prospective Views on Information Systems Engineering

It is difficult to precisely define Information Systems Engineering. Roughly speaking, it is an interdisciplinary field focusing on designing, developing, implementing, and managing complex IT systems that meet specific organizational needs, bridging the gap between technology and business by applying engineering principles to create efficient, reliable solutions for data processing, decision-making, and operations, integrating software, hardware, data, processes and people. It emphasizes understanding business requirements, managing databases, ensuring system security, and creating holistic solutions that integrate various technologies for effective problem-solving.

This collection of selected papers provides a comprehensive and extremely readable overview of what constitutes Information Systems Engineering and presents retrospective and prospective views on making it increasingly relevant in our society. It covers topics including information systems design; how to articulate research in Information Systems Engineering; the management of time in processes; the management of data quality, both on the Web and in social contexts, and its impact on the AI applications; the servitization of systems and their adaptiveness; the evolution of business process management; cybersecurity; sustainability and energy management in information systems; and the concept of sovereignty in the AI era. Overall, this book is a source of inspiration for everybody working on the vision of creating a strong, fruitful and creative community of information systems engineers.

With this book, the editors and authors wish to honor Prof. Barbara Pernici for her enormous and ongoing contributions to the discipline of Information Systems Engineering. It was presented to her on the occasion of her retirement, celebrated during CAiSE 2026 in Verona; CAiSE being a conference that she has contributed to and supported for over 30 years. Thank you very much to Barbara for so many years of inspiration, cooperation, and friendship.