In recent years, cross-company relationships, strategic alliances and complex business networks are increasingly a typical way used by companies to grow and an important component of corporate strategy. As a result, the horizon within which the assessment of economic convenience and the decision making take place is enlarged beyond the boundaries of each company. The object of this article is to highlight some open problems in the study of information systems of a firm that based its business on a number of different strategic alliances into different networks (the enterprise-network). According to the author, for this enterprise the information management is a key factor for the success of relationships developed across-boundaries. On the one hand, the information system becomes a key element aligning the processes of governance and control of the network of relationships. On the other side, strategic alliances act as an important factor of change for the enterprise information system that needs to be investigated in its different component. This article is divided into two parts. In the first two paragraphs the author describes the multidimensional relationship between the governance system, control system and information system in relational contexts. In the following paragraphs the focus is on relational information system.
Keywords: Business networks, strategic alliances, relational information system, relational governance, relational control