Implementation of Infrastructural Design for IT in a Financial Environment - Research Paper Example

? Implementation of Infrastructural Design for IT in a Financial Environment Insert (s) Abstract This paper will serve to detail the specific server farm setup that will be utilized by the company, the design of the IT department, the type of software and hardware that would be best suited for the company, as well as the different possibilities for co-location sites that would be used for the servers themselves. It will work to analyze the best possible solutions to each of the potential questions that would be posited as either potential issues, or the best way to meet a specific need that the company may have at the current time, or in the future. Each specific hardware and software choice was made after a careful consideration of what is in the best interests for the company, while still remaining viable and cost efficient solutions to the company’s specific individual needs. Keywords: servers, farm, co-location, co-lo, IT, information technology, location, maintenance, email, instant messaging, ticketing system Implementation of Infrastructural Design for IT in a Financial Environment I. INTRODUCTION i. Background of the problem The recent advancements in information and technology have resulted in widespread adoption of networked information systems thereby creating new threats to the integrity, and safety of the information infrastructure and transactions in a number of financial environments across the globe. Consequently many banks and other financial organizations are increasingly implementing secure infrastructural designs of information technology in their financial environments not only to secure their sensitive communications and transactions but also to improve the reliability and integrity of their systems. According to Harris (2001, p.39), an effective IT infrastructure design reduces the risks of potential financial losses due to network faults while at the same time reducing the expenses related to network management. A properly implemented infrastructural design for information technology in a financial environment often integrates a number of technological components to support business needs of the particular organization. IT infrastructure comprises a group of shared tangible IT resources that offer a foundation to enable present and potential business applications. These recourses include the operating systems, key data. Core data-processing applications network and telecommunication and shared its services. Information management is the heart component of government infrastructure; it is the intellectual capital of accountability governance. Best practices and standards leads in efficient, responsible and cost effective use of resources. IT comprises of a full spectrum of technology and services that back-up information management. Financial institutions are often demanding environments dealing with massive quantities of sensitive information. In this regard, it is critically important to implement reliable and secure infrastructural designs for such environments to ensure their robust performance as well as provide secure access to information. This paper seeks to detail the specific server farm setup that will be utilized by the company, the design of the IT department, the type of software and hardware that would be best suited for the company, as well as the different possibilities for co-location sites that would be used for the servers themselves. ii. Researcher’s Work Setting and Role The researcher is a graduate student pursing masters of Science Degree in Management. As the lead researcher, my primary role will be to outline the specific research problem and work closely with the other members of the research team towards the achievement of the research goals. I will also be obligated to participate in the data collection processes as well as to provide a supervisory role throughout the research. iii. Statement of the problem For any information and communication system in any enterprise to run smoothly a structured communication network is needed to be the primary physical infrastructure operation. An information technology (IT) infrastructure should be designed to have no single failure, to be secure, flexible and highly scalable. A holistic approach should be adopted in designing IT solutions as this will help organizations to cut costs, advance service availability and increase productivity (Brooks, 2006, p.36). Through proper consultation greater efficiency through engaging directly at all levels with the consultancy and the organization. A dedicated account manager and highly experienced consultants should comprehensively capture the many requirements and design solution needed. The implementation of any infrastructural design will keep business interaction to an absolute minimal. Significance of the problem When setting up any company, especially one based in the financial sector, the different possibilities for the setup of the information technology aspect of the business can be daunting. Without proper planning, an awareness of the different setups, software, and systems that will be needed, and a good team of technicians, the process of setting up the infrastructure for a company in the financial field may not be as formidable as it first appears. There are certain applications, solutions, and contingencies that would need to be setup for any business, and by ensuring that these are already in place before the business is setup, it ensures that the setup process for the overall business itself is far smoother. The first question that must be addressed is the type of servers needed by the business. While many small businesses have the option of using shared hosting, for a company in the financial sector, this is hardly a viable solution. As such, the company has the option of choosing between dedicated servers and virtual private servers. A virtual private server is comprised of several isolated server environments hosted on one larger server that has been broken down into several partitions (Hostgator, 2013). Each VPS on the server functions in a manner similar to a standalone, or dedicated server. A dedicated server is one server that is set aside solely for the person who has ordered it; there are no other clients on this server. If both function in almost an identical manner, will it make a difference in which server option is selected? The short answer to this question is a resounding yes; though a VPS may function like a standalone server that does not mean that it is exactly the same as a standalone server. In order to be able to make the determination between the two, the company must first look at the pros and cons of each of the two options. Limitations The present study has a number of limitations that should be taken into account with regard to its contributions and future research studies in this particular field of study. One of the major limitations is that due to the short time limit, this research is expected to be conducted on smaller population size and this may not allow the researchers to effectively determine the hardware and software choices of various financial organizations as well as establish the best possible solutions to each of the issues under investigation. Additionally the limited budget will also present a challenge since the study focuses on a very complex phenomenon that requires extensive research. List of acronyms a. IT-information technology b. DDoS- c. DNS services-Domain name services d. CPU-Central processing unit e. RAM-Random access memory f. VPS- virtual private server g. WHM/cPanel-Web host mamager II. LITERATURE REVIEW i. Implementation of Virtual private servers A review of the literature on this particular topic shows ample documentation on the proper ways to design and implement this particular form of infrastructure for a financial environment; only a minute sampling of the literature on this particular topic has been included as a means of generating this particular document. Virtual private servers can be setup quickly, within hours, as opposed to a dedicated server, which takes days. The cost of a VPS can be very low; if a control panel is not needed, they can be as little as $15 per month. Virtual private servers are incredibly flexible; the process of setting up a VPS is not dissimilar to that of setting up a space on a shared server, and as a result, they can be quickly and easily customized to have the features that are needed for that specific VPS without having to spend a large amount of time to do so. Another benefit offered by having a VPS is that just like a dedicated server, they have root access, allowing for the same access level as a dedicated server, the ability to install additional software, and work directly with the operating system of the VPS, among other things. There are different power levels that can be selected in a VPS, and the servers themselves are comprised of the highest quality hardware components; as such, some VPS may have extra features that may not be present on a dedicated server in the same price range. The main server that the VPS is on is secured against DDoS attacks, and standard security exploits. They are easily upgradable, and even if apache needs to be recompiled, any upgrade can be done in hours, rather than days (Reseller Central, 2013). Virtual private servers do have downsides, however. The lower cost VPS, what are typically referred to as level 1 and level 2 VPS do not typically include a control panel, as they do not have the required resources to be able to install one. This does not mean that the same level of work cannot be done, but does mean that the IT department would need to have a firm grasp of how to navigate a server via SSH, as well as utilize all the appropriate commands. VPS are less powerful than dedicated servers, and if a program or application being run is too resource intensive, it may cause the container to need to be restarted frequently. A VPS is not on a standalone server, so it does share CPU and memory usage with the other VPS on the server; if another VPS on the server is using too much CPU or RAM, it may slow down the entire server, including the container that the VPS is on. Lastly, support for a VPS can be slower than a dedicated server, due to the variety of different places that the issue could be arising from, coupled with the way that a VPS is setup (Reseller Central, 2013). ii. Dedicated servers A dedicated server is a server whose contents all belong to one client. It does not share bandwidth, disk space, or any other resources with anyone else. Dedicated servers offer higher network uptimes than VPS or shared server hosting services. The advantages of dedicated servers include unlimited bandwidth, the ability to update or modify any features on the server at any time, create customized backups, offer higher speeds than shared hosting options, a set amount of dedicated IP addresses, the greatest possible amount of storage space, a control panel, and increased security as a result of no others being on the server (Hostingserver.com, 2013). As with any technology, dedicated servers do have certain downsides to them as well, though they are few. Dedicated servers are more costly than other hosting options. They are customized to the client’s specifications, and as a result, must be custom built, taking several days to get them up and going. They also require greater technical knowledge on the part of the IT department, as all maintenance and upgrades fall to the client themselves, and it is the responsibility of the client to know whether or not their application or code is compatible with any upgrade before completing the upgrade. If this is not determined before the upgrade is done, there is a potential for the update to break some or all of the site, coding, or application that may be hosted on that machine (Hostingserver.com, 2013). According to many authors, the best server solution for a company in the financial industry is the dedicated server option. While it may be a bit more costly, a financial institution would not want to experience any issues with slow speeds on a server, application, or site, and would want the additional security offered by having the server to themselves, on top of the standard security measures that are put into place on all servers. This too provides the company with the ability to fully customize the type of hardware that they would like in the servers themselves, and ensure that they are getting the exact server specifications that they want. Though this will require the technicians that they higher to be more knowledgeable than those in other fields, in order to have the most optimal server setup, with the best security for the job, the dedicated server is the way to go. iii. Required operating systems of the servers Now that the dedicated server option has been selected, the next choice that would need to be made is in regards to the operating system put in place on the servers themselves. There are many different choices in server operating systems, but the primary two are Plesk and WHM/cPanel. Many people are used to working with either Plesk or WHM/cPanel, and tend to focus solely on either one or the other, without being familiar with the layouts and the functionality of both. Plesk is the Windows server control panel option, while WHM/cPanel is the Linux control panel option. Both control panels have the same functionality, though the options themselves may have different names, or be located in different areas of the control panel, causing potential frustration for those who are used to one, but not used to the other (Hostgator, 2013). The question, however, is not how comfortable a person may or may not be with a particular control panel, but with which of the two operating systems is the more viable option for this particular company. The important thing to remember is that there are Linux based applications that are not compatible on Windows server options, and vice versa. One example of this is in the use of MsSQL, which is a Windows database option only, while MySQL is compatible with both Linux servers and Windows servers. The other factor that needs to be considered is how stable the operating system is, and which control panel has the best track record for stability. In this case, the answer is, without question, a Linux server with WHM/cPanel setup as the control panel. Plesk is good for individual sites, or for small businesses that may not need a large amount of resources, but for a large business, working to incorporate the databases of other sites as well, the best option is Linux. Windows servers also tend to have a less stable operating system, and many of the fixes for bugs within the operating system, or the control panel, involve reinstalling one or the other, or rolling back to an earlier version, something that a larger corporation, especially one in the financial industry could ill afford. It is for these reasons, among others, that the choice for the operating system and control panel of the servers for this company should be Linux based with WHM/cPanel installed. The next choice that the business must make is whether or not to have physical or virtual desktops on the personal computers that the employees use for their day to day work. The concept of using physical desktops is not one that is unfamiliar; it consists of one computer per workstation, and all data for that user’s login is stored on that computer only, much in the way that a personal computer in the home is setup. While this may seem like a good idea, there are several issues that will arise from this particular setup. The first issue with this particular setup is one of access; sure, each person may have their own assigned seat, but what happens when an issue arises with that particular machine? The employees data, and their work has all been stored to just the one desktop, which they have now lost access to, while it is being fixed. Are they to go home for the day, or to waste time in borrowing someone else’s machine to attempt to do some work, or wait for the IT department to setup a temporary machine for them? Another issue with this setup is that migration to a newer operating system can be costly and may require hardware upgrades, on top of the costs of purchasing the new operating system. While some companies may feel that it is a viable option to keep utilizing this method and simply not upgrade to the next operating system, it is important to consider the fact that Microsoft is no longer issuing hotfixes for older operating systems, like Windows XP, which means possible security holes and other vulnerabilities that would not be present in a newer operating system (Harbaugh, 2012). Vulnerabilities such as these are not the way a company in the financial industry would want to go, and the delays involved in attempting to get an employee setup on another machine, should theirs experience any issue is not an effective way to run a business. This leaves the option of a virtual desktop infrastructure. VDI uses “server hardware in order to run desktop operating systems and application software inside a virtual machine” (Harbaugh, 2012). To put this in layman’s terms, a worker could login to any machine using the virtual desktop interface and be able to access their desktop, files, and customizations. VDI offers an ease in upgrades, as the image itself simply needs to be updated on the server itself, though the downside to this is that the setup of a VDI may require lots of server space, and a storage and network infrastructure. The downside to this is that if an issue arises in the datacenter, it will affect the VDI. In spite of these potential downsides, the most cost effective, and resource effective environment will be the one that utilizes the virtual desktop infrastructure (Harbaugh, 2012). In order to utilize this VDI, in conjunction with the Linux based server options previously chosen, the best operating system for the workplace computers is Fedora, a Linux based operating system. Fedora is also open source software, and is 100% free, ensuring that there are no additional costs incurred by the business, and the open source capabilities ensure that it can be 100% customized to meet the needs of the company itself. The other aspect that this addresses is company upgrades. Many businesses incur additional costs when they must upgrade to the latest version of Windows, however, Fedora is free, and each new version requires only a simple download to install (Fedora Project, 2013). This simple download and install ensures far less work, and less cost overall for the business itself. When installed, Fedora does not look dissimilar from the traditional Windows desktop, which works to ensure that employees will not be completely confused or befuddled when sitting down at the terminal for the first time; limited teaching is required. Another aspect of the infrastructure that needs to be determined is in relation to email and instant messaging solutions put in place for the company’s use. While there are many different possible combinations of email and instant messaging that may be used by a company, there are several different possibilities that have proven tried and true again and again. Zimbra is one of those reliable email options. Zimbra is an application that can be installed on a server; it offers enterprise class email, calendar and collaboration solutions, and is built for both public and private use. It has an easy to use, easy to navigate, browser based interface, and it offers all the different features of a traditional email client, with the inclusion of a companywide address book that all users have access to, while still allowing them to add in their own personal contacts. The software is open source, and as such, completely customizable. As the company will have its own servers, they would be able to set this application up, and fully customize it to meet their own needs (VMWare, 2013). The Zimbra software is fully compatible with all Linux based servers, ensuring no compatibility issues between this software and the servers previously chosen for use in the company. The instant messaging solution that is proposed for the company is Spark. Spark is “an open source, cross-platform IM client optimized for businesses and organizations. It features built-in support for group chat, telephony integration, and strong security” (Ignite Realtime, 2013). Custom chat rooms can be devised for companywide, department wide, or individual workgroups and they may be additionally secured with passwords, if needed. Additionally, the interface of Spark is easy to use and easy to navigate, and again, the open source aspect of the application makes it fully customizable. This would be able to quickly and easily be able to be setup on the company servers, and the installation time for spark is just minutes. Spark is fully compatible with all Linux based server solutions, and the Spark server works with an application called Pidgin, which is fully compatible with all Linux based operating systems, including Fedora. Spark may be used in the Fedora environment as well; however Pidgin offers a slightly different layout, which some people find preferable. This gives employees two different options of accessing the same content, same chat rooms, and same functionalities while allowing the employees to tailor their desktop layout and personal preferences a bit more. By having both the email and the instant messaging software be in house and open source, there would be lower maintenance costs involved, and both programs are thoroughly tested. Updates are easy to install, and there are rarely any issues that arise with either of the two programs. The knowledge needed to troubleshoot both is not as intensive as that needed for server troubleshooting, and while the programs can always change (as they are open source), this also allows for in house development and customization as new additions to the programs can be generated in house, in order to meet the specific and individualized needs of the company itself. iv. Best solution for a business in the financial industry Regardless of the size of the business, a ticketing system is practically a must, but what is the best solution for a business in the financial industry? OnClick Solutions LTD offers a comprehensive ticketing system called H2Desk that allows for not only an internal helpdesk ticketing system, but also a client facing ticketing system. This ensures that the IT department is immediately made aware of any issues, and is able to assist in resolving most issues immediately without having to traverse the building, locate the person with the issue and resolve the issue there. A ticketing system, such as this one, is a far more effective solution, as many issues that the IT department in any company is contacted for could all be resolved remotely, with the appropriate system in place. This solution allows for the employees to have a method of interacting with the customers in a structured manner, and ensures that all the information can be appropriately documented in one centralized system, providing further efficiency. Tickets may be set to open, on hold, closed, or even set to reopen after a certain amount of time has passed. Tickets may be sorted into different groups, and it is possible to view all previous tickets through a variety of different search parameters. The self-hosted version of this application is only $400 USD, which also allows for increased security, as all data would be securely stored on the company’s private servers (H2Desk, 2013). These particular ticketing systems, for both in house, and for client side are likewise compatible with the previously discussed server and desktop options for the company. While it is true that all companies would like to go through the entirety of their business lifespan without experiencing any disasters, it is the smart company that creates contingency plans for them anyway. No company wants to have an issue with their server farm, lose all data, and then realize that their only backups were kept on the very servers that went down. The very idea of it would be devastating to a business, and even more so to a business in the financial industry. No client would want to stay with a company who could not guarantee that they could not state that they could access their client’s data at any time. For these reasons, it is important to have a disaster recovery site selected in advance, with a facility located, not just in a separate building, but located in a completely separate state. This allows a business to prepare for disruptive events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or even a simple power outage. Disaster recovery is the process used to resume business after a disruptive event; to this end, the disaster recovery location would be situated in Denver, CO. The reason behind the choice of Denver is that it is only a few hours by plane away from upper Texas, ensuring that it is close enough to be able to quickly resume business operations, but far enough away that natural disasters that would have an effect on Texas should not reach that far. The company would need to either own or lease a building in the Denver, CO area, setup servers with mirror images of the VDI, Spark servers, Zimbra servers, and servers with the primary servers’ backups already in place. The good thing about this is that VMware, the company that created Zimbra, also offers disaster recovery services, and their reputation is without equal. Their partner locator which shows the companies that offer these VM services already has a location setup in Denver that has this disaster recovery system already setup and in place. Softchoice.com offers full access to these VMware solutions and offers cloud based data center services to ensure that the business itself will remain functional, regardless of the crisis. They offer customized pricing tailored to the specific needs of their clients (VMware, 2013). VMware solutions are fully compatible with all Linux based server options, ensuring no cross compatibility issues that may be present with other companies that offer disaster recovery options. In every business there will come a time when the business outgrows the space that it is currently in. In companies that have their own datacenters, this is most likely to happen in the datacenter before it occurs in the company offices themselves. The cost to expand a building, or even to obtain a second, bigger building, in addition to all the costs associated with the moving and setting up of the original equipment, as well as the purchase costs for the new equipment needed can become a bit daunting, however, there is an alternative. A colocation datacenter, or co-lo, offers space for companies to setup their own servers, under lock and key, without having to purchase anything additional; they simply rent the rack space that the company’s personal servers reside upon. Businesses can either send in their own employees to manage the servers, or opt to pay to have the company who owns the building send in their own employees to manage the servers (Edwards, 2011). Given that the company will be located near DFW, the likely candidate for a co-lo solution for the corporation is QuoteColo. QuoteColo is located in Irving, Texas, and their colocation services start at only $50USD per month. They are a top ranked dedicated server provider, managed hosting provider, and server colocation facility. They have per U, racks, cabinets, and private cages available.They have been in business for over 15 years, and offer top quality services. Their colocation services have the option of adding in additional managed services, which include, but are not limited to, DNS services, remote reboots, firewalls, load balancing, network backup, tape backup, and storage services (QuoteColo, 2013). Summary In summary, although these are far from the only aspects that would need to be looked into and addressed in the setup and implementation of infrastructural design for information technology in a financial services company, these are some of the key aspects that would need to be addressed to ensure the success and sustainability of the company itself. With a setup such as this, the databases could be tied to the airline reservation systems, the company’s site, the sites of the airlines themselves, and work to assist in the creation of applications that would assist the airline businesses gain and produce additional revenue. III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY i. Overview of the research method The methodology that will be employed in this research will be designed in a way that enables the researchers to effectively collect data regarding the implementation of infrastructural design. In this regard, one of the research methods that will be used in this research is a descriptive survey. According to Creswell (1998, p.14), descriptive studies are not only concerned with fact findings but will also help the research to effectively formulate some of the fundamental principles of knowledge regarding the implementation of infrastructural design for information technology in a financial services company. Generally the research will employ both qualitative and quantitative research tools. For example, after the collection of data, they will be measured, classified, analyzed and finally interpreted. A questionnaire will be distributed to a sample of 37 respondents who will be required to give their honest opinion that will be necessary for accomplishing the goals and objectives of this research. ii. Data Sources Data collection methods that will be used include surveys and interviews. The study will target a total of 37 participants who will each be required to have knowledge of the infrastructural design in various financial institutions. For example, some of the potential respondents will include IT experts, managers of finance services organizations. The selected sample population will be within 18-45years age bracket. Lastly, one of the main factors that will be taken into consideration during the selection of the respondents is that they must have been actively been involved in infrastructural development and management or have been involved in financial data centers for at least six months (Babbie, 2001, p.76). iii. Data collection devices The interview sessions will approximately last from between 1-3hrs in length and after each interview session, recording will be undertaken in the form of notes. Questionnaires will primarily be used for data collection. For example, appropriate questionnaires will be designed, printed and taken to the selected participants to be filled. Confidentiality of the information provided will be assured to all the respondents. Generally one of the primary reasons why questionnaires will be primarily used in this research is because they will provide the respondents with enough time to carefully consider their responses and this will in turn ensure that the objectivity of the research purpose is achieved (Creswell, 1998, p.34). Additionally, the use of questionnaires will provide the participants with an opportunity to address a large number of questions and issues regarding the topic of the study in more resourceful way as well as high answer rate. Upon collecting qualitative data from the interviews and survey questionnaires, a careful data analysis will be undertaken manually to help answer some of the research questions. To validate the collected data, a number of recent researches on the implementation of infrastructural design for information technology in a financial services company will be consulted. References Babbie, E. (2001). The practice of social research (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth publishers. Brooks, P. (2006). Metrics for IT Service Management, Van Haren Publishing limited Creswell, J. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among the five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Edwards, J. (2011, July 11). Grow your datacenter with colocation. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218207/Grow_your_data_center_with_colocation Fedora Project.(2013). Fedora project. Retrieved from http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora H2Desk. (2013). Ticket system, support ticket system. Retrieved from http://www.h2desk.com/ticket_system.html Harbaugh, L. (2012, March 22). The pros and cons of using virtual desktop infrastructure. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/252314/the_pros_and_cons_of_using_virtual_desktop_infrastructure.html Harris, L. (2001) The IT productivity paradox-evidence from the UK retail banking industry New Technology.Work and Employment 16,1, 35-48 Hostgator.(2013). cpanel vs. plesk. Retrieved from http://support.hostgator.com/articles/specialized-help/technical/cpanel-vs-plesk-side-by-side-functionality-comparison Hostgator. (2013). What is a vps?. Retrieved from https://support.hostgator.com/articles/hosting-guide/lets-get-started/vps-virtuozzo-power-panel/what-is-a-vps HostingServer.com. (2013).Pros and cons of dedicated servers. Retrieved from http://hostingandserver.com/pros-and-cons-of-dedicated-server/ IgniteRealtime. (2013). Ignite realtime: Spark im client. Retrieved from http://www.igniterealtime.org/projects/spark/index.jsp Reseller Central. (2013). The pros and cons of running a vps. Retrieved from http://www.resellerspanel.com/virtual-private-servers/pros-and-cons.html QuoteColo.(2013). Irving colocation. Retrieved from http://www.quotecolo.com/colocation_texas_irving.html VMWare.(2013). Business continuity disaster recovery. Retrieved from http://www.vmware.com/solutions/business-continuity/index.html VMWare. (2013). Zimbra offers open source email servers. Retrieved from http://www.zimbra.com/ Read More