ING Life Using a Public Infrastructure - Case Study Example

Download file to see previous pages To understand the role of information and technology in a business establishment and the importance of investing in it, the ING Life Case study can be used. This is because ING Life has done some investments in information and technology solutions by implementing Val IT to ensure that the business organization gets a maximum return on its investment in information and technology.

Limitations of using a public infrastructure (Internet)
When deciding on what information and technology infrastructure to use a company needs to evaluate the content of the information they handle. Since ING is an investment institution it usually handles information and data which might be sensitive. One common disadvantage of using public infrastructure for companies such as ING is that information is not secure and such companies are often targets of hackers. Public interfaces are easy to get into for professional hackers since they do not have complex security protocols and firewalls. For example, if an investment company uses public interface information technology solutions their customers might suffer from identity theft since this information is usually contained in the company’s servers.

Another limitation that comes with a public interface such as the internet is that these interfaces are normally crowded hence slow and unreliable. This is because public networks are provided by Internet Service Providers whose aim is to get as many customers as possible for them to realize maximum profits. A slow network can be of a disadvantage to a company like ING because such companies rely on the information on a real-time basis hence wastage of time may result in the company suffering a loss.
ING’s public infrastructure solution is effective because though being public its access is only limited to specific ING partners internationally. Security is ensured by investing in solutions that will involve each partner ensuring that the public interface is secure on their end.

However, this is not enough because its network systems can still be hacked through systems such as SQL injunctions which have happened to the organization specifically in Belgium. ING should invest in more secure infrastructures such as Vsat which will ensure direct communication of ING branches internationally in a secure manner since Vsat incorporates very effective security protocols. Vsat is an effective communication infrastructure because it incorporates both voice and data traffic. Vsat will give ING one-time solutions in its communication and data due to the incorporation of voice and data traffic in the interface (Ramon, 2004). The company will also be able to control traffic since it will be in charge of its network.

By using advanced network solutions such as Vsat, Ing company will be able to link its local area networks and wide area network forming a mesh of different interconnected networks that cover the whole business establishment internationally (Elbert, 2004). The institution should also implement local area network technologies that are secure, easy to maintain, and reliable. For example, if the company invests in wireless local area networks it should consider hiring network security experts to ensure that their databases cannot be accessed by hackers since wireless networks are the most commonly hacked network since they can be charged from a distance (Bhaiji, 2008). There are various companies such as Cisco Systems which are renowned for providing wireless networks that are very difficult to hack due to the security protocols implemented in such routers and switches.

Conclusion A business establishment needs to ensure that it invests adequately in its information and technology infrastructure. Such investments do not have a direct return but instead boost the overall performance of the company hence maximizing the company’s profits. It is however important for managers to understand that Information and technology investment should not be necessarily determined by how much the company invests in its Information technology infrastructure but by how well they implement an information technology interface. Poorly investing in a company’s information and technology solution can lead to wasting of a lot of money thus running a business institution to a downfall. ...Download file to see next pages Read More