Information Technology Strategy and Design - Etisalat - Case Study Example

Information Technology Strategy and Design By Student’s Name Code+ course Name Professor’s Name University Name Date 1 Executive summary This report analyse the services offered by a major Housing Compound Company in the UAE that comprises of over 200 Villas and 90 Commercial outlets. The compound offers IT services such as internet infrastructure distribution and resident/customer information website maintenance that are updated on a monthly basis with a wired 100-Mbps switched network infrastructure for each of the Villas and commercial outlets. Each of the residents’ Villas and commercial outlets access the internet with the compound having been provided with a 1-Gpbs internet access through the Etisalat Company. However, the compound seeks to improve their existing network infrastructure. In that regard, Green Oasis has was contracted with the task of improving the Compound’s existing IT offerings so as to improve its reputation, increase traffic and improve their profitability. All these processes on how Green Oasis is going to conduct the Compound’s IT improvement is outlined in the Service strategy and the Service Design in this report. The Services Strategy covers the Compounds’ market identification, the risk management plan, the demand management plan, and the financial management plan. The Service Design on the other hand covers the design aspects, the Service Level Plan (SLA), the Availability Plan, the Information Security Plan (CIAA), the Supplier Plan (OLA’s), Capacity Plan, and the Continuity Plan. The total amount of money that has been allocated for the entire project totals to 2.25 million DHS, which is equivalent to $612, 578.25. 1.25 million DHS will be set aside from the initial deployment and a further 500 000 DHS will be channelled to the yearly updates for two years. 2 Table of contents 1 Executive summary 2 2 Table of contents 3 3 Service strategy 3 4 Service design 14 5 Conclusion 20 6 References 22 3 Service strategy 3.1 Market identification The housing compound in the UAE provides its clients that comprises of the over 200 Villas and the 90 Commercial outlets with high speed internet connections and services. The compound also provides its clients with additional services such as updating their websites’ information at least once in a month. Their main target audience are private residential house and other commercial outlets. The compound is also capable of hosting websites for its clients with the help of its own server that is hosted within the Etisalat facility. Its wired 100-Mbps switched network infrastructure permits a high speed internet connection for each of the Villas and the commercial outlets. The Compound in itself has a 1-Gbps access through Etisalat. Unlike the Compound that does not provide the public with the WLAN access, a few f its coffee shops does so to their customers on their private capacities. 3.2 Risk management plan For the Oasis IT provision services, the Housing Compound in UAE Company already identified three risks that could either slightly or seriously damage its operations on the significant Internet service provisions to both the Villas and the Commercial outlets. These include: 1. Complete or partial loss of internet connectivity or routing capabilities within the Housing Compound Company comprising of the Villas and the commercial outlets (Zhang and Liu, 2008) 2. Man made incidents or even natural disasters within the Housing Compound UAE Company that could possibly impair the routing capabilities of internet connections and the website maintenance services (Zhang and Liu, 2008) 3. Impaired or unproductive internet connections operations and routing capabilities after an incident or power outage. 4. Privacy loss/disclosure of information (WeDo Technologies, April 2011). 5. Failure of policy: interoperable global, single internet breakdown 6. Denial of service; (infrastructure’s experience of large scale attack). The Housing Compound in UAE Company identified the main critical risks to both the internet connections and website maintenance. The below descriptions brings out the responses and recommendations that could be carried out by the Housing Compound in UAE Company in responding to the risks and possible damages to the internet connections and other additional functions. The table below details the possible risks and their possible risk management recommendations responses. Risk Housing Compound in UAE Company ratings and consequences Mitigation of risks activities Results: ratings of the consequences and likelihood of occurrence Complete or partial loss of internet routing capacity Likelihood is low: High consequences Routing protocols should be secured (Evan, 2011) IPv6 transition should be tested. Address verification conducted. Signed route announcements Dampening of route flap (Royer, 2002). Multi-person change commit Rote consolidation. Likelihood is low; the consequences are medium. Total or incomplete internet routing abilities (Non-intentional manmade) The likelihood is medium; the consequences are high. Dampening of the route flap route leak detection Signed route announcements little probability; average consequences. Facilities concentration: physical loss (either deliberate manmade or natural). Likelihood is low; Consequences are medium. Lower profile operations Redundant, secure, hardened facilities Insider threat mitigations (Royer, 2002). Likelihood is low; the consequences are low. Incidence response and support of impair operations (Deliberate man-made). Likelihood is low; the consequences are medium. The use of internet security technology with the help of the government (Royer, 2002). Internet connectivity alternatives. Routing incidents management coordination. Incident recovery and incident management plans. Incident recovery limitations evaluations. Likelihood is low; the consequences are low as well. Privacy loss/disclosure of information Likelihood is low; the consequences are low Perform training and education. Zone transfer restriction to unknown trusted partners. Best standards practises adoptions. Data configurations and DNS data implementing configuration practise. Very minor possibility; the consequences are very small. Failure of policy: interoperable global, single internet breakdown Average possibility; the consequences are high. Implementation and development of route zone changing automation software. Internationalised Standard domain names (IDN) implementations (Evan, 2011). Building of confidence across the DNS community by increasing information sharing. Discussing DNS security issues through use of global forums. Develop and implement Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) to increase confidence. DNS dashboard promotions (Evan, 2011) Cyberspace ‘behaviour norms’ establishment. Results leveraging across internationally-supported constituency studies (Royer, 2002). Conduct DNS test exercises (e.g., a day without the internet). Unilateral resolution creations. Institute a capacity for Domain Name System Team (DNS_CERT). National simulation and national-level modelling enhancement (WeDo Technologies, April 2011). The possibility is low; and he consequences are high. Denial of service; (infrastructure’s experience f large scale attack). little possibility; consequences are high. Testing the DNS services to conduct the services (e.g., a day without the internet) Gap analysis performance (Royer, 2002). Low enforcement responses and diplomatic pursuance. Emergency communication improvement. Best practises and standards adoption. Simulation and national-modelling enhancement. DNS dashboard development. Likelihood is low; the consequences are high. 3.2.1 The risk mitigation approaches that will be taken by Housing Compound in UAE Company Mitigate the risk by proactive or preventive action Accept the risk and its potential consequences Avoid the risk (Graham and Kaye, 2006) Transfer the risk to another entity or sector (Zhang and Liu, 2008). 3.3 Demand management plan 3.3.1 Summary: The Housing Compound UAE Company’s Demand management Plan for the years 2014/2015 targets to furnish its stakeholders with detailed information on its demand management planning activities as described below: To bring out the Housing Compound UAE Company’s demand management operations through setting specific initiatives, targets, strategies and budget programs. To update, Housing Compound UAE Company’s Communications regulatory Policies with the proposal pricing covering the two year period as from 2014. 3.3.2 Compliance with the government legislation: The various government legislations have been met by Housing Compound UAE Company’s Demand management Plan though: Decision making and governance processes which influences both long-term and short-term forecasts. 3.3.3 Demand Management: Housing Compound UAE Company is one of the UAE’s medium-sized Internet Service Provider network and covers approximately 30% of UAE’s internet infrastructure and serves approximately over 500 customers. The company’s investment in the internet provision services has been designed to meet the full compliance country’s supply standards security demands (Sanchez, 2007). This is also reflected in the capital expenditure of the company development plans with a bigger portion having been allocated to the internet infrastructure distribution programs so as to meet the customer demands and satisfaction at all times year round. However, the overall asset utilisation is reduced during the year so as to meet the required maximum capacity demands use for brief periods year round. The demands of the Housing Compound UAE Company clients can also be met at a lower cost by an alternative internet network augmentation such as undertaking the measures to modify and also meet the client’s demands. Another alternative can be achieved by shaping the load curve for best possible use of the existing resources and assets and to also develop the Housing Compound UAE Company’s asset investments overall efficiency. 3.3.4 Demand for internet connectivity capacity The Housing Compound UAE Company has experienced a significant growth in its internet networking and distribution infrastructure, as well as the website maintenance increase over the last decade. The maximum demand is not easy to accurately predict since it is a volatile perimeter over the period of the past two years, the exact actual analysis conducted by the company highlighted that the maximum demand sharply increased because there were more people who bought more laptop computers in the Villas and even more people visited the coffee shop with their personal laptops and hence increasing the demand for more internet connectivity via Wi-Fi connectivity. However there was a very high internet connectivity demand on the month of November 2013 because there were more students on holidays with their laptops. Taking into account the increase of internet connectivity demand and the country’s revised economic growth, the Housing Compound UAE Company has decided to factor in the increase of its internet infrastructure from Etisalat from 1-Gbps to 3-Gbps so as to meet the growing internet connectivity demand of its clients. This will effectively increase the Company’s internet provision and website maintenance services, increase the Company’s good image, cost reduction, internet connectivity speed connections, productivity, and also meeting its customers’ internet connectivity demands (Fulmer, 2005). The other aspects that contributes to the Housing Compound UAE Company’s Pattern of Business Activity (PBA) are seasons of the year, time and the frequency of the customers frequenting the coffee shops on the commercial outlets, the coffee shops are mostly frequented by business men while at the same time a few of the coffee shops also provides WLAN access services to their clients. Hence a large volume of internet data is consumed by the Housing Compound UAE Company’s clients during the evenings while most of the Villa residents are back home from work and when most of the students are on holiday break from school. Adequate bandwidth shall therefore be provided by the Housing Compound UAE Company during peak internet usage and regularly maintain their server to avoid service delivery interruptions (Graham and Kaye, 2006). . 3.3.5 Internet provision and website maintenance demand challenges Housing Compound UAE Company is at the moment experiencing a disproportionate growth rate compared to the number of its clients and the overall bandwidth consumption as a primary concern in terms of the rising maximum demand trends. In that regard, it is possible to experience an entire system maximum demand and at the same time experiencing increased pressure on the internet network investments due to bandwidth constraints because the entire system is the total aggregate of the individual’s 100-Mbps switched network infrastructure. 3.3.6 Housing Compound UAE Company valued customers: One of the strategic priorities of Housing Compound UAE Company is to increase the value of its customers by providing a more dependable and cost efficient internet infrastructure and website maintenance services that cater for the identified customer’s expectations and data needs. The company uses the external of over 200 villa residents and over 90 commercial outlets client segmentation tools to profile its internet infrastructure client’s base. An extra profiling dimension is added to the existing customer data by this model by using diverse behavioural or demographic measures such as age, payment risk profile and bill payment method, life-stage, profession or student status. The ability of the company to understand and manage data demands is pegged on the company’s understanding of its clients in the compound (Allspaw, 2008). The peak demand in the compound also matches the variations in the customer mix inside the compound. 3.4 Financial management plan Summary: This plan outlines the financial management programs of Housing Compound UAE Company. The Housing Compound UAE Company’s demand management plan is estimated to cost an approximate 2.25 million DHS. This cost is intended to be channelled in the improvement of the existing network infrastructure of the company’s Demand management Plan of the year 2014/2015. This new infrastructure will come with an array of benefits such as improved cost effectiveness as a result of the improved existing network infrastructure. The present scenario of server system technology available at Housing Compound UAE Company has been recommended to be upgraded and a new networking feature that can fulfil the current purposed system upgrade and improvement has been proposed. The contract to upgrade the current internet infrastructure technology has been awarded to the Green Oasis Company. The proposed server system upgrade is to help address the Compound UAE Company issues with the existing server system and the impact it is having across the organization and provide the future direction to the organization through recommendations considering the current industry trends and appropriateness of virtualization technologies (Gerard and Menken, 2008). Compound UAE Company proposed following tasks to be implemented: Centrally controlled secure access to departmental and organizational data. Centrally administered and controlled network communication protocol. Centralized administration and management of the network. Centralized software deployment capabilities and maintenance of organizational software license compliance. Centralized operating system software patch and antivirus definition management. Complete data backup, storage and recovery solution. Identification, supply and configuration of servers with operating system and application software to support business objectives and identified requirements. Network perimeter security protection for the enterprise. Provide for redundancy for the server technologies New back and data retention strategy. The current server system uses Microsoft Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003 Standard Edition. A decent configuration rack mount server that can support virtualization technology will be installed. The following networking routers will be used: • Cisco 2811 Security Bundle – router • Cisco SRW2024P 24-port Gigabit Switch • CAT 6 cable with 10000 MB data transfer rate Server: The requirement of Compound UAE Company is to provide future direction to the organization using virtualization technologies. So it is recommended to have a good specification Server. The following specification is purpose for server operating system. Model: HP DL580G7 X7550 (SAS/SATA(0/8) 4U RACK Specification: Series DL580G7 Rack Processor Type Eight-Core Intel Xeon X7550 Processor (2.00GHz, 18MB, 130W) Number of Processors 4 (4/4) Standard Memory 64GB Standard Memory Memory Slots 64 Memory Type PC3-10600R Registered DIMMs Memory Configuration Refer to QuickSpecs PDF Internal HDD None Ship Standard (0/8) Internal Drive Bays 8 x 2.5-inch Compatible HDD SAS SATA SSD Hard Disk Controller HP Smart Array P410i/1GB FBWC Hot Plug Capable Yes Flexible Disk Drive None Standard Optical Drives Slim SATA DVD-RW Optical Drive Chassis Type 4U Rack Network Interface NC375i Integrated Quad Port Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapter Warranty 3 Years Parts, 3 Years Labour, 3 Years Next Day Onsite 9x5 Total expenditure plus installation will be 1.5 Million DHS. Operating costs will be: 0.25 DHS plus a yearly maintenance of 500 000 DHS per year for two years of updates. 4 Service design 4.1 5 design aspects 4.1.1 Service Solution Compound UAE Company will make improvement on its services that it offers its customers among them improving the readability of their websites. This will enable its clients to easily and quickly digest the information they share with the company since their web contents will be readable and easy to understand. The company will also ensure that the clients whose websites are of bad design get fixed by assigning its web developers to do the job. The client’s websites will also be updated with the current security fix so as to avoid the current website attacks such as viruses, phishing activities and hacking by all kinds of intruders, either internal or external attacks (Gregor, 2009). 4.1.2 Service management systems Compound UAE Company will apply its service management to its clients so as to support its ITIL processes for requests, release, incident knowledge management, change, requests, and problem solutions. The service management will help the company to identify the right tools, processes in place to optimally function, people, and also provide its clients with excellent services. The main feature for this service management will be knowledge management, requests and incident management, system development and release life cycle management, and change management. The interactions between the company and its customers will be eased further so as to optimize service intensive service chains. This will also see a reduction in costs, increase in service revenue, technical visits minimization, expenditure costs reduction, and also the optimization of the service quality to customers. 4.1.3 Technology architecture Compound UAE Company is also looking forward in improving its technology architecture by upgrading its server with the most recent software’s and hardware’s available in the market. Some of the technology infrastructure that will be upgraded comprise of: Server Hardware Server Software Company Network Antivirus User Documentation Testing Functionality Switches Cables 4.1.4 Processes The company will also train its staff on how to use the most advanced computer technology architecture, both software’s and hardware’s that will be installed in the ongoing company system upgrade. They will also be trained on developing positive employee relations. This will enable its employees to have an insight to the new technologies and be capable of servicing and assisting the Company’s new customers on the new technologies, updates and its operations (Gregor, 2009). The employee relations will also provide for training, advice and counsel to its employees so as to help them solve problems, review grievances, solve conflicts, and address complaints. The employees will also have access privileges such as access to accounts on centrally-maintained computers, travel credit cards, log-in authority for specific computer applications, and long distance authorisation codes. Other employee relations policies such as collective bargaining, trade union recognition, and involvement in staff in decision making will also be reviewed. 4.1.5 Measurements and metrics The company will create feedback mechanisms by asking employees about their views of the company and what they want by using employee engagement surveys. Frequent opportunities are provided for employee by healthy cultures to give and receive feedback on process, markets, performance, customers and ideas. 4.2 Service level plan – SLA Service Level Agreement (SLA): Reviewed/posted 28th March 2014 This SLA will supplement the other documents referenced in the terms of service, the terms of service and other such documents from binding agreements (the agreements) between Green Oasis and Compound UAE Company. This SLA will cover the below elements of the services: Server upgrade Network performance: Internal and External Support response time Network and physical security Website update services 24/7 Customer support throughout the year This SLA does not apply to any of the service features that are not purposely recognized in the SLA or the Green Oasis. 1. Service failure remedies Certain 100% standard provision services by Green Oasis Company are listed in the SLA that it offers to its customer’s 100 percent service credit in case it fails to meet those standards. 2. Option of contract termination The SLA agreement may be terminated by the customer as provided for in the terms of service pursuant to section (2) without advance notice in the event that Green Oasis fails to live up to the terms and conditions of service . This SLA does not allow the service termination if Green Oasis buys other resources for the sole use by the customer. 3. Warranty Disclaimer and Limitations The applicable remedies in this SLA are the exclusive and sole remedies of the customer for any failure of service, inclusive of without limitation for any warrant breach excluding as stated in the terms of service. i. Server upgrade Green Oasis will upgrade the server with the latest technology architecture such as server hardware’s and software’s. ii. Network performance: Internal and External Green Oasis will deliver 100 percent network performance, both internal and external for Compound UAE Company. iii. Support response time Cases of emergency – within 30 minutes Below are the categories of the emergency: Packet loss Issues of routing Server down Other cases that are not so urgent will be responded to within n120 minutes iv. Network and physical security Green Oasis will ensure the network security by installing the necessary security software, firewall and patches in the server. Green Oasis will also ensure the presence of a physical professional security guard at the server hosting facility computers around the clock. v. Website update services Green Oasis will deploy the professional services of its web developer employees to oversee the monthly update of their information websites. vi. 24/7 Customer support throughout the year Green Oasis will provide its customer with a customer support service 24//7 throughout the year. 4.3 Availability plan The company will use the proactive availability management in service outages prevention by way of identifying and eliminating service sources failures. The assessment of the risks service interruptions and failures will also be include in the availability plan and the necessary actions taken to alleviate those risks. Advising on cost-effective new technology will also be done so as to provide guidance and advice and improve availability to other Compound UAE Company IT areas. The availability management helps problem and incident management in solving and diagnosing availability-related problems and incidences and prevention of the same occurrences in the future. Component availabilities, reviews and reports, and measures will also be monitored to ensure the continuity of service levels are met and any potential service level breaches or outages responded to (Fulmer, 2005). 4.4 Information security plan – CIAA In order to ensure business continuity, maximise return on investments, minimise business risks, and increase business opportunities, the company’s information security will be protected from numerous threats. This will be achieved by implementing suitable set of controls such as organization structures, policies, procedures, processes, and hardware and software functions. The company will ensure that all its server and website users and other people who maintain its IT resources comply with its acceptable policy use. The access to customer information obtained by Compound UAE Company while offering financial services and products shall be protected and not divulged to the third party. An up-to-date anti-virus will be installed in Compound UAE Company server to mitigate the attack of viruses and worms. The SLA security policies will also be followed to the later to ensure security for both the green Oasis and Compound UAE Company’s 4.5 Supplier plan – sourcing plan; OLA’s The Compound UAE will negotiate UCs with website developer and Etisalat to ensure an on-time delivery and ensure that the supplier possesses a better capacity management process in place. It will also monitor supplier service to ensure that value is obtained by investing money throughout the year so as to increase the capacity of its suppliers according to the customer demands. The company will ensure that its suppliers are effective and efficient and able to meet its capacity suppliers with ease, generating huge benefits to the concerned parties and customer satisfactions (Fulmer, 2005). The supplier policy and a supporting Supplier, Contract Database (SCD), supplier engagement and identification, and deep dive capacity assessments will also be maintained. 4.6 Capacity Plan The company will determine the production capacity that it requires in meeting its customer demands and ensure a suitable IT Infrastructure in a cost effective manner while also meeting its requirements to meet its customer demands. The utilization of IT infrastructure will be looked into by the company to ensure the company fulfil the internet services demands by its clients (Fulmer, 2005). The current company internet infrastructure work must be analyzed to fulfil the current & future needs of its clients. The capacity plans’ Produce and processes will be regularly upgraded to the current market trend demands. 4.7 Continuity plan Business continuity planning will be put into place and then implemented so as to assist in preventing disasters and crisis arising, and help prevent operational interruptions, mitigate business risks, and also assist the organisation in quickly reverting to the state of business as usual in case of the occurrence of any of these events. The continuity plan will then be tested and exercised to ensure its performance is above board (Fulmer, 2005). The continuity plan will also be constantly managed to ensure that it is available and current so that the organisation does not experience a business interruption by reviewing the risk assessment and the SLA. 5 Conclusion Even though Compound UAE Company has been operating smoothly over the years, the robust and planned current server system improvement that is hosted at Etisalat will bring in numerous advantages to the Compound UEA Company. the upgrade of the Company’s server will enable the company to cope with the current economic pressures, maintain character agility and support the ever changing dynamic business priorities. The company will be able to gain flexibility, optimize character efficiency reduce operating costs – without impacting service levels or sacrificing performance by taking advantage of virtualization techniques and consolidating systems onto the latest technology. The Company’s server upgrade will also see various securities fixes on potential threats and bugs. An improvement of the Company’s profitability and internet traffic will also be improved. Every aspect of business virtually relies on the corporate data-centres services so as to remain at par of the ever changing business conditions. The present organisations are currently experiencing service-level pressures that necessitates greater operational and cost reductions efficiency even as larger infrastructures proves to be invaluable despite affording tremendous capabilities and resources . Some of these systems are often inflexible, impeding the agility as organizations endeavour to react to evolving world markets. In that regard, businesses are forced to innovate and adapt so as to be able to remain relevant and survive in the market as in the case of Compound UAE Company. 6 References WeDo Technologies (April 2011). The future of Telecoms Risk Management: An explanation of the changing nature of Risk in Next Generation Networks. A preaesidium Business Consultancy White Paper. Retrieved March, 27th 2014, from: http://www.ciosummits.com/media/pdf/solution_spotlight/wedo_future-telecoms-risk-management.pdf Zhang, Y. L. and Liu, J. M. (2008). Study on the Robustness of Emergency Decision making, Theory and Practice of Risk Analysis and Crisis Response Proceedings, 4(1), pp. 93-98. Evan, W. (2011). Security Risk Management: Building an Information Security Risk Management: Building an Information Security Risk Management program from the Ground Up. USA: Elsevier Inc. Royer, P. S. (2002). Project Risk Management: A Proactive Approach. USA: Management concept, Inc. Gregor, D. (2009). Collaborative Planning in Supply Chains: A Negotiation-Based Approach. New York: Springer. Gerard, B. & Menken, I. (2008). Availability Management Best Practice Handbook: Building, Running and managing Effective Availability Management – Ready to use supporting documents bringing ITIL Theory into Practise. New York: John Willey & Sons. Allspaw, J. (2008). The Art of Capacity Planning: Scaling Web Resources. USA: O’Reilly Media, Inc. Graham, J. And Kaye, D. (2006). A Risk Management Approach to Business Continuity: Aligning Business continuity with Governance. USA: Rothstein Associates Inc. Fulmer, K. L. (2005). Business Continuity Planning: A Step-by-step Guide with Planning Forms on CD-ROM. Brookfield, USA: The Rothstein Catalog on Disaster Recovery. Sanchez, J. M. (2007). New Trends in Internet Market: An Exemplary of Strategic Chances and Risks for the Mobile Network Industry. Germany: Diplomic Verlag GmgH. Read More