IT Project Implementation of Cisco - Assignment Example

How has Cisco’s enterprise IT system evolved? Please identify the key benefits enabled by the ERP system and the web-centric supply chain. Please summarize three key insights you learned from Cisco about large IT project implementation. According to Schwartz (2006) Peter Solvik has joined Cisco’s as a new CIO and established lot of new transformations. Peter Solvik has transformed overall structure of organization. These changes have primarily transformed the role of IT in the organization. The organizational finance group has transformed in a customer advocacy group. The next main step was taken regarding the reallocation of the majority of the IT budget to the departmental level. In this way each department will have a direct control over the departmental money. In this new structure the concept of the cartelized management has minimized. The next main transformation he has made is regarding the separation of the central IT steering committee. He has established a new structure through which IT investment decisions on application projects will be taken by the line management. In this regard the main execution of these projects will be done by the centralized IT organization (Schwartz) & (Jouret). Accoring to Pinkowski (2004), old Cisco legacy system was a UNIX based software package that maintained its operations of manufacturing, financial, and order entry. This system was crashed on January 1994 and because of this problem organization’s systems were down for two days. At that time CISCO administration realized that they should implement an ERP system quickly. After the time of less then one year Cisco successfully established an ERP system from Oracle (Pinkowski). NOLAN (2005) has outlined the main benefits of the ERP system and the web-centric supply chain. This offered the greater facility of the email, and server operating systems, Voicemail, desktop, meeting schedule software and office productivity suites were all standardized. Through this transformation the whole business operational structure became centralized (NOLAN). According to Schwartz (2006) through the web-enabling CISCO whole systems’ operations were standardized and Cisco was capable to carry out business activities with enhanced efficiency and more effectively (Schwartz). Through this implementation of new technology based system and large IT projects CISCO was able to standardize the overall business structure. This offered Cisco to uphold and maintain an efficient supply chain through business networked applications and also facilitated to join and integrate suppliers into its production systems. This offered to establish a single enterprise system. This large IT projects implementation also helped Cisco and its main business supplier and associates to control and manage also respond on time to the main customer demand. This facilitated to enhance the customer confidence on the business and its ongoing working structure (Pinkowski) & (Schwartz) & (NOLAN). Question No- 2 What are Cisco’s competitive advantages in the internetworking market? Based on your understanding on internetworking infrastructure and network security, what would you recommend Cisco to improve in its current products/services category? (Please refer to http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/index.html for a complete list of Cisco products /services) As visiting the Cisco’s website we came to know that Cisco is offering both products and services in the following areas: Collaboration, Voice and Video Network Systems Security Mobility / Wireless Data Center By means of enhanced web based internetworking structure that facilitates for the flexible billing practices and unites a variety of rating components into a price arrangement that correctly imitates the cost of processes, produces opportunities intended for augmented revenue, as well as infiltrates previously unexploited marketplace. Cisco NetFlow has permitted GTE Internetworking to recognize novel revenue prospects in the course of usage-based billing (cisco-3). Internetworking structure of the CISCO presents a better and close eye on web advantage traffic through Cisco Net-Flow products. Cisco NetFlow unites network-layer switching by means of services that offers quality of service (QoS) as well as traffic accounting information. Also CISCO has established SSL based web based security structure (cisco-3). Cisco has effectively established a better online working and handling structure. The organizational website offers a greater facility for the both products and services category. In this overall web based the current working and operational structure is working in a better way. The only enhancement as I have assessed is required in the web based structure that is differentiation among the software and hardware based services. In the current web based structure the user feels harder to access them. Question No 3 Do you think Cisco’s recent entry into the VoIP market a smart move? Why? How can strategic alliance help Cisco enter other profitable new businesses/markets? Please give at least one example. Cisco’s has recently made the entry into the VoIP market. It is assessed that presently Cisco has turned out to be a main provider of Voice over IP (VoIP) to businesses. At present Cisco has also made a smart move to capture the home market regarding the VoIP services. For doing this, Cisco has designed new devices, application, and services for the home user marketplace in the course of its acquisitions of Linksys and Scientific Atlanta. Cisco has differentiated its business in a way that Scientific Atlanta offers VoIP equipment to cable service suppliers. The next division Linksys is a manufacturer of computer networking hardware. This business has established the partnership with the Yahoo and Skype to put together customer VoIP services by means of wireless as well as cordless phones. Regan (2005) has stated that to highlight the fast maturation of the VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) marketplace, two telecom and tech high profile businesses moved additional into the marketplace, through Cisco Systems (Regan). Cisco has purchased a small business that could facilitate its home-networking unit into a voice over Internet protocol player as well as Verizon announcing a solution to the enhanced-911 difficulty irritating the rising technology (Localtechwire). Charny (2003) stated that Cisco VoIP has presently replaced 5,000 customary phone lines each day, regarding twice the speed of 2002, a sign of VoIP's rising acceptance between Cisco's 10,000 customers, Cisco has directed to a little augment its own market place share of the IP phone business among the second and third quarters (Charny). Dreyer (2009) has outlined about the strategic alliance made between the EDS and CISCO. This strategic alliance is aimed at initiating the new network-centric model intended for information systems outsourcing. In this strategic alliance, Cisco business is aimed at offering the networking expertise as well as partnering insights, facilitating the EDS’s new, advanced next generation worldwide outsourcing delivery system. Through this strategic alliance EMC and Cisco presently announced they are increasing their strategic alliance to facilitate clients to cost-effectively take advantage of their business leading data and information arrangements to grasp the reimbursement of next-generation virtualized business data and information centers. By launching the unified computing system of the Cisco, the two businesses will spotlight on testing products for interoperability and on emergent data center explanations as well as support offerings (Dreyer). Another main strategic alliance is established among the IBM and Cisco Systems that have a devoted association that spans more than seven years as well as comprises numerous disciplines through a strong concentration on business transformation, services and solutions. Working in cooperation in this distinctive, broad-reaching union, IBM and Cisco facilitated clients to attain competitive advantage through offering a joint strategy of incorporated technologies; solutions as well as products to facilitate them reach IT improvement, productivity and business-resilience goals (IBM). Question No 4 If you are invited to submit a business idea for the I-Prize contest, what would you propose? In other words, please provide your opinion about the next big bet on Cisco’s billion dollar business. Please justify your idea based on the criteria Cisco used to evaluate the innovation. As in the present age Cisco has captured the wire based network technology, wireless technology, VoIP, and now unified computing. The world 80 % network portion is presently captured by the Cisco (Jouret). As I have assessed and predict Cisco needs to develop network operating system and network server operating system. This will offer them more compatibility, working freedom, and enhanced performance from the hardware and software. As I have earlier stated that all almost whole network market is captured by CISCO technology and it is offering a greater advantages facilities regarding the network handling and working. This technology of Cisco needs to be compatible with all available operating systems. With some technological platforms it offers better facilities and on some of it is not much supportive. The development and implementation of the new technology will offer the Cisco to have more compatibility aspects. And this will cover the whole global market regarding the technology implementation. The timing for this is correct now because the whole world is depending and relying on different types of the network technologies. The implementation of this network technology will offer the better performance and working in the entire areas of life. Cisco is good at pursuing the idea because it will offer its business to add more value and enhanced overall market share of the business market place. This also enhances the user performance that leads toward the better user dependence on Cisco services. This idea also offers Cisco to remain profitable in the marketplace because this also increases the portability and market value of the Cisco products and overall global demand. Work Cited Charny, Ben. "Cisco hits VoIP rough patch." 2003. 13 11 2009 . cisco. "Cisco’s New ERP Platform: How Cisco IT Upgraded Its ERP Purchasing Module." 2007. 13 11 2009 . cisco-2. "Cisco Strategic Alliance ." 2009. 13 11 2009 . cisco-3. "GTE Internetworking Web Advantage Uses Cisco NetFlow for Innovative Billing." 2007. 13 11 2009 . Dreyer, Jennifer. "EMC and Cisco Expand Strategic Alliance to Unlock Potential of Next-Generation Data Centers." 2009. CISCO. 13 11 2009 . HP. "The EDS-Cisco Alliance Delivers Business-Focused Network Solutions,." 2009. 13 11 2009 . IBM. "The IBM and Cisco Strategic Alliance." 2009. 13 11 2009 . Jouret, Guido. "Inside Cisco’s Search for the Next Big Idea." September 2009. 13 11 2009 . Localtechwire. "Cisco's Deal with Equant One of Many in the Growing VoIP Market." 2007. Capitol Broadcasting Company. 13 11 2009 . McFarlan, Warren. "Case materials, unless otherwise noted, are adapted from “Cisco Systems Architecture: ERP and Web-enabled IT,” HBS No. 301-099, and “Enterprise IT at Cisco”." 2004. NOLAN, RICHARD L . "Cisco Systems Architecture:ERP and Web-enabled IT." 2005. 13 11 2009 . Pinkowski, Thomas A. "ERP Implementation." 2004. Report of Findings and Recommendations. 13 11 2009 . Regan, Keith. "Cisco, Verizon Make Moves on VoIP." 2005. 13 11 2009 . Schwartz, Rosemary. "Ccase Study 04: Cisco Systems Architecture: ERP and Web-enabled IT." 04 April 2006. Eastern Michigan University. 13 11 2009 . Read More