...Internet Competition 3 Organizational Strategy 4 Virtual Employee Productivity Measurement 4 Virtual Employee Connection 6 Virtual Employee Telecommunication 6 Cloud Computing 6 Other Considerations 7 References 8 Introduction In becoming the I.T. Manager for ‘The Best Widget, Inc.’, there are multiple aspects of this multinational organization that must be taken into account from a technology standpoint – specifically, the virtual segment of the business. With respect to evaluation of the virtual organization, there are six primary considerations that should be evaluated. These conditions entail the following: Internet Competition, Organizational Strategy, Remote Employee Considerations (Including productivity measurement, infrastructure, and telecommunications), and Cloud Computing. In addition to these core topics, other items must be evaluated prior to implementing a virtual organization. These considerations will also be evaluated below. Internet Competition In leveraging the available power of the internet, today’s businesses can greatly enhance their advantage over the competition, especially ‘The Best Widget, Inc.’. Of particular interest are two areas that can aid ‘The Best Widget, Inc.’ with respect to their competitive advantage. These two areas are those of competition research and advertising. Through internet research, ‘The Best Widget, Inc.’ will be able to obtain detailed information on any competitor or any other business. Such information would...
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...The plain old telephone system is simple network that connects houses or a business to the central office through a local loop. The local loop is made up of twisted pair cable and cannot exceed 3 miles. In addition the local loop can also include DSL systems to connect computer and phones with a maximum length of 11 miles. DSL transmits at a higher frequency but is still limited in its speed and distance because it is coming over an analog twisted pair line. These connections make up an entire network of interconnected devices that come together at the local exchange. The local exchange is a local service provider like Comcast or Frontier that provide the service to homes and businesses in a certain area. Besides POTS there are wireless options available for telecommunication services. Mobile or cellular phones have become the standard today for most communications. Cell phones connect to the telephone network through cell sites. Cell sites are just antennas that convert the radio signal to electrical or optical signals. These signal travel on a separate network to an antenna close to the cell phone that will then receive the signal. If the cell phone placing the call is calling someone on a land line then that signal will then be connected through the public switched telephone network. Cellular data travels in the same manner; it is anything that is non-voice. Cellular communications systems have many advantages and can have cost savings but they are also most vulnerable...
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...complex and expensive. Cloud computing services has been gaining significant importance due to its characteristics of making IT infrastructure and resources more agile, has reduced dependency on device and location, enhance performance and productivity with several other benefits. The basic meaning of cloud computing is the storing and accessing of data and programs over internet rather than one’s computer’s hard drive. The cloud is defined as a collection of interconnected IT services and infrastructures, which are accessible through a network (Erl et al., 2013). Cloud computing enables multiple users to share resources, which are located dynamically and used as per the demand. The main aim of cloud computing is that it allows users to use all the technologies, without requiring to have deep knowledge or expertise about each one (Rhoton, 2010). The cloud services aims to reduce the cost of setting up and maintaining IT infrastructure instead it enables the user to concentrate on the core business. Cloud computing services provides the advantage of fewer operational issues, which is a great advantage for the small and medium size businesses since it allows they do not have to own the resources such as servers, software and infrastructure and can use the resources of the service provider. Cloud computing services allow the users to transfer data between different systems without locking the businesses into one provider (Nielsen, 2013). The other advantages of cloud are that it provides...
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...Week 1: Information Systems in the Digital Firm - Lecture | | | Information Systems in the Digital Firm Evolution | Current State | Trends | Tutorial The Evolution, Current State, and Trends of Information Systems In addition to the material currently described, an introduction to cloud computing and user involvement in IT projects also will be included in this lecture. This is required as foundational knowledge for the chapters to come. We will explore it at a business level and a minimal technical level. | | Evolution | | The business landscape has changed over the past seventy years in every significant way. Without information systems, these changes would not have occurred. To gain a perspective on the evolution of information systems, we can review the significant computer inventions from the first computer through to cloud computing. As computer technology progressed, new skills had to be learned, and new methods of management evolved to replace old hierarchical styles with new team based methods. Increased productivity resulting in new information technology caused the downsizing of employees that began in the late 1980s and has continued. Information systems consultants identified productivity gains, so large that they cut the numbers in half and still weren't believed. Many of the products and services we use every day had not been invented just five or ten years ago. The ability to communicate electronically with anyone anywhere in the world...
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...E-Learning: Emergence of the Profession Jason Drysdale, Jackie Flynt, and Shauna Hannon-Johnson 24 July 2011 The e-learning profession has grown leaps and bounds over the past two decades. Despite being slow to take hold, e-learning is now rapidly increasing in universities: “Today, almost all institutions of higher education offer some form of distance teaching and learning in the U.S.” (Saba, 2008). The historical timelines of instructional design and technology (ID&T) and distance education inform practices in place today. In this paper we track the development of these two traditions, each of which has contributed to current e-learning practice. Instructional Design and Technology: Parent Field Instructional design and technology (ID&T) is the term Robert Reiser (2001) uses for the field also known as instructional design, instructional technology, and educational technology. The core of ID&T revolves around two related practices: use of media for instruction and use of systematic design processes—known as instructional design or instructional systems design (ISD) (Reiser, 2001). We briefly trace below the development of these two strands of the field. Instructional media has been used since the early 1900s in school museums with movable exhibits. These museums appeared first in St. Louis in 1905, primarily using visual media such as photos and slides. This was known as the visual education movement. Movies were used, as per Thomas Edison’s expectation, beginning in 1910...
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...business model “Pay as you grow”.In this model,the network and other utilities are managed by reputed companies which ensures a high quality to the customers. This has enabled Bharti to convert its fixed costs involved with capital expenditure to the variable cost on the rate of usage. This Indian Telecom giant with a limited expertise on technology has managed services with Nokia Siemens Networks and IBM which has improved its technological prowess and decreased its excess workforce. The core competencies of Airtel have been market planning ,branding and identifying customer needs. The net result of this endeavor is that the company can offer mobile telecom service at one of the lowest rates in the world enjoying an compounded annual growth rate of 120% in sales revenues and around 300% in net profits between the year 2003-10. The rise of managed services In the recent past,the line between core and non-core competencies has blurred. The main reasons behind this paradigm shift are competency needs ,financial pressures, operational efficiencies and the change in the telecom business environment. Thus came the era of managed services where a firm took over the traditional network operations from the operator so that the operator can concentrate on its core competencies .Managed services cover various functions like planning, designing ,operating and optimizing a network. The field of managed services include CRM, billing, network consolidation and IT systems .Companies like...
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...Cloud computing Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet). The name comes from the use of a cloud-shaped symbol as an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it contains in system diagrams. Cloud computing entrusts remote services with a user's data, software and computation. There are many types of public cloud computing:[1] Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) Platform as a service (PaaS) Software as a service (SaaS) Storage as a service (STaaS) Security as a service (SECaaS) Data as a service (DaaS) Database as a service (DBaaS) Test environment as a service (TEaaS) Desktop virtualization API as a service (APIaaS) Backend as a service (BaaS) In the business model using software as a service, users are provided access to application software and databases. The cloud providers manage the infrastructure and platforms on which the applications run. SaaS is sometimes referred to as “on-demand software” and is usually priced on a pay-per-use basis. Saas providers generally price applications using a subscription fee. Proponents claim that the SaaS allows a business the potential to reduce IT operational costs by outsourcing hardware and software maintenance and support to the cloud provider. This will enable a business to reallocate IT operations to focus on other IT goals. In addition, the application is hosted centrally, so updates can be released without users...
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...Infrastructure If you define a firm’s IT infrastructure in terms of technology you limit the discussion to the hardware and software components. By broadening the definition to that of service-based, you are then bringing into the discussion the services generated by the first two components. Also, you are including the persware element that we discussed in Chapter 1. As technology advances the types of hardware and software available, it becomes more critical for the firm to focus on the services that a firm can provide to its customers, suppliers, employees, and business partners. To round out the list of IT infrastructure components you need to add the following services to computing hardware and software: • Computing services: Provide platforms that ensure a coherent digital environment • Telecommunications services: Determine appropriate data, voice, and video that connect employees, customers, and...
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...innovative and reliable networks survive. Verizon currently dominates the market and services 31.9% of American mobile users. The company was established in 2000 as a joint venture between Vodafone and Verizon Communications. One of the Verizon’s largest acquisitions was the purchase of Alltell Wireless in 2009 for $28.1 Billion; this purchase expanded their network coverage and increased their market share. Verizon operates a CDMA Radio network which does not require the use of SIM cards. The company’s service quality is a competitive advantage and Verizon invests about $5.7 Billion per year to expand and upgrade their network services. Verizon boasts “America’s largest and most reliable network” and has over 160.3 Million subscribers. They recently added the iPhone to their product line in early February which has allowed the company to take a significant portion of sales away from AT&T. Verizon is one of the most expensive networks and appeals to customers who are willing to pay a premium for advanced network technology. In other news the FCC has accused Verizon of illegally adding charges to customers’ bills. The company was ordered to repay $52.8 million in funds back to customers in early October of 2010. AT&T wireless is the second largest service provider with 98.6 Million users in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. The company has a more economic pricing structure and promotes rollover minutes. AT&T operates a GSM network, which is...
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...Red Cloud Rising: Cloud Computing in China by Leigh Ann Ragland, Joseph McReynolds, Matthew Southerland, and James Mulvenon Research Report Prepared on Behalf of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission September 5, 2013 Revised March 22, 2014 After the publication of this report on September 5, 2013, Microsoft brought to the authors’ attention new information about its partnership with Chinese company 21Vianet. The original version of the report inaccurately characterized certain aspects of the Microsoft-21Vianet partnership. A revised discussion of this partnership is provided on pages 32-34. The authors would like to thank Microsoft for their assistance in clarifying the details of 21Vianet’s Windows Azure service. Disclaimer: This research report was prepared at the request of the Commission to support its deliberations. Posting of the Report to the Commission's website is intended to promote greater public understanding of the issues addressed by the Commission in its ongoing assessment of U.S.-China economic relations and their implications for U.S. security, as mandated by Public Law 106-398 and Public Law 108-7. However, it does not necessarily imply an endorsement by the Commission or any individual Commissioner of the views or conclusions expressed in this commissioned research report. i About Defense Group Incorporated Defense Group Inc. (DGI) performs work in the national interest, advancing public safety and national security through innovative...
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...CHAPTER 1 Managing in the Digital World CHAPTER OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, you will be able to do the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Describe the characteristics of the digital world and the advent of the information age. Define globalization, describe how it evolved over time, and describe the key drivers of globalization. Explain what an information system is, contrasting its data, technology, people, and organizational components. Describe the dual nature of information systems in the success and failure of modern organizations. Describe how computer ethics impact the use of information systems and discuss the ethical concerns associated with information privacy and intellectual property. CHAPTER OVERVIEW This chapter helps the student understand the role of information systems as organizations move into the digital world, and how they have helped fuel globalization. The student will learn what information systems are, how they have evolved to become a vital part of modern organizations, and why this understanding is necessary to become an effective manager in the digital world. The student will also learn how globalization evolved, and what opportunities globalization presents for organizations. The importance of ethics as it relates to IS is discussed especially as it relates to information privacy, accuracy, property, and accessibility. A number of cases and illustrations are used, for example, Apple products and how they have evolved over time (such as...
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...(Including investments) Service platform (Figure 5.1, page 196) 1. Computing platforms that connect employees customers and suppliers in an digital environment. 2. Telecommunication services (provide data, voice and video connectivity) 3. Data management services that store and manage corporate data 4. Application software services (that provide enterprise-wide capabilities) 5. Physical facilities management services that develop and manage physical installations 6. IT management services that plan and develop infrastructure, coordinate with business units for IT services, manage accounting and provide project management services 7. IT standard services that that provides information which system to be used 8. IT education services that provide training in how to use systems for employees 9. IT research and development services Evolution era’s IS (Figure 5.2!, page 198) 1. General purpose mainframe and minicomputer era (1959- present) =IBM mainframes run by professionals. Changed by minicomputers which was cheaper and decentralized computing. 2. Personal computer era (1981- now) =First real computer. Wintel PC became standard desktop. 3. Client server era (1983- now) =laptops (Clients) are networked to server computer that provides client computer with variety of services and capabilities. Two-tiered/ server architecture is simplest form and split between computer and computer network. Multitierd(N-tier)/ Client/server architecture is complicated and based...
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...technology space, it also analyzes the mistakes or shortcomings of the technologies of the previous year and makes some resolutions to rectify the issues and move forward. As the year 2011 is closing in, hopes afloat on various technology and corresponding business aspects of the Indian telecommunications industry, VOICE&DATA analyzes the market by feeling the nerves of the technology space to come up with the top 10 forecasts. These predictions spanning across stakeholders in the telecom industry also explains why the forecasts, even if not spot on, have the merit to be taken seriously by the industry. www.voicendata.com/voice-data/news/164737/indias-telecom-trends-2012 1/7 11/6/13 India's Telecom Trends for 2012 - Voice&Data New Telecom Policy 2011 The new year 2012 could not have brought a better gift for the Indian telecom industry than a new set of policy guidelines, afresh with new ideas and equipped with measures, which promises to iron out many wrinkles that have been bothering the industry for so long. The NTP 2011 Draft Policy, expected to be on the roll in January 2012, stresses on 6 hot areas: Broadband, manufacturing, spectrum, licensing, grievance redressal, and cloud computing. If drafted properly, the New Telecom Policy 2011 (NTP 2011) will shape the future of telecom in the...
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...It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses. IT jobs include computer programming, network administration, computer engineering, Web development, technical support, and many other related occupations. Since we live in the "information age," information technology has become a part of our everyday lives. That means the term "IT," already highly overused, is here to stay. The role of information technology systems in a business environment can be classified into four broad categories. These categories include function performance, communication through networking, management and enterprise roles. Information technology provides commercial and industrial systems for businesses. These systems enable businesses to function effectively and efficiently. Function IT Systems Function IT systems are applications that allow individuals to function effectively in the workplace. Examples of common IT systems that enhance workplace functions are word processor applications, spreadsheet applications, statistical analysis software and computer aided design (CAD) programs. Employees can work and perform their task individually or collectively using these specialized software technologies. Network IT Systems Network IT systems allow effective communication...
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...Course Project Proposal The Implementation of Cloud computing and existing Database System in Conventional Power plants Rahul Shah (rahul09oct@gmail.com) MIS-535 Prof. Nichelle Manuel Table of Contents Abstract 3 Company Background 3 Business Problems 3 High-Level Solution 4 Smart grid and Cloud computing 5 SCADA and Cloud computing 6 Benefits of solving the problem 7 Business/ Technical Approach 9 Cloud computing Infrastructure 10 Integration of all plant and customer activities in one database 10 Provision of Internet Protocol Security 11 Moving Smart grids and SCADA to cloud 11 High-level Implementation Plan 11 Set up a program architecture that considers risk and industry maturity 12 Usage of technology for a long term 12 Maintain significant focus on IT integration activities ...
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