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6 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND E-COMMERCE

1. Information technology is moving towards maturity? Do you agree or disagree?

Justify your views.
Information Technology (IT) is a business sector that deals with computing, including
hardware, software, telecommunications and generally anything involved in the transmittal of
information or the systems that facilitate communication.
IT involves many things. Take, for instance, an IT department in a company. There are many
people with many jobs and varied responsibilities. These responsibilities range from keeping
systems and data secure to keeping networks up and running. There are people who input
data, people who manage databases and people who do programming. There are also the
decision makers, such as Chief Information Officers (CIOs), who decide how an IT
department will operate and what components will be purchased.
IT also includes the management of data, whether it is in the form of text, voice, image, audio
or some other form. It can also involve things related to the Internet. This gives IT a whole
new meaning, since the Internet is its own realm. IT involves the transfer of data, so it makes
sense that the Internet would be a part of IT. IT has become a part of our everyday lives and
continues to proliferate into new realms.Typically, IT is used in the context of enterprise
operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies. The commercial use of IT
encompasses both computer technology and telephony.
IT includes several layers of physical equipment (hardware), virtualization and management
or automation tools, operating systems and applications (software) used to perform essential
functions. User devices, peripherals and software, such as laptops, smartphones or even
recording equipment, can be included in the IT domain. IT can also refer to the architectures,
methodologies and regulations governing the use and storage of data.
Business applications include databases like SQL Server, transactional systems such as real-
time order entry, email servers like Exchange, Web servers like Apache, customer
relationship management and enterprise resource planning systems. These applications
execute programmed instructions to manipulate, consolidate, disperse or otherwise affect data
for a business purpose.
Computer servers run business applications. Servers interact with client users and other
servers across one or more business networks. Storage is any kind of technology that holds
information as data. Information can take any form including file data, multimedia, telephony
data and Web data, data from sensors or future formats. Storage includes volatile random
access memory (RAM) as well as non-volatile tape, hard disk and solid-state flash drives.
However, having a good knowledge of your industry is not enough as there is one key
external factor that is important and will dictate the direction of the industry – the IT sector.
The Information Technology Association of America defines IT as the study, development,
designs, implementation, support, and management of information systems that are
computer-based. Today, IT has become a huge agent of change in different business aspects
of the society. It is a game changer when it comes to the resolving of social and economic
issues. Some of the major trends in the IT sector are obvious.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
Industry experts say that while the Internet of Things (IoT) had a false start particularly in
regard to the augmented technology, in 2018, we should expect to see it improve our ways of
doing things at home, work and even during leisure activities. This is why we expect to see it
be among the biggest IT trends of 2018. The IoT is usually driven by the industry and will
succeed the most if it focuses on getting solutions for some specified problems. The industry
focuses on firmware and software that is hardware centric and suits those who love creating
solutions and meets the demands of the engineering field.
Big data
The technologies that are related to the big data will continue rising in importance in 2018.
Due to its great return on investment, impact speed and measurability, digital marketing are
now more popular as compared to the traditional marketing. This means that big data is now
applied to the big business as many of the digital marketing campaigns can rely on the huge
data quantities to ensure effectiveness and a greater reach. This is why companies are now
relying on the data management to ensure conversions from online connections.
Mobile web performance
A website that hasn’t been optimized for the mobile devices is now getting penalized by the
search engines. Nowadays, more users are expecting a better online performance from mobile
devices. This has resulted in a race for the improvement of the mobile performance. This
means that the 2018 web trends will include user-triggered animations, mobile-only
development, secured apps and pages and natural language processing. There will also be an
increased usage of white or negative spaces.
Artificial intelligence
According to a leading essay writing service, Artificial intelligence (AI) is definitely among
the biggest hits when it comes to IT trends that has impacted creativity in the online space. AI
can be manifested through different algorithms for machine learning. This can be manifested
not only in the amount of funding that AI receives but also the wide range of applications
where it is being incorporated. Instead of focusing on a single goal such as communicating
with humans or mastering a certain game, AI has now started to get into new platforms,
device or app and we will continue to see this trend accelerating in the future. This is why AI
is a trend that will affect human resources development.
Cloud computing
A key IT concept that is commonly talked about is cloud computing. This involves the use of
computer services like hardware and software over the internet.
There are 3 various benefits of cloud computing. These include:
– Minimizing the cost of IT infrastructure to a company
– Promoting the virtualization concept which can enable storage devices and servers to be
used across different organizations
– It makes it easier to maintain hardware and software and there is no need for installation on
each of the end-users computers.
However, there are also certain concerns regarding cloud computing such as compliance, IT
governance, privacy, legal abuse and many more.
User interface
The user interface is one area that has undergone massive revolution since the touch screen
was introduced. The capability of the touchscreen has revolutionized how the end users are
able to interact with the application. With the touchscreen capability, the way users are able
to interact with the application. Users are now able to interact freely with what is being
displayed without the need for an intermediate device such as a mouse.
Mobile application
The mobile application is another trend that has become popular in the recent past. Mobile
apps are designed to run on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. These can be
downloaded from different operating systems such as Blackberry, Apple, Nokia etc. Some of
these are available for free while others come at a cost. Any revenue collected is usually
between the app developer and distributor.
IT architectures have evolved to include virtualization and cloud computing, where physical
resources are abstracted and pooled in different configurations to meet application
requirements. Clouds may be distributed across locations and shared with other IT users, or
contained within a corporate data center, or some combination of both deployments.
The critical success factor for any public or private sector enterprise is their ability to focus
on their core business needs. Information Technology is an asset- a means that assists the
enterprise to productively meeting and hopefully exceeding their business requirements.
Progress in many of the basic computing and information technologies has been rapid in
recent years, and the committee does not expect the pace of change to slow down in the
foreseeable future. While some technologies are reaching maturity now, many important
technologies have enormous future potential. As more of the world’s information is digitized
and more people and things are networked, the economics of the digital, networked economy
will become ever more important. This includes the ability to make copies of goods and
services at almost zero cost and deliver them anywhere on the planet almost instantaneously.
Furthermore, digitization of products, services, processes, and interactions makes it possible
to measure and manage work with far more precision. Data-driven decision making and
machine learning provide vast opportunities for improving productivity, efficiency, accuracy,
and innovation.
No one can accurately predict where things are going to go to in the future, but judging on the
current and past trends, we can make a decent assessment of what might occur.
Understanding these patterns will help you make the right decisions whether you’re looking
for a job in a new booming industry or want to invest in production. Potential future
technological capabilities and innovations are largely unpredictable, and their implications
and interactions are complex. Investing in extensive and effective data gathering, a robust
infrastructure for analyzing these data, and multidisciplinary research will enable a deeper.
3. Assume you are the manager of a department in which each of your employees has a
workstation interconnected to all other in the department through a LAN. The LAN
itself is connected to the firm’s central processing facility. Discuss the important factors
that would be involved in the recovery management process for your department.
Ans:
Emergencies disrupt communities. They may be caused by failure of essential services or
technological failures, the extremes of nature, exotic diseases, acts of violence, human action
or any other event. Organizations can't afford to be nonoperational because of regional
power outages, cyber attacks or hardware failures. Every minute applications and systems are
down translates into lost revenue. For example, the average cost of losing critical applications
is estimated to be $5,000 a minute.
A DR plan also ensures that remote offices and branch locations are considered when a
catastrophe occurs, and it can ensure they are protected.
Recovery is an integral part of the emergency management process. It can be defined as:
Recovery - The process of rebuilding, restoring and rehabilitating the community following
an emergency. It is distinct from, but will usually overlap with, the Response phase which
can be defined as:
Response – The actions taken to deal with the immediate effects of an emergency.
Recovery is a co-ordinated process of supporting affected communities in the reconstruction
of the physical infrastructure and restoration of emotional, social, economic and physical
well-being. After emergencies, the recovery phase will often target the restoration of an
affected area to its previous condition, i.e. normalisation.
Recovery Management is the process of planning, testing, and implementing the recovery
procedures ad standards required to restore service in the event of a component failure; either
by returning the component to normal operation, or taking alternative actions to restore
service. Recovery Management is the acknowledgement that failures will occur regardless of
how well the system is designed. The intent is to anticipate and minimize the impact of these
failures through the implementation of predefined, pretested, documented recovery plans and
procedures.
The primary objective of recovery Management is to ensure that service level requirements
are achieved. This is accomplished by having recovery procedures in place that will restore
service to a failing component as quickly as possible.
IT disaster recovery plans provide step-by-step procedures to recover disrupted systems and
networks, and they help organizations resume normal operations. The goal of these processes
is to minimize any negative impacts to company operations.
Once you have completed a risk assessment and identified potential threats to your IT
infrastructure, the next step is to determine which infrastructure elements are most important
to the performance of your company's business. If all IT systems and networks are
performing normally, your organization ought to be fully viable, competitive and financially
solid. When an incident -- internal or external -- negatively affects the IT infrastructure, the
business could be compromised.
Businesses use information technology to quickly and effectively process information.
Employees use electronic mail and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone systems
to communicate. Electronic data interchange (EDI) is used to transmit data including orders
and payments from one company to another. Servers process information and store large
amounts of data. Desktop computers, laptops and wireless devices are used by employees to
create, process, manage and communicate information. What do you when your information
technology stops working?
An information technology disaster recovery plan (IT DRP) should be developed in
conjunction with the business continuity plan. Priorities and recovery time objectives for
information technology should be developed during the business impact analysis. Technology
recovery strategies should be developed to restore hardware, applications and data in time to
meet the needs of the business recovery.
Businesses large and small create and manage large volumes of electronic information or
data. Much of that data is important. Some data is vital to the survival and continued
operation of the business. The impact of data loss or corruption from hardware failure, human
error, hacking or malware could be significant. A plan for data backup and restoration of
electronic information is essential.
Recovery strategies should be developed for Information technology (IT) systems,
applications and data. This includes networks, servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices,
data and connectivity. Priorities for IT recovery should be consistent with the priorities for
recovery of business functions and processes that were developed during the business impact
analysis. IT resources required to support time-sensitive business functions and processes
should also be identified. The recovery time for an IT resource should match the recovery
time objective for the business function or process that depends on the IT resource.
Information technology systems require hardware, software, data and connectivity. Without
one component of the “system,” the system may not run. Therefore, recovery strategies
should be developed to anticipate the loss of one or more of the following system
components:
 Computer room environment (secure computer room with climate control,
conditioned and backup power supply, etc.)
 Hardware (networks, servers, desktop and laptop computers, wireless devices and
peripherals)
 Connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless, etc.)
 Software applications (electronic data interchange, electronic mail, enterprise resource
management, office productivity, etc.)
 Data and restoration
Some business applications cannot tolerate any downtime. They utilize dual data centers
capable of handling all data processing needs, which run in parallel with data mirrored or
synchronized between the two centers. This is a very expensive solution that only larger
companies can afford. However, there are other solutions available for small to medium sized
businesses with critical business applications and data to protect.
Internal Recovery Strategies
Many businesses have access to more than one facility. Hardware at an alternate facility can
be configured to run similar hardware and software applications when needed. Assuming data
is backed up off-site or data is mirrored between the two sites, data can be restored at the
alternate site and processing can continue.
Vendor Supported Recovery Strategies
There are vendors that can provide “hot sites” for IT disaster recovery. These sites are fully
configured data centers with commonly used hardware and software products. Subscribers
may provide unique equipment or software either at the time of disaster or store it at the hot
site ready for use.
Data streams, data security services and applications can be hosted and managed by vendors.
This information can be accessed at the primary business site or any alternate site using a web
browser. If an outage is detected at the client site by the vendor, the vendor automatically
holds data until the client’s system is restored. These vendors can also provide data filtering
and detection of malware threats, which enhance cyber security.
Developing an IT Disaster Recovery Plan
Businesses should develop an IT disaster recovery plan. It begins by compiling an inventory
of hardware (e.g. servers, desktops, laptops and wireless devices), software applications and
data. The plan should include a strategy to ensure that all critical information is backed up.
Identify critical software applications and data and the hardware required to run them. Using
standardized hardware will help to replicate and reimage new hardware. Ensure that copies of
program software are available to enable re-installation on replacement equipment. Prioritize
hardware and software restoration.
Document the IT disaster recovery plan as part of the business continuity plan. Test the plan
periodically to make sure that it works.
Data Backup
Businesses generate large amounts of data and data files are changing throughout the
workday. Data can be lost, corrupted, compromised or stolen through hardware failure,
human error, hacking and malware. Loss or corruption of data could result in significant
business disruption.
Data backup and recovery should be an integral part of the business continuity plan and
information technology disaster recovery plan. Developing a data backup strategy begins
with identifying what data to backup, selecting and implementing hardware and software
backup procedures, scheduling and conducting backups and periodically validating that data
has been accurately backed up.
Developing the Data Backup Plan
Identify data on network servers, desktop computers, laptop computers and wireless devices
that needs to be backed up along with other hard copy records and information. The plan
should include regularly scheduled backups from wireless devices, laptop computers and
desktop computers to a network server. Data on the server can then be backed up. Backing up
hard copy vital records can be accomplished by scanning paper records into digital formats
and allowing them to be backed up along with other digital data.
Options for Data Backup
Tapes, cartridges and large capacity USB drives with integrated data backup software are
effective means for businesses to backup data. The frequency of backups, security of the
backups and secure off-site storage should be addressed in the plan. Backups should be stored
with the same level of security as the original data.
Many vendors offer online data backup services including storage in the “cloud”. This is a
cost-effective solution for businesses with an internet connection. Software installed on the
client server or computer is automatically backed up.
Data should be backed up as frequently as necessary to ensure that, if data is lost, it is not
unacceptable to the business. The business impact analysis should evaluate the potential for
lost data and define the “recovery point objective.” Data restoration times should be
confirmed and compared with the IT and business function recovery time objectives.