ways to prevent shadow IT
Your proposed information system is still a contender. The executives, however, are asking whether it is too limited to prevent the shadow IT projects that continue to take place throughout the organization.
They believe that you have considered what the organization does now, but how will your system adapt to new products and processes? Read
Nicolet Plastics’ Quick Response Manufacturing Strategy
for a concrete example of what they mean. You’ll have to quell their fears, so it’s time for another memo. Please focus on these points:
- Identify any significant changes that your organization might reasonably make in its product offerings in the next three years. Explain the competitive benefits of this change.
- Explain how your information system addresses or can adapt to the introduction of these new product offerings.
- Give one reason why capabilities for the new product offerings should or should not be incorporated in the initial information system design. Justify your reason.
This memo should be 3–5 pages long.
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
- Determine how information systems influence organizational strategies to improve decision making.
Reference
IQMS. No date. Nicolet Plastics’ Quick Response Manufacturing Strategy. https://www.iqms.com/files/case-studies/quick-response-manufacturing ;
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To: ADD names
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Introduction
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Identify Changes
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Figure 1. Title (Lastname, 2)
Product Offerings
Figure 2. Title (Surname, 3)
Capabilities
[Sample] Sources
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2. Firstname Lastname. March 2019. Sample Source. https://strayer.libguides.com/strayerwritingstandards
3. Final Surname. 2018. Video Sources. http://strayer.libguides.com/sws-videos
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Running head: CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION 1
CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION 6
Implementation of the Splunk System at Techdrivers
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
MEMO
To: The CIO
From: Student’s Name
Date: August 4, 2020
Subject: CEO’S Challenge: Implementation of the Splunk System at Techdrivers
Introduction
The integration of the Splunk system into Techdriver’s operations will be a big boost to the logistics company. Techdrivers, being an IT-reliant company with many clients and staff accessing the systems remotely, has been facing challenges arising from cyber security threats, and lack of an efficient system to monitor and record all logs from various devices for analysis. Adopting the Splunk system will help address these challenges by improving incident prevention, monitoring, response, and reporting. The new system will enhance log file and data management and network access (Sigman and Delgado, 2016).
Implementation of the Proposed Information System
Figure 1. Title (Source:
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Implementing the new Splunk system requires adequate preparation in terms of resources. The most crucial resources needed are finances, people, time, and information. There is need to equip IT staff at Techdrivers with skills on how operate and manage the Splunk platform. Besides, we will need support from Splunk staff to help us familiarize with how the system works. They will help to customize the new system to fit the needs of Techdrivers Company. Therefore, the staff from Splunk will offer extensive services through monitoring the system until it is fully integrated into Techdrivers’ operations.
Besides personnel, financial resources will be crucial in implementing the new log management system. Its implementation is costly, and without proper planning and budgeting, it may not be possible. A fully equipped data center will cost the company an average of $30,000 to install and further $3000 monthly to maintain. Techdrivers being a medium company may not have the capacity to implement such a resource-intensive system. With Splunk, it can implement a purely in-house hosted system, a cloud-based solution, or a hybrid system consisting of both in-house and cloud-based features (Wang et al., 2012). Techdrivers may not implement the fully in-house solution due to the high-cost implications. It should also not adopt a purely-based cloud system due to security and safety concerns (Sigman and Delgado, 2016). The company should consider adopting a hybrid system that is less costly and secure.
Project Risks and Scope Creep
Implementation of the Splunk system at Techdrivers will be accompanied by several risks. The risks fall into the categories if technological, natural and human risks. These are the concerns that the management at Techdrivers should be aware of while implementing the project. Some of the technological risks are viruses, software and hardware failure. The Splunk system might be incompatible with the Techdrivers’ system and that is a risk that can hinder implementation of the project. Technological risks will remain high at the beginning but reduces as the system gets fully integrated. Human risks refer to human errors, inadequate technical skills or any other factor that may hinder successful implementation of the system. They will remain constant throughout the years. Lastly, natural risks include unfortunate events like fire, floods or cyclones that may destroy the systems. Techdrivers should note all these risks
Change Management Strategy
Implementing the new system requires robust strategies to minimize the chances of failure. Change is not always welcome in institutions, and therefore, it must be managed well to avoid resistance from the concerned personnel. Bringing change will involve replacing the current information system at Techdrivers. The current system cannot efficiently handle or process log data. The new Splunk software will be integrated into the company’s information system to work concurrently.
The staffs at Techdrive Company need to undergo training on how to operate the Splunk system to read the log data, JSON data, and CSV data. They should also learn how to transfer data from the company’s systems to the cloud system managed by the Splunk Company. They should also learn to troubleshoot all challenges that may arise from using the system. They should undergo extensive training that covers all aspects of the Splunk system. The duration of the training will depend on how fast the staff learn about the new system. After training, they will then transition to using the new system under the guidance of Splunk’s support staff.
Implementing the new system may face resistance from some of the company’s employees, especially those affected by its implementation. The IT personnel may oppose its implementation under the fear that it will be hard to learn how to use it. Others may fear losing jobs due to the automation of data management systems. To avoid such opposition, the company should involve the affected staff throughout the planning and implementation process through consultation and proper communication. Proper employee training will also minimize cases of resistance to change
Evidence of Feasibility
There is enough evidence that Splunk system project will succeed at Techdrivers. The evidence is not based on theories and assumptions but from testimonials of other firms that have benefited from the Splunk data management systems. Some of the firms that have effectively installed the Splunk system are SCADA, Mars Lands, London Gatwick Airport, Airbus, Keystart, among others (Splunk, 2020). These firms have all recorded success after utilizing Splunk in its data management. That’s enough feasibility study that the system will succeed at Techdrivers since it has efficiently worked in other similar firms.
References
Connelly, B. et al. (2016). “Too much of a good thing: User Leadership at TPAC.” Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ).
Li, S., Xu, L., Wang, X., & Wang, J. (2012). Integration of hybrid wireless networks in cloud services-oriented enterprise information systems. Enterprise Information Systems, 6(2),165-187.
Sigman, B. P., & Delgado, E. (2016). Splunk Essentials. Packt Publishing Ltd.
Splunk. (2020). “Customer success story.”
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/customers.html
Project Implementaion Risks
Technological risks Year 1 year 2 Year 3 4 2.5 1.5 Natural risks Year 1 year 2 Year 3 2.5 2.5 2.5 Human risks Year 1 year 2 Year 3 3 2 1.5
Years after implementation
Rate of Risk
Running head: CEO’S CHALLENGE 1
CEO’S CHALLENGE 7
CEO’s Challenge
To: William Joe
From: W
Date: 07/28/2020
Subject: CEO’s Challenge
Introduction
Techdrivers must identify a robust solution to avoid the negative impacts of shadow IT. With technological advancements and a generational change of employees, the workplace has significantly evolved in the recent past. In the past decade, business apps and platforms were developed to achieve this objective. From knowledge management systems and enterprise social networks to chat apps, businesses have a broad range of solutions to enhance collaboration, productivity and communication in the workplace. Nevertheless, the high number of solutions creates an overload and data dispersion with workers utilizing a significant amount of time switching between tools to identify and extract the information they require. For this reason, while Techdrivers is a transport and logistics that allow remote access to its information system and allows users to use their own devices and applications, it is facing a significant overload and data dispersion (Li, Xu, Wang & Wang, 2012). Furthermore, because of the high number of unmanaged devices and apps, the company is facing a high risk of cyber-attacks from unauthorized information system access. Therefore, the company must establish a solution that can facilitate system and network access management to continue allowing BYOD (bring your own device) and remote access services.
Proposed Information System
With a high number of employees working from remote locations, Techdrivers needs a robust solution, such as Splunk, which can enhance monitoring of activities within the organization’s system and network to enhance incident prevention, identification, response and reporting. The increasingly high number of consumer apps, including messaging applications and social media, affects every aspect of day-to-day life. In this regard, it has become increasingly important for organizations to offer the right tools to fulfill the high expectations and growing demands of the workforce. However, an organization requires a technology that can facilitate identity and security management to benefit from the high number of consumer applications and support remote access (Avalle, 2019). Therefore, Techdrivers requires a solution, such as Splunk, which facilitates log file and data management, hence improve information system and network access to reduce the impacts of shadow IT.
Functions Important to the Business
By reducing the impacts of shadow IT, the proposed system has tremendous potential to improve in the entire supply chain of Techdrivers. For instance, while the system is expected to significantly reduce incidents and enhance log management to improve information system availability and performance, it will be possible for the company to effectively manage and coordinate field activities. Currently, Techdrivers does have an automated log management system, and system administrators and the cyber-security team must conduct manual monitoring, aggregation, analysis and reporting logs. Because Techdrivers is transport and Logistics Company with many employees and customers remote locations, it is impossible for the company to control system access. In this regard, with high number of user devices and applications accessing the enterprise system, the organizations suffers a wide range of downtimes emanating from security incidents and reduced processing speed of requests. Therefore, with the new system, Techdrivers will experience significant improvement in the management of transport and logistics activities, hence financial performance.
With Splunk, which yields adequate system integration and interaction between departments, Techdrivers is expected to realize substantial improvement in communication and sales services. For example, while the system will enhance interactions between departments, techdrivers will realize a significant reduction in order processing overheads. While the current information system is coordinated at the IT department, hence does not allow direct communication between departments, because of security concerns, order processing, which requires departmental level interactions, can take several days or weeks. In this regard, the proposed system, by improving departmental interactions, security and information system performance will considerably reduce order processing overheads (Goel & Bhargava, 2016). Because Splunk includes high-level automation of services, Techdrivers will experience an upsurge in the number of orders processed per unit time and the number of order requests because of enhanced customer satisfaction.
Data Management
Techdrivers should consider deploying the Splunk software, which is one of the ideal solutions for log data management, to achieve its current and future goals and objectives. In the context of supporting broader business objectives and troubleshooting, log data, which can be defined as definitive register of events in every organization, agency or business, is a resource that yet to adequately tapped. The software can facilitate impromptu queries and report presentation on the full set of historical data even without the support from third-party reporting software. By providing flexible access to.CSV, which includes field-specific data, relational databases or all other enterprise data repositories, such as Hadoop, NoSQL, the software offers considerable log data enrichment. Splunk also improves log management use cases, including security log consolidation and retention, Troubleshooting of IT operations and applications, security, and compliance reporting (Sigman & Delgado, 2016). Therefore, while the software enhances system availability, especially by minimizing cyber-attacks and improving the performance of different operational services, Techdrivers can support both remote and on-site access to the information system with minimal shadow IT-related interferences.
Data Types
The proposed Splunk software accepts the following three categories of data types:
Category 1: .csv data
Category2: json data
Category 3: log data
Figure 2
. Title (Source of data: user simulations)
Storage Methods
While the organization supports remote access, the organization will need highly available and visible data repositories to support operations. In this regard, the company should consider deploying cloud-based storage, including public and private clouds. Because the private cloud allows the organization some level of control, it should be reserved for the mission-critical data and system. The public cloud, which provides explicit management control to the cloud service provider, it should be reserved for the less mission-critical services (Li, Xu, Wang & Wang, 2012). The organization can also consider deploying onsite repositories for highly confidential data and systems. Therefore, the organization can ensure improved information security at a considerably reduced cost.
Data Quality
Splunk software can consolidate and index any machine and log data, such as structured and unstructured logs, and complex multi-line application. The software significantly improves gathering, indexing, searching, visualizing, analyzing, correlating, storage and reporting of data generated from specific machines to identify and address operational and security issues in a quick, replicable and cheaper approach. Furthermore, the Splunk provides significant data enrichment by supporting impromptu queries on historical data.
The transition of System Functions
The organization should consider an incremental approach to adopting the new solution. In particular, the organization should start by migrating the less mission-critical data and systems into the public cloud followed by the mission-critical data and systems to the system cloud. Lastly, the system should consider scaling down the in-house system and integrating all the systems to ensure seamless interactions between different components and users.
Evidence of Feasibility
Techdrivers can consider deploying LogDA, which is an alternative log management system, with substantial capacity to enhance log monitoring, aggregation, analysis and reporting. While the system is container-oriented, it is highly portable and substantially improves the speed of processing user requests (Kushida, 2019). Nevertheless, because containers have a relatively reduced capacity of interaction with other system instances, it is difficult to deploy them in a hybrid infrastructure, including different private, public cloud and in-house platforms (Pahl, Jamshidi & Zimmermann, 2020). In this regard, an organization must deploy the system on an in-house, or the private cloud, or public cloud. For the in-house platform, the organization must substantial investment on information system management and infrastructure, including hardware and software, and network equipment. On the other hand, while cloud hosted services are relatively cheap, they involve third-parties who can significantly compromise information security. For this reason, because Techdrivers cannot afford the cost of deploying well-equipped data center for an in-house solution, it must consider Splunk, which implements both containers and services, hence can be deployed on hybrid platforms. Assuming that a well-equipped data center involves 30, 000 USD deployment cost and another 3000 USD per month cost of maintenance, small companies, such as Techdrivers, cannot afford purely in-house hosted solution. On the other hand, the company cannot deploy a purely cloud-hosted solution because of security concerns. Therefore, with Splunk, which can be deployed on a hybrid infrastructure, Techdrivers can reduce the cost of the log management solution to monthly subscriptions or on demand service request payments, which may not exceed 200 USD per month.
References
Avalle, G. (2019). Software Development and Data Science: depict and monitor application usage-Big Data analytics software development with Splunk (Doctoral dissertation, Politecnico di Torino).
Pahl, C., Jamshidi, P., & Zimmermann, O. (2020). Microservices and Containers. Software Engineering 2020.
Li, S., Xu, L., Wang, X., & Wang, J. (2012). Integration of hybrid wireless networks in cloud services oriented enterprise information systems. Enterprise Information Systems, 6(2), 165-187.
Sigman, B. P., & Delgado, E. (2016). Splunk Essentials. Packt Publishing Ltd.
Kushida, T. (2019, November). Distributed Logging Service with Distributed Hash Table for Cloud. In International Conference on Internet of Vehicles (pp. 158-173). Springer, Cham.
Goel, A., & Bhargava, P. (2016). U.S. Patent Application No. 14/909,693.
A bar graph of the system data types
Series 1 Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 4.3 2.5 3.5 4.5 Series 2 Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 2.4 4.4000000000000004 1.8 2.8 Series 3 Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 2 2 3 5