Business Requirements for ADCA
10/30/2013
Professor Dr. Phillip Duncan
Strayer University
CIS 499 Information Systems Capstone

Business Requirement Plan
Currently our system consist of SQL database sitting on 5 Cisco servers onsite. I plan to have that changed to oracle databases in a virtual world and out sourcing the cloud storage. Our current data warehouse is at ten terabytes. This is expected to increase by twenty percent a year therefore this must also be taken into account when searching for a provider of cloud storage. This will save on cost of equipment and also space. This savings of cost and space will be used to hire more technical personnel such as an oracle database administrator and a JavaScript programmer.
We currently are running windows 7 but will be upgrading to windows 8 because it is better suited to the virtual world than windows 7. In regards to infrastructure and security, right now we have a basic to average network set up with a DMZ for our clients and intranet with a few firewalls. Not much can be done since we are running a SQL database. This will change when we upgrade to oracle. More security on the network and our client’s information will now be able to be applied. We will also create and maintain a backup center located off site. This center will not be cloud based but an actual server room. We will have to address that privacy issues associated with using a JavaScript method instead of log files to maintain the sites. This is because JavaScript relies on the placing of cookies on a visitor’s computer usually without them knowing. By doing this we are allowing an independent company to store and review that data. The IT department will be responsible for this project with a time line of sixty days. Some of the decisions that will be made over the next 60 days will be acquisition of hardware and software, vendor selection for the outsourcing of some IT services and de-acquisition of current hardware and software in place (Cortada, 2009). Description of the ACDA Project The modernization of the IT department for ACDA will consist of five phases. The planning, analysis, design, implementation and infrastructure with security phase. This project will stay simple and short to ensure the most efficient use of resources and funds is achieved. We will upgrade operating systems, install new security features, switch to cloud storage while upgrading the amount of storage and hire new personnel to maintain and manage the success of this endeavor.
Definition and Scope of the Project
The scope of the project is to have ADCA’s network upgraded and running no later than sixty days after start of project. This project will upgrade the current ten terabyte data warehouse to cloud storage with enough room to grow by twenty percent a year for the next five years. It will also accomplish upgrading our databases and operating systems to more efficient and security minded software. There are milestones in place to ensure that the project stays on track and a weekly notification will be given to all sponsors and stakeholders as to the current progress. The success of this project will be achieved by dividing the project into five smaller projects making the project easy to deliver and not overly complicated. The estimated completion date is December 21st, 2013.
What measures will Control the Scope
Some possible changes to scope might be cost, schedule, quality and morale of the task force. In order to control the scope creep I plan to institute a scope change management process. The process will be that before any change can be made the requester initiates it with a change request form. Then the form is forwarded to the change management team consisting of myself and key stakeholders to evaluate the change and its effect on the project. If approved we will forward the change request to with any final recommendations to the appropriate constituents. We then will note the change in the logs and also the project documentation (Grice, 2011).
Potential Risks, Constraints, and Assumptions

Some of the constraints identified are looking the right personnel to fill the newly opened slots. Also finding the right cloud storage provider and outsourcing company may be a challenge as well giving the nature of our company. In regards to potential risk, some might be that the team spends too much time on one part of the process or that key information is not in writing therefore not given to all members of the team. We also run the risk of a team moving on to the next phase without fully completing the current task at hand.
A major risk to always keep in mind is that the client or stakeholder may want to make changes to the project thus causing a delay that has to be adjusted for. A couple other key points to bear in mind is that a key member of the team may resign or fall ill, or that the progress is not reported accurately.
An assumption that is being made in regards to this project is that key members of the project team actually helped in writing the project and giving realistic goals.
Relationship and Integration between Systems and Infrastructure

For the upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 the integration into our infrastructure will be seamless because all our current systems run on Microsoft or they are Microsoft friendly software. In regards to the database and data warehousing, the first step will be to convert our current onsite databases from SQL to Oracle. This transfer will not be too difficult since Oracle in written to communicate with SQL. Oracle also offers various solutions to grow with your company as your databases grow. To ensure fast performance Oracle offers solutions like the Oracle Automatic Storage Management system. This automated system will strip and mirror the database files for high performance and resilient from disk failures. Since we will be using the data for analytics I also recommend the Hybrid Columnar Compression piece from Oracle. This particular add in provides ten times the compression ratio for warn read only data and up to fifty times the compression for cold archival data (Oracle , 2013).
Potential Outsourcing for IT Services

There is a need to outsource some of the IT services including help desk functions and also cloud services for handling the data warehousing. In this project we will approach it using a five step phase to include, assess and document outsourcing opportunities, evaluate and select service provider, contract development and service provider negotiations, service transition and ongoing management. Each phrase is also broken down into more detailed subtask (Lane, 2011).
Necessary Resources including Staffing The new staffing needed will be an Oracle database administrator, a SQL administrator, and two or three more low to mid level SMES to assist in the process. We will also need someone who is familiar with the implementation of Windows 7 in a virtual environment. A JavaScript programmer will need to be hired and as well a system administrator extensively familiar with cloud based technologies and data warehousing. These will be direct hires however we plan to outsource the help desk needs therefore a reputable contractor is needed. Adequate time for training of new employees and the cost associated with that will also be a required resource. After the initial set up is complete and running smoothly, within the first six months, plans to increase the IT staff by twenty percent a year will be activated. We will start interviewing in month seven after completion of this project (Jinnnett, 1993).
Definitions of Relevant Terms Bandwidth - The maximum data transfer rate of a network or Internet connection. Cloud - The term "cloud" comes from early network diagrams, in which the image of a cloud was used to indicate a large network, today it is known as the whole internet. Cloud Computing - Refers to applications and services offered over the Internet. E-commerce – This stands for electronic-commerce and refers to business over the Internet. Java Script – This is a programming language designed by Sun Microsystems, in conjunction with Netscape that can be integrated into standard HTML pages SaaS – This stands for "Software as a Service." SaaS is software that is deployed over the Internet rather than installed on a computer. SQL – This stands for "Structured Query Language," It is a query language used for accessing and modifying information in a database. System Resources – This is used to refer to how much memory, or RAM, your computer has available. Terabyte – This is a standard unit of measurement for hard drive space. One terabyte (abbreviated "TB") is equal to 1,000 gigabytes.
Executive Summary The modernization of the IT department for ACDA will help our company become more efficient and cost effective. As you can see from the above mentioned plan, we will become more transparent, and also have a continuous monitoring mindset that will grow as our business grows. We will be able to maintain our current clientele more effectively by instituting a cloud based data warehouse schema we will have no trouble growing our business by at least the twenty percent that is anticipated.

References

Computer Terms. (2013, Oct 30). Retrieved from Tech Terms: www.techterms.com
Cortada, J. W. (2009). How Societies Embrace Information Technology. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Grice, S. (2011). Managing Scope Creep. Collegiate Project Services, 3.
Jinnnett, L. P. (1993). www.sba.gov. Retrieved from Small Business Administration: http://www.sba.gov/content/how-write-business-plan
Lane, D. (2011). The Chief Information Officers Body of Knowledge. Hoboken: John WIley & Sons .
Oracle . (2013). Plug into the Cloud with Oracle Database 12c. Oracle .