Wanda I. Larroy

BSA / 375

James Bachelor

February 17, 2014

Application architecture and process design The application architecture describes the layout of the application deployment, generally includes partitioned application logic and deployment to application server engines (Gartner, 2013). The application architecture can be tailored to any business. Riordan Manufacturing must define objectives prior to choosing and designing their system.
Once the objectives have been identify then the design process can start. With the equipment needs, implementation requirements, and workflow clearly understood these are describe in more detail in order to design the appropriate system. The designing itself is accomplished after many interviews in order to capture the real needs, by using flowcharts, scale models, and even some process simulation software (Dennis, Wixom, & Ruth, 2012). A client server architecture services would be beneficial for Riordan being that this nonfunctional requirement could have more benefits than a server based or client server. There are four major benefits in a client server; scalability, adaptable support, reliable networking and separation of logic: a) Scalability adjusts storage and processing within the server b) Adaptable support is the ability to support different client and servers. The server can also separate logic’s without changing any other data. c) Reliable networking allows the server to maintain the network in case of any errors or application crashes d) Separation of logic facilitates reasoning (Dennis, Wixom, & Ruth, 2012)

Security controls
Security in a company’s information system is in today’s market is the number one priority. In order to keep Riordan Manufacturing safe from outside malicious and strange activities the system needs security measures and controls put into place. The task is given to the operations group, they are full of individuals who are educated in the computer science or information technology field. The information and records belonging to Riordan Manufacturing is confidential, these include to name a few but are not limited to: 1) Employee information 2) Customer information 3) Company financials 4) Government information 5) And other vital information
It is important for Riordan Manufacturing to have all of its data encrypted and stored with the highest level of security. This information contains copyrighted material that it is exclusive to Riordan Manufacturing and if it falls in the wrong hands can result in litigations, law suits by its customers and even heavy penalties by the government. One small incident can result in the company losing money because of negligence, these are all reasons for security controls. Outsourcing to third-party vendors as discussed earlier can save Riordan Manufacturing money, time and labor, by using application processes already created and just by tailoring them to the company’s operation. The vendors are liable for any security breach so this makes the process safe and should help protect Riordan in case of any wrong doing (Valacich, George, & Hoffer, 2012). The system security include a feature that enables the right users with the right credentials to access information that is associated with the user job description or pay grade. If an individual tries to access unauthorized information for any reason, a security alert is sent to the IT security department for further investigation. This section will prevent any type of security threat whether it be internal or external trying to gain entry for malicious purposes. Another way to protect Riordan Manufacturing is securing its network with the use of a (VLAN) Virtual Local Area Network. The network is maintained by the system administrator and this is the only one person allowed to change anything on the network or its hardware. User will only be able to run their task that are associated with their clearance. In order to obtain access they must enter the credentials for validation keeping the system secure.
Interface design Users have become familiar with interface elements behaving a certain way, being consistent will help task completion efficiency and familiarity. Understanding Riordan Manufacturing’s needs like their skills set and preferences are a huge help in the interface design. Keeping in mind: a) Simplicity b) Consistency and common elements c) Creating clarity and hierarchy d) The communication between the system and the user e) The layout, color and texture

Physical Data flow diagram
Physical data flow diagram describes how the system should flow. The following diagram will show how Riordan’s system should operate giving a visual so individuals can see for themselves how information flows how users will influence information (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012).

References
Cervantes, J. (2013)
Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., & Ruth, R. M. (2012). Systems Analysis and Design (5th ed.)
Gartner. (2013). Retrieved from gartner.com: http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/application-architecture-aa

Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., & Hoffer, J. A. (2012). Essentials of Systems analysis and design
(5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education