MMIS 621 Information Systems Project Management 
 
STUDENT NAME: Patrick Casimir
 
DATE: 5/11/02
 
ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 2
 
ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Managing Information Technologies and Resources
 





 
QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
 
 TASK SET 1: Chapter 5: MUST READ: Distributed Systems: The 
 Overall Architecture
 
Review Questions
3) What does “open source” mean? 
 It means that source code of a software can downloaded on the 
 internet for free and thus can be modified.
 
4) List and briefly explain the questions that can be asked in whether 
 to distribute computing responsibilities.
 a) Are the operations interdependent? Interdependency means one 
 operation needs to know what another is doing. Therefore, their 
 planning, software development, machine resources, and operations
 must be centrally coordinated to synchronize their operation.
 b) Are the businesses really homogeneous? When operations do not 
 need to know what each other is doing, then many systems 
 functions can be decentralized, unless the operations truly have
 a lot in common. 
 c) Does the corporate culture support decentralization? Even if the 
 business units do quite different things and do need to know what 
 each other is doing, corporate culture might dictate that some 
 functions be decentralized.
 
9) What are server-based computing and peer-t-peer computing? 
 Server-based computing is the concept of housing programs on the 
 Net. It not only applies to small Java applets but also to, for 
 example, providing in-house applications to mobile employees.
 Peer-to-peer computing is the concept of distributing a task over 
 a wide number of computers (peers) connected to the Internet. 
 
Discussion Questions
 
2) Is Internet-centric computing taking us back to the architecture of 
 mainframes and dumb terminals? Are we coming full circle? Why or why 
 not?
 Internet-centric computing is an underlying principle of a 
 distributed environment where applications and data are downloaded 
 from network servers on as-needed basis. It is a contrast with 
 current use of powerful personal computers that rely primarily on 
 local resources. It is not architectural model of mainframes and dub 
 computers.
 
Exercices
 
4) Find a description of an Internet-based application. Why was this 
 approach taken? What benefits are expected? 
   Healtheheart is an internet-based Cardiovascular Disease 
 Management application that integrates accepted medical guidelines 
 into patient management protocols for use by physicians or 
 physician extenders.
 The approach is taken to create a patient tracking system through
 a real time data repository that includes historical analysis 
 tools, documents, and demonstrates outcomes-based medical care. 
 Benefits expected: 
 1) Internet-based physician or patient management tool 
 2) Risk management and compliance monitoring 
 3) Secure internet-based technology
 4) Unlimited encrypted email
 5) Better utilization of drug protocols
 6) Real-time historical 
 
TASK SET 2.0: ALTERNATE: Chapter 6: Managing Telecommunications
 
Review Questions
 
2) What is “the last mile,” and why is it a problem?
 It is the connection between a subscriber and the telephone 
 company’s central office where the network switching resides. It is
 a problem because it a bridge where fiber optic cables at the speed 
 of 1 terabit connect and communicate to twisted pair phone lines 
 operating at the speed of 56 kbps.
 
5) Describe the functions of hubs, switches, and routers.
  Hubs are repeaters; they forward packets of data from one machine 
 to all machine within a network.
 Switches are smarter than hubs; they only forward packets of data 
 to the of the intended computer.
 Routers are smarter still; they use a routing table to pass along
 a packet to the next appropriate router on a network. 
 
6) How does voice-over IP work?
 It works with a special IP phone, with an Ethernet jack in the back 
 instead of the standard telephone jack, is attached to a company 
 LAN. Rather than the analog signals sent by traditional phones, the 
 IP phone generates a digital signal. That signal is routed over the
 LAN just like any other data, in packets, either to (1) another IP 
 phone on the LAN, (2) through the company’s WAN to a distant IP
 phone on another of the company’s LANs, or (3) through an IP voice
 gateway to the public switched telephone network to a standard  
 telephone.
 
8) Give some examples of uses of wireless LANs.
 a) In older buildings where the wiring ducts are full. 
 b) Backup for important applications that run over wired networks.
 c) A fixed setting where a wireless LAN can be configured more 
 quickly, adding, moving, and changing participants.
 
12) Why is “always on” important?
 Because it allows instant communication 
 
14) What are the three roles of the IS department with respect to 
 telecom?
a) Create the telecom architecture for the enterprise
b) Run it
c) Stay close to the forefront of the field.
 
Discussion Questions
 
1) The chapter implies that a company should stay at the forefront of 
 telecommunications technology lest it fall seriously behind. On the 
 other hand, it might be better to let others go first, and then 
 learn from their mistakes. When is each approach most appropriate? 
 Why?
 The first approach deals with technologies that have been on a 
 market for some time and that are being developed by new vendors. 
 Because companies have some experience handling those technologies
 and only need to upgrade their systems to use new features.
 The second approach deals with new technologies that have not been
 proven to be safe or reliable. Because companies can learn from 
 mistakes made by other companies while implementing a new system. 
 
2) None of us needs a phone at home and a phone at the office. All we 
 need is one phone that we always carry around. Such a practice would 
 relieve the pressures on the telephone system for so many additional 
 phone numbers and area codes. Better yet, each phone should have an 
 IP address. Discuss the pros and cons of these ideas.
 I always dream of such a practice. It would be great for customers
 service providers. But. The problem comes with getting telephone 
 companies to agree on a numbering system that would fit that 
 practice. 
 
TASK SET 4.0: MUST READ: Chapter 8: Managing Operations
 
Review Questions
 
  1) What is the main shift in operations viewpoint?
 The main shift in operations viewpoint is managing outward, that 
 is, managing the company’s relationships with external IT service 
 providers who have taken over the day-to-day operational work.
 
4) What have Y2K and the Internet done for computer operations? 
 Y2K and the Internet gave computer operations the attention it 
 needed, but had not gotten. 
 
6) How thoroughly are CIOs expected to investigate outsourcing?
 CIOs are expected to investigate outsourcing sufficiently to
 satisfy executive management that there is operations are as 
 efficient and effective in-house as they would be if they were 
 outsourced 
 
8) What are the five customer-vendor relationships?
  Professional services, product, transactions, systems integration,
 and outsourcing.
 
9) What are IT outsourcing, transitional outsourcing, best-of-breed 
 outsourcing, shared services, business process outsourcing, e- 
 business outsourcing, and application service providers? 
  IT Outsourcing: is a deal which consists of outsourcing all a
  company’s data center operations for up to ten years.
  Transitional Outsourcing: is used by CIOs, with their hands full 
 supporting legacy systems, to transition to client-server computing.
 Best-of-breed Outsourcing: is a selective outsourcing, where one 
 company handles desktop operations, another data center operations,
 and a third network management. 
 Shared Services: are “insourced” organizational units for functions
 Such as IT, legal, real state, travel, mail room.
 Business Process Outsourcing: is outsourcing all or most of a 
 reengineered process that has a large IT component. 
 E-business Outsourcing: is used by dot-coms and Internet-based 
 companies to handle all or almost of the IT function.
 Application Service Providers: are companies that rent software to
 others over the Internet. 
 
16) What internal disaster recovery alternatives are used by companies?
  Multiple data centers, distributed processing, backup telecom 
 facilities, and local area networks.
 
17) What external disaster recovery services are available to 
 companies?  
 Integrated disaster recovery services, specialized disaster
 recovery services, online and off-line data storage.
 
Discussion Questions
 
1) Outsourcing offloads a burdensome technical responsibility and 
 allows management to focus on its core business. Outsourcing strips 
 a company of an important core competency--IT know-how. What 
 statement do you agree with? Why?
  I agree with the first one. Because outsourcing allows companies
 to go outside their own organization to obtain specialized services 
 of various kinds. This process links growing businesses to a range 
 of state-of-the-art services and resources not available before.

3) The Internet provides all the redundant routing and alternate sites.

an enterprise needs. It need not contract with a backup and recovery

 firm as Household International did. Present arguments against this 
 belief. 
 Despite all the Internet has to offer, companies must not rely on 
 it for dramatic events such as ‘system crash’. They need an outside 
 contractor for integrated disaster recovery services, specialized 
  disaster recovery services, online and off-line data storage. 
 





 
 INTERNET TASK 1: Term: Middleware
 
 URL: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/middleware.html
 Middleware: software that serves as a bridge to pass data between two 
 applications. For example, a middleware software can link a database
 system to a Web server. 
 
INTERNET TASK 2: 
Then write a paragraph or two about some of the key things that you 
learned that were not in your text. 
 The OSF Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) is an industry-standard, vendor-neutral set of distributed computing technologies. DCE is deployed in critical business environments by a large number of enterprises worldwide. It is a mature product with three major releases, and is the only middleware system with a comprehensive security model. DCE provides a complete Distributed Computing Environment infrastructure. It provides security services to protect and control access to data, name services that make it easy to find distributed resources, and a highly scalable model for organizing widely scattered users, services, and data. DCE runs on all major computing platforms and is designed to support distributed applications in heterogeneous hardware and software environments. DCE is a key technology in three of today's most important areas of computing: security, the World Wide Web, and distributed objects.
 
INTERNET TASK 3: 
 
1. How will 9/11 change the way we perceive disaster recovery planning? 
 9/11 will force companies to always think about the “unthinkable”
 in a way to build backup systems that will take over in case of 
 disastrous events. Also, companies will maintain some type of 
 offsite data storage.
 
2. What has your organization done to change its disaster recovery 
 plan?
 The company I am working for has moved some backup servers to 
 offsite locations.
 
3. What does your organization plan to do in the future because of 
 9/11?
 They are planning to hire an external contractor to store and 
 maintain their important data. Also, they want to open an 
out-of-state office with the capability to run daily operations if required.      
4. Develop a table of contents for a disaster recovery plan that takes 
 into account the lessons learned about disasters post 9/11?
  a) Test the system in a monthly basis.
 b) Update the system according to the growth of the organization.
 c) Improve the system according to the advances in technology.
d)  d) All important data are backed up and stored offsite.
 e) Create a secondary location that will be fully functional and 
 capable to take over daily operations.





 
READING REVIEW: 
 
MMIS 620 Management Information Systems 
 
Assignment – 2. Managing Information Technologies and Resources
 
Managing information resources at the corporate or centralized level
 
Name: Patrick Casimir. Usercode: pcasimir
Information
Noorlander, W. (2001). Information management who’s controlling who? 
 (managing and purchasing information).Journal of Management 
 Information Systems, 15, 99–112.
 
 Subject Headings: market data, information suppliers, cost control, management of information, chief information manager.
 
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.
 For the past 10 years, there have been drastic transformations in managing a company’s information systems. In the beginning, much of the focus was placed on the network. However, this information proved inadequate, yielding way to more advanced information management. Thus managing information resources has evolved into a complex system of buying, managing, and improving information. Yet, many big particularly conglomerates and global businesses, have no idea of the size of their problems because they do not know how much information they use. They do not know where it is used, the suppliers, or its value. They almost never know how much their information supply chain costs them. 
 
STRATEGIES OR TECHNIQUES USED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
 1. Companies must determine their business objectives and how much information they need. Also, they have to decide on the information sources that best allow them to meet those objectives. 
 2. Companies must understand exactly what information providers are offering them and capable of answering the following questions: 
 a) What is the current level of data offered by each particular 
 vendor?
 b) Do vendors originate data, redistribute data, or both?
 c) What is the current access or means of delivering the data? 
 d) What is the current ownership and family relationships among 
 information suppliers.
 e) Are we current on industry alliances within the information 
 industry?
 3. Companies must control the usage and expense level of information 
 and know how much of it they use, where it is used, and why they 
 are using it.
 4. Hire an expert as Chief Information Manager with the responsibility of managing information, both usage and expenditure. This CIM will report to the company’s CIO. 
 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
 There are more sources of information every day; not necessarily more types of information. But different cuts of the same data or new ways to have access to that data. The firms that excel will be those that use information as a resource and to maximize value, both for current and new types of uses. To maximize the value, companies have to be in charge, and in control of the process. They need to focus on their objectives, understand the information industry and current level of offerings, and bring in the right level of expertise to manage the process. 
 
SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.
Any future research will focus more on the role of information and market data into the new knowledge e-economy.
 
LIST OF REFERENCES.
Athanassoopoulos, A.D. (1999). Service quality and operating efficiency 
 synergies for management control. European Journal of Operational 
 Research, 98, 300 – 313.
 
Benbasat, I., Dexter, A. S., & Mantha, R. W. (2000). Impact of 
 organizational maturity on information systems skill needs. MIS  
 Quaterly, 4, 21 – 34.

Boynton, A., & Zmud, R.W. (1987). Information technology planning in 
 the 1990s. MIS Quaterly, 11, 59 – 71.
 
Eckerson, W. W. (1998). Achieving scalability, performance, and 
 efficiency in client server applications. Open Information Systems
 10, 1, 20.
 
Lafrance, P. (2001). Component management: Managing information and 
 application servers. MIS Quaterly, 15, 35 – 49.
 





 
CASE ANALYSIS (Text-Based):
 
THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT WAS OR IS TO BE SOLVED:
 
What is the main problem in the case that reflects the and the pain that led the organization to design the system or search for the solution?
 NW Airlines need to accurately and quickly calculate revenue from 
 passengers in order to compete as a major world-class carrier.
  
 What are some side issues in the case?
 1. NW have doubled their business after merging with Republic 
 Airlines.  
 2. NW needs to audit all their redeemed tickets.
 3. Sampling of passenger ticket to estimate revenue did not yield 
 accurate revenue data.
 
RECOMMENDATIONS: 
 
 What are your comments or thoughts on the way the problem 
 was approached in this case?
 I think the system was implemented in ways to effectively help 
 Northwest better calculate revenue because it uses integration and 
 other technologies such as relational databases, imaging, and expert
 Systems.
 
 What additional resources need to be expended to do an even better  
 job of resolving the problem?
 a) Northwest should create a program that will compute a daily report 
  on all refunds made to customers that have voided their tickets.
 b) Northwest must upgrade their mainframes so as to close monthly 
 books on the third on the month. Thus, earned revenue could be 
  100% faster.
 
 What are some of the “way out” things that the organization 
 could have done. Dream a bit.
 Northwest should create a real-time expert system that would process 
 the passenger revenue accounting like an inventory data system 
 allowing the company to close the monthly book the 1st day of the 
 month.
 
UPDATE
 
SHORT-TERM VIEW: State some recent changes that have occurred in the specific industry of the case organization that may have an impact on the organization in this case in the Short-term (one year to 18 months out).
 On May 2001, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched a new e-ticketing system GlobalET. This system offers airline worldwide a globally available e-ticketing service, which has the capability of integrated interline ticketing. Using this system, Northwest will be able to better and faster process ticket sales made from online reservation systems. Overall, the new system will help Northwest to be more efficient in calculating revenue from passengers. 
 
LONG-TERM VIEW: What changes do you predict for this system? The industry is constantly changing and there will be areas 
That will be upgraded or made absolute by new technology. Briefly describe what you think will happen to this system in the next 2-5 years. 
 With the increasingly use of Internet and the advancement in technology, I see the system improved to become very effective and be able to produce the revenue from passengers in a daily basis with 99.9% 
Accuracy.
 
Find some recent advertising for the case organization and indicate what are they trying to portray?
 In its own Web site, http://www.nwa.com, in a promotional article published on January 23, 2002, Northwest reported that it has checked in over 1 million customers via the Internet. In this article, Northwest tryed to portray itself as an innovative airline company that has transformed every desktop, whether at home or at work, into a place where travelers can conveniently and quickly obtain a boarding for their flight. 
 
OTHER:
What other materials would you have liked to have had about this case organization in order to review it more effectively?
 I would like to have a detailed report of the Passenger Revenue Accounting (PRA) to understand if the new system really fits the needs and obligations of such a report.
 





 
REVIEW QUESTION:
Develop a one paragraph summary of your activities on this assignment indicating the key points that you have learned. 
 I started the assignment by reading the chapters needed to answer the required questions. While doing so, I learned about distributed systems 
and their overall architecture, the role and importance of the telecom infrastructure within an organization, and the management of computer operations. Next, I completed the Internet tasks where I learned about middleware systems, the distributed computer environment, and discovery recovery planning. By doing the Reading Review, I understood the importance of purchasing and managing information within a company. Finally, I did the Case Analysis of Northwest Airlines and Manitoba, in which I learned about XML integration systems. 
 





 
EMBEDDED EVALUATION ITEMS:
1. What direct applications were you able to make to your job? If you 
 do not have a job, indicate what concepts seem most practical to 
 you.
 I was able to understand that information is a crucial and 
 critical raw material for my company. The range, quality, and depth 
 of information, coupled with the speed and level of access, are the 
 key factors in their success level.
 
2. How could the existing objectives and tasks in this assignment be 
 modified to make them more useful to you?
 The overall tasks of each assignment could be reduced by 25%. 
 Instead, each student would have to complete a Project Research in 
 an existing company on a issue related to the assignment.