INSS737 - Management of Information Systems - Fall 2000

IT Operations

IT operations is the least glamorous but the most vital part of IT management for daily organizational operations. Traditionally it has been the blue collar job in IT, employing the largest part of the IT personnel. This is still true in industries dominated by data transcription, where source documents are converted to computer readable media, like banking. The on-line systems implemented to replace most batch systems during the 80's and the 90's moved most of the data entry jobs to the users, reducing drastically the need for data transcription. A classical example in universities is on-line registration.

• Present challenges in IT operations are: (a) how to maintain networks running 24 hours a day (high availability), (b) how to keep systems updated (zero-administration), (c) how to organize IT operations (centralization vs decentralization), and human resources issues. Read textbook pages 391-395 for a more detailed discussion.

• Technology planning is another self-defeating proposition given the present technology change rate. But, it needs to be done, for we need to determine when to retire assets and add others. The slow adoption of Windows 95 and NT by the business community is a typical case of trying to maximize existing assets (or at least minimize the costs of new assets). Continuing to use this case as an example, why a new investment of about $500-$1,000 per user workstation needs to be done? To run faster word processors and spreadsheets? Only with the rise of Internet applications, like e-mail and Web browsers, businesses started to feel a need to move from Windows 3.1 to 95/NT. Only by late 1998 had most businesses moved away from Win 3.1. This phenomenon is repeating itself again with Windows 2000 -- you need gigabytes hard-drive, 128 MBytes of main memory, at least 300 MHz CPUs, and of course upgrade the software ...

  But careful planning for 32-bit migration was much needed. Likewise migration to Windows 2000 is under way, although slower than predicted. Predictions for the 2000's technology trends are here. Read textbook pages 396-401 for a more detailed discussion.

• Capacity planning and management is an unknown science by IT practitioners and academicians, although not a new problem. Generally this problem has been solved by excess resources (acquiring more capacity than you need) or incremental add-on (buy more capacity if the system slows down). Software monitors and simulation packages have increased in number in the market (e.g. Digital Capacity Planner), but no clear cut solution has been found, if at all possible with ever changing technologies. Read textbook pages 401-404 and 407-410 for a more detailed discussion.
• Human resources for IT operations has reached a difficult point in today's crunch for IT personnel. Traditionally there was no real career path to operations personnel - a computer operator rarely became a systems engineer or moved into an user organization job. With the automation of most traditional IT operations jobs a new breed of personnel was needed, with a higher skill set in programming, networking, etc, than it was required before - in direct competition with the more glamorous jobs of programming, analysis, system and DB development, and networking. The demand for IT skilled personnel has soared with the rise of networking, the year 2000 problem crisis, and the booming economy of the late 90's. Staffing IT operations is vital, but a difficult proposition. Read textbook pages 404-406 for more details. I also suggest that you visit the Computer World Career Center and read at least the articles: "100 Best places to work in IT", " 2000 Salary Survey", and one of the career studies.
• Security and Privacy is the emerging hot topic of the early 00's. Electronic Commerce, On-line transactions, POS devices, the rise in networking, etc, make these two topics of paramount importance for IT operations. Hackers are everywhere -- on home networks (see Shields Up), office, schools, hospitals, government, software developers, etc. On the other hand more and more businesses are selling and buying information about individuals disregarding privacy, your software may now contain spyware, and identity theft (also here) is on the rise. Read book pages 410-416 for a discussion of these issues.

Case instructions

We will use a simple framework to analyze the BAE Automated Systems: DIA (4-4) case: (a) what is the problem, (b) what are the alternatives, and (c) what are the recommendations; like we have done before. We will discuss the case on the Web and in class.

1. What is the problem?

Why is it a problem? Is there a decision involved? If it is a problem, what are the pros and cons that makes it a problem?

2. What are the alternatives?

What can be done? There is always the do nothing alternative. If everything went well (rosy scenario) what we would like to do? If everything went wrong (doomsday scenario) what should we do? What can we do in between the rosy and the doomsday scenarios? What are pros and cons of each alternative? Be sure to list not only alternatives, but pros and cons.

3. What is you recommendation?

What criteria should we use to select the most suitable alternative in the case? Why you are recommending one alternative versus the others? How this alternative satisfies your criteria? How to implement the alternative you selected?