Reference no: EM133078998
COM6001 Management in IT - Arden University
Assignment Brief
Business Plan: As part of the formal assessment for the programme, you are required to submit a Management in IT assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.
Learning Outcome 1: Identify and appraise the different possible staffing approaches for an IT Department.
Learning Outcome 2: Critically analyse and evaluate the role of the strategic planning process and the IT manager's role within it.
Learning Outcome 3: Prepare and evaluate a staffing policy and plan for an IT department.
Learning Outcome 4: Appraise the impact of new technology on an organisation's strategic plan.
Learning Outcome 5: Plan the implementation of an IT installation.
Your assignment should include a title page containing your student number, the module name, the word count; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in Arden University (AU) Harvard format. You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.
Introduction:
IT departments play a critical part in helping businesses achieve their strategic plans and business objectives. IT managers have the task of working as part of the management team as well as running the IT department. An IT manager requires skills in planning, staffing, sourcing, scheduling, evaluating, budgeting, and decision-making to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
Management in IT Case Study:
Tesco is a British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer based in England, United Kingdom. It is the third largest retailer in the world measured by profits and ninth- largest retailer in the world measured by revenues. It has stores in 12 countries across Asia and Europe and is the grocery market leader in the UK, Ireland, Hungary, and Thailand.
In the context of Tesco's project management, write a case study that would propose an initiative that would follow on the Tesco's tablet. It may be another tablet, or it could be something else. Keep in mind, the reason for closing this project is likely linked to profitability. Thus, any proposal needs to justify a cost-effectiveness aspect of the project. Research three identical, similar, or comparable case studies from industrial and academic sources. Please refer, where appropriate, to these papers when answering the five tasks of the assignment.
Students should use the Harvard referencing style where applicable. Do not forget to include both in-text and end of report referencing.
Section 1: Case study and IT initiative
a) Provide a summary of the IT project initiative you have chosen.
b) Identify TESCO's overall strategic plan and objectives.
c) Justify the aim and objectives of the initiative in the context of the TESCO's overall strategic plan and objectives.
Section 2: IT initiative staffing
a) Explain how you would conduct a review of the current IT staffing skills.
b) Create a comprehensive staffing policy plan for the IT department that would meet the IT initiative needs.
Section 3: Staffing approaches
a) Identify and evaluate the different staffing approaches that you can use.
b) Explain and justify your preferred approach to staffing.
c) Consider the ethical impact of your choice.
Section 4: IT installation plan
a) Create a detailed IT Implementation and installation plan.
b) Provide a scheduled plan using Gantt chart.
c) Create an IT initiative budget plan.
Section 5: Evaluation of initiative
a) Assess the impact of the new technology on the organisation. Explain how the investment in new technology aligns with the company's strategic plan.
b) Provide a brief Risk Assessment, Disaster Recovery Plan, or Business Continuity Planning for the IT initiative.
c) Consider the environmental impact of this project. Make recommendations for improvements where appropriate.
d) Provide a report conclusion.
Maximum word count: 4,000 wordsCOM6003 Computer Systems Security
Assignment Brief: As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Computer Systems Security assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.
Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of common security risks and recognise the importance of risk analysis within different IT environments.
Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the key approaches to cryptography and their application
Learning Outcome 3: Critically evaluate relevant literature with regard to notable security issues.
Learning Outcome 4: Create a risk analysis for a given scenario with reference to compliance with security policies
Learning Outcome 5: Critically evaluate legal, social and ethical issues of secure systems.
Responsible Global Citizenship - Understand global issues and their place in a globalised economy, ethical decision-making and accountability. Adopt self-awareness, openness, and sensitivity to diversity in culture.
Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and a word count; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in Arden University (AU) Harvard format. You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.
Maximum word count: 4,000 words
Assignment Task
To make this assignment more relevant and interesting for you, you will select your own real- world organization (and thus case study) and then apply the concepts and techniques you have learned from this module to that case study. The case study you select must not have been used by you, or any other student, in any other module current or historic. Please ensure you check your selected organization and the scope of the case study with your tutor before starting.
Your selected organization for this case study intends to upgrade their current IT infrastructure to meet the organizational IT needs in the 21st century. You have an option of using a technology of your choice or technologies such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Content Centric Networking, or Software Defined Networks for this upgrade. You as an IT Lead have been asked to write a report for the management justifying viability of the proposed future IT infrastructure in the context of its security.
Task 1
1a) Discuss briefly the profile of your selected organization, its existing IT infrastructure, and pertinent issues with the current infrastructure to justify the need for an infrastructure upgrade.
1b) Identify and justify the choice of technology (or technologies) you are proposing to use to upgrade the IT Infrastructure of your selected organization. You are expected to briefly compare technologies to justify your choice.
1c) In the context of proposed future IT infrastructure for your organization, discuss critical assets (including information assets) that will need protection, and list vulnerabilities related to each of the identified assets.
Task 2
2a) Risk analysis lies at the heart of any successful IT project. Through arguments backed by literature, justify the importance of risk analysis phase in any IT project. Also discuss what risk analysis process in relation to IT infrastructure projects entails.
2b) Critically evaluate a range of pertinent security risks posed to the selected organization in context of their proposed IT infrastructure upgraded through the technology of your choice. Also, briefly discuss the proposed protection against those risks.
2c) Conduct a detailed risk analysis of your organization based on the risks evaluated in Task 2b.
Task 3
3a) Critically evaluate key aspects of the security policy of your selected organization (or an organization of a similar profile and size) also discussing how effective the policy is in protecting against security risks evaluated in Task 2b.
3b) Cryptography acts as a key measure in tackling a range of security threats. Discuss a cryptographic approach (or a combination of approaches) you are proposing for your organization to adopt and justify your choice by briefly comparing your approach against other available approaches. Explain in what areas of your organization's future IT infrastructure you will use the proposed cryptographic approach.
Task 4
4a) Provide a brief assessment of the security of your proposed IT infrastructure using layered security approach.
4b) Critically evaluate legal, social and ethical issues in relation to the security of proposed IT infrastructure.