Networks

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Networks Telecommunications

• PUAD 680
• Week 10

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Agenda

• Discussants
• Current events
• Alter 10, Networks Telecommunications
• Sawney Parikh
• Technology in the Washington State Park System
  (A)
• Alter 11, System Planning
• Sector surveys Krause, Tulipane

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Figure 10.1
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Figure 10.13
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Wireless Transmission Figure 10.16
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Telecommunications Standards

• De facto standards established by the fact that
  a product dominates the market, e.g., Windows
• De jure standards defined by industry groups or
  by the government
• Many de facto standards become de jure standards

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• The OSI (open systems interface) model is a
  framework for defining telecommunications
  standards
• Covers all aspects of network operations and
  management
• Developed by the International Standards
  Organization (ISO)
• Each level in the model is implemented through
  protocols

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Figure 10.18
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• TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet
  Protocol)
• Used on the Internet
• Five layer model
• HTML and HTTP are examples of application layer
  standards
• Open vs. proprietary standards

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Standards Development Channels

• De Facto
• Voluntary
• Wrong choices
• Vendor captivity
• Uncertain
• Manipulation/gaming
• vaporware
• Example
• VHS/Betamax
• DOS/Windows
• PCL (printer control language)

• Voluntary Consortia
• Voluntary
• User or supplier based
• Small number of parties
• Fast development
• Example
• Infrared Data Association (IrDA)
• E-ZPass

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Telecommunications Standards

• Telecommunication standards
• tradeoffs
• customization vs. interoperability
• proprietary vs. portable
• innovation vs. predictability
• competing standards
• OSI (Open Standards Interface)
• seven levels

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Telecommunications Policy

• Anti-trust
• ATT breakup in 1984
• Competition for
• Local loop
• Cellular
• Microsoft case

• Spectrum allocation
• Historical ownership with renewal
• Content regulation
• Diversity/access/historical endowments
• Technical improvements increasing efficient use
  of spectrum to point that scarcity is reduced.
• FCC considering auctioning spectrum

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Sawney Parikh
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Technology in the Washington State Park System
(A)

• What difference does the choice of technologies
  make to WSPRC?
• What decision does Rita Cooper face?

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IS Planning Development

• What is IS planning?
• Student experiences
• How is it different than IS development
• Student experiences with IS development

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Importance of SystemPlanning Development

• IT enables/inhibits organizational performance
• Procedures constrain reasonable decisions
• New tower at National w/ old equipment
• IRS loses 2 billion
• FAA loses billions

• Public assumes agencies incapable
• But fault is with procedures
• Personnel
• Procurement
• Budget
• Role of political appointees
• Level of IT expertise

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Challenge for Managers

• Awareness of invisible constraints
• Uphill battle even for savvy managers

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What Is an Information Systems Plan?

• Information systems planning should be an
  integral part of business planning
• Business planning the process of identifying
  the firms goals, objectives, and priorities
  developing action plans for accomplishing them.
• Information systems planning the part of
  business planning concerned with developing the
  firms information systems resources

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Challenges in Business Planning

• Foreseeing and assessing opportunities
• Assuring consistency with organizational plans
  and objectives
• Building systems
• Maintaining information system performance
• Collaborating with IT professionals

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Principles for IS Planning

• Support the firms business strategy with
  appropriate technical architecture
• Evaluate technology as a component of a larger
  system
• Recognize life cycle costs, not just acquisition
  costs

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• Design information systems to be maintainable
• Recognize the human side of technology use
• Support and control the technical system

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Planning Role of the IS and User Departments

• The IS department is responsible for producing
  the IS plan in conjunction with the user
  departments
• Chief information officer (CIO)
• Leads the IS function, and is responsible for
  making sure that the IS plan supports the firm's
  business plan

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• User roles in IS planning roles
• Sponsors senior managers who make sure
  resources are allocated for building and
  maintaining the system
• Champions individuals that recognize the
  importance of an IS, and exert effort to make
  sure that others share that recognition
• IS steering committees make sure that the IS
  reflects business priorities

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Project Roles of IT Professionals

• Computer operators
• Database administrators
• System managers
• System programmers
• User support staff

• Project managers
• Application programmers
• System analysts
• Programmer-analyst
• Technical writers

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Project Roles of IT Professionals

• Computer operators
• Database administrators
• System managers
• System programmers
• User support staff

• Project managers
• Application programmers
• System analysts
• Programmer-analyst
• Technical writers

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Figure 11.3 Strategic Alignment of Business and
IT
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Selecting Systems to Invest In
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Cost/Benefit Analysis

• The process of evaluating proposed projects by
  comparing estimated benefits and costs
• Key issues
• Tangible and intangible benefits
• Tendency to understate costs
• Timing of costs and benefits

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Risks

• Desired benefits are not achieved
• The project is late and/or over budget
• The systems technical performance is inadequate
• User acceptance is low
• Shifting priorities reduce the projects
  importance, etc.

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Financial Comparisons

• Some common criteria used for comparing and
  ranking projects
• Net present value (NPV)
• Internal rate of return (IRR)
• Payback

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Project Management Issues

• Division of labor between the IS department and
  users
• Keeping the project on schedule
• Goals, deliverables, schedules
• Challenges in information system projects