MMIS 621 Information Systems Project Management

MMIS 621 Information Systems Project Management

Deliverable Set B Final R&D Paper [aka assign-7] (250 points MAX) --

STUDENT NAME: Abdulhayy Johnson

DATE: 6/15/2008

TITLE

Do IT yourself: Web 2.0 & SaaS

Special Topic:Challenges IT face with Web 2.0 and SaaS technologies.

Blog:

Wiki:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

Solution

Relevance

Expectation for Practice

OUTLINE

FINAL PAPER 3

Abstract 3

Adapting to Business Needs 3

Thinking Outside the Box 3

IT Infrastructure 2.0 3

Embracing Success 4

Common Ground 4

REFERENCE LIST 5

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

A variety of web based content management systems, collaboration tools and other internet software services targeted at corporate end users (sometimes referred to as Web 2.0) pose a threat to IT staff and corporate data. Conry-Murray pointed out potential risks such as the exposure of sensitive information, theft of intellectual property, non-compliance with corporate or third party requirements, liability issues and data recovery/backup issues (Conry-Murray, 2008).

Solution:

Forward thinking IT professionals understand the need to relinquish some control over users and their content in the best interest of cost and creativity. Web 2.0 has unlimitedbenefits that outweigh the potentially complicated risksto IT, and like outsourcing should inevitably provide long term relief on the budget.Compatibility and compliance have always been issues with new technology and platforms, but as in the past software developers always come up with plug-ins and extensions (Dornan, 2007) to make products work together until a common set of standards are agreed on by vendors and industry leaders.

Relevance:

The acceptance or resistance of new corporate user trends will have an important effect on the technology industry either way.

Expectation for Practice:

Technology in the corporate environment exists to serve a business purpose. If the employees have a choice it’s almost inevitable that they will opt for the faster solution with more freedom and less time waiting to get the projected approved and implemented by the IT department.

OUTLINE

Abstract

Adapting to Business Needs

Thinking Outside the Box

IT Infrastructure 2.0

Embracing Success

Common Ground

FINAL PAPER

Abstract

The next generation web applications, user content driven collaboration tools, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) are all examples of a technology trend that is sweeping the corporate environment and IT departments causing much tension between IT managers and users. The managers in charge of business units are finding this new technology much easier and faster to implement, saving them time and increasing their efficiency. However IT managers are not always excited to lose control of technology, in may cases the choices made by non-technical managers can have unintended consequences if a proper evaluation of criteria is not performed.

Adapting to Business Needs

The need for groups of employees and contractors to work together on projects has always existed. Whether deliberate or not, the Microsoft Project software application has remained the de facto standard,according to Jim Rapoza, for project managers despite the creative new innovations that have been introduced to advance collaborative efforts and enable more integration with groupware clients (Rapoza, 2008). The next generation of web based applications, including those with user driven content such as wikis and blogs, are starting to creep into the work space but there is resistance from project managers who don’t want to give up control and tracking capabilities. Rapoza however pointed out that some Web 2.0 standards and technologies have adapted to the special needs of project managers by integrating specialized features that take into account the dynamic aspect of project timelines and deliverables (Rapoza, 2008). The most powerful example of such features is from a Lunnar,a product which allows collaborators to access a “back page” where they can view a log of all content and communications associated with that particular task. Another example of a second generation applicationdeveloper adapting to the real world business needs is online project management software LiquidPlanner, who have developed a feature in their web based software that allows users to take into account fluid timelines and best/worst-case-scenarios to better manage their schedules and deadlines (Rapoza, 2008, p.40).

Thinking Outside the Box

There is a quiet but noticeable shift in many office work spaces from using internally supported enterprise applications to using alternative web based software applications also known as SaaS (software-as-a-service). These software services are provided and supported by external or third-party vendors, they are usually subscription based, and run entirely over the internet from the confines of a simple web browser. Rapoza explained that this shift of emphasis from the operating system to the web browser raises several issues most notably support, compatibility and security (Rapoza, 2008, p.36). The area of support hasn’t been a major concern yet, according to eWeeks Labs which do regular testing on SaaS applications found that most of them worked well with major browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and Safari (Rapoza, 2008). According to Rapoza there is little risk that a SaaS provider will not update their code and fall behind on compatibility leaving the client stuck on an old version of a browser. He said the more immediate risk is the potential security hole inherent in all web browsers, these vulnerabilities have always existed and are constantly being exploited and patched in a continuous cycle. Since this technically is a weakness in the platform itself (i.e. the Web browser) the responsibility lies on the developer of the browser not the software application vendor who may not always be able to provide a patch(Rapoza, 2008). In any case the common solution for the time being has been to maintain the latest updates and patches for the web browser and from the SAAS vendor.

IT Infrastructure 2.0

The shift to Web 2.0 in the workspace may not be limited to conventional user applications only, the trend may also be extending itself into the world of server infrastructure and hosting. Co-location has always been available as an option but, according to Preimesberger (2008), this option has traditionally been reserved for IT professionals because of the skill and difficulty required to setup, manage and maintain the equipment remotely. It appears now that the success behind second generation web applications has prompted at least one company, Terremark, to offer the same type of service for businesses who would rather buy infrastructure services over the web without having to worry about managing the servers. Simon West, the Chief marketing Officer at Terramark, explained how they are able to offer business clients a choice of preconfigured server roles such as “Microsoft Windows, Linux and Sun Solaris operating systems” (Preimesberger, 2008, p.18). The business model is certainly new and unique and offers a fresh approach for businesses that do not wish to expand their internal physical infrastructure, the service itself is called “Enterprise Cloud” and can be accessed via a Web portal that lets users provision servers and resources according to their own architecture and design needs. Monitoring of server resource allocation and application performance is all done through the vendors own web based reporting interface which is included in the package (Preimesberger, 2008, p.18).

Embracing Success

Shacklee, a cleaning and nutrition products manufacturer based out of California, acquired a new executive team to chart a new direction for the company after it was taken over by a private equity firm. To appeal to a younger demographic the new executive team decided they must invest in new technology and overhaul the legacy COBOL mainframe systems and aging infrastructure they inherited. The existing setup was way behind and would impede any potential for progress they had planned. They were allocated a limited budget and timeframe to work within. According to Donston (2008) the fastest most cost effective way to transform and upgrade the technology infrastructure at Shacklee was the SaaS model (or software-as-a-service). However the top areas of concern with adopting SaaS were service levels and security, which could potentially have an impact on response time during service outages and accountability for loss of revenue. Another concern,said Donston (2008), was business viability; there were questions of reliability and accountability that needed to be resolved. Yet another area of concern was integration with existing systems and applications, some of the current systems would need to feed into the SaaS application however it was not clear how easily this could be accomplished or how much the vendor would be willing to make necessary adjustments on their end to accommodate for such a need. They got around these concerns by making good contractual arrangements and using data encryption to secure their own corporate data housed on the vendors’ servers (Donston, 2008, p.37).

The first SaaS implementation at Shacklee acted as a proof of concept, it was an address verification system from StrikeIron. Donston said the project took only 60 days to implement and it was a success which led to two more relationships with SaaS vendors (Donston, 2008, p.36). The transition shifts emphasis within the IT department from technology management to vendor contract negotiation, and relationship management. The performance requirements that are typically assessed become external as they relate to the SaaS vendor, therefore the metrics for measuring success such as uptime and response time must be included in the service level agreement to determine if the relationship is going well. Ken Harris, CIO of Shacklee, pointed out that negotiation is important when setting up a new contract with a SaaS vendor, and added that that research, reference checks and client testimonials must be verified to confirm the vendor is reliable. He said it is important to plan for contingencies such as loss of data or bankruptcy, defining an exit strategyand liability clause would be good ideas (Donston, 2008, p.37).

Common Ground

New technologies are here to stay; neither IT nor project managers will be able to change that. As long there is a demand for innovation and the tools are available to fill that demand, at low cost or sometimes no cost at all, the market will by itself determine how fast and how widespread these technologies become. The best way for ITto tackle this phenomenon is to embrace the change by finding new ways to support and integrate these platforms and applications with their own internal systems. From a project management perspective it is better to encourage competition in order to prevent complacency, if next generation applications and software services make sense practically and financially then they should be weighed as a viable option. Ultimately if a productive efficient work environment is to be maintained, then it is in the best interest of all management to adoptcommon policies that allow individual departments to have more choices in terms of what software they use, and to work with IT to ensure success.After all smart managers know they must work together on a common policy to achieve a common goal.

REFERENCE LIST

Conry-Murray, A., (2008, April 21). Cat-herding nightmare.

InformationWeek, 182(1), p.30.

Donston, D., (2008, March 3). Cleaning up with SAAS.

eWeek, 7(25), p.33.

Dornan, A., (2007, October 29). Growing pains.

InformationWeek, 160(1), p.43.

Preimesberger, C., (2008, June 9). Hosting the cloud.

eWeek, 18(25), p.18.

Rapoza, J., (2008, March 3). Next-gen project management.

eWeek, 7(25), p.38.

Rapoza, J., (2008, May5). SAAS access.

eWeek, 14(25), p.35.

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