This is what identifies where and how important information about things such as customer records is maintained and secured. Information infrastructure is the hardware, software and telecommunications equipment that, when combined provides the underlying foundation to support an organisations goals.
Information architecture is all about the keeping of data and making sure it is secure where as information infrastructure is about developing new software or hardware that will continue to grow the business and be able to keep with the growth of the organisation. Both of these systems do focus on the up keep of the company and the make sure that it continues to run smoothly. You need to be able to constantly update your company information and then be able to back it up safelt; you can’t have one without the other.
(Picture sums up the enterprise architecture)
2. Describe how an organisation can implement a solid information architecture
1. Backup and recovery: this minimises the damage of a system crash and allows for no information to be lost if it does happen. A back up is an exact copy of the system’s information and the recovery is the ability to get the system running again with the same information if a crash or failure of a system. Back up methods include on a VD, DVD, tapes, USB etc.
2. Disaster recovery: disasters such as floods can happen to a business at any time therefore a disaster recovery plan (DRP) must be implemented to build solid information architecture. A DRP is a detailed process for recovering information in an event of a disaster. A detailed plan in required and often considers different locations for backing up information. Through doing this it can ensure that the information won’t be lost. Also the plan should detail what happens when buildings and equipment are destroyed- back up for these items needs to be considered as well.
3. Information security: This is the protection of information within an organisation. As networks and systems extent the security of data is needed more than ever and if a company can implement solid information security then the organisation can prosper. There are two main ways to do this:
- Managing user access: this includes having strong passwords for data and managing who in the company has access to what information. Strong passwords are the key and ensuring that they are kept safe is also essential.
- Up-to-date antivirus software and patches: Through anti-virus software managers can prevent hackers and ensure that spam does not enter the data. Having up-to-date software ensures that the protection of data is strong.
3.List and describe the five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture.
Flexibility: Need to focus on business of today and tomorrow. Systems should be flexible and able to meet all types of business changes. E.g. change in economic environments.
Scalability: How a system can adapt to increasing demands.
Reliability: ensures all systems function correctly and that they provide precise information. Reliable information is essential when making business decisions.
Availability: The accessibility of the systems. This includes when they can be accessed by employees, customers, stakeholders etc. If a company has High availability this refers to the system’s ability to be continuously operational for a long length of time.
Performance: How quickly a system can perform a certain operation or transaction. This is measured in efficiency; IT metrics of speed and throughput.
4. Describe the business value in deploying a service oriented architecture
The advantage of having service orientated architecture within a business is that it creates systems that meet specific customer needs. Through deploying a SOA the company is better equipped to respond to market changes and do it in a cost efficient manner. SOAs ensure that IT systems can adapt quickly and easily to support changing needs of a business. They ensure that it is done in an economical manner through allowing various tasks to be done at the same time and also allow for great flexibility within the organization.
SOAs allow for businesses to get new services or upgrade existing services. This allows for businesses to address new business requirements and provide the option to make the services consumable across different channels.
5. What is an event?
Events detect threats and opportunities within an organisation. They then alert someone who is able to act on this information. E.g. low stock alerts or large amounts charged to credit cards.
6. What is a service?
This is simply a business task. This can include checking a customer’s credit rating when opening an account or getting a home loan and also a simple print and save services. These are part of the business process and are like software products. Note: services need to be reusable if they want to have an impact on productivity.
7. What emerging technologies can companies can use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively?
There are many emerging technologies that can increase the performance of an organisation. One great example is the virtual machine. The virtual machine allows for multiple operating systems to run from the same tower. This allows for more applications to be run for operating systems and allows for greater information to be stored for the company and more efficiency in the way they operate. It uses less hardware infrastructure therefore is cost and space efficient. It allows for improved disaster recovery solutions and for more applications to be used within the business.
(picture)Virtual machine example: Mac computer running Windows 7
The below video explains further virtual machines
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