IT Infrastructure Solution Project

This project requires students to act as a CIO/CSO and design a comprehensive IT infrastructure solution for a growing company. The project involves addressing various challenges, including outdated systems, network upgrades, security concerns, and software development needs. Students must consider factors like system development life cycles, unified process disciplines, core computer systems, building expansion options, connectivity, security, and software replacement strategies. The project also requires students to make recommendations for internet services, shop floor PC requirements, data collection methods, and software development approaches. The project is structured over five weeks, with informal presentations and reviews leading to a final presentation.

Configure an IT infrastructure solution for a small organization,
including a network based on standard technology components, servers,
security devices, and several different types of clients.
You are the CIO/CSO of a company that employs 1,000 people in a
single building. This building is not only houses the office staff but it
has a 100,000 square foot shop where you produce 3 basic products
with 7 different sub systems. You are expecting a growth in business of
10% per year over the next 4 years. You have been running the
business on an old model mid-range computer since 2003. When first
installed your response times were sub-second locally. Your response
times now are 10 to 30 seconds depending on the time of day. There is
a need to have sub 3 second response times. This will be an important
consideration if you decide to acquire a building across the street as a
solution to increase you floor space.
 With the growth in business expected, you will be hiring at least
150 more people, 100 will be on the shop floor, the others will be
in Accounting, Engineering and Sales.
 Your building is too small for the new lines of product so you will
have to acquire another 25,000 sq. ft. of space. It hasn’t been
determined yet as to whether to add on to the existing building or
purchase a site that is available across the street.
 It has been decided that the Accounting, Personnel and
Engineering systems are all antiquated and need to be REPLACED
not modified anymore.
 You have Internet access that you use for research and mail but
your WEB site is hosted in the cloud by a small local firm and
there has been some complaining by customers that the response

time for the site is sporadic and the content leaves a lot to be
desired on SOME of the products.
 One of the products that’s been developed by your company is
crucial to a defense contract that has been awarded to a customer
of yours. They are requiring secure connectivity for the transfer
of Engineering drawings and to have System integration between
your product design team and theirs.
 At this time all of your devices are connected to a LAN with wiring
that is as old as the Mid-Range computer. You have a lot of Tow-
Motors on the floor that have to stop at Kiosks to input their data
as they move and ship the product.
 The Engineering team uses MAC’s but have been complaining
about the limitations on the existing Software for them and the
speed of the machines. They need to go to different more robust
Hardware and Software systems.
 The devices on the floor of the shop need replaced. They are old
PC’s that run specific software back to a central server. This
software can be run on a Mid-range system.
 There is a need to develop/design some new software to meet
the needs of the customer. This will be complex software and
needs to be functional in a year and will need to be supported for
the life of the product.
Some things to think about:
 How many System Development Life Cycles (SDLC), will you have
to design. Show examples
 What will the Disciplines be for the Unified Process, (UP).
 What type of core computer systems will you need?

 What’s your recommendation as to adding on to the building or
purchasing the site across the street.
o How do you support what you chose to do. Good and bad
points of each option.
o Connectivity and security or crucial How do you support and what do you base your decisions on for
the Software that needs replaced. I don’t need specific software.
 What do you do about the Internet situation: Back up with
reasons for your decisions
o Move it in house
o Get a new Cloud provider
o Content of the WEB site
 How powerful do the PC’s on the shop floor really need to be.
 Tow motors process of getting data back to the Mid-range box
 How do you go about developing the new software needed.
o Contractors
o Hire more people
o Get development software
o Time frame must be considered
o How is it supported afterwards
 Security of the system to meet the needs of the Defense
Contractor
 What type of LAN connectivity will you use.
 What type of Wide Area Network – WAN – connectivity will you
use if any.
Even though you don’t have unlimited resources, expenses should not
be the main consideration. Having said that, I will be asking questions

about why you are doing what you are doing and what were the
deciding factors in your choices.
Week 1Each student will do their own project
Week 2: Review any new questions. In class time to work on the
project if time permits
Week 3: Informal presentation to evaluate progress. In class time to
work on project if time permits
Week 4: Final tune up of presentation/s. In class time to work on
project if time permits
Week 5: Presentation/s