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Running Header: Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
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Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Executive Summary
In the report, ranges of tools are used for analyzing the strategic significance of the
project. There is a wide variety of data available through all the sources, it is important to
manage and use the relevant and refined information that is possible by using information
system. The project that is discussed in this report is “Antivirus software”, the objective of this
project is to make sure that no viruses or bugs hit the system. Many advanced tools and
technology are used to offer security to the system. This project is chosen as threats and internet
crimes are increasing day by day. Thus, it is necessary to develop antivirus software. Various
tools are used by the organization for development process. The motive behind development of
this project is to prevent the sensitive data from being leaked. Thus, it is important to secure the
system from all the bugs and viruses so that it doesn’t affect the performance of the system.

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................6
Analysis of selected case and its organizational context, problem statement, project objectives...6
Evaluation of the current state of the organizations IS/IT technology............................................7
Impact of IT project on society and organization............................................................................7
Process and methods used for selecting the IT project....................................................................8
Justifications for selected methodologies........................................................................................9
Tools and applications used by an organization in the system development process.....................9
Critical analysis of the alignment of a selected project with the strategic goals and improvement
opportunities..................................................................................................................................10
The scope of the project, major features, project limitations, and issues related to scope changes
.......................................................................................................................................................11
Methods of investigation...............................................................................................................12
Methods for keeping the project in the budget..............................................................................14
A justification for poor performance or failure of the IT project..................................................14
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
Recommendation...........................................................................................................................17
References......................................................................................................................................18

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Introduction
The software or the systems that are utilized by the business organizations for managing and
analyzing the available data can be termed as the information system. Hence, the business
organizations work with huge data and the same is collected and stored to maintain records for
future trade and transactions. Data are the values or the facts and same are organized in the
database. The prime objective of the information system is the transformation of raw data into
useful information (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017). This refined information will be proven
advantageous in the number of aspects such as the entity can make use of data for resolving
problems, or can also be used while taking decisions. Database management system and
electronic spreadsheet are the two major examples of information management systems that can
be used by the business corporation for analyzing and managing the data so that it can be used
for further transactions. These mechanisms monitor, manage, analyze, and filter the data to a
refined form that will aid the entity in increasing the performance and productivity. The above
mentioned are the best tools or mechanisms that are used by the organizations for maintaining
varied range of data. Bitdefender is the business corporation in Romania that is offering cyber
security solutions and services to the other organizations. The report is executed, for developing
an IT project for the selected business.
Analysis of selected case and its organizational context, problem statement, project
objectives
The selected project case is “Antivirus Software Development” by the organization named
Bitdefender which Romanian cyber security and anti-virus software company; the project is
based on developing an antivirus/ antimalware software (Alamri, Almutiri, Ballahmar and Zafar,
2016). This software is a kind of computer program, designed to detect threats and malware and
remove them. The above-mentioned organization that is Bitdefender has the biggest and largest
security delivery all over the world. Bitdefender has around 500 million networks of machines
on the globe which makes it more efficient. The main problem faced by online networking or
businesses is the threat of malware and viruses so to solve an issue antivirus software has to be
developed. This project’s main objectives are, to detect all the modified and persistent threats,
protecting the company from any kind of ransomware etcetera. For developing the software, the

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
budget is around $250,000-$500,000 because at this price range the software is expected to have
everything that is necessary for its functionality. It will also include all kind of advanced
technologies to defeat or detect every kind of threats. This software is unique in its own kind and
has so many advanced features such as pre-installed manual security scans, configuring basic
security and eliminating threats (Cassidy, 2016). The software is also installed with the latest
firewalls and the scanner system, which ensures the safety of the data that, belongs to the user.
Evaluation of the current state of the organizations IS/IT technology
As the time progresses, information technology has become very important. Bitdefender is an IT
security company and it uses the best and latest kind of technology for project development and
task completion. Let it be software development or any other kind of IT related task, the above-
mentioned company totally depends on the IT service (Cassidy, 2016). Presently, Bitdefender is
using the best-advanced technology for all the software products and providing security to its
customers who want to get rid of hackers and scammers to protect the valuable information and
data of the company from them. Bitdefender provides protection to its clients against any kind of
intrusion. It acts as a wall between the customer and the person who is trying to steal the
information or in other words, hackers. With the latest IT technology and techniques, the
company has been successful in providing network security against the bad actors like hackers.
Along with the enhanced network security, it has managed to keep the customers up to date,
warning them about ever-evolving harms or obstacles (Kecmanovic, Galliers, Henfridsson,
Newell and Vidgen, 2014). The company is also working on developing a multi-faceted data
breaching techniques to make the system more secure.
Impact of IT project on society and organization
The reason behind choosing Antivirus Software as a project is due to increasing threats and
hacking as the time progresses, Antivirus software is the best example to provide security against
these type of threats that can harm the data (Fleisher and Bensoussan, 2015). In addition, since
antivirus software is providing protection to all the online business or data storage and mostly to
small businesses which are most likely to get affected. Because of increasing threats due to
viruses and malware, the antivirus software is the best technique to fight it.

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
SWOT analysis:
Strengths- Best virus filters to block all kind of viruses and malware etcetera. Low budget
compared to other competitors from the market. There should be easy and simple features for a
better and easier experience (Liebowitz and Frank, 2016). Along with that acquisitions
agreement that led to merging has helped the company expand its projects.
Weaknesses- Although the software is lacking the auto-update feature which is a drawback.
Unavailability of auto-update feature prevents the complete security and until the user does not
update the software he or she cannot unveil all the security features.
Opportunities- it will give the chance to integrate with other software organization or internet
providers. More and more people can be aware of the threats and harms related to viruses,
malware, ransom wares etcetera (Soomro, Shah and Ahmed, 2016). Apart from that, expanding
the area of expertise in the IT field offers products a different range of operating systems.
Threats- major threats can be because of malicious threats that go undetected. Another threat
can be because of new entrants and competition from them (Stair and Reynolds, 2017). Some of
the companies are providing an almost similar product at a very low budget, therefore it is also a
huge threat. Some of the people try to copy the other company's work, which is called piracy,
and then they sell it at a very low price. Piracy can be a huge threat to the company.
Process and methods used for selecting the IT project
The company faced a few issues in the IT earlier and on the company’s website few malware
were detected so to resolve the issue IT experts examined the website thoroughly. After carefully
evaluating the website, the data from each department of the company and the preexisting
records were checked and at the very end, market research was done (Barata and Cunha, 2017).
After observing, each aspect related to the issues, a report was concluded that stated the basic
requirement of antivirus software for protecting the data (Soomro, Shah and Ahmed, 2016).
Because of the continuous malware attack, the network security was on the verge of vulnerability
so, in order to prevent that from happening, the need for developing software was felt (Tarter,
2017). In addition, it was made clear that the software should be such that which can protect the
company from all rather undetected threats. The situation was discussed with the superiors and

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
the whole team and many reviews and feedbacks were taken from the team. After all those group
meetings and discussion, the group came to the realization about the basic requirements that need
to be added in the project and how it can solve the pre-existing issues. Since the network,
security is of utmost importance in the company’s business system and its growth that is why it
is required to be handled accordingly.
Justifications for selected methodologies
The research included every aspect and perspective that can help solve the situation. The main
issue was, resolving the security threat that got neglected by the preexisting software despite its
advanced use of technology (Westney, 2017). And for that company took much decision in order
for to resolve the issue completely, but according to me, few features could have been added in
the software that would have enhanced the security along with easier experience for the user.
Features like offline update or auto update could have added, that would have made it more
secure. More option could have added to prevent data breaches by multifaceted approaches and
the new software kind of lack those features. The more advanced system would have been able
to keep the security software into a fighting shape whether it's online or offline and software
would be always prepared for any kind of threats. Another feature that could have been inserted
is specificity. Specificity should be able to specify a different kind of threats and then fight it
accordingly with the help of pre-installed combat mode. Server management and monitoring of
server in a specialized manner to increase the security would also have been a great feature,
which could have prevented all kind of undetected threats no matter how small they are (Mehta,
Kottomtharayil, Chatterjee and Vault 2017). However, all in one the software created by the
company is also a great product and unique in its own way.
Tools and applications used by an organization in the system development process
The process of production of antivirus software requires many steps and tools. One of the basic
requirement is the knowledge of C++ and along with the strong understanding and knowledge of
the current operating system. Programming language also plays a major role in the development
of antivirus software (Kailash et al., 2018). The very first step while creating the AV software is
the accessibility to virus signatures or virus database that will provide the complete information
about the virus or malware and specify them with the help of their unique bytes. Other tools like

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
removal algorithm, prevention algorithm, detecting algorithm etcetera are required along with
their good knowledge and to make the software more secure and for extra protection, Firewall
system and Scanning system are need to be installed.
Figure 1Software Development process
Critical analysis of the alignment of a selected project with the strategic goals and
improvement opportunities
Bitdefender is an IT based company, which provides cyber security all over the world, and its
goal is to provide best cyber protection to the world. In order to build the trust among its
customers, Bitdefender requires to provide the best and trusted services to its clients and for that
this project is the best (Karplus, 2017). Since the cyber security is Bitdefender’s best forte, this
project is providing them with the competitive advantage among all the competitors. And by
being the best and advanced in terms of technology the goal of an organization is to be connected
to a large number of a target audience and provide them with the best services. This project has
allowed the company to build the project according to the latest technology and the client's
demands and also to improve and enhance the client's experience (Karabašević, et. al, 2018).

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
This project is kind of an opportunity for the company to improve their forte and their
preexisting IT strategies. Because of some kind of loophole in the previous IT strategy the
company is facing this issue now, that is why by improving the IT sector they can improve their
services and therefore the goal of the organization will be achieved easily. There are so many
ways in which this situation can be seen as an opportunity, for instance, it is providing the
company with a chance to modify their previous services (Cook, 2017). This opportunity can
help a company in gaining more customers because of advanced features in the product, the
company will gain the competitive advantage over other brands and companies by providing the
services in a better format and modified too (Hotchkiss, 2017). All these opportunities can help
the company to achieve its goal easier and faster and help the company to expand its business
more with the increasing demand of better antivirus software for the protection of networks all
over the world.
The below presented are some of the opportunities that if grabbed by the management of the
entity will bring improvements and advancements in the business:
1. Mergers and collaborations with some multinational corporations can be considered as
one of the biggest opportunity for the firm that will bring improvements for the firm.
2. Expansions and establishments will also bring new opportunities for the organization, as
the entity will have access over the new market regions. Entering the new market regions
will aid in boring and adapting new and better technologies from that region.
The scope of the project, major features, project limitations, and issues related to scope
changes
The main scope of the project is to make the networking experience better and safer for everyone
and prevent the data and useful information from being leaked and manipulated. Its major
features include safety from hackers and spammers, detecting malware and viruses and then
removing them, running manual security scanning, configuring basic security (Brandwagt 2018).
All these features are to provide protection and prevent security breaches and to troubleshoot all
the problems and eventually resulting in removal of all kinds of threats. The more important
feature is to provide the user with the basic knowledge of the actions taken by the company to
remove the threat by providing the user with a feedback.

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
But along with that, there are few limitations related to the project like it is a bit costly and it’s
manufacturing budget is slightly high, specificity to detect malware differently is also absent.
Another drawback is that it requires the manual update, which means that the auto-update is
absent, and without updating the software, the user cannot use the full security features (Fuller,
Valacich, George and Schneider, 2017). Another limitation is the lack of specificity, which
makes it more prone to the malware and increases the vulnerability affecting the security. While
updating there comes a lag time when the antivirus software interacts with another software
which allows other malware to affect the system easily and retrieve all kind of information that
they want to from the user's system. That information can be manipulated and used by the
hackers for their own benefit. Last but not the least is a piracy issue, which is very common.
Because of increasing demand for more secure software more people are buying and those who
cannot afford it go for the pirated version, which is very dangerous for any kind of use.
Methods of investigation
There are varied ranges of contemporary methods and mechanisms that can be adopted by
Bitdefender for investigating the methods for creating the schedules of the project and the
methods used by the teams or the managers for controlling the project schedule (Romero, Usart,
Pearlson, Saunders and Galletta, 2016). Gantt chart is one of the best options that is used for
presenting the required details of the project.
Operations/
stages
Week
1
Week1
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
4
Wee
k 6
Wee
k 7
Wee
k 8
Objectives of
Plan
ü
Developing
Work Plan
Submission of
Theoretical
Outline
Approval on
the submitted

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
outline
Submission of
model of IT
project
Approval on
the submitted
outline
Marketing
Objective
Strategy
Development
Strategy
Implementation
(STP)
Segmentation,
targeting and
positioning
Promotional
mix
Evaluation of
the strategy
Alterations (if
any)
Business
commencement
Final
presentation

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Methods for keeping the project in the budget
The manager is expected to manage each aspect while developing a project, and managing
expenses are one of the crucial tasks (Ott, 2015). The manager can make use of the varied range
of tools and methods to maintaining the expenses incurred during the development of the project.
The IT team of Bitdefender is developing Antivirus system and the below mentioned are the
methods that can be used for managing the expenses:
An analogous budget tool is the first method that can be used by the IT manager. This makes use
of the actual costs from a previous project for developing the estimation of the current project.
This method will be proven best for the repeated project in the workplace (Goetsch and Davis,
2014). An analogous budget tool is an affordable medium as compared to other methods and will
be proven advantageous for Bitdefender while managing the budget for the project. The second
method that can be used by the entity is the parametric estimate. Under this budgets use
standardized mathematical calculations or parameters for determining the cost of a project
budget. This budget tool may be based on cost-accounting information such as process costing
tools or cost allocation methods that attribute business costs to goods and services.
A justification for poor performance or failure of the IT project
The following project was overall a successful project because of its advanced and latest
technology used but there are some challenges faced by the project, which are as follows:
Absence of auto update- Keeping the software up to date and updating it again and again
manually is a very big challenge and a problem (Vasconcelos, Kimble, Carreteiro and Rocha,
2017). Sometimes when it is not updated then the person or client will not be able to use all the
security features at the time, becomes vulnerable to malware and virus attack, and is a major
drawback. It could have been prevented by installing offline auto update or online auto update in
it and through that it would have been easier for the client to use the software in more easier way.
Absence of specificity- The current project is not able to differentiate between the different type
of malware and viruses and as a result, it allows some of the malware to pass the system.
Because of these irresponsible behaviors, user’s security is on the verge of vulnerability and
anyone can use that and later manipulate it (Galliers and Leidner, 2014). Another drawback of
this feature is frequent cyber-attacks, endangering the valuable data of the user.

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Prone to new vulnerabilities- This software is manufactured by mostly using the old techniques
and traditional methods so it is very much prone to the new type of vulnerabilities and attacks.
Since the hackers are becoming smart nowadays and using new techniques to get entered into the
system and this has created a difficult situation for the AV software to detect all those threats at
the same time.
High cost- Since it is the latest software and has used so many new technologies in its
production, therefore, its budget is higher than any other software available in the market. Due to
the high prices, it gives other people the opportunity to sell their product more and loses its own
competitive advantage, which is a failure in a way (Kecmanovic, Galliers, Henfridsson, Newell
and Vidgen, 2014). Piracy issues also arise because of the situation. Due to high prices, other
companies start making its replica and sell that a very low price, therefore affecting the actual
sale of the company and increasing more and more pirated software sales. Pirated software is
more prone to antivirus because of their low quality and can also be used as a transfer medium to
transfer the virus and malware.
Interaction with other software- An unnecessary interaction of the current software with other
software can invite malware. Because of the connection between antivirus software with
software during the lag time while getting updated can be an opportunity for the malware to get
entered into the system. This affects the user's data and private information. Because of such
irresponsible behavior, the user's data comes on the verge of vulnerability and can be leaked
easily and then get manipulated by the hackers and scammers. Hackers use this information for
their own personal use and affecting the user’s business or personal life. This might also occur
due to lack of multifaceted data breaches and therefore complexes everything. It includes data
loss, valuable information leak.
The below presented are the suggestions on the above-mentioned justification for the poor
performance the IT project:
 The system requires to develop an option of auto-update
 Some features and updates are required to be added that will enable the system in
differentiating the malware and viruses.

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
 Alternatives and substitutes should be discovered so as they can be used as a back-up
plan in case of any occurrence contingent event.
Conclusion
After summing up the above-executed analysis, it has been concluded, that information
management system is one of the best contemporary methods for analyzing, managing, storing
and refining the available data with the business organization. The above report is focused on
Bitdefender an Australian organization that is offering cyber-security solutions to the clients and
the entity is developing Antivirus system for tackling the issues from hackers and other threats.

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
Recommendation
It is important to protect the business from all the bugs and viruses. To avoid the chances of
threats it is recommended that the system should be updated to latest software’s that enables to
secure the system from all the malwares and viruses. The back- up of the information should be
taken on regular basis. So, that at time of attacks no information gets lost and business continues
to work. Thus, Bitdefender that are offering security solutions to the organization tackle all the
issues and threats. It is recommended that the antivirus software should be updated regularly and
should notify whenever a bug is found

Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
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Managing Information Systems/Technology Projects
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