Basic Concepts of SAN and its Benefits

This article provides an overview of the basic idea of SAN or Storage Area Network. It discusses the system architecture, high availability mechanisms, and benefits of SANs. It also explores the features of NTFS and different ways to check if a hard drive is formatted with NTFS.

Week 1
The article talks about the basic idea or concept of SAN or Storage Area Network.
SANs compile the storage devices such as SSDs, HDDs, tape libraries, disk arrays etc. into
one virtual storage unit, which is managed centrally. SAN operates alongside LAN (Local
Area Network).
The article describes the basic system architecture of the SANs. The fundamentals
required to set up the SAN server includes fiver channel fabric, storage elements such as disk
arrays, multiple SSDs or hard disk drives (HDDs) for mass storage purposes. Apart from that,
SANs require specifically configured servers for controlling data access in an optimal
manner. The LAN connects with the terminal devices and storage networks. On the other
hand, the host bus adapters (HBAs) and the other special hardware interfaces are connected
to the fiber channel switch.
Thereafter, the article encompasses the basic mechanisms of setting up a storage area
network for ensuring high availability. The redundant storage cycles are related to RAID
implementations where the RAID system is mirrored in two separate physical storage
devices. Apart from that, the paper presents a brief and concise overview of the major
benefits and advantages of storage area networks (SANs). According to the study, cross
connections and multipathing done based on fiber channel fabric significantly help in the
prevention of overloading in order to ensure a constant and consistent availability of the
stored data in the SANs.
Thereby, the article introduces NTFS (New Technology File System) and investigates
to see if a particular hard drive is formatted as NTFS. In other words, the article demonstrates
the different ways that can be followed in order to check if a hard drive is formatted with
NTFS. Firstly, user disk management is a comparatively easy way to see the status of

multiple disk drives. Apart from that, Windows Explorer can be used for directly checking
whether a hard drive is formatted with NTFS file system. Command prompt is another way to
check if the details and status of file systems through the command line interface. Lastly, the
paper also includes a brief description of the NTFS features including the file attributes, EFS
(Encrypting File System) as well as the potential alternatives of NTFS such as the FAT file
system or the exFAT file system.

Week 3
The week 3 article is based on the FTTN (Fiber to the Node) NBN (National
Broadband Network). The paper starts off with a thorough definition of FTTN NBN,
focusing on the main features and characteristics of Fiber to the Node NBN. The FTTN
typically use old copper lines for establishing the main connections and thus, it is less
expensive if compared to the other types of NBN connections. However, the FFTN
connections essentially involves certain downsides or drawbacks in terms of the provided
speed and the degree of reliability of the established connections. More so, because, the old
copper lines are comparatively weaker than the modern types of connections and at the same
time, these old copper wires are responsible for making up a significant portion of the entire
cabling infrastructure of the Fiber to the Node NBN connections.
In accordance with the study, with respect to the basic speed tier on the FTTN
connection, unlimited data may potentially cost around 40 dollars in a month. In this context,
it is said that multiple service providers usually offer the same connection around 60 dollars
mark. However, when looking for a cheaper broadband alternative, the data capped plans
may be viable. On the other hand, the article agrees that the fiber to the node customers can
be considered as potential alternative connections in terms of the price that they pay. The
FFTN can be thought of the most common type of connection and as a result, many providers
are there to choose from. The article then goes on to show the need or importance of FTTN
NBN.
In addition to that, it ensures that there is no need for special installations or
configurations required from the NBN Co., which is the wholesaler that rolls out the network
and the FTTN connection.

The paper says that the NBN may take up to 18 months for a successful transition
before the old broadband connection can be turned off completely. FTTN access has a
potential speed of 100 Mbps where customers are naturally reliant on the speed and capability
gained based on how far they live from their node. Apart from that, the paper also discusses
about the other types of NBN such as FTTP, FTTB, FTTC, HFC, fixed wireless and
SkyMuster Satellite. Furthermore, the article analyzes the pros and cons of Fiber to the Node
connection by comparing with the NBN alternatives.

Week 4
The article focuses on the TOR browser and its working principles. In other words, it
includes a thorough and concise description of the TOR browser which is The Onion Router
(derived acronym is thus TOR) primarily developed for the purpose of use by the United
States military, and also predominantly in the US Navy. The TOR browser can potentially
mask the IP addresses of users so that proper protection against the theft or stealing of
sensitive data is adequately prohibited.
The article analyzes that implications of applying and using the TOR browser. To be
more precise, it is evident that the primary purpose of using the TOR browser is to mask the
IP address. It can be compared to a proxy connection in order to hide the browsing in terms
of protecting against malicious entities and software. So far in 2015, TOR has also released a
messenger based on the Instabird platform. This TOR messenger will allow the TOR users to
encrypt their data communicated or transferred across the network channels. Many countries
such as the Republic of China closely monitors the internet activities of their people in order
to restrict ways to utilize the internet access. Apart from that, the second most important
reason for using the TOR browser is to prevent the corporations and governments for
collecting metadata and actual data based on the accessed websites and browsing habits.
After that, the article describes how the TOR browser works. The working principle
of TOR is divided into three main parts that can also be viewed as individual and independent
steps so as to mask the IP address, the user network and the request compiler. The TOR
browser takes the steps based on the individual circumstances, which makes it impossible in
pinpointing the information flow. Apart from that, after closing the TOR browser, all the
cookies, all data and histories are sufficiently removed/ deleted from the network and the

device in such a way so that no trace is left relating to the IP address. The legislation of TOR
project is on assisting software, which is described as illegal.
That being said, the article encompasses the major risks associated with the use of
TOR project including the weak points of the whole functions. Along with that, another
popular network attacking is infiltrating as well as leaving malicious software, which is then
embedded in a type of media used for hashing out the IP addresses and sending information
back.

Week 5
Crypto currency investors are exponentially looking to steal money from online
exchanges, which is also referred to as crypto jacking. Storing of crypto currency offline is
looked upon as a precaution. Crypto jacking is also known as malicious crypto mining. This
phenomenon is a newest threat to crypto currency investors. This particular threat has already
surpassed malware in the hacking sphere in terms of the total number of attacks in the year
2018. The Kaspersky reports suggest that more than half of the total number of users already
experienced the crypto jacking attacks in the past few years. In addition to that, the number of
attacks is not expected to decrease because it is still profitable to hackers.
The paper states that crypto jacking essentially refers to the stealing or theft of CPU
or computing processor units for the purpose of mining the crypto currencies. The thousands
of desktop and laptop computers including mobile devices, Windows servers etc. are
associated with crypto mining for powerful computers. This type of attacks are highly
malicious and mainly based on developing malware based scripts. To be more precise, a
downloadable link that contains malware automatically installs on a computer with the sole
purpose of starting mining crypto currency. The in browser JavaScript code is a targeted
method that injects malicious codes into a specific web page. In other words, the machines
that browses the web pages, the site asks for the computer resources.
The paper also focuses on presenting a proper look out for in crypto jacking in the
year 2019. In addition to that, the relatively newer fields that can skill grow, for example, the
MiKroTik routers are subjected to alter the configuration. In addition to that, it also focuses
on installing the Coinhive in all the web pages that are typically served through the router.
Critics typically have arguments over the growth of crypto jacking in terms of the value of

crypto currencies. The coin gained adequate attention from the law enforcement potentially
having the ability to shape the future regulation of the entire industry in general.
Week 7
The article talks about the future trends in the ERP (enterprise resource planning)
systems. According to Sam (2018), the majority of businesses are moving beyond the typical
phases related to the process of acquiring ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software. The
ERP systems are highly adopted in the information technology or IT industry, providing
various effective solutions to business organizations.
The concept of Enterprise Resource Planning comes potentially long ways in terms of
introductions in the middle of the twentieth centuries as the tool for planning productions for
the manufacturers. Apart from that, the article concentrates on explaining the major trends in
the ERP systems applications including the deployment of cloud. To be more precise, the
cloud adoption strategies are growing exponentially and highly becoming popular in most of
the modern organizations. The reduced costs, improved degree of flexibility and
maintenance, efficient disaster recovery and improved security in terms of the entire capital
expenditure reduction and IT resources utilization is attractive.
The companies are gradually attracted towards cloud computing adoption and are
more and more understanding the concept of e-commerce and internet combined, which is an
important role in the development, evolution and adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP). The next trends are based on the increased security requirements mainly due to the
rising number of security breaches along with the growth of IoT (Internet of Things).
Seamless integration of ERP systems with the Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
software is another prominent trend that is rapidly emerging in the forefront of business. This
integration offers potentially adequate advantages and a host of benefits, which involves the

provision of access to real time information as well as efficient tracking of orders and
information. In addition to that, the integration of a brand new ERP system with the existing
functional and operational modules can significantly lead to the reduction of software and
hardware costs. To be more precise, it is even clearer now that the use of social media
channels and interfaces are highly beneficial for the integration of ERP into the old modules
of organizational business processes.
Apart from that, the paper focuses on the various benefits yielded by the integration of
social media with the business processes. Then it talks about mobile accessibility or mobile
ERP systems for opening their business to the opportunities to innovation. For instance, with
the advent of IoT (internet of things), SDN (software defined network), big data and machine
learning, technologies like wearable devices and smart networks are giving the opportunities
for business processes.

Week 8
The article concentrates on the Facebook security breach that exposed the Facebook
accounts of approximately 50 million users. Facebook faces potential scrutiny over the way it
handles the data and information about the users. The attack happened on a Friday, which
targeted the network of Facebook. The breach was discovered as the largest one in the
fourteen years of history of the company.
The project has exploited the different features of Facebook to be able to gain
appropriate access to the Facebook user accounts and thereby, take control over the account
information as input by the users. In this way, the British Analytics firm said to have gained
access to a huge amount of private information, which is up to 87 million users. The
information breach said to have had potential impacts and influences on the elections and also
believed to have led to multiple deaths across a number of countries. Senior executives have
also given their testimonials multiple times in a year with the congressional hearings, in
which some of the lawmakers have presented suggestions regarding the government’s
interference in the social network activities.
In other words, it has been proved that the government needs to step in for acquiring a
tighter control on the social network services. To be more precise, the lawmakers and
regulators have quickly seized the data breach for the purpose of renewing the calls for
gaining a detailed oversight. According to the article, it was the high time for Congress to
step up and undertake appropriate actions and measures for protecting the security and
privacy of the social network and social media users. According to Mark Warner, who is a
Virginian Democrat, Congress is one of the most vocal critics of Facebbok Company.
However, the software flaws that existed in the Facebook’s architecture or systems have

potentially allowed the hackers to exploit the existing vulnerabilities and break into the
Facebook user accounts including their private information.
It also included the top executives from Sheryl Sandberg to Mark Zuckerberg. The
hackers and attackers also gained access to user acconts in Instagram and Spotify, which are
typically logged in using the Facebook app. Therefore, the article helps to point out that the
complex digital environment in today’s world can witness severe negative consequences
when a social media platform like Facebook is compromised. These consequences can be
much more fatal and far reaching in the coming days.

Week 9
The paper is based on the Scrum method, its working principles and best practices in
terms of product development and project management. The process of implementing the
Agile and Scrum practices into a software development team essentially requires a detailed
knowledge on the basics of the Scrum works and with detailed backlog of the products,
Scrum masters etc. Scrum is typically a strategy implemented for developing software
products. The strategy is used for organizing the software developers as a team for reaching a
common goal and creating a product that is ready for the market. According to the definition
of scrum, it can be widely used as a probable subset of the agile method for software
development.
The paper also describes how the Scrum method works or the rugby scrum,
characterized by the heads together for addressing the complicated problems. The list of
features for Scrum involves product backlog and discussion on the things that are to be
completed. According to study, scrum significantly depends on the concept of agile software
development, which is also termed as Sprints. Sprints are an idea of a period of time which is
dedicated to actually performing some practical works for software development purposes. A
typical Sprint has a duration of one week to one month taken for completing a particular item
or task for software development, which has been identified from the backlog. The primary
goal of Sprint is to create a sellable product, where the Sprint ends with a review.
The team is thereby responsible for choosing another piece of product backlog for the
purpose of developing the next item. In this way, a new Sprint will start. A particular Sprint is
consistent and continues to run until the deadline of the project is reached and the project
budget is fully spent. The Scrum team has individual members who work together in a
Sprints for developing the products. The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring the team

complies with the rules while working. On the other hand, the product owner can be thought
of as the customer, which will prioritize the backlogs for coordinating the individual efforts
of each scrum team member. Lastly, the paper discussed the major benefits as well as
disadvantages of scrum along with the best practices to be followed in a Scrum approach to
create ultimate quality products.

Week 10
The paper is based on project governance concepts to demonstrate a proper way for
guiding the companies in proper investment or spending of money. The article distinguishes
the difference between the concept of project governance and project management. Project
governance can be outside the traditional project boundaries, which generally involves a
project sponsor who leads the project to yield a good performance and at the same time, take
into account the risks and their associated mitigation strategies.
The concept of project governance offers the senior management a way to exercise
effective and efficient oversight techniques in order to ensure the project processes and
strategies for the clients to realize the benefits associated with the application of proper
project governance strategy. On the other hand, project management refers to the application
of skills, knowledge, techniques and tools for performing and executing the project activities
for achieving the project objectives. Therefore, the difference between these two approaches
are considered for respecting the project boundaries and respond well in terms of project risks
and unexpected situations.
Lastly, some factors are stated in the paper that can develop a good project
governance strategy. For instance, it is crucial to have a good project sponsor, draw up a
project charter, and have a proper plan and clear reporting strategy as well as definition of
clear roles, responsibilities in order to manage the lessons learned. The above mentioned
activities are essential for ensuring the implementation for project governance strategy.