UUIS8000 - Global Information System Strategy: Kathmandu Retailer

This report provides a detailed analysis of the global information system strategy for Kathmandu Holdings Ltd, a multinational retailer. It examines the company's current IT infrastructure, identifies challenges in IT infrastructure management, and discusses emerging strategies. The report also explores the potential of big data for Kathmandu, including its opportunities, drawbacks, and a recommended big data strategy. Key areas covered include influential computing platforms, data acquisition issues, computing and provisioning management, data storage architectures, data analytics, and network connectivity. The analysis aims to provide insights and recommendations for improving Kathmandu's IT infrastructure and leveraging big data for business advantage.

Running head: GLOBAL INFORMATION SYSTEM STRATEGY
Global Information System Strategy: Kathmandu Retailer
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................2
2. IT Infrastructure as well as Emerging Technologies with Management Issues.....................3
2.1 Description of Current IT Infrastructure of Kathmandu Retailer....................................3
2.2 Identification of Challenges and Issues faced by Company for their Information
Technology Infrastructure Management................................................................................5
2.3 Discussion and Proper Analysis of Recent Emerging Strategies with Proper Reasoning
................................................................................................................................................7
2.4 Critical Reflection over the Challenges and Issues for Successful IT Infrastructure
Management with the Emerging Technology........................................................................8
3. Background of Big Data and Recommended Strategy for Kathmandu...............................10
3.1 Defining Big Data..........................................................................................................10
3.2 Potential of the Big Data................................................................................................10
3.3 Using Big Data in the Businesses..................................................................................11
3.4 Opportunities as well as Advantages from the Big Data...............................................11
3.5 Drawbacks and Problems of the Big Data.....................................................................12
3.6 Future of the Big Data and the Next Steps to Take Big Data Benefits..........................13
3.7 Detailed Recommendation of Big Data Strategy...........................................................13
4. Conclusion............................................................................................................................14
References................................................................................................................................16

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1. Introduction
An important and extremely popular or famous transnational retail stores chain, which
is subsequently responsible to sell several types of equipment as well as adventure apparel or
even travel of the UK or United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is known as
Kathmandu Holdings Limited. This specific company is termed as the principal retail of
cloths and it eventually consists of more than 163 stores. Kathmandu Holdings Ltd was being
founded by two entrepreneurs, John Pawson and Jan Cameron during the year of 1987 only
after properly following the sales of the ALP Sports Cloth label (Kathmandu.co.nz. 2019).
Within the respective year, 1992, they decided to establish significant strong operations for
the target audiences of Australia and hence they again entered retail market place in New
Zealand. Several significant or vital services and products of Kathmandu Holdings Ltd are
accessories and gears and even outdoor or travel related apparels (Kathmandu.co.nz. 2019).
Total revenue in the last year for this particular organization was 445.35 million NZ dollars
and they are being serving their numerous customers in United Kingdom, Australia, New
Zealand, United States and Germany.
The main as well as the most noteworthy business related procedures of Kathmandu
Holdings Ltd clothing retail are the good administration, internal controls, better customer
service, good product inventories, innovative designing and store management. The
respective data about the clients, products, services, sales and revenue are eventually and
easily being handled without any kind of complexities. As Kathmandu Holdings Ltd is a
large business, some of the significant business functionalities subsequently fall outside than
their operational department. Furthermore, they also comprise of few other distinct
departments regarding information technology, accounting and finance, marketing and HR.
Within the small branches of Kathmandu, each and every position majorly fall under
significant business operations. This report will be outlining a detailed discussion about

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information technology infrastructure as well as the entire case study for Kathmandu
Holdings Ltd. Relevant details would be given in the following report.
2. IT Infrastructure as well as Emerging Technologies with Management Issues
2.1 Description of Current IT Infrastructure of Kathmandu Retailer
Infrastructure of information technology can be stated as the proper combination of
computer network, software and human resources that eventually allow any specific
organization to deliver the major IT services to their respective customers (Passey &
Samways 2016). Several components of the IT infrastructure of that organization comprise of
Internet connectivity, software, hardware and various others. Hardware is considered as one
of the most important requirement here and hence it is nearly impossible to complete any
specific IT service. The respective organization needs desktop equipment, routers, switches
and servers. The hardware can be termed as completely useless without the software and thus
it is much more important as hardware within infrastructure of IT (Ingebrigtsen et al. 2014).
This software mainly involves CRM or customer-relationship management, ERP or
enterprise resource planning as well as productivity application. Some of the most significant
applications could be easily developed by organizational IT department based on the business
requirements of organization.
The connection of Internet is extremely vital to conduct the modernized businesses
and thus the network connectivity became quite necessary to the employees, who could easily
connect through emails, access to web and even phone services through VoIP. The switches,
router and networking hub are also being set up for this particular purpose (Ancker et al.
2013). The organizational members, who are in-charge of the organizational IT
infrastructures are considered within the company. Every IT professional such as network
administrator, developer and system administrator eventually check the needs to determine

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hardware and software. Each and every above mentioned component in the information
technology infrastructure are completely dependent on each other (Stein et al. 2015).
Kathmandu Holdings Ltd needs hardware, software and even networking to complete their
business functions and all other components are absolutely useless without an involvement of
organizational members to buy them, keep them and finally configure them perfectly. This
kind of IT infrastructure hence enables an efficient as well as effective communication with
each of the member, who is not at all familiar with any other element (Nielsen, Mathiassen &
Newell 2014). Moreover, the information technology infrastructure could even be referred to
as the amalgamated collection of software, hardware, networks and facilities and are thus
used to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control and also support the respective services of IT.
Current infrastructure of information technology of this particular organization of
Kathmandu consists of several associated people, processes and documentation and these are
extremely important infrastructure parts (Tiwana, Konsynski & Venkatraman 2013). The
subsequent network switch could also be described as a device that is responsible for
providing subsequent connections between two or more network devices on the LAN. The
switch consists of various ports that can link to any other network device such as server, other
switch and router. They even enable two distinct devices on the network to forward to device
traffic. The IT infrastructure also involves the router that could move network packets and
thus enabling every device for getting divided on the several local area networks after
determining the next hops and allowing network packets to get to that destination (Okumus
2013). Kathmandu has also kept firewalls in the current IT infrastructure for securing their
network edges. The sources as well as the respective destinations of these firewalls efficiently
allow the system within communication to the internal webserver. The port also defines
network traffic type to get allowed from the sources to the destinations in the information
technology infrastructure of Kathmandu.

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2.2 Identification of Challenges and Issues faced by Company for their Information
Technology Infrastructure Management
Main or core purpose of this type of management of IT infrastructure is to provide
significant control and management of functions, which are majorly responsible to the
differentiated technical operation, which generally involve software, hardware and
networking in both the physical and virtual environments (Shaikh & Karjaluoto 2015). An
important objective of such management is to reduce the total downtime and even to maintain
the total productivity of the business. Furthermore, the important responsibilities of IT
infrastructure management are management or administration of the core operational
components for the purpose of proactively, efficiently and effectively utilizing technology
and relevant information or data. Each and every component includes proper involvements of
policies, software, virtual facilities, storage, servers, staffing, computers, networking and data
to make up the complete information technology infrastructure (Taipaleenmäki & Ikäheimo
2013). Thus it is closely associated to the overall corporate operations, strategies and goals.
Kathmandu Holdings Ltd is extremely efficient for management of their IT
infrastructure and even to obtain better competitive benefits within their business. However,
few important as well as significant issues and challenges are also present, which are being
confronted by them and all of them must be removed under all circumstances. The
noteworthy challenges of Kathmandu are given below:
i) Lack of Influential Computing Platforms: The first as well as the most significant
challenge that Kathmandu Holdings Ltd has confronted during the management of IT
infrastructure is lack of proper and influential computing platforms (D'Arcy et al. 2014). It is
mainly because of the reason that there is a growing processed power of systems or the
organizational management has been checking for better and faster systems, which will be
useful for faster processing of large amount of data.

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ii) Issues with the Data Acquisitions: The next subsequent and noteworthy issue or
problem, which this particular organization has been confronting in their business is the
challenge with data acquisitions. Firewalls, which are responsible for protecting their emails,
applications and web browsing can eventually cause within packet losses in the respective
TCP/IP network. It can also result in subsequent loss of data and then minimizing network
speeds to make online collaboration almost not possible.
iii) Management of Computing as well as Provisioning: Another noteworthy
problem, which is extremely common for the organization of Kathmandu Holdings Ltd is the
management of computing as well as provisioning (Mithas & Rust 2016). These several
managers of information technology even confront the challenge during management of the
bulky and accessible data amount. The high performance computing of large data set will
mainly need perfect automation and virtualization to avoid extra discrete addition to these
types of processes. The core problem for all of these information technology managers is the
simplification of tasks as well as speeding up of procedures.
iv) Lack of Effective Data Storage Architectures: Another important issue or
problem that is quite common for this organization of Kathmandu Holdings Ltd is the
subsequent lack of the effective or efficient data storing architectures. The respective cloud
storages have thus undertaken in few of the important cases within a cost effective and
scalable or flexible manner to store the respective data (Alreemy et al. 2016). It does not
provide the needed data storing architecture, which can even accommodate several significant
applications. The organizational IT department needs a proper flexible as well as scalable
feature, which is beyond the space and cost in cloud storage options.
v) Improving organizational Data Analytics: It is termed as the fifth or next vital
challenge or problem, which is being confronted by the organization of Kathmandu Holdings

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Ltd in the country of New Zealand. Presently, this organization does not comprise of few
methodologies within their business, which can be useful for the company’s IT managers for
separating high quality based data from large datasets (Coeckelbergh 2013). Hence, it is quite
important for this company for identification of the most significant data pattern and also for
accurate analysis of them to use the undertaking of business related decisions in the
management of IT infrastructure.
vi) Incorrect Network and Connectivity: The sixth or the last problem or challenge
that is being faced by this company Kathmandu holdings Ltd is in the incorrect network
connectivity. For the purpose of making their organization to complete their works in smooth
manner, it is extremely important that there should be a reliable as well as better network.
Without this type of flexible and reliable network connectivity, the entire management of IT
infrastructure can be referred to as one of the most problematic task to the respective IT
manager of Kathmandu (Shih et al. 2013). The newer methods of software and network
architecture design are also required to obtain optimization within the data.
2.3 Discussion and Proper Analysis of Recent Emerging Strategies with Proper
Reasoning
The recent emerging strategies of this particular company of Kathmandu Holdings
Ltd of New Zealand are not as efficient for their business as they should have been and hence
to make these strategies more effective and to undertake relevant decisions for the business it
is required to be more competitive in comparison to others (Lainer, Mann & Sönnichsen
2013). This specific organization has a significant strategy to undertake the major benefits
from various emerging technologies to intend to get established eventually. One of the major
recommendations for them is to utilize artificial intelligence or AI technology. As they are
eventually expanding their business worldwide, it is quite vital for Kathmandu to make the
services and products extremely efficient or even better in comparison to others and thus

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gaining high competitive benefits. This technology of artificial intelligence can also be stated
as the most significant methodology to make the software, computer-controlled robots and
systems to think logically in a same manner how an intelligent human can think and take
decisions. There are some of the major actions, which are major responsible to maximize the
overall chance for their goal achievement (Fortunati, Pertierra & Vincent 2013). It is a core
ability of the system to correctly interpret the external datum with the purpose of learning
from the datum and thus using all of the learnings in a significant achievement of even
specific objectives or goals. Kathmandu can get better competitive advantages or benefits
after successful implementation of artificial intelligence in the business.
The emerging technology of AI is being recommended for the company of
Kathmandu to obtain the major benefits, which it provides to its customer (Carter 2015). The
major objectives of this particular technology of artificial intelligence would be successful
creation of expert system. This advantage can be termed as much effective for Kathmandu
Holdings Ltd to remove the respective manual issues regarding infrastructure and IT systems.
These types of systems consist of the core capability to display intelligent behaviour and thus
giving their users with relevant advice. The bulk volume of data can be easily as well as
promptly controlled with the AI technology and can be used proficiently (Goldin & Katz
2018). Furthermore, the minimization of errors, fast decision making, regular applications,
digital assistants as well as problematic explorations are the next vital and substantial
benefits, which they could gain from artificial intelligence.
2.4 Critical Reflection over the Challenges and Issues for Successful IT Infrastructure
Management with the Emerging Technology
The various challenges or issues and challenges, which this organization of
Kathmandu Holdings Limited within New Zealand are eventually confronting for their proper
management of IT infrastructure with any type of emerging technology are provided below:

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i) High Costs: The major as well as important challenge or issue in this case is the
subsequent high costs. The hardware and as the software need to get updated accordingly and
periodically to meet all types of requirements (Duffy & Jonassen 2013). These machines need
constant repairing and proper maintenance, which need extra expenses. As these extra
expenses are being incurred in the emerging technology of AI, it is highly needed for
maintaining a stabilized balance of expenses within the departments and business needs.
ii) Lacking of Think Out of the Box: The next distinct or vital problem and issue,
which is being confronted by the organization of Kathmandu to manage their IT
infrastructures would be lacking of to think out of the box. The computer controlled robots
hence can do that work that they are being programmed to do (Strohmeier 2013). All of such
robots can also act differently outside the algorithms and programming, which is properly
kept by them in the respective internal circuits. By the subsequent utilization of AI, the
computers cannot think separately during creation of any particular system. As, machines of
artificial intelligence could not think out of the box, the various newer ideas or experiences
will be enhanced subsequently.
iii) Complete Dependency on Machine: The next subsequent issue or challenge that
is being confronted by Kathmandu for their effective management of IT infrastructure would
be that the subsequent business has complete dependency on the respective machines and
systems (Bardhan, Krishnan & Lin 2013). Few of the organizational members are absolutely
dependent over the several applications and with this type of distinct assistance from systems,
the subsequent thinking abilities are eventually decreasing.
iv) Lacking of Power Distribution: Another significant and noteworthy challenge
faced by the organization of Kathmandu holdings Ltd for management of IT infrastructure is
the lack of power distribution equally. This power cannot be spread under any type of

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circumstance and thus this particular emerging technology of AI can carry out a dangerous
risk to take control from organizational members.
3. Background of Big Data and Recommended Strategy for Kathmandu
3.1 Defining Big Data
Big data can be stated as the collection of several data sets that are quite large and
complicated for the application software of traditional processing of data to maintain
adequacy (Miller, Welford & Daino 2013). These data with the various cases subsequently
offer high statistical power, whereas these data with the higher complexity may lead to high
rate of false discover. All of the big data subsequently describe the large structured, semi-
structured and even unstructured data volume that consist of the most significant potential to
be mined within information and even used in the projects of machine learning or any other
advanced analytics application. These big data can also be featured by 3Vs of velocity,
volume and variety in which the data must be processed properly (Schiller 2014). The
respective voluminous data can also come from various sources and the data may be left in
the raw form or is pre-processed with data preparation as well as data mining tool before
being analysed.
3.2 Potential of the Big Data
The big data potential can be termed as quite higher and every company, who is
utilizing larger-scale data gathering is eventually using this kind of data to shape their
organizational strategies. The main potential of these big data would be that these are
responsible for creating perfect system to gain success (Ullah & Lai 2013). All these kinds of
systems can provide proper benefits to their customers. Major changes are then embraced
with the efficiency and effectiveness. The big data analytics can even easily authenticate the

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path of organization to bring success. Moreover, they can even offer a new pathway to such
changes. The big data hence are majorly responsible in this kind of potential.
3.3 Using Big Data in the Businesses
The big data comprise of numerous uses within business. The organization of
Kathmandu Holdings Ltd has several uses and applications to provide the customer insights
to obtain simple or transparent products only after analysis as well as prediction of customer
behaviours through data, which are derived from feedbacks and social media (Lee, Thomas &
Baskerville 2015). The overall customer experience can be enhanced and hence all other
objectives include reduction of cost, making previously existing procedures and even better-
targeted marketing. The other important big data uses for any particular business are the
trying to decide whether true values are possible or not, evaluating the sizes for marketing
chances, developing newer services and products to utilize the big data and several others.
3.4 Opportunities as well as Advantages from the Big Data
The most significant opportunities as well as advantages, which are being accessed
from the data sets of big datum are provided below:
i) Cost Saviour: The first or the foremost important and significant opportunity or
benefit, which is being gained from big data within business is the cost saviour (Zhilenkov &
Chernyi 2015). Few of these important technologies and tools of the big data such as Hadoop
and cloud-based analytics can significantly bring crucial cost advantages as soon as the large
amounts of data are being stored and each and every tool can be helpful to proper
identification of effective methodologies for doing business.
ii) Minimization of Time: Another subsequent and vital benefit of the big data for any
business is the significant time consumption minimization. The high speed of big data tools
like Hadoop and the in-memory analytics can hence easily or promptly identify the new data