IT-based solutions, embracing the newest IT developments throughout the whole organisation Essay Example

IT IT-based solutions, embracing the newest IT developments throughout the whole organisation Essay IT-based solutions, embracing the newest IT developments throughout the whole organisation Essay This reports purpose is to act as a summary, highlighting the consequences that will come to Eden Farm, by them implementing IT-based solutions, embracing the newest IT developments throughout the whole organisation. Hardware Systems: Currently the business is using paper based systems. Three purposed hardware systems that can be used by the Eden Farm Organic Foods business are: * Upgrading and purchasing new computers: This will help the business with storing files and important information. It will also allow the company to communicate via e-mail and video conferencing. A good recommendation for the new systems would be to have at least 100GB Hard Drive to store all the relevant data also a RAM of at least 1GB to allow multiple functions to be used. * Increasing capacity Increasing the capacity of the business will speed up production and allow for more sales. Increasing the capacity of the computer systems will greatly increase the amount of functions the computer will be able to do. * Increasing Communications With the company expanding into different parts of the country there will be a need to easily communicate and advise any department of any needs or changes this can be done by creating a network where all the computer systems with in Eden Farm are connected to the same network allowing internal communications. Software Systems: * Application Software This is a single program that can only do a specific task. It is put into two classes general purpose and bespoke. General purpose application software is software that can be used for many different tasks, and because it is general anyone can get this software. Bespoke application software is software that is custom made and meets a single use. It is a one off piece of software. When a peripheral is connected to a computer a driver may need to be installed to run the peripheral, this driver is a piece of software and can be either an application or an operating piece of software. The driver will communicate between the hardware and software. With the companies new systems there will be need for certain software to manage the computers or certain departments. For example advertising department would need to have graphical software. Also all the computers would need security software for both malware protection and protecting peoples information from thieves and hackers. This will gre atly benefit all departments as each one will have specific software needs. Also the security software will deter thieves and hackers from attempting to abuse the systems also the software fills a requirement for the Data Protection Act. * Specialised Support Software This software will be unique to Eden Farm and help them in the first few months of the new changes to allow them to learn and to adapt to the new way the business is run. This will benefit all the staff and allow them to get up to date with the new system * Internet This will enable instant communications between staff and customers it will also allow for advertisements to be placed for all to see. This will promote the business and make transactions stress free for all. Reasoned recommendations about how Eden Farm can use the IT used within the companies above to benefit the employees and management. Recommendation Impact on Organisation As Eden Farm is expanding it may be difficult for them to keep in contact with other departments. Eden Farm should implement a monthly sales report being sent to the main offices like McDonalds do. This will allow them to ascertain which regions are doing the best, what method of selling is making the largest amount like telesales or the internet. Also it will allow them to see what sort of produce people are most interested in. As the business is moving from paper based systems to computer based then up skilling of the staff will be essential. Otherwise the staff will become useless to Eden Farm and there may be cause for redundancies. As Burnley college allows for home and remote working then it is suggested that Eden Farm create a similar method to allow their staff to communicate and gain access to files This will benefit staff as they will be no need to have to go into work to contact or collect important documents and other things. Also it will allow for department interaction so that there is no more lack of communications. Eden Farm can increase their globalisation by setting up an online ordering system, which will allow anyone anywhere to purchase from them, instead of the customers having to call up or visit the shop they will simply use the website. This can increase sales figures and the customer range so that the business can keep on expanding possibly to other countries. A list of risks while using IT that Eden Farm may encounter and how they can be managed. Antivirus packages and Back Ups: A virus checker is a piece of software that prevents viruss wrecking a computer they do this by corrupting work, deleting files and changing settings. They scan the entire computer in all of the files and folders in order to find all if any viruses, when found they can either attempt to heal the file if it is important or delete the file to stop it progressing. It will be necessary to create a scheduled virus scan as all of the computers are at risk of virus and it is the technical support department that must make sure all the computers are free of viruses so that no information can be lost. All the files will need to be backed up so that in the event of data loss the data can be retrieved from a different source, it is necessary for a program to be created for a schedule so that this can be automatically done daily. There are many laws that need to be considered by Eden Farm as they can help protect the companies and its department. These are Data Protection Act 1998 It protects the rights of individuals whos data is stored in both paper based and computer-based ways. It allows individuals to protect themselves and enforce the control of their personal data. The Eight Key Principals of the Data Protection Act: 1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully 2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes. 3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed. 4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. 5. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes. 6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act. 7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data. 8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area, unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data. Copyright Act 2000- This gives the creator of an original piece work exclusive rights to it usually for a limited period. It generally gives the creator the right to allow others to copy the piece of work. It stops people claiming other peoples work as their own and benefitting from it in any way. Digital Millennium Copyright Act 2000 This makes it illegal for anyone to access copyrighted work by any means necessary. This also protects technology, weapons, designs of ships and devices. Meaning that they too cannot be copied. Computer Misuse Act 1990- This prevents people going on inappropriate sites during work hours. It also protects the computer from any unauthorized entry via hackers who set their computers to decrypt passwords and security measures enabling them to access the data. It also prevents people from putting passwords or security on data that there do not have the right to encrypt like someone elses personal data or someones personal computer. Firewalls This checks all network traffic and does not allow any file or application through if it decides it to be a potential risk. It is basically a barrier to keep hazard files away from a computer. The image shows the flow of a firewall.