MilleniAds: Maintenance and Security

Basic knowledge of computers is practically essential for productively engaging in twenty-first-century life. Working knowledge of computer platform technologies impacts everyone from help desk personnel and field technicians to project managers and business executives. In order to make sound business decisions, one must have the ability to analyze business needs and compare available computer technology options for effectively meeting those needs.

In this final project, you will assume the role of a tech consultant hired by an entrepreneur trying to start a small business. As a part of opening her business, she needs help identifying the business’s information technology needs, weighing options for meeting those needs, and making final decisions that, together, create a sound IT infrastructure for her small business. The major areas for evaluation and selection include hardware components, software applications, networking options, and information security. This document contains a table that will help you find the resources needed to address each critical element successfully; this table is located below the critical elements of the final project. Your decision-making process and specific selections will come together in a final IT Consultation Report.

This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

Assess common hardware and software issues by logically applying fundamental IT tools and methods  Determine basic hardware and software options that meet general technology needs for organizations  Illustrate appropriate network and multi-user operating system methods that support key business objectives  Identify information security procedures that reflect best practices for managing access and reducing risk to digital information stores

Scenario: You have been hired as an IT consultant by an entrepreneur starting a small advertising company called MilleniAds. As a start-up, your client’s company is relatively small and has a limited budget. There are only 10 employees, including a few creative directors, graphic designers, sales staff, a financial accountant, and an office administrator, with the entrepreneur acting as CEO. The current IT budget cannot exceed $25,000 and ideally should come in as far under that number as possible. MilleniAds will produce customized sales flyers, brochures, and other branded items, such as letterhead and business cards, that apply a youthful, fresh perspective targeting millennial demographics. Therefore, the company needs the ability to store and manipulate digital images and to produce physical copies of their products for their clients. The CEO wants to keep track of inventory, sales, and expenses digitally, but she does not anticipate having very complex records for the first year. She projects having only a dozen or so accounts but hopes to scale up in the coming years. It would be ideal to have a simple and user-friendly system for sharing information and files between employees. Many of the employees are millennials themselves who have indicated that their current desktop PCs are limiting their capabilities and that they prefer using their phones and other mobile devices for their professional and personal responsibilities. Two of the ten employees will operate primarily outside of the office, soliciting business from regional firms, and they will need to access company information while on the road, in their home offices, and at customer sites.

Beyond the specific information given above, you have the ability to fill in the gaps with assumptions or additional details that will make your final project unique and meaningful to you. If you have any questions, reach out to your instructor for guidance, and use the milestone assignments to ensure that you are completing your project within reasonable parameters for the course. Maintenance and Security A. Interpret the business’s needs to determine specific information regarding security requirements. Illustrate your response with specific examples. To what extent should unauthorized individuals be prevented from making changes, copying, or deleting files or data on the system? Is there sensitive data for which access must be controlled? What sort of information should be backed up? B. Then, compare and contrast the options for managing user access to company information. Evaluate each option for its strengths and weaknesses, citing specific evidence that supports your conclusions. Is there a need to have password setups for files? What type of naming conventions should the client use for files and directories? Should individual computer accounts be created? Should everyone have read access to all files? C. Finally, compare and contrast the options for backing up and storing information, including how often to back up information, storage location, and who should have access to backing up the data. Evaluate each option for its strengths and weaknesses, citing specific evidence that supports your evaluation.

VI. Future Considerations: Imagine that your client may need to add a new branch or otherwise scale up her business. How would that change your hardware and software recommendations? Illustrate your response with specific examples and evidence.