1 A project introduction and a project plan. Both sections must be submitted as separate files for the completion of this assignment. Each file name is labeled according to the section of the assignment it is written for. Additionally, create and / or assume all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.
Currently you are the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for an innovative Internet-based company with gross revenues of more than $35 million dollars per year. You were instructed by CEO that the company will be merging with a multinational company of equal size and you will be responsible for developing a project plan to strategically integrate all systems, including databases and infrastructure and you will be given sixty (60) days to deliver an information technology project plan in anticipation of the company merger. The company will be expanding from one (1) floor to three (3) floors within six (6) months. Since this merger will be bringing two (2) fairly equal-sized companies together under one roof, the infrastructure must be redesigned to accommodate the increased needs. Your company currently uses operational systems and relational databases but desires to expand into data warehousing. All information technology (hardware and software) must be redesigned to meet organizational needs. The solution should be implemented in either a hosted solution, on-site solution, or a hybrid model. You have to integrate different technologies from different solution providers and incorporate industry best practices in connection with the development of technological systems. In addition, cloud technologies and virtualization to be added but is leery of security issues; however, to be implemented with proper security protocols. The company currently consists of twenty five (30) employees but is expected to increase to sixty five (75) employees when the merger is complete.
Section 1: Project Introduction
Write a five to seven (5-7) page project introduction that documents the current state of the organization prior to any development or enhancements, takes into account all the information given above, and includes the following:
1. Background information of the company.
2. Details regarding the type of business activities that the company is involved in.
3. Speculation on outsourcing and offshoring opportunities.
4. A description of the current information systems that the company has to support the business. The description should include an overview of the following: operational systems, databases, and data warehousing; cloud technology and virtualization; and network infrastructure and security.
5. The use of at least four (4) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
The assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format.
Section 2: Project Plan
Microsoft Project to be used to create a project plan (summary and detailed) template. The project plan should:
1. Record all tasks, subtasks, resources, and time related to the project.
2. Outline the planning, analysis, design, and implementation phases.
3. Develop in accordance with the SDLC.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Describe the integrative functions and activities within the information systems area, including the role of the CIO and technologies managed within the organization.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in information systems.
Write clearly and concisely about leadership issues and strategic insight of the Information systems domain using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.