Project - UNICEF's Innovative Communication Technologies

Project Guidelines-

Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of an Information Technology Solutions Plan. Industry leaders and innovators implement new technologies and driving innovations at their companies for a variety of purposes. The ability to seek out and critique new technologies based on the adoption and innovation life cycles and then make recommendations for selection, adoption, and implementation is a skill set IT professionals need to possess. You will need to apply this understanding to business cases that reflect the need for innovative technology solutions in today's workplace in order to transform the thinking of an organization when change is required or to develop ideas that enable new business strategies. The final assessment for this course requires that you research and
critique three innovative technologies that could potentially address the needs of a given company and scenario. Once you have chosen the technology you feel addresses the needs of the organization, describe the ideal timing for adopting the innovative technology. Then create a proposal presentation for the integration that includes the impact the integration will have on the organization.

The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Six. The final project is due in Module Nine.

In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

-Critique technical innovations for their potential to meet business needs in professional organizations

-Propose plans for the integration of innovative technology solutions that meet organizational and stakeholder needs

-Recommend strategies for adopting innovative technologies based on the phases of the technology adoption life cycle

-Recommend solutions for ensuring ethical and legal compliance and maintain security of innovative technology implementation and use

Prompt

Your Information Technology Solutions Plan should address the following prompt: Given the business case scenario below, you will design a Information Technology Solutions Plan that will address the deficiency in the organization. You will research and critique three innovative technologies that could potentially address the company need, and then select the one you deem to be the best fit for the given scenario.

UNICEF is a United Nations program that focuses on providing assistance to women and children in developing countries. UNICEF personnel are often one of the first responders to a natural disaster. When natural disasters occur, UNICEF will send a team to the area hit by the natural disaster and begin to provide medical and emergency assistance to women and children affected by the natural disaster.

Many developing countries have fragile communication infrastructures. Internet access and phone networks can be slow in performance and susceptible to intermittent failure due to power interruptions and weather related interruptions. The stability and performance of these data and voice communications networks are severely impacted by natural disasters. The failure of these networks can dramatically impede the communication needs and efforts of the UNICEF personnel assigned to help provide relief to areas impacted by the natural disaster.

UNICEF personnel responding to a natural disaster require effective forms of communication in order to address the needs of those impacted by the natural disaster. In such situations, one of the needs is to establish local communications (both voice and data) as well as communications back to UNICEF's headquarters. Local communications is necessary to coordinate activities at the site of the natural disaster. Global communications is necessary to coordinate personnel and supplies required to address the needs of the women and children in the local community.

With the dependence on communication networks and the realization that such networks are likely destroyed during a natural disaster, UNICEF is interested in technological innovations in the area of voice and data communications networks. Technical innovations that can be used to create and maintain an affordable and effective communication network and that are self-contained and portable are necessary. The communication network cannot assume the existence of any other networks at the site of the disaster, including power networks.

Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: Its required to complete first three Milestone, Except Implementation Process, with word count 2500-3000

I. Background: What is the need or challenge of the organization? What are potential ways to address that need or challenge? How can it be improved?

II. Research and Critique

a) What are three innovative technologies that can be used to address the needs of the organization? How do the technologies address the need?

b) Assessment: What is the cost? What does implementation involve? Who/what will benefit? Which stakeholders will be affected by a new technology adoption? What supports for implementing new technology will be necessary for stakeholders? Is this a cost-effective solution? Be sure to comprehensively address each component of the assessment for each of the three innovative technologies.

c) Determine which technology, from the three you have researched, best meets the organization's needs and defend your selection.

III. Adoption and Strategies Proposal

a) What phase in the technology life cycle is the technology chosen in? What would be the ideal timing for adopting this particular technology?

b) Based on the current or projected life cycle of the technology, determine the possible timelines of adoption that could be implemented. Which adoption timeline will best fit the needs of the organization? Be sure to provide details to support your choices.

c) What variables affect the timing and implementation of new technologies? What processes can be put in place to ensure smooth adoption?

IV. Implementation Process

a) Create an implementation plan for integrating the technology chosen to address the organization's needs. What are the goals that the plan supports? What steps will be taken? How will this affect other processes currently in place? How will information about the changes get communicated?

b) Which stakeholders will need to be included in these processes to ensure the integration is thorough? What are some potential stakeholder needs? How will you ensure that potential needs can be met going forward?

c) Make recommendations for ensuring ethical compliance during implementation and use of the new technology. What guidelines or codes of ethics are relevant to the new technologies?

d) Make recommendations for ensuring legal compliance for the implementation and use of the new technology. Based on information assurance models, what steps would be taken to ensure a smooth and compliant transition?

e) Make recommendations for ensuring the security of new technology implementation and use. How will you protect personal and business data in the transition?