MIS Architecture
The bandwidth of the network is 12 port 10 MBs an indication of the maximum amount of data that can be transferred in the network. Since North American Transport (NAT) is willing to expand and increase the number of workers, it is necessary to increase bandwidth that will enhance receiving and sending of more data at a time (Ma Huang and Ding, 2009). The larger the bandwidth the more the amount of data that can be transmitted and therefore it is necessary to increase bandwidth (Gupta, 2007). The current speed of the service is at 8 MBs which is regarded as low speed in the new architecture. The new architecture will require the processing of information at a high rate due to demands. Increase in speed will facilitate the processing of a large amount of data. The current system is not reliable and therefore does fit for the new architecture. The new architecture has several elements such as a remote server and cloud operation (Zhang and Chen, 2011). Therefore the reliability of the current system is low because it operates on traditional infrastructures such as 1 shared printer, MS Office 2007, and MS SQL on a standalone computer. The current system is not scalable because it cannot accommodate more devices due to the nature of the architecture. It is not easy to expand and accommodate new users on the current system. The current architecture is immobile because most of the devices are fixed and shared and therefore not for the new network. The security of the current system is not sufficient because of sharing some devices, the presence of standalone computer and outdated operating systems.
List of Resources
Bandwidth: One 12 port 10 Mb/s switch
Computer System: Laptop for administration
Output device: 1 shared printer
Server: Exchange Server 2007
Database: MSSQL on a stand-alone computer
Operating System: MS Office 2007
Speed: ADSL broadband Internet 8 Mb/s
Human Resources: Drivers, loaders, mechanics, communication technicians, business developers, managers
Equipment: Trucks, vans Refrigerators
Operation Objectives
To improve staffing: NAT is aiming at increasing the number of staffs because it is targeting to grow by 20 % and increase the number of employees to 225. The number of staff can be improved by the recruiting and retention process.
To improve production: Improving operations of production is one of the objectives of NAT. The company is intended to expand new Fleet Resource Centers located in California and Virginia. The whole process is aiming at increasing the production and distribution of fresh foods. The production can only be improved by increasing output and decreasing costs as well as raising the quality of the products (Shah,2014).
To improve the existing architecture or use of information technology: The company has an objective of adopting the new architecture that can accommodate the new requirements. The new architecture should serve more users, increase speed and performance. The development of new architecture that is flexible and scalable.
Recommendation Plan
The recommendation plan is developed through describing the current architecture, conducting research on the available gaps, quantifying possible alternatives and summarizing the findings. The company should improve on the current infrastructure because the existing architecture does not meet the aims of the business. There is the existence of gaps such as security issues, outdated operating systems, low speed and no scalability. The company should adopt a new architecture to align itself with the new objectives of expanding the staff and productivity as well as an increase in flexibility and scalability.
Figure 1: New MIS Architecture
References
Gupta, M. P. (2007). Methodology for design of MIS architecture (INFLOS). Systems Research, 10(2), 53-82.
Shah, M. (2014). Impact of management information systems (MIS) on school administration: What the literature says. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 2799-2804.
Ma, D.-S., Huang, Q., & Ding, L.-L. (2009). Architecture Design of Intelligent Platform for MIS. 2009 Second International Conference on Computer and Electrical Engineering. doi: 10.1109/iccee.2009.72
Zhang, S. W., & Chen, X. X. (2011). Offline Application of the MIS System in SaaS Architecture. Advanced Materials Research, 219-220, 1026–1029. doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.219-220.1026
