CMGTCB 554 IT Infrastructure IT Infrastructure Overview Part 1
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Feb 20, 2024
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International Plastics, Inc. Executive Summary of IT Infrastructure – Competency 1
University of Phoenix
IT Infrastructure/ CMGTCB/554
Ongart (peng) Ratchaworapong
5/27/2023
Grade: MA
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International Plastics, Inc. Current IT Infrastructure Overview
International Plastics Inc. is a global company with four locations and over 500 employees. The four locations are: Corporate Headquarters in San Jose, CA; Custom Plastic Parts Plant in Pontiac, MI; Plastic Beverage Container Plant in Albany, GA; and Plastic Fan Plant- Joint Venture in China. The current IT infrastructure consists of a wide area network (WAN) connecting the four locations to the on-premises data center located in corporate headquarters. Albany and Pontiac are connected to the WAN using T-2 connections; while the China is connected uses a satellite link with end-to-end encryption to corporate headquarters in San Jose and a T3 connection to the internet. The data center in San Jose uses a T3 connect to the
internet. All locations use CAT-5 cabling with network switches set at 100baseT. NAS is installed at Pontiac and Albany connects to a switch using a fiber link. The China location and corporate headquarters have a 1 GB fiber backbone with a UPS power backup for the server room and both have identical setup.
Operational Environment Overview
Corporate Headquarters and the China location have identical IT infrastructure. Both locations.
Business Units
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Corporate/Administrative department, Marketing, Finance, HR, and R&D.
Network
– Corporate and China
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There are two 24-port Cisco 2950 switches to access network resources available for each business unit to connect to access network resources.
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There are 35 VoIP phones connected to the network with a VoIP/data router connected to a firewall with access outside of the corporate network.
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Two gateway/switches that connects the Corporate’s network with R&D and the other connected to the satellite link for end-to-end connectivity to communicate between Corporate and China locations.
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Network Area Storage using iOmega storage drives.
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Three servers: Windows Network Server, Windows Exchange Server, and Unix Server hosting ERP/MRP.
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UPS connected to the data center for power backup.
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35 Dell Vostro computers; i3 3.3 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, Window 7 operating system, and Office 2007.
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8 HP LaserJet P3015 network printers. Two printers are in each business unit.
Network – R&D
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1 GB fiber backbone connected to the Corporate network.
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Windows server with similar configuration as Corporate’s Windows server.
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15 Mac Pros computer: Dual 1.8 GB, 1 GHz 6 core, 12 GB RAM, 1 TB HD, and 27” monitor.
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3 Phaser 6700 color network printers.
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HP plotter connected to the network.
Network – Albany GA
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48-port Cisco Catalyst 3560 Ethernet Switch connected to a Cisco Router 2900 and connected to a 48-port patch panel to provide connectivity to the Albany office.
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The Cisco Router 2900 is connected to a firewall with a T2 connection to the Corporate’s network.
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NAS disk array connects to the Cisco Catalyst 3650 with a fiber link to HP BL 460p blade server that hosts a print server, files, exchange, local ERP.
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APC Smart-UPS connects to the HP 460p server.
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The HP 460p blade server also connects to the switch to the manufacturing floor.
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The 48-port patch panel is used to connect the 20 office computer and network printer.
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20 Dell Vostro computers; i3 3.3 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, Window 7 operating system, and Office 2007.
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HP CP4225n LaserJet color printer connected to the network.
Network – Pontiac
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48-port Cisco Catalyst 3560 Ethernet Switch connected to a Cisco Router 2900 and connected to a 48-port patch panel to provide connectivity to the Albany office.
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The Cisco Router 2900 is connected to a firewall with a T2 connection to the Corporate’s network.
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NAS disk array connects to the Cisco Catalyst 3650 with a fiber link to HP BL 460p blade server that hosts a print server, files, exchange, local ERP.
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APC Smart-UPS connects to the HP 460p server.
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The HP 460p blade server also connects to the switch to the manufacturing floor.
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The 48-port patch panel is used to connect the 20 office computer and network printer.
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45 Dell Vostro computers; i3 3.3 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, Window 7 operating system, and Office 2007.
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4 network printers: 2- HP LaserJet M602n, HP LaserJet Pro MFN M425dn, and HP CP4225n LaserJet color printer.
New IT Infrastructure to Improve Business Performance
With International Plastics being a global company, it is critical that the IT infrastructure is up to date to improve business performance. IT infrastructure can become outdated in a few years and upgrading can be costly. However, poor IT infrastructure performance can also be costly and have an impact on production and time to market. Implementing a new IT infrastructure can significantly enhance business performance by providing new capabilities, increasing efficiency, and improving overall productivity.
One significant way a new IT infrastructure can improve business performance is by providing new capabilities. For instance, new IT infrastructure can allow businesses to leverage emerging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. These technologies can provide new opportunities for businesses to automate processes, enhance
customer experiences, and gain insights into their operations. By adopting these new capabilities,
businesses can achieve a competitive advantage and position themselves for future growth.
Another way a new IT infrastructure can improve business performance is by increasing efficiency. New IT infrastructure can streamline processes and workflows, eliminating bottlenecks and reducing costs. For instance, implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can enable businesses to automate financial, human resources, and supply chain management processes, resulting in faster and more accurate data processing. Increasing efficiency allows the business to operate more effectively and focus on growth-driven activities.
The new IT infrastructure can also improve business performance by improving overall productivity. For instance, implementing new collaboration tools such as instant messaging,
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video conferencing, and document-sharing platforms can enable employees to work more efficiently together, even in different locations. Additionally, new IT infrastructure can improve cybersecurity measures, such as improved firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and data encryption, which can protect the company's data and reduce the risk of cyber-attacks. By improving productivity and security, businesses can achieve success and resilience.
Finally, new IT infrastructure can improve business performance by providing new insights
and analytics capabilities. It is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of clients’ needs and behaviors to provide better products and services. One effective strategy to achieve this is by gathering and analyzing data from multiple sources, including customer interactions, social media, and website traffic. This approach enables the business to gain valuable insights into client preferences and trends, making informed decisions and enhancing the overall business
strategy. Using appropriate data analysis tools and techniques transforms raw data into actionable insights that drive business growth and success. These insights can be used to develop
new products and services, optimize marketing strategies, and improve customer and client experience. The business can make data-driven decisions and achieve a competitive advantage by leveraging analytics.
New IT infrastructure can provide the business with new capabilities, increase efficiency, improve productivity, and provide new insights and analytics capabilities. Adopting a new IT infrastructure allows the business to position itself for future growth, achieve a competitive advantage, and improve overall performance. As such, companies must consider investing in new IT infrastructure as a strategic investment to improve business performance in the long term.
International Plastics Inc.’s current IT infrastructure has the same technology for nearly eight
years. The end-user devices used in all locations use an operating system no longer supported
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and is more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also having an on-premises IT infrastructure can have significant cost to upgrade newer technology every three to four years to leverage advanced technologies. Upgrading network connections can also increase performance. The current connections are using 100base-T LAN connections. Upgrading to a 1000base-T can greatly improve LAN connections and transmissions for end-users.
Current Technology
Explanation
Upgrade end-user devices Dell Vostro computers; i3 3.3 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, Window 7 operating system, and Office 2007.
Upgrading end-user devices will improve performance with increased RAM and hard drive space, faster processing, updated operating system and Microsoft Office. It will
increase productivity and reduce security and vulnerability risks.
Upgrade on-premises IT infrastructure. The three locations connect to Corporate and all utilize separate systems that can create data silos.
Upgrading to a cloud-based platform to host servers and applications will eliminate the need to maintain a physical data center through shared responsibility. The business units will have the ability to access the shared information to make more informed decisions.
Upgrade 100base-T network connections.
Upgrading the 100base-T to 1000base-T can increase performance for faster LAN connectivity for end-users.
Conclusion
International Plastics Inc. is a global manufacturer with four locations. The locations operate separate IT infrastructure, with each location having connectivity to Corporate Headquarters. Many of the IT infrastructure components are outdated and make the business at risk for cyber-attacks. Upgrading many of the IT infrastructure components can increase business performance, increase productivity, and have insights to data and information to make better informed business decisions.