it 225 phase 5 individual project

7/30/2019 IT 225 Phase 5 Individual Project

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CTU

IT 225

Phase 4 Individual Project

Mark Murphy

11/11/2012


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Table of Contents

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES .............................................................................................. 2

CENTRALIZED VERSUS DECENTRALIZED ....................................................................... 3

STAFFING STRUCTURES ....................................................................................................... 5

MY RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE STRUCTURE ..................................................... 8

TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES................................................................................................... 9

IT SYSTEMS SUPPORT ............................................................................................................. 15

Description of Self Service Applications .................................................................................. 15

Real Time vs. Delayed Assistance ............................................................................................ 16

Knowledge base ........................................................................................................................ 18

PROCESSES AND PROBLEM RESOLUTION ......................................................................... 19

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................... 23

BUSINESS CONTINUITY .......................................................................................................... 23

PHYSICAL SECURITY .............................................................................................................. 25

NETWORK INFASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY ................................................................... 27

APPLICATION INFASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY ............................................................ 29

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 30


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ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A help desk is a place where of information technology users can go to get help with a

problem (Rouse, 2005). A help desk does not have to be a massive operation; it can be as small

as one person who solves the IT problems in a company or it can be a large department that

maintains help desks across multiple locations. However small or large a help desk is, there are

common roles and responsibilities that apply to all of them.

A help desk is responsible for providing a single, point of contact place where users can

go for help (Sanderson, 2004). Help desks have evolved tremendously since the first ideas about

them started. There are two primary types of help desks. There is an internal help desk whose

main responsibility is to provide support for internal users of a company and there is an external

help desk. The main responsibility of an external help desk is to provide help desk support with

external users.

A help desk may play many roles in an organization. Beyond helping to solve user

problems, a help desk might also be responsible for things like the installation of new equipment

or repairing broken equipment. Help desk employees must also carefully document problems

that users are experiencing as well as attempts to find a solution and how the problem was finally

resolved. The ability to provide good customer service is an essential part of any help desk. It is

important to try and communicate clearly with the customer and allow them a chance to explain

the problem in their own words. Help desk employees should try not to rush users and avoid

jumping to conclusions about a users knowledge or experience.


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CENTRALIZED VERSUS DECENTRALIZED

A help desk can be set up to as either centralized or decentralized. With a centralized help

desk, all the help desk services are included in one location. There are advantages to having

centralized help desk services. One of the advantages is that it allows for better communication

within the help desk department because the employees are all together. If all the people are in

the same building, it is also easier to implement policies and monitor the efficiency of the help

desk. Another advantage is, since all the resources are located in one area, that it promotes a

better use of resources. For example, a caller may call with a specific problem. Since all the help

desk resources are centrally located, it would likely be much easier and faster to find a solution

to the callers problem. A help desk would not have to seek resources from other locations or

offices to find a solution. (Sanderson, 2004).

A disadvantage of a centralized help desk could be an inability to provide on- site support

to users in remote locations. For example, if there is a problem with a piece of hardware, the help

desk will be unable to provide any on- site support where the caller is and may instead have to

try and come up with other solutions. Another disadvantage is there may be difficulties

understanding a business needs. For example, imagine a business that has different business

practices than the help desk. This could be a scenario when a business takes unusual days off

compared to the help desk. The days off could be because of something like a local custom or

holiday in the country where the business is located but those same days off may not apply to a

help desk in another country. Those conditions could make it very difficult to explain or resolve

the issue.

In a decentralized help desk, the services may be spread out to more than one location.

One advantage of a decentralized help desk is an ability to provide on- site services to business.


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When help desk services are located in many different areas it becomes more likely that they can

respond to and provide services directly at a company, an advantage that may not be possible in a

centralized structure. Other advantages of a decentralized help desk could be that the help desk

and a business they provide services to can be in the same time zone, may share the same

customs and will usually have the same language.

A disadvantage of a decentralized help desk is there may be difficulties measuring

performance. With employees spread across different areas it could also be difficult providing

standardized information and policies. Still another disadvantage could be difficulty creating and

having all employees understand a common mission and goals.


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STAFFING STRUCTURES

There are five main staffing structures that can be used to set up a help desk. They are

pool, dispatch, tiered, specialized and method. And while these structures all share the general

idea of staffing a help desk, they are all different.

A pool staffing structure is set up so any service request goes to a centralized location and

is then handled by the next available help desk employee. This kind of setup is not the most

effective use of a help desk because any employee will try and handle any request. This means

employees with very limited experience will have the same responsibilities as an employee with

much more experience. That also means that a service request may go to an employee who lacks

the expertise needed to handle a problem while another employee who may have the required

expertise will be given another assignment.

With dispatch staffing, service requests initially go to an employee who gathers

information and then directs the request to an appropriate location to handle the request. This

structure creates the advantage of having little to no phone queue with initial service requests.

However, once a request is directed to another location, the request may end up in a queue.

(Sanderson, 2004). This could be frustrating to caller because they may have to wait in the queue

for a long period of time.

A tiered staffing structure has a help desk that is divided into several groups. With a

tiered model, a problem is addressed by a first line specialist. That first line specialist also takes

ownership of the problem. Taking ownership of a problem is a good customer service tactic

because it makes the customer feel comfortable that their problem will be properly addressed and

resolved.


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If the first line cannot solve the problem, the problem is escalated to the second line

specialist. Second level specialists usually do not take first level requests and may be specialists

in particular areas. For example, certain second level employees may be specialists in things like

networking, hardware or software. Or if they work at in internal help desk, they may have a

deeper understanding of what the business uses. Also, second level employees often handle calls

that are related to the area in which they specialize.

There are advantages to having a tiered structure. Tiered structures often have higher

customer service satisfaction levels and employee satisfaction. Tiered structures also allow for

less experienced employees to gain experience and knowledge by solving problems.

A specialized staffing has two types of support models: productivity and business. In the

product model the help desk is divided into different groups and each group has a specific

responsibility. For example, there may be a group that handles hardware related issues and

another group for software issues. These groups may also be broken down into even more

specialized areas if needed. Groups may also be broken down into a tiered structure. A problem

with this structure is that users may have more than one problem and a problem may be caused

by several things, including different groups in the structure. For example, if a user is unable to

access the internet, they may have a network issue with the modem, hardware issues with

components or a software issue with the internet program. This may make a problem more

difficult to resolve since there are different groups involved with fixing it.

In the business structure the help desk is divided up according to the units they provide

support. For example in this model, the accounting department would be supported by an

accounting help desk and a sales department would be supported by a sales help desk. I would


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imagine this kind of structure is not effective in a small business. I think this might be helpful in

a very large organization where each department has a need to be supported by its own support

staff.

For method staffing, a help desk is organized by the manner in which support is provided.

One group is responsible for telephone requests and another group is responsible for email and

web requests. This kind of structure works well when there is an equal number of service

requests between the phone and email or web support. If one department, like phone support,

receives a disproportionately higher number of requests than the email department, then it is not

an appropriate staffing model.


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MY RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE STRUCTURE

After learning about the different staffing structures, I feel comfortable making a

recommendation on the structure I would use for this project. I would use a tiered help desk

structure and I would have a centralized help desk.

I would use a tiered help desk structure because it seems to be an effective way to operate

a help desk. Instead of using help desk structures like a pool or dispatch, I prefer the tiered

structure because it gives employees the opportunity to gain experience by helping with less

complicated problems and still allows complex problems to be solved by more experienced

staffers. I like the idea of mentoring less experienced personnel and helping them become more

effective help desk employees.

I would use a centralized help desk because my company is a small business and all of its

resources are local. As my company grows, I would add a help desk anywhere the business

expands. If additional offices are opened, I would include a help as part of the business

expansion.


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TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES

There are five major steps in diagnosing a help desk issue. Communication is essential to

solving any issues that may come into a help desk. If the problems are not understood then they

can never be solved, so it is important for the listener and speaker to maintain professionalism

and practice good communication skills.

The first step is to diagnosing a help desk issue is to identify the problem. When a user

contacts a help desk, it may be difficult to understand the specific problem. A key component to

help identify the problem is to collect data. The first pieces of information that should be

collected is user data, such as the users name, title, department and configuration information.

Next, the help desk should try to determine what can be causing the problem. For example, try to

find out if the problem is caused by a component like a new piece of hardware or a new software

application. Or perhaps the problem is a symptom of another problem. An example of this could

be when a computer repeatedly restarts. That could indicate a problem with the computer power

supply or something else, like a failing drive. It is also important to note when the problem first

started. This is important because if component upgrades or other work were done around the

time the problem started, that could help determine the problem. Lastly, it is important to get a

clear description of the problem. For example, if a user gets an error message when they start

their computer it can be tremendously helpful in solving the issue. Another example would be to

ask the user to explain exactly what happened when they tried to do something. If the user tried

to print and suddenly got error messages or requests to connect with a printer, that kind of

information can be very helpful. This is a time when the help desk should carefully listen to the

speaker and try to understand exactly what the speaker is trying to explain.


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The second step is to determine the root cause. This step is important because this is the

step where the help desk works to understand the problem and start to come up with solutions.

There are three ways this is done. The first thing to do is ask open ended and closed ended

questions. This can start out by asking simple questions like does the computer turn on and

asking if everything is plugged in. After some of the closed ended questions are asked, move

onto open ended questions. Good open ended questions should follow a Who? What? When?

Pattern. For example, who is affected by this problem? Who else is affected? What was the user

doing when the problem first started? What error messages did the user get? What happened that

may the user call the help desk (shut off, applications not responding)? What program was the

user using? What did the user do to try and fix the problem before calling the help desk? Finally,

ask questions about when the problem happens. When did the user first notice the problem?

When does it occur most often? Has it happened before and how was it fixed that time? When

the help desk has gathered enough information they can answer the question about why this

problem happened.

The next thing to do is to try and replicate the problem. Try and have the user repeat the

steps that caused the problem and explain what is happening. If the user can repeat the problem

or if the help desk can replicate the exact steps, then it can be easier to find a solution. For

example, if a user calls because a program will not open, have the user start at the beginning and

repeat the same to try and open the program. If possible, try and see if the user can access the

program on another computer. That can help determine if the problem is isolated to one

computer or if there is a larger problem. See if the user can access other programs to make sure

there is only one problem or if there are many.


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The third thing to do is to come up with a root cause analysis. A root cause analysis is a

process used to identify the underlying factors that are causing a problem (Sanderson, 2004).

This can be more time consuming because the help desk may be fixing more than just the reason

why the user called in the first place. But the idea is to figure out why the user had the problem

and fix that so the user does not have the same problem again. To help get to the root cause, the

help desk must continue asking why questions to the user. In root cause analysis, there are

three steps of information processing.

1. Identify cause areas2. Identify underlying causes3. Identify root causesTo further understand each of the three steps listed above, this section will provide more

details about them. For example, suppose a user contacts the help desk because their printer is

not working. Some of the possible root causes could be that the printer is not plugged in, it is not

connected to the computer or it does not have paper. If the printer is not plugged in or does not

have paper, the solution is fairly easy. It may be more difficult to help the user connect the

printer to the computer. If the printer is plugged into the wall and the power is supplied from the

outlet or if the printer has plenty of paper, it becomes more difficult to determine the root cause.

To identify underlying causes the help desk should determine if the problem is an isolated

problem or if affects the entire network or other users. If the problem affects many users, the

help desk should try and resolve the root problem instead of focusing on just the individual users.

One way to help diagram a problem is to use something called a Fishbone Diagram. A

fishbone diagram is a representation used to identify all possible causes of a situation


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(Sanderson, 2004). This can be a very useful tool to help identify problems. To create a fishbone

diagram, first draw a straight line on a piece of paper. This line is referred to as the bone. Next,

write a problem statement at the end of the bone. A problem statement is just a brief description

of the problem, for example, the user cant print. Write a list of possible causes along the top and

bottom of the paper and draw a line to connect the problems to the bone. On each line, write any

possible problems that could be related to the main problem.

The third step is togenerate options. With generating options, the idea is to come up with

solutions to the users problem. There are various techniques used to come up with solutions.

One popular way is by brainstorming. Brainstorming is usually a group of people who work

together solving a problem. An example of an increasingly popular brainstorming technique is

called mind mapping. In mind mapping, there is a central word or phrase and that could be the

users problem. Connected to the central idea are other problems, possible solutions or other

information, like is this a network problem or is it just one user? A brainstorming group should

Supplies

The user cant print.

Is there paper?

Power

Is it plugged in?


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be open to suggestions and many possible solutions. And since the goal is to solve a problem,

there should be a reasonable time limit attached to the session.

The fourth step is to evaluate and prioritize options. In this step, there are three primary

approaches used to evaluate possible solutions to a problem (Sanderson, 2004). The first

approach is module replacement. Module replacement is done when the problem is possibly

caused by a piece of hardware. Each piece of hardware is replaced and if the problem is solved,

that piece of hardware was likely the cause. Module replacement is usually the replacement of

the hardware that may be causing the problem, but it can also be a solution for a software issue.

For example, if an application is not working correctly, the module replacement technique can be

used for uninstalling then reinstalling the program.

The second approach is hypothesis testing. Hypothesis testing is when the help desk tries

to solve the problem by testing different solutions. For example, use a printer that does not print.

The first hypothesis could be that the printer is not plugged in. To test the hypothesis, check and

make sure the printer is plugged in and will turn on. If that does not solve the problem, move to a

second hypothesis. For example, after testing the first hypothesis, it is confirmed that the printer

is plugged in and turns on, so the second hypothesis is that the printer is not connected to the

computer. These steps and hypothesis testing continues until the problem is solved.

The third approach is configuration management. With configuration management, a help

desk will try to start and run a system using only a basic configuration. For example, if a user

cannot access the internet, a help desk will try to connect online using cables connected to the

modem. If that is successful, the help desk can start to add devices like switches and routers. The


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help desk should make sure they maintain an internet connection every time they add a device. If

the connection is lost after a device is added, that may be the cause of the problem.

The fifth and final step is to determine a course of action. After all the testing and

questions are asked and a help desk has a solution, they must determine a course of action. A

course of action is just a decision about what to do next. There are some things to consider

before implementing a course of action. Some things to consider are how quickly can a solution

be implemented? If the problem is isolated to one user, the solution may be implemented fairly

quickly but if multiple users are affected and there are many steps required to complete the

repair, the implementation may be slow. Another consideration is determining if there are

enough resources available to help. If one person must implement the solution for many users,

perhaps other option should be considered, like contracting the work out. What is the cost of the

proposed solution? If a user has multiple issues, would it be cheaper and faster to buy a new

workstation or have the help desk manage the issues? Finally, what is the likelihood of

eliminating the root cause of the problem so it does not happen again? For example, if a problem

is determined to be caused by a faulty power outlet, can the outlet be replaced or is there another

solution.

Solving problems is never easy to do. But when all parties communicate clearly and

openly, it can be tremendously helpful and save time for everyone involved. And when a help

desk follows a defined structure to help determine problems, acquire solutions and implement

those solutions, it seems like it is much easier to solve large problems and can make solving

smaller problems even faster.


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IT SYSTEMS SUPPORT

After carefully reviewing phone based support systems, it was determined that it was not

the best approach for our company. As an alternative, we would like to implement a web based

solution that includes self- service applications and a knowledge base. We will carefully explain

what each of those are and how they may be used in this situation.

Description of Self Service Applications

A self- service application is a computer program that allows users to solve their own

problems through the use of a support website (Sanderson, 2004). There are many advantages to

using a self- service application. Some key advantages include immediate availability to try and

solve a problem, meaning the user can try and use the system to solve a problem immediately

instead of waiting for a help desk to open or an agent to become available.

A company can use a variety of tools to build a Web Based Self Service Application. One

commonly used technological tool that is used is an online problem ticket form submission. With

a ticket form, the user enters information onto a premade form. The information should include

the users name, the type of problem (like email, printing, hardware, software, other, unsure) and

contact information in case the problem is escalated or if there are any other problems, the

company can contact that user. The ticket form should also include a section that identifies the

priority of the problem and a text area where the user can describe the problem. After the user

completes the form and submits it, the form is sent to a help desk employee who can review the

ticket and work on a solution.


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Real Time vs. Delayed Assistance

Real time assistance is when the user and help desk are in live contact with each other

and actively interact. An example of real time assistance is when a user can speak with a help

desk employee directly on the phone. Another example of real time assistance would be instant

messaging or chatting. With instant messaging, there is an immediate connection made between

the user and help desk. As a benefit for a help desk, messaging applications can be preformatted

which can save time throughout the process. Another interesting tool that real time assistance can

use is monitoring web site activity (Sanderson, 2004). This would be useful when a user visits a

help area of knowledge base. If it does not appear like the user has found a solution, the help

desk can initiate a messaging application to provide additional support.

Another real time assisted support tool is remote control programs. These programs

appear to be increasingly popular and easy to use. With this tool, a help desk employee connects

to a users computer through an internet connection and can then perform tasks on the users

computer. With this tool, the user does not have to do anything. Some things the help desk can

do is log into the computer, display and update configuration settings, reboot the computer,

download applications or transfer files (Sanderson, 2004).

There are three modes that remote control programs work with. They are watch, share

and control. In the watch mode, the help desk can watch what is happening on the users

computer so the help desk can get a better understanding any problems or issues. In the share

mode, both the user and help desk support have access to the computer. In the control mode, the

help desk has complete control over the users computer.


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Delayed assistance is when there is a time delay between communication from a user and

the help desk. An example of delayed assistance tool is when a user submits a form to the help

desk. There is a communication between the user and the help desk, but it is not in real time. It is

delayed. The fact that there is a delay does not mean this is an ineffective tool for a help desk.

When a user submits the form, it gives the help desk an opportunity to collect whatever

information may be needed to help solve the problem. A potential problem with this kind of

support though could be if a user submits a form but does not fill out all the requested

information. For example, if a user submits a form and complains that a printer is not working

correctly but does not provide any other information, there could be a long delay before the help

desk can address the issue because they will have to ask the user to resubmit the form.


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Knowledge base

Like a ticket based support system, a knowledge base also requires a user to complete a

form. The form will be a collection of searchable data that can include almost any information

about the problem the user has. The form should try and gather information about the type of

problem (hardware, software, printing, email, internet access) and may include areas for the

user to identify specifics about their system, like the computer brand or what kind of printer they

are having problems with.

Once the form is completed, it is submitted and is automatically searched for matching

words or key terms from the form. Matching words or key terms are searched against a

collection of data and when matches are found, they are identified as possible solutions. Once the

knowledge base has identified possible solutions, they are presented to the user who can then

pick whichever seems to be the best. An important consideration when creating a knowledge

base is that if the user is unable to find a solution after searching the knowledge base, there must

be another way to contact a help desk. For example, there should be an option to submit the form

for review by help desk employees.


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PROCESSES AND PROBLEM RESOLUTION

Before a company begins to define what constitutes a service level and what kids of

metrics will be used to define success, there should be an understanding about what a service

level is. A SERVICE LEVEL measures a performance of a system (Rouse, 2010). Systems

should constantly reviewed and updated to make sure they are effective and meeting its

demands.

Once the company has defined a service level, they can begin to define the SERVICE

LEVEL AREEMENT. A Service Level Agreement is a written agreement between a help desk

and its customers. The agreement outlines in detail what services, products and support structure

that the help desk provides. For example, a service level agreement between a help desk and its

customers could state something like the help desk will provide services Monday through Friday

from 6am to 11pm but not on weekends or nationally recognized holidays. The SLA could also

describe the type of support available to users (phone based or web based). Another area that

could be included with an SLA is what the help desk responsibilities are when a system is having

trouble, like when a printer is not working or if a problem is going to take a long time to resolve.

Service Level Agreements should be created with input from both the help desk and the

business the help desk will support. The SLA should be easy to understand and be clearly

written, so whoever reads it can understand the terms. The SLA should also define the roles and

responsibilities of the users and help desk and provide a reasonable response time for problems.

Lastly, a SLA should include criteria for a service evaluation (Sanderson, 2004).


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To help determine the success or failure of a SLA, the company should use clearly

defined metrics that are called performance metrics. Some examples of performance metrics and

a brief overview of what they measure are listed below.

Total number of calls: This metric will measure how many service requests are madewithin a certain period of time.

Average speed to answer: This metric will measure how long a caller has to wait beforetheir call is answered by a help desk employee.

Average hold time: This metric will measure how long a caller is placed on hold beforethey are helped by a help desk employee.

Average abandon rate: This metric will measure how many calls come into a help deskbut are not answered by help desk analysts.

After work time: This metric will measure how much time a help desk employee takes tofinish their work after a call. This can include any time spent documenting the call and

steps to resolution.

Average call handling time: This metric will measure how long it takes the help deskemployee to come up with a solution to the problem. It should be noted that more

complex problems will often take longer periods of time to solve them.

Available time: This metric will measure the amount of time that a help desk employee isavailable to respond to calls for help. When a call is assigned to a help desk employee,

they are removed from the list of available agents and when the call is completed, they

are returned to the available list.

Auxiliary time: This metric will measure the time that help desk employees spend onother responsibilities other than actually helping customers.


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First call resolution: This metric will measure how often the first call to a help desk isresolved. The

Based on this list, one metric that will help keep the customers happy is the average

speed to answer. If calls to a help desk for a service request are answered quickly and dealt with,

the customer will be happy with the service. Another metric that can help keep the customer

happy is limiting the average hold time. Customers want to speak with the help desk when they

call, not be placed on hold for long periods of time. So keep the wait times at a minimum and the

customer will be happy.

One metric that will help keep the help desk analyst happy is the total number of calls. If

help desks are swamped by calls and are constantly trying to play a type of catch up, morale

could negatively be effected. Another metric that can keep help desk analysts happy is the After

Work Time. The After Work Time measures the time it takes help desk employees to finish their

work after a service call. If the help desk employee has a fast turn around and is quickly finishing

work after a call, perhaps offer a reward or other incentive to encourage the good performance.

The metric that has the best chance of success and customer satisfaction is first call

resolution. This metric will measure how many calls were successfully handled by the help desk

the first time a customer called. To help illustrate my point, if a customer had to make repeated

calls to a help desk to resolve a problem, this would indicate a potential problem and the

customer would probably not be satisfied. But if the initial calls to the help desk were answered

quickly and problems were solved, the customer will be happy.

By comparison, when customers have their problems solved quickly, they can be more

pleasant to interact with. When customers do not have their problems solved when they expect


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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

BUSINESS CONTINUITY

A major consideration when developing a business continuity plan is data backups.

Backing up data should never be overlooked. If a company does not have data backups and there

is a catastrophe or if computers are lost and damaged, there may be no way to recover the

information that was on those computers.

It is also a good practice to have multiple backups available to ensure the most recent

version of work is available. Some backup programs will backup everything automatically; other

programs will only backup things that have changed since the last backup. However the backup

system is designed, it should be planned out and carefully followed. The best backup program in

the world will be useless if it is not used.

An important thing to consider is securing the data backups. The company should protect

backups the same way they protect other data. The company should limit who has access to data

backups and where the backups are stored. Finally, a company should understand how to recover

data from the backup before it actually needs to use it.

Some final important elements to ensure business continuity is the ability to protect

against power loss. One way to protect against power outages would be to have power

generators. Another possibility could be to use an uninterruptible power supply or UPS. A UPS

is designed to shut down a computer or system when a power supply is interrupted. A UPS can


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also start up another system though, like a generator. Power surges pose a threat any electronic

device but one way to protect against them is to use a surge protector.


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PHYSICAL SECURITY

Physical security of computers is something companies should take extremely seriously.

A good security plan can protect computers and information from internal threats like theft and

vandalism and external threats like hackers and viruses. Carefully planned and executed security

protocols can also help to protect against natural disasters, catastrophes and accidents

(Sanderson, 2004).

Being prepared is a key part to developing a security plan. That means a company must

acknowledge the possible security threats it faces and work to combat those threats. For example,

to protect against theft or other vandalism, there are several things a company can do. A few

things the company can do are to limit employee access to certain areas, like server rooms or

other sensitive data. The company should require visitors to check in before entering the facility.

The company should have locks on all the doors which will further prohibit unauthorized access.

The company should also consider encrypting computers that contain important business

information. Some things a company can do to prevent against external threats are to control

access to the network and use antivirus software to protect against viruses.

There are also things a company can do to protect computers in the event of a natural

disaster or other catastrophe. One thing the company should do is have an alarm system. There

are many alarm systems that offer protection against fires and break-ins but there are also alarms

that can monitor for other threats as well. For example, there are systems that can monitor

moisture levels in a server room that help to protect against things like floods or water damage.

There are many ways a company can help to protect its computers and facility. It is

crucial that a company prepares for problems before they happen. With proper planning and


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implementation of solid security protocols, a company should be able to prevent or respond to

many kinds of threats.


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NETWORK INFASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY

Network security is another critical business consideration. There are many things a

company can do to protect its network infrastructure and provide security. One way a company

can do that is by requiring users to log into the network by using a user name and password.

Each employee should have a unique identification and password that they will use each time

they try to access the network.

Another way to do protect a network is by using routers. A router is a network device that

examines data packets and determines where the data packet should go in the network

(Sanderson, 2004). When a router examines the data packet, it checks for the destination address

that is contained inside the packet. If the address matches an address in the network, the router

will recognize it and send the data packet to that address. If there is no such address, the data

packet will be discarded.

A firewall is another crucial device used to protect a network. A firewall is a network

device that is usually used between the internet and a company. A firewall is designed to clock

unauthorized access to a network. It could be worth noting here that there are hardware firewalls

and software firewalls, but most of the time when people are referring to firewalls in terms of

network protection and access control, it is the hardware firewall.

Encryption is another important element. Encryption was also mentioned as a way to

enhance physical security (because drives and files should be encrypted), but it is also a way to

help with network security. And just because a computer hard drive is encrypted does not mean

that files from that drive will be encrypted when they are sent across a network. It is a different

use of encryption technology. In addition, there are times when encryption is strongly


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recommended or required, like when passing credit card or other sensitive information across the

internet.


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APPLICATION INFASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY

Application infrastructure deals with the way applications are used across a network. For

example, a company may use a financial software program to keep track of its financial records.

The financial program may need to be accessible to several people across the company network,

like accounting offices in different locations, but not every user should be able to access that

information. The company must develop a security plan to protect applications or sensitive

information.

One way to secure these applications and information is to require additional sign on

methods in order to access the information. For example, require employees to use different user

names and passwords to login. Another way to secure the data is by requiring employees to

periodically change their passwords and make sure the passwords meet certain criteria, like 8

characters and contain letters and numbers.

Another way to secure the applications is to control where they are used. Limit the

workstations that have access to the information. Do not allow every work station on the network

to have access to sensitive information. For example, an accounting department may need access

to financial software, but a maintenance department probably will not, so do not allow the

application to be used on those workstations.


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REFERENCES

Rouse, M. (2005, April).Help Desk. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from

http://searchcrm.techtarget.com: http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/help-desk

Sanderson, S. (2004).Introduction to Help Desk Concepts and Skills. Burr Ridge, IL.: McGraw-

Hill Technology Education.

Rouse, M. (2010, November).service level. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from

http://whatis.techtarget.com: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/service-level

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