A. Information architecture is used to identify where and how imporatant information is stored. Businesses use information architecture to easily store information such as customer records, it is the method used to keep information maintained and secured. The three primary fields that information architecture is concerned with is Backup recovery, Disaster recovery and Information security.
Infrastructure architecture includes the hardware, software and telecommunications equipment that when combined, provides the underlying foundation to support the organisations. Without these systems in place an organisation efficiency would suffer greatly due to lack of necessary technology to get tasks completed. Characteristics of a reliable infrastructure architecture are:
- Flexibility: The ability to adapt to new scenarios and challenges of tomorrow.
- Scalability: Estimating the growth rate of the organisation.
- Reliability: The systems in place are operating correctly.
- Availability: The way in which customers can access the system.
- Performance: The rate at which the system performs certain processes or transactions.
An example of this can been seen in this picture
These two systems differ in that information architecture is primarily concerned with just the processes in place not hardware that is necessary for those systems which is what information infrastructure is concerned with. However, both these systems are dependent on each other, an organisation cannot be up to date with it busness practice if it does not have the necessary technology in place as well as the correct operating systems in place.
2. Describe how an organisation can implement a solid information architecture.
By taking the necessary steps to set up systems such as backup recovery, disaster recovery and information security organisation will have the necessary protection required for their information. By having a backup recovery system in place the organisation has the ability get a system up and running after a system crash. It makes this possible by making a copy of the systems information stored at a separate location. Through the implementation of a disiater recovery plan a company can minimise the amount of damage caused by soem kind of disaster such as floods, power outages etc. This plan allows companies to efficiently take action to make steps back towards normal operations again. Information security while being difficult to maintain is extremely important to a businesses success. All organisations need a certain level of protection for there information and hardware. Organisations achieve this through managing user access to system, they do this through the creation of security measures such as usernames and passwords. They also maintain a level of security by having Up-to-date antivirus software and patches.
3. List and describe the five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture.
- Flexibility: The ability to adapt to new scenarios and challenges of tomorrow. As well as adapting to business markets the organisation may enter.
- Scalability: Estimating the growth rate of the organisation, and having the ability to adapt to those changes and planning what It requirement will be needed in the future.
- Reliability: The systems in place are operating correctly and only contain correct and accurate information.
- Availability: The way in which customers can access the system, also taking the amount users can access system, whether it is continuosly available or only at certain times.
- Performance: The rate at which the system performs certain processes or transactions. It is also concerned with the being able to adapt the performance changes of the organisation in the future.
4. Describe the business value in deploying a service oriented architecture.
Where an organisation implements a service oriented architecture it allows for greater efficiency. It enables It systems to adapt quickly, easily and economically to support the changes within the business. It allows for communications between different sections of organisation to happen effortlessly, which in turns harbors greater communication between sections of the company. This then adds value to the business by increasing the productivity of the organisation.
5. What is an event?
An event involves the monitoring of the business processes for events that occur which will have some kind of an effect on the organisation such as low inventory warnings or over due shipping order alerts. By doing the correct people are informed automatically when the event occurs.
6. What is a service?
Is a product which has the ability to check information across a number of applications, the product needs to be reusable and also have the ability to be used by a large number of people if it is to have an affect on an organisation.
7. What emerging technologies can companies use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively?
One technology that companies are are utilising is 'system virtualisation' by doing this it allows companies to view the material available on one computer as if it were a collection of seperate computers. By doing this businesses have the ability to reduce hardware infrastructure needed which in turn means the company uses less power, making the company 'greener' as well as reducing the companies expenses.
LINKS:
- Some of the key principles of infrastructure architecture:
www.ewita.com/EWITA%20Tools/Strawdogs/SD%20Principles.doc
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