Developing Cloud Server With Primary And Standby Operations Services

1. Demonstrating a sound knowledge and understanding of Reliability Plan and Reliability Manual in Context 
2.Ability to apply (or discuss the application of) Reliability tools, techniques and philosophies in context, with suitable analysis and interpretation
3. Demonstrating understanding of (by providing an integrated solution for the company), and critically appraising, the impact of good practices and philosophies

Full backup and disaster recovery system for protection against mishaps

A brief statement of reliability requirements

The mission of developing results in two cloud servers, which include a primary server and a standby operations service. The system should have a full back up system to support the system during failure. Additionally, the development will result in a disaster recovery unit and a security control system. The disaster management unit is necessary to protect the system from damage and failure to operate during human or natural mishaps (Amstutz, 2014). The system will have tools and policies in place to provide guidance in the event of a disaster such as standard machines responsible for recovery. Moreover, the system will include a security system to prevent access by unauthorized persons. The security systems will include firewalls to prevent access by hackers (Amstutz, 2014).

Additionally, during the project lifecycle, the developer will collect data to predict the reliability of the software. The data analysis will aim at preventing the probability of failure after the completion of each stage of the lifecycle. Moreover, the system will undergo various test and maintenance procedures to minimize the probability of failure in the final output. The probability of failure will be analyzed using the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). The FMEA approach identifies the features in the system that could lead to failure in the system (Barki, 2015). The system will undergo testing procedures including the reliability testing and maintainability testing. The reliability testing procedures will involve failure data collection, analysis of trends and reporting requirements. On the other hand, the maintainability requirements include procedures to identify whether the system is maintainable. The tests include contractor’s requirements such as the existence of a system and a service level agreement for conducting the activity.

The company XYZ will engage the services of ABC tech to develop the system that fits the requirements specified in the project document. The company must fully adhere to the development of a cloud server with both primary and standby operation services. The development should follow the set lifecycle stages including maintainability tests, quality test and security measures for the system. The company should also produce evidence of previously developed systems that have met the customer’s expectations (Bench, 2013). The testimonials are meant to prove that the company is able to develop a system with the same specifications as that required by XYZ. Moreover, ABC tech should assure the customer that the system would have the right security protocols, which include the installation of firewalls to prevent unauthorised access and infection by viruses. ABC tech should also assure the customer that the system would have warranties for all the materials used in the process to enable refunds and free repairs in the event of damages or failure to meet the expectations (Clemons, 2010).

3. The reliability activities that will be performed

Reliability testing, maintainability testing, and quality measures

The development of the system will include various reliability activities to identify whether the system performs as intended. Additionally, the developers intend to ensure that the system is free from failure. The reliability activities give assurance to the customer that the system will perform as intended (Clemons, 2012).

The company will conduct design analysis as part of the reliability activities, which refers to the use of powerful soft wares that simulate the physical operations of the system. The analysis identifies whether the system will break or operate normally even under very extreme pressure (Earl, 2014). The use of software to analyse eliminates the added costs that arise from the use of prototyping method to develop a model of a system. The design analysis will follow the finite element analysis method, which means subdividing the all the system into individual elements whose behavior is easily identified and then developing the original system from the components. Moreover, the system will undergo stress analysis to identify the ability to operate under various conditions (Edwards, 2014).

The system will undergo various test procedures to identify problems in the system. The system testing increases the confidence level in the system due to the elimination of the probability of failure in the operations (Ein-Dor, 2014). The test procedures will occur at each level of the development lifecycle to prevent failure. The test procedures will include such as stress screening procedures to identify whether the system can function under extreme conditions.

The reliability requirements will follow the requirements set by XYZ, which includes the development of a primary system with a backup plan. Additionally, the system will have various procedures to ensure quality and full functioning. The requirements should drive the incorporation of various features to ensure the success of the system (Gerardi, 2016).

ABC tech will deliver constant reports on the milestones achieved during the project development. The development team will collect data after each milestone and report to the customer company, which is XYZ (Gregor, 2014).

4. The timing of all major activities, in relation to the project development milestones.

The project will have various stages requiring accomplishment to ensure successful operation of the system. The accomplishment of each stage will be marked as milestones and a timeline is necessary to ensure that the stages do not cause a delay in the project execution (Hevner, 2018). Some of the important activities include finding the right suppliers of the necessary materials. The search for the suppliers and awarding of the contract is allocated 14 days. The activities include the drafting of a proposal, analyzing of tenders and awarding of the contract. Another activity is the design analysis to ensure that the system will give the required results, which can take 30 days. The stage includes creating a prototype using powerful software, which identifies the points that could cause problems. The stage requires careful analysis to avoid undermining issues that could cause failure of the system. Additionally, the actual development of the system is a crucial stage, which could take up to 60 days. The development involves coming up with the actual cloud system for ABC and includes making a primary and a backup operations system. During the actual development of the system, other systems are developed such as a full backup system, a disaster recovery system and a security control system. The system testing procedure is important, could happen in 14 days, which is enough time to ensure that the system is free from errors, and can satisfy all required operations (King, 2018).

5. Reliability management strategies for suppliers.
6. Developing metrics and KPIs to monitor performance

Supplier scorecard, standards, and specifications

The metrics and key performance indicators provide a threshold for the supplier to meet when developing the system. The performance monitoring occurs in all levels and stages of operations to ensure that the outcome is according to the set standards (Lederer, 2014). The metrics include the development of a backup system for the system, installing security controls and a disaster recovery system. Therefore, the suppliers have to meet the standards by offering materials and services that match the set quality levels.

1. Implementing a supplier risk scorecard

The supplier scorecard standardizes the operations of the whole organisation. Therefore, the suppliers for materials and services necessary for the development of the system follow the needed standards to avoid failure and termination of contracts. The scorecard identifies the risks that the suppliers should avoid. The group of suppliers work according to the set standards leading to uniform outputs without errors and probability of failure (Barki, 2015).

6. The standards, specifications and internal procedures (e.g. the reliability manual) which will be implemented, as well as cross-references to other plans such as for test, security, maintainability and quality assurance.

Standards, specifications, and internal procedures

The system should achieve high-quality standards and meet all the expectations without fail. The system should avoid errors and have solutions to problems affecting operations. Therefore, the system should have a backup system installed to maintain operations during failure such as power outages (McMullen, 2009). Additionally, the system should have a disaster management system and a security system to avoid loss of data or failure to operate in the event of accidents.

The specifications for the system include proper testing and design analysis to come up with an effective system that is free from errors. Therefore, the expected system is one that is free from errors and is able to create an operating alternative in the event of a failure in the main system (Myers, 2017)

The internal procedures include having a reliability manual, which specifies the ability of the system to meet the operation standards required. Additionally, the internal operations include the appointment of employees to manage and evaluate whether the system development follows the requirements. Moreover, an internal team of experts could train the other employees on how to use the system (Nunamaker, 2010).

Furthermore, various testing procedures could take place such as accelerating testing approach. The test approach induces failure to the system in a laboratory with the system expected to show failure in a similar manner as in the field (Pfenning, 2014). Moreover, the system will have security measures to avoid harmful attacks that could damage operations such as firewalls and antiviruses.

The maintenance test happens after project completion to identify the costs of repairs and the time consumed when repairing the faulty system. The maintenance stage happens at the same time with the quality assurance tests, which aim at checking whether the system meets the customer expectations.

1. A brief statement of reliability requirements.

Design analysis, stress analysis, and system testing for system reliability

XYZ Company requires high-quality systems of operations that meet all operational needs as requested. The company’s leadership has developed a reliability policy that all employees at the firm should follow. Therefore, the company contracted to work with the firm should strictly adhere to reliability principles. The development of the cloud servers should follow the set standards to avoid failure and errors in operations. The system development should see that the system has undergone various steps to eliminate the possibility of failure in the final output. Therefore, the system should undergo a design analysis to establish full performance and highlight the points of possible failure (Senn, 2010). The points showing a probability of failure require quick rectification to eliminate chances of failure in the final product. Additionally, the company requires a full backup system for the cloud servers. The backup system should provide services in the event of failure of the original system.

Additionally, the organisation policy emphasizes that the cloud servers should be developed following the relevant international standards that govern information systems. The standards include the IEEE 1633-2008, which specifies the reliability standards to follow when developing an information system. Moreover, the system should follow the international security standards that ensure that the system is protected from unauthorized access such as firewalls and antiviruses (Stanfel, 2014).

2. 2.  The organisation for reliability.

The firm has set procedures to mitigate losses caused by the failure of operations caused by damages or attacks from harmful persons. Similarly, the reliability procedures will be used in the development of the system to prevent failure and damage to the company’s property. Therefore, the cloud-based system will adhere to the international standards set for information systems such as installing a security system to mitigate the danger posed by infection of viruses and hackers (Stern, 2015). The lack of a security system could lead to loss of important information to unauthorised persons. Additionally, the system should contain a backup system to restore operations in the event of failure. The backup system ensures that the company continues accessing information during the period that the system is under maintenance. The system should also undergo various testing procedures to establish the ability to perform under different conditions. Testing procedures such as stress tests expose the system’s ability to perform under extreme pressure.

The system design will undergo various procedures to ensure that the output is in accordance with the set blueprint. The system design specifies that the output should be of high quality and ability to serve the firm appropriately.

Performance monitoring and uniform outputs for meeting quality standards

The design analysis will involve procedures such as prototyping and design analysis. The two steps will be undertaken to ensure that all the system functionalities and failures are established. The system design analysis procedure will be the finite element analysis, which simulates the physical behaviour of a product using very strong soft wares (Stern, 2010). The element analysis exposes the failures in the system for the developers to correct. Additionally, the analysis shows how the system will work in reality after full development.

The other design analysis to apply is the prototyping, which refers to the creation of an example of the system that developers use to checkpoints of improvement to eliminate bugs.  The prototype is used for some time before the full and final product is introduced. The prototype assists in the identification of failure, which is eliminated to avoid transmission to the final system. Therefore, the two design procedures, which are prototyping and finite element analysis ensure that the cloud-based operating system is free from bugs and errors (Swanson, 2014).

The policy is meant to prolong the operating period of a system by setting enough margins for operation. The system has a policy of every increase in temperature by 10% reduces the lifespan of the product by 50% (Swanson, 2010). Therefore, the system should be protected from power surges and overvoltage situations. The observing of the policy results in a system with a prolonged life and reliable during the system’s lifetime.

The system requires various components to ensure successful development. The system requires both software and hardware components to fully support the system. The components include a heterogeneous business support that links up both the software and hardware. Additionally, the business support connects the new system to both traditional and modern infrastructure available at the centre to allow the flow of data (Van, 2011).

Moreover, application-programming interfaces are necessary to create a link between the existing operations, administration and maintenance systems. The activity includes both current visual tools such as VMWare and CITRIX and the larger data management companies such as IBM and HP.

The other hardware includes the use of computers with the ability to process programs necessary for developing the system. The computers should accommodate enough storage for installing and smooth running of the installed software (Vazsonvi, 2013).

The material and process selection will be done by a team of experts from within and outside the company (Zwass, 2014). The selection of material will seek to achieve the approval of the best tools and procedures to develop the system. The team will select materials based on the quality and aesthetic nature of the materials. Additionally, the market ratings will assist in coming to a conclusion about the best materials to use. The materials with the highest rating will be considered first before others.

Likewise, a group of experts will select the best process for development. The selection will be based on quality and cost-benefit analysis. The selected process should promise to achieve a high-quality output with the employment of experienced experts. Additionally, the process should meet the expectations at an affordable cost.

Design review

The design review procedure set will identify whether each stage has achieved the required standards. The review will be done after every stage to identify all problems at that stage (Bench, 2013). The problems are rectified to avoid passing to the next stage, which results in a complete system without failure.

The critical items will be noted in the project document to ensure that the developers focus on each item without failure. Additionally, the development will have a supporting critical item list to create emphasis on the requirements. The items project team should focus on integrating all the items mentioned in the critical items list (Van, 2011).

4. Reliability test procedures

The test procedures will include such as data collection and analysis. The data is collected from the system operations after completion. The user team collects and records the data based on the various operations of the system. The data assist in identifying the bottleneck areas through analytical models that expose the areas of failure within a system (Clemons, 2012).

Additional reliability tests will include stress tests to identify the responses of the system under different conditions. The system is set under both normal and abnormal conditions to observe the behavior.   Therefore, the system is operated under normal conditions such as moderate input of data to identify the behavior and responses. The behavior checked include the speed of operations and accuracy of output. On the other hand, the system is put under extreme conditions to identify the ability to withstand pressure. The extreme conditions include the input of lots of data to identify the ability to process quickly and give accurate output (King, 2018).

5. Reliability data collection, analysis and action system, including data from the test, warranty, etc.

The data collection will be collected be done by the users and a team of experts to identify the areas of failure. The data will be collected over a period to allow the identification of patterns through analysis. The data will undergo analysis to identify trends that expose the areas causing trouble and the cause of the shortcomings. Additionally, the experts will give repair directions based on the analysis of the system. The repairs will exploit the warranties awarded by the suppliers such as free replacement of  the faulty system. The warranties should last for a long period such as two to three years.  

The data from the test also includes figures showing the output of the system under various conditions. The experts will check the periods and conditions causing the low output from the system. Therefore, the team plans the approach to improve the operation of the system and prevent failure (Edwards, 2014).

The purpose of the request for proposal is to service company XYZ with the required information for the development of a cloud-based operating system. The development should follow the set guidelines and achieved within the set budget. However, an increase in the cost in addition to the budgeted amount will be discussed with the relevant finance representatives. The ABC Company is seeking to achieve a high-quality cloud-based operating system with both primary and a standby operations plan. The system should have the necessary security standards, backup and disaster recovery measures to avoid failure.

The company engages in social media services such as marketing and blogging. The company is located in a busy town with many customers requiring social media services such as web hosting, the creation of websites and running of social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The business targets the market with small and medium-sized businesses. The business intends to boost operations with a cloud-based system that will replace the traditional system currently existing at the company. The cloud-based system will increase efficiency in the storage of information and improve the speed of giving output and accuracy of data. Therefore, the company ABC tech is supposed to develop a system that will shift operations to a cloud-based system thus reducing the cost of operations (Swanson, 2014).

Schedule for proposal

1. Floating of RFP
2. Time for product demonstrations
3. Handing in of proposals
4. Notification of tender finalists
5. Interviewing of tender finalists
6. Notice of selection

All questions concerning the floated request for proposal should be directed to the procurement department before the final day of closing the tenders. The questions should be in writing and submitted to the company’s headquarters (Swanson, 2014).

All proposals should be handed in before the set deadline. Any proposal submitted after the said date will not be considered during the supplier evaluation. All actions of corruption to increase the chances of selection will lead to disqualification (Swanson, 2014).

All information provided by the suppliers will be protected from access by unauthorized third parties. Therefore, the parties should not withhold any information that is important during the tender evaluation process (Swanson, 2014).

The company has the right to disqualify any supplier who does not meet the requirements set by the procurement department. Any persons who have pending legal cases relating to failure to supply the necessary good or failure to send payments to a seller will be disqualified. 

The persons seeking to win the tender should indicate the duration for completing the system. The time mentioned should be within the company’s timetable to avoid delays and attracting of penalties.

Please attach details about the company such as

• Name and address
• Organization chart
• Description of experience and reference to other similar systems developed
• Specifications of a contact person, leader and other team members to include in the project. Indicate the responsibilities and expectations of the developing company.   

References

Amstutz, Arnold E., and Harry Stern. "Information Systems in Management Science." Management Science 15, no. 2 (2014): B91-100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2628856.

Barki, Henri, Suzanne Rivard, and Jean Talbot. "An Information Systems Keyword Classification Scheme." MIS Quarterly 12, no. 2 (2015): 299-322. doi:10.2307/248855.

Bench, Nachman, Sigmund G. Ginsburg, and Harry Stern. "Information Systems in Management Science." Management Science 13, no. 10 (2013): B693-702. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2627906.

Clemons, Eric K., and Bruce W. Weber. "Special Section: Strategic Information Systems." Journal of Management Information Systems 15, no. 2 (2010): 5-7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40398389.

Clemons, Eric K., and Bruce W. Weber. "Special Section: Strategic and Competitive Information Systems." Journal of Management Information Systems 13, no. 2 (2012): 5-7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40398213.

Earl, Michael J. "Experiences in Strategic Information Systems Planning." MIS Quarterly 17, no. 1 (2014): 1-24. doi:10.2307/249507.

Edwards, Chris. "Information Systems Maintenance: An Integrated Perspective." MIS Quarterly 8, no. 4 (2014): 237-56. doi:10.2307/249094.

Ein-Dor, Phillip, and Eli Segev. "Strategic Planning for Management Information Systems." Management Science 24, no. 15 (2014): 1631-641. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2630678.

Gerardi, Robert J., and Gary C. Benedict. "Computerized Information Systems." The School Counselor 34, no. 2 (2016): 105-09. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23901860.

Gregor, Shirley. "The Nature of Theory in Information Systems." MIS Quarterly 30, no. 3 (2014): 611-42. doi:10.2307/25148742.

Hevner, Alan R., Salvatore T. March, Jinsoo Park, and Sudha Ram. "Design Science in Information Systems Research." MIS Quarterly 28, no. 1 (2018): 75-105. doi:10.2307/25148625.

King, William R., and Jaime I. Rodriguez. "Evaluating Management Information Systems." MIS Quarterly 2, no. 3 (2018): 43-51. doi:10.2307/249177.

Lederer, Albert L., and Raghu Nath. "Making Strategic Information Systems Happen." The Executive 4, no. 3 (2014): 76-83. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4164967.

McMullen, R. M., and John H. Schneider. "Information Systems." Science 175, no. 4019 (2009): 256-58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1733475.

Myers, Michael D. "Qualitative Research in Information Systems." MIS Quarterly 21, no. 2 (2017): 241-42. doi:10.2307/249422.

Nunamaker, Jay F., Minder Chen, and Titus D. M. Purdin. "Systems Development in Information Systems Research." Journal of Management Information Systems 7, no. 3 (2010): 89-106. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40397957.

Pfenning, R. E. "Business Information Systems." The Accounting Review 37, no. 2 (2014): 234-43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/242826.

Senn, James A. "Essential Principles of Information Systems Development." MIS Quarterly 2, no. 2 (2010): 17-26. doi:10.2307/248938.

Stanfel, L. E. "On Information Systems." Management Science 15, no. 10 (2014): B481-485. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2628456.

Stern, Harry, and Hartmut J. Will. "Information Systems in Management Science." Management Science 14, no. 6 (2015): B391-395. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2628169.

Stern, Harry. "Information Systems in Management Science." Management Science 17, no. 2 (2010): B119-123. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2629223.

Swanson, E. Burton. "Information Systems Innovation among Organizations." Management Science 40, no. 9 (2014): 1069-092. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2661474.

Swanson, E. Burton. "Introducing Information Systems Research (ISR)." Information Systems Research 1, no. 1 (2010). https://www.jstor.org/stable/23010960.

Van Dusseldorp, Ralph. "Management Responsibility for Information Systems." Educational Technology 11, no. 5 (2011): 38-40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44417666.

Vazsonyi, Andrew. "Information Systems in Management Science." Interfaces 3, no. 3 (2013): 30-33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25058992.

Zwass, Vladimir. "Management Information Systems—Beyond the Current Paradigm." Journal of Management Information Systems 1, no. 1 (2014): 3-10. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40384522.