1ST Answer

It is no secret that technological evolution has brought about a revolution in the way
businesses conduct their activities, including IT operations, communications, finance
decisions, and a lot more. Almost every aspect of modern business is driven by
technology, making 'an optimally functioning IT infrastructure paramount for them. 

A comprehensive IT framework consists of all the hardware and software elements

that support the management and operation of data and IT information systems.
Some of the prominent components of IT systems include - data storage and
retrieval, network systems, legacy interfaces, and other software. 

No business is the same, and neither are their IT operations. Hence, your
infrastructure should be unique and suitable for your business. If not installed,
maintained, or upgraded properly, it can slow down your business processes and
render your business vulnerable to data threats. 

Five Ways A Well Managed IT

Infrastructure Can Help Your Business 
Proactive Security and Prevention
Protecting the security of your data is one of the greatest responsibilities of
businesses. The more sophisticated technology becomes, the more creative ways
cybercriminals find to attack business data.

Therefore, it is crucial to have a secured and well-managed system in place that

appoints all the adequate security measures at the required places. These systems
work one step ahead of the cybercriminals by processes like assessing and tracking
threats or discovering weak points in your defenses.

These actions not only help you defend against attacks when they occur, but they
also help you prevent future breaches from occurring in the first place.

Proactive Disaster Management

Natural and human-made disasters are inherently unpredictable in nature; they strike
out of nowhere and create havoc in the organization. Without a proper IT risk
management infrastructure in the plan, this can lead to costly downtime and
negatively impact business operations for a long time. 

Your IT setup professionals will help you recover from various disasters like Security
breaches, technical malfunctions, and other IT issues in minimal time. You can
minimize or entirely eliminate these problems with assistance from an experienced
and highly trained team of IT management experts. 
Support Greater Employee Productivity
Slow processing, poor connections, and complicated communication processes, and
outdated IT systems can hinder your employees' productivity in several ways. 

With an efficient and accessible IT solution, your employees will be able to remove
the redundant delays and improve their productivity. Furthermore, it ensures that
your data is safe and accessible no matter where your employees are or what device
they're using. Employees can now stay productive while working remotely in an
effortless manner.

Superior User Experience

IT architecture is not only important to employees and staff but also to customers.
Investing in your IT services allows you to provide superior products and customer
service to your clients, be it in the form of a convenient online experience or a
comprehensive client relations management software, depending on your individual
business functioning. 

Furthermore, your ability to manage data backup and disasters proactively will instill
trust in current and potential customers. And, the absence of unexpected delays will
generate an overall consumer experience. This will ultimately lead to increased
customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Flexibility and Scalability 

Two other great advantages an IT infrastructure will offer are 'flexibility & scalability.
As your business grows, its functions will evolve, and so will the IT needs. For
example, your business may need extra storage and additional security as the data
requirements change with time.

Without a flexible infrastructure, your network solutions or hardware may not be able
to hold up with the business requirements. You'll be able to increase your
capabilities, purchase new software and equipment, and remain on top of the latest
technological upgrades as your needs evolve.

Combined together, these aspects will help you build a scalable IT infrastructure that
adapts to your changing needs and provides effective solutions throughout the life of
your company.

Upholding Standards and Compliance

Security, safety, and transparency are incredibly important for today's businesses to
sustain and thrive in highly competitive environments. There are certain laws and
regulations that need to adhere to represent accountability and prevent the loss of
consumer trust and legal fees. 
An expert IT management professional knows all the current laws and regulations
and helps your business meet with all of them. This way, you can take pride in your
robust security measures and impeccable legal compliance, which will improve
consumer confidence and play a key role in attracting and retaining them. 

Practical Tips To Optimize The Functioning Of Your IT Infrastructure - 

An optimized IT infrastructure helps you derive all the above-mentioned benefits.

You can further improve your processes by implementing the following - 

 Introducing cloud backup prevents major data loss caused by unforeseen

failures
 Create a ticketing system for end-user issues and keep track of their progress
 Keeping an eye on backup reports for any indications of nefarious behavior
 Investing in comprehensive cloud services that enable the organization to
scale up or down quickly as demand and technology change
 CMS solutions

Conclusions

A professionally set up infrastructure will act as the backbone of your IT operations.

Regardless of business size and the industry, they work within, every business can
benefit from a well-managed IT infrastructure. 
2nd Answer
A decision support system (DSS) is an information system that aids a business in
decision-making activities that require judgment, determination, and a sequence of
actions. The information system assists the mid- and high-level management of an
organization by analyzing huge volumes of unstructured data and accumulating
information that can help to solve problems and help in decision-making. A DSS is
either human-powered, automated, or a combination of both.
Purpose of a Decision Support System
A decision support system produces detailed information reports by gathering and
analyzing data. Hence, a DSS is different from a normal operations application,
whose goal is to collect data and not analyze it.
In an organization, a DSS is used by the planning departments – such as the
operations department – which collects data and creates a report that can be used
by managers for decision-making. Mainly, a DSS is used in sales projection,
for inventory and operations-related data, and to present information to customers in
an easy-to-understand manner.
Theoretically, a DSS can be employed in various knowledge domains from an
organization to forest management and the medical field. One of the main
applications of a DSS in an organization is real-time reporting. It can be very helpful
for organizations that take part in just-in-time (JIT) inventory management.
In a JIT inventory system, the organization requires real-time data of their inventory
levels to place orders “just in time” to prevent delays in production and cause a
negative domino effect. Therefore, a DSS is more tailored to the individual or
organization making the decision than a traditional system.
Components of a Decision Support System
The three main components of a DSS framework are:
1. Model Management System
The model management system S=stores models that managers can use in their
decision-making. The models are used in decision-making regarding the financial
health of the organization and forecasting demand for a good or service.
2. User Interface
The user interface includes tools that help the end-user of a DSS to navigate through
the system.
3. Knowledge Base
The knowledge base includes information from internal sources (information
collected in a transaction process system) and external sources (newspapers and
online databases).
Types of Decision Support Systems
Communication-driven: Allows companies to support tasks that require more than
one person to work on the task. It includes integrated tools such as Microsoft
SharePoint Workspace and Google Docs.
Model-driven: Allows access to and the management of financial, organizational,
and statistical models. Data is collected, and parameters are determined using the
information provided by users. The information is created into a decision-making
model to analyze situations. An example of a model-driven DSS is Dicodess – an
open-source model-driven DSS.
Knowledge-driven: Provides factual and specialized solutions to situations using
stored facts, procedures, rules, or interactive decision-making structures
like flowcharts.
Document-driven: Manages unstructured information in different electronic formats.
Data-driven: Helps companies to store and analyze internal and external data.
3rd Answer
3a.
In part one of this two-part series on BYOD (bring your own device), we considered
some of the common concerns companies have when thinking about, or
implementing, BYOD in their organisation. This week, we examine the three stages
of an employee’s life-cycle in the context of BYOD. In particular, we look at how
these stages of the life-cycle can help to inform the company’s BYOD policy.
1. Beginning BYOD: disclosure is king
Employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the workplace. In Copland
vs UK, the European Court of Human Rights held that by failing to notify the
employee that telephone calls, emails or internet usage would be monitored, the
employer violated the employee’s human right to privacy.

Because privacy and data protection are specific fundamental rights in Europe, if the
employee’s device will be monitored, it is essential that the BYOD policy
transparently explains the scope of access (ie what information the company will
access) and the purpose of the access (ie why the company will access that
information).

2. Working with BYOD: review, revise, remind

The BYOD policy should be a living document that changes as both technology and
the company’s needs change. This can be achieved by following ‘the three Rs’:

1. Periodically review the policy to make sure that it accurately reflects the ways

personal devices are used in the company
2. Revise the policy to account for the evolution of industry security measures
and changes to privacy legislation
3. Remind employees that they are bound to the terms of the BYOD policy

The BYOD policy should provide that the company reserves the right to make certain
minor changes to the policy without specifically informing employees. Companies
should clearly notify employees of any material changes to the policy that impact
employee rights and responsibilities. This will avoid arguments that the employees
were not on notice.

checking out of BYOD

It is important to have the ‘end-of-life’ terms agreed in the BYOD policy in advance,
since not all employees may leave the company on good terms and even those that
do may be sensitive to having their personal device accessed at the end of the
employment relationship.

In the US, common practice requires employees hand over their devices so that their
contents can be reviewed and deleted as appropriate. This is a cumbersome
exercise in itself and is actually resulting in decreasing use of personal devices by
employees. This type of review is, however, unlikely to be permitted in Ireland or
Europe due to the aforementioned protections on employees’ privacy rights, unless
the BYOD policy explicitly permits this type of access and such permission is
proportionate to the stated reasons for the access.

A company’s BYOD policy should explain that the employee is required to

permanently delete all company and employee information from the device before
the end of the employment term. Furthermore, the company should consider whether
the employee will be required to bring the device to IT for evaluation as part of the
exit interview.

3b.

Bring Your Own Device (acronym – BYOD) is the practice of letting

employees use any personally owned device like laptop, mobile phone,
tablet, etc., for office work. 

They can use their personal smart devices to access the company
information and work-related data instead of the company-issued ones.

The BYOD trend is now becoming a way of life for many

employees. Intel first implemented it in 2009 but became increasingly
popular after 2011 as more companies started implementing it. 

A. 5 Key BYOD Pros

Here are five pros of BYOD and why some companies prefer a BYOD
system:

1. Cost Savings

Providing devices for all employees can significantly increase your overall
costs, especially if you have a large organization. Additionally, not all
employees may be comfortable or well versed with handling the devices
you provide. 

But having a BYOD policy can significantly reduce your expenses of:

 Purchasing or renting devices for each employee.

 Providing training for using new devices.

 Hiring hardware and IT support teams.
2. Up-to-date Technology

People may not update company-owned devices regularly. They may even

choose to ignore any security updates, which may put your confidential
data at risk.
However, they are likely to be more vigilant about keeping their personal
laptops and other devices up-to-date and install the latest available
updates.

. 5 Major BYOD Cons

While BYOD has its benefits, certain disadvantages of BYOD may not make
it suitable for many companies.

Here are some of the major cons of Bring Your Own Device system:

1. Lack of Uniformity in Devices

A significant drawback of the BYOD model is the diversity of devices used

for office work. 
For example, some employees may prefer a Windows tablet and laptop,
while others would be comfortable only with an iPad and a MacBook.
Additionally, some may keep upgrading their smart devices every 2-3 years,
while others may use the same device for many years.

Having multiple devices may lead to operational and compatibility issues

with your company’s software. Your organization may be using a particular
software for completing projects and tasks. 

2.  Increased Distraction   

Bringing any personal device to work means that social media apps,
games, and other distractions can interfere with the employees’ productive
hours. 
As an employer, you may not be able to restrict these apps on the
employee device.

However, you can track how much time an employee spends on these apps
and websites using an employee productivity management tool like Time
Doctor. 
BYOD has its pros and cons. You must weigh both sides before deciding
whether to implement it in your company.

If your company has multiple departments with varied work, it may be

challenging to keep track of all personal devices and protect your sensitive
information. 

On the other hand, if you have a startup or a small business and don’t have
a dedicated IT department, a BYOD agreement can significantly reduce
your costs.