BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

ONLY NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING TOPIC FROM TABLE OF CONTENTS 

4. Server Operating System Security 

5. Cloud-Based Services 

6. Conclusion 

Introduction

to Business Technology (ISYS2008)

Contents
Case Study – New York City Council 2
Case Study – Requirements 3
Assignment Aim: 3
Date Due: 3
Submission Format: 3
Submission Requirements: 4
Assignment Weighting: 4
Late Assessment Submission and Extensions 4
Assignment Marks Breakdown: 4
Report Presentation Requirements: 5
Important Tips: 5
A Sample Report Outline 6
Peer Evaluation Template 7
Assignment Marking Guide 8

Case Study – New York City Council

New York City (NYC) Council is one of the largest councils in the world. Consisting of 51 districts, the NYC Council is responsible for the creation of local laws that enable the council to respond to issues and community needs within NYC. The council has more than 294,000 employees that work in the many skyscraper buildings within the borough of Manhattan. Recently New York City Hall, home to the Mayor of New York and over 1000 staff, has undergone a renovation, to the interior and exterior of the 17th Century building. As a result, the cost of this renovation exceeded the planned cost by 50 million US dollars and ended up costing 150 million US dollars. Unfortunately, the council also now needs to spend a considerable amount of money on the ageing IT equipment at City Hall, but due to the over expenditure on the renovation, a minimal budget remains for IT expenditure.

As a result, the Mayor of New York has approached your consulting firm and asked for assistance in budgeting for the new IT equipment. The Mayor has raised some interesting concerns as detailed below.

Concern 1: The council currently has more than 1000 desktop personal computers running Windows 8 operating system, spread across the departments and locations within City Hall. The Mayor feels this is far too many personal computers and understands that reducing the number of required PC’s will also reduce energy consumption.

Concern 2: The desktop personal computers within City Hall currently use the following hardware

specifications.

· 550 Desktop PC’s (1GHZ CPU, 1GB RAM, 16GB HDD)

· 300 Desktop PC’s (1.4GHZ CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB HDD)

· 200 Desktop PC’s (2.4GHZ CPU, 8 GB RAM, 128GB HDD)

The Mayor would like to understand if any of the current PC devices can be salvaged and used for at least the next three years.

Concern 3: The Mayor is security conscious and is very concerned about the security implications that may be present since the council is running an operating system that is seven years old.

Concern 4: The Mayor has indicated that all documentation recorded electronically in council meetings needs to be securely backed up in a location that all councillors can access at any time of the day.

Case Study – Requirements

To address the Case Study, provide a report to the Mayor that includes the following:

1. Advise and explain why Windows 10 would be the most suitable Operating System to use as the councils Standard Operating Environment (SOE), over similar operating systems such as Unix, Linux and MacOS X (Catalino), given the difficulties the council is facing with IT expenditure. (ULO 2, ULO 3)

2. Advise the council on what additional hardware is required to support Windows 10, and explain how it may or may not be possible to re-use some of the existing hardware. (ULO 2)

3. Direct the council on what Server Operating System based security would alleviate the Mayors security concerns. (ULO 4)

4. Explain how cloud-based services such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, may or may not be the best solution to the fourth (4th) concern that the Mayor has raised. (ULO 4)

PLEASE NOTE THIS FINAL REPORT PARTIALLY FULFILS THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UNIT AND COVERS THE FOLLOWING UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES (ULO) AS LISTED IN THE UNIT OUTLINE

ULO 2: Explain the concepts and theoretical aspects of the components in an operating system.

ULO 3: Demonstrate security mechanisms at the operating system level.

ULO 4: Explain the fundamentals of networking (networking protocol concepts, TCP/IP, domain

and addressing)

Assignment Aim:

The assignment consists of a set of evaluation exercises to familiarise students with the features of operating systems and networking. The team working skills component is designed to encourage students to think about and understand how well you and your partner performed in the team activity for you to develop these essential skills.

Assignment Weighting:

The assignment is worth 30% of the unit final grade.

Late Assessment Submission and Extensions

Please refer to the unit outline, available on blackboard.

Assignment Marks Breakdown:

The overall mark for the assignment is 100 Marks. The marks are broken down into the following:

· Group Report – 90 Marks

· Evaluation (Peer) – 5 Marks

· Evaluation (Group) – 5 Marks

Please note it is unlikely that students in the same group will receive the same score since evaluations are included in the marks allocation.

Report Presentation Requirements:

· Normal Text – Arial 10 pt

· Major Headings – Arial 12 pt (Bold)

· Minor Headings – Arial 10 pt (Bold)

· 1.5 line spacing, Page numbering (centred at the bottom of each page – footer)

· Header (Student Names and ID: Arial 8 pt, italics, right-aligned)

· 2.5cm margin-left of page, 2.5cm margin-top, bottom and right of the page.

· Assignment should be submitted in MS Word Format, Spell Checked, and Grammar Checked.

· Approximately 3,000 words in length, excluding diagrams; appendices; and references.

· The assignment should contain no less than two academic journal references and textbooks. However, it is expected that students will provide approximately ten references.

· Chicago referencing format must be used.

Important Tips:

· Avoid Plagiarism

· Plagiarism detection software will be used to detect plagiarism.

A Sample Report Outline

I. Cover Page

II. Executive Summary

III. Table of Contents

IV. Table of Figures (If Applicable)

V. Table of Tables (If Applicable)

1. Introduction

2. Standard Operating Environment

3. Hardware Requirements

4. Server Operating System Security

5. Cloud-Based Services

6. Conclusion

7. References

Assignment Marking Guide

Criteria

Marks

Executive Summary

2.5

Table of Contents

Table of Figures (If Applicable)

Table of Tables (If Applicable)

Introduction

2.5

Standard Operating Environment

20

Hardware Requirements

20

Server Operating System Security

20

Cloud-Based Services

20

Conclusion

2.5

References

2.5

Report Total Marks

90

Peer-Evaluation

5

Group-Evaluation

5

Evaluation Total Marks

10

Assignment Total Marks

100

Table of Contents
1) Introduction 3

2

) Suggested Standard Operating Environment 4
a) Productivity 4
b) End of Life Support 4
c) Efficiency 4
d) Flexibility 4
e) Control 4
2.1. Recommendation and Justification of the Operating System 5
3) Hardware Requirements for Windows 10 5
3.1. Possible reuse of Hardware 6
4) Operating System Security 6
4.1. Justification of Operating System Security 7
5) Sharing of Documentation 8
5.1) Justification of Sharing Method 8
6) Conclusion 9
7) References 10

I. Executive Summary

The suggested standard operating environment is Windows 10 because they are using windows 8, the windows are similar as a lot of the functions and icons are same and can easily be learned and get used to so employees don’t need special training to use the new system. The suggested operating system is quite secure it has firewall defender which protects the user and the data from any harm and denies any dangerous data to affect the computer and can be manually controlled and Windows 10 also allows to create group policies so an unauthorized person cannot access with system and probably there will be no chance of stealing confidential documents just authorized persons can access system and see documents. Then mayor asks for hardware requirements so mostly hardware’s they are using is already compatible and is reusable so they don’t need to spend more money on hardware but if required they can always use the old computers by just updating the ram to the requirements of Windows 10. For sharing documents there are a lot of methods that can be used with the new operating system. Due to shortage of budget it is advised that google drive be used as it is secure and safe and also it is good choice, it can be used for free and they can access it everywhere they don’t need to carry anything with them they just need to know there username and password to use google drive and they can make restrictions and only allow the users they intend to share the documents with.

1)
Introduction

In the modern era, any organisation or any govt department cannot survive without proper technology. Technology changes day by day and its importance increase in every field of organisations and govt departments so it should be updated as per requirements like in New York city council are using old operating system and hardware’s and the mayor want to upgrade hardware and operating system that can increase the capability of computers. Mayor asks for a suggestion to have a secure method of sharing documents and minimum costs of upgrading the computers and its operating software because they are already went more than the desired budget. It is not easy to communicate with computers without an operating system. An operating system is a software that can run applications on computers, operating system includes windows, android, Linux, Apple OS, and hardware include motherboard, ram, hard drive, CPU etc for better performance of computers these operating systems and hard drives need to be upgraded on time to time (Holt, Feveyear and Corrie 2001).

2. Suggested Standard Operating Environment

As we all know Windows 8 is being used by different departments and city hall. Windows introduced Windows 10 on 29th July 2015 which we as firm deeply suggest council to update as the Standard Operating system for all the computers (Fisher 2019).

Why Windows 10?

a)
Productivity

Changing to Windows 10 from Windows 8 should be simple.

1) Windows 10 has a similar feature of control and navigation like the start menu, desktop items, taskbar and many more. All these features are now also available for touch mode. This will make it easier for previous Windows users to use Windows 10 with ease (Forbes 2015).

2) This Operating system now has been systematized across different platforms like mobile phones, tablets, PCs, Xbox and IoT, it also supports future devices or platforms such as Surface Hub and HoloLens (Forbes 2015).

3) Windows 10 allows users to opt for the device platform right for the task as it supports all the different types of applications on the tablets, 2 in 1 device touch-enabled devices it appeals the government agencies as it reduces the cost of the hardware and the process to maintain it (Forbes 2015).

b)
End of Life Support

Support for Windows 10 will be given till 14 October 2025 so it will be good for next few years and there will be no expenditure on a new OS for upcoming years and can safely use the Windows 10 (Carly 2015).

c)
Efficiency

Windows 10 has many new features that will help its users to work faster and efficiently. For example, Cortana is a digital assistant which allows users to organise calendars, find files quicker and allow fast access to information they need (BASHA 2015).

d)
Flexibility

There is the business version of Microsoft store which allows users a flexible method manage, acquire and distribute applications to Windows 10 devices it includes not only Windows 10 store apps but also custom build apps for the business and government use (BASHA 2015).

e)
Control

1) Windows 10 will allow the government to take full control over how they want to manage the system. Mobile Device Management allows the IT department to manage the access all the Windows 10 devices either it is mobile, 2 in 1 touch-enabled device or a laptop and also the Internet of Things (BASHA 2015).

2) Azure Active Directory allows administrators to maintain one directory by allowing employees with one login which will allow to securely login across all devices with data and settings intact (BASHA 2015).

2.1. Recommendation and Justification of the Operating System

Windows 10 offers better security and is very user-friendly it protects confidential data and has encryption and authorisation features which allow only authorised personnel to access confidential data. It enables users to do their work on any platform whether it be a tablet or 2 in 1 touch-enabled device. It can secure data by enabling biosecurity by face Id or fingerprint scan.

Allowing council to reduce the budget they can buy 2 in 1 touch-enabled devices for some users and tablets for others while allowing PC’s to be used by essential staff which requires a computer by also being future enabled as Windows 10 also support for a very long time and it will not be required to change the Operating system in the foreseeable future as it allows software updates and security updates (Forbes 2015).

The best part of upgrading to Windows 10 is its free as all the computers were running on Windows 8 the activation key that was used to activate Windows 8 can also be used to activate Windows 10, once you download Windows 10 from Microsoft and put the Windows 8 activation key it will send back and verify if the key is genuine and once it is confirmed Windows 10 will be activated and the best part of this also is if Microsoft in future do not allow this method to activate Windows 10 it will still be legal and will allow the devices to stay activated for the Windows 10 which was activated by this method (Fish 2019).

3. Hardware Requirements for Windows 10

1) Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC

2) RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

3) Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS

4) Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

5) Display: 800 x 600

(“Windows 10” 2019)

The hardware used by the city council right now is as follows:

1) 550 Desktop PC’s (1GHZ CPU, 1MB RAM, 16GB HDD)

2) 300 Desktop PC’s (1.4GHZ CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB HDD)

3) 200 Desktop PC’s (2.4GHZ CPU, 8 GB RAM, 128GB HDD)

3.1. Possible reuse of Hardware

300 Desktop PC’s with 1.4GHZ CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB HDD AND 200 Desktop PC’S with 2.4GHZ CPU. 8GB RAM, 128GB HDD can be reused and Windows 10 supports it and can be installed which saves a lot of money without buying new hardware only thing required is to download the software. If more PC’s are required 550 computers which has 1MB RAM can be replaced with 1GB RAM which will support after determining how many PC’s are required we can choose to replace some PC’s with tablets or 2 in 1 touch-enabled devices which will decrease the energy use and cost of maintaining the PC’s and will ease the access to its users and it will be more convenient as it will not be fixed to a place (Forbes 2015). as Windows 10 support different devices. So, it is possible to reuse the hardware which was previously being used by the city council.

4. Operating System Security

One of the challenges faced by government agencies is to fight against advancing cyber danger. Windows 10 has a wide variety of tools and process to tackle such threats and keep secure important data (Forbes 2015).

Some of the tools and processes are as follows: –

1) The main vulnerability for any security environment is using passwords, it can be effortlessly hacked to gain access to important data and resources. Windows 10 helps agencies by limiting access and give access to authorised personnel’s by integrated 2-factor authorisation by asking for facial recognition or fingerprint (Forbes 2015).

2) Windows Information Protection (WIP) previously known as Enterprise Data Protection (EDP) prevents possible data leakage without causing any problems to the employee experience. It also prevents accidental data leak on the employee’s work device and also the personal device which they use to send data. It separates personal data from work data without any need to switch environments (Windows 10 2019).

3) Hardware-based security also increases protection against any attacks. Trusted Platform Module is an accepted chip, it has capabilities like Secure Boot, and it helps to stop malware from connecting itself with hardware. There is a new attribute called Device Guard and it makes sure that only authorised applications and code run on the device (Forbes 2015).

4) Windows 10 has its own security known as Windows Defender which is much better than its predecessors operating systems. It scans for threats, viruses and malware continuously it is a real-time protection and it also downloads security updates to keep the device safe from any new threats (‘Stay Protected with Windows Security” 2019).

4.1. Justification of Operating System Security

Windows 10 has its own security and allows users to get the latest antivirus protection against the new threats and it protects its users from the time you turn the computer on it have different protection for files, internet and you can also manually run scans to detect any threats. It not only gives the administrator to limit access and give access to authorised personnel but also protects the users who usually go on the internet and are vulnerable to countless threats. The Windows Information Protection protects the important data on the computer and gives a better experience to the user (Forbes 2015). It allows users to schedule the scan from time to time which is good as the IT personnel will not have to check every PC daily if it’s already scheduled (‘Stay Protected with Windows Security” 2019). It allows the administrator to put security measures such as facial recognition or fingerprint which will allow the important data to be more secure (Forbes 2015).

Windows 10 has much better security than its predecessor and will continuously be updated to stay up to date to the new threats (BASHA 2015).

Windows 10 also includes a windows defender firewall as mentioned above which helps to fight against different types of malware, viruses and hackers. The job of the Windows defender is to protect the data of the computer and also the identity of the user (Ballew, 2019).

Why firewalls are important?

If we compare the firewall in the physical world so it can be interpreted in simple words that it is a huge wall protecting us against the fire and different kinds of harm by standing between the person and the dangerous things behind the wall (Henry 2005).

Windows defender does the same thing but in the digital world protects the data and user from any harm it protects the data packets in the computer. Its jobs include monitoring data that comes and goes out of the computer, for example, it monitors websites and emails and makes the conclusion whether it is safe or not (Ballew, 2019). The data that has no threat is allowed to pass and the data which can be dangerous is denied by it. It works the same as the physical firewall it is just a simple explanation of the technical word (Ballew, 2019).

Though the firewall has been set to default active it can be managed manually to block a program or the applications to pass data without any block and it also gives the option to turn it off but this not advised if you don’t have any other anti-virus programs like McAfee or Norton (Ballew, 2019).

Group policy another amazing feature of Windows 10 it allows the administrator to either centralize or make it a local policy in this the administrators has the power to either restrict operations to the certain or all users as suggested by the term local and central it is a wonderful feature in Windows 10 this can include restricting access to particular folder or any other type of data that the admin does not want to share with certain users. And can also be used to encrypt the data with password and only the users that know the password are allowed to access the files it has many other features that make it a really good security feature that can work for many users and can be controlled by the administrators which reduce the risk of leak of the important data (CHRIS, 2016).

5) Sharing of Documentation

Many organisations face a lot of challenges for data sharing and they want to share a document without any theft of data. Before technology revolution organisations used to share documents via post or other traditional ways in printed of (McAughtrie 2016). Now in the modern technological era, there are a lot of ways of saving and sharing documents online. In these online methods authorized persons access these documents, authorized persons can see these documents and some authorized can edit these documents on online sharing applications, sites, such as google drive. Google drive can be introduced to the system as it is one of the most convenient ways of sharing data. Google drive is software from google which was invented in April 2012 and this allows the users of it to share data with other preferred users (Brigham 2014). The shared data stays secure as it is not available to anyone other than those who have an administrative permit (Brigham 2014). The drive is also cheaper than other data sharing options and also allows a good amount of free space to its users, which can also make it easy for the company to stay in a budget.

5.1) Justification of Sharing Method

The google drive is a very flexible application which can be used in any operating system and even the using option is very simple as there is no need of installing the application as well and just browsing in the internet and using the email account google drive can be accessed and the data that is created and edited stays saved and secured without any hustle (Piper 2005). It is a single platform where everything is included, for example, google docs, google slides, google photos, everything can be accessed and used by any permitted users, so there is no need of using any other additional platform (Brigham 2014). A google drive is a portable option for the users as they do not require to carry it everywhere, all the data are saved in the cloud and it can be accessed from anywhere.

6) Conclusion

It is recommended that the Standard operating system be Windows 10 as it is secure and free to upgrade to which saves a lot of money as buying a new operating system is expensive, this would resolve the difficulty that the council faces with no extra cost. Windows 10 supports a lot of software and has tools which will be useful in the daily day to day business of the government. Most of the hardware is supports the Windows 10 and as mayor said they need to cut back on computers but if required the computers that are not compatible due to less ram, though it can be upgraded to the required ram that supports Windows 10 which will not only reduces the expense but also fulfil the mayor’s wishes to decrease the number of computers. Security of Windows 10 is better than the Windows 8 it has its own firewall and it is updated regularly to tackle new threats and the devices can also be encrypted with facial recognition and fingerprint sensor to secure it more on the important data and can only be accessible to authorised users which make the security top-notch and allows them to be up to date to the latest trends. As for the sharing of documentation google drive is suggested which is quick and can be accessed from anywhere and is free of cost till certain storage but it also allows it users to allow the administrator to restrict access and only allow the authorised people as it an online cloud-based document sharing system even if the computer is broken the files can be restored from the cloud and can be updated from one computer and the progress can be seen by the administrator and also be shared by as many people as possible.

7) References

1. Brigham, Tara J. 2014. “Taking Advantage Of Google’s Web-Based Applications And Services”. Medical Reference Services Quarterly 33 (2): 202-210. doi:10.1080/02763869.2014.897521.

2. McAughtrie, David. 2016. “10 Methods To Improve The Efficiency Of Document Sharing For Your Project”. Blog. Unit4 Blog.

https://www.unit4.com/blog/2016/06/10-methods-to-improve-the-efficiency-of-document-sharing-for-your-project

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3. Piper, Paul S. 2005. “Google And Privacy”. Internet Reference Services Quarterly 10 (3-4): 195-203. doi:10.1300/j136v10n03_17.

4. Forbes, Insights. 2015. “Windows 10: A New Operating System For Government IT”. Blog. Microsoft Industry Blogs. 2)

https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/government/2015/07/29/windows-10-a-new-operating-system-for-government-it/

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5. Holt, John, Duncan Feveyear, and Nick Corrie. 2001. “Do We Need Yet Another Office PC Upgrade?”. OR Insight 14 (3): 3-12. doi:10.1057/ori.2001.10.

6. “Stay Protected With Windows Security”. 2019. Support.Microsoft.Com.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4013263/windows-10-stay-protected-with-windows-security

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7. Fish, Tom. 2019. “Windows 10: Can You Get Windows 10 For Free? Is There A Free Download Of Windows 10?”. Express.Co.Uk.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/1105494/windows-10-for-free-free-download-of-microsoft-windows-10

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8. BASHA, ERIC. 2015. “Six Reasons Why Governments Should Upgrade To Windows 10 – Microsoft Industry Blogs”. Microsoft Industry Blogs.

https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/government/2015/12/23/six-reasons-why-governments-should-upgrade-to-windows-10/

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9. Carly, page. 2015. “Windows 10 Will Reach End Of Life On 14 October 2025 | Theinquirer”. Http://Www.Theinquirer.Net.

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2418619/windows-10-end-of-life-date

10. “Windows 10”. 2019. Answers.Microsoft.Com.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10/8b0ecd27-0868-4415-9f5a-f6e365549ca0

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11. “Protect Your Enterprise Data Using Windows Information Protection (WIP) (Windows 10)”. 2019. Docs.Microsoft.Com.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/information-protection/windows-information-protection/protect-enterprise-data-using-wip

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12. Fisher, Tim. 2019. “Windows 10: Everything You Need To Know”. Lifewire.

https://www.lifewire.com/windows-10-2626217

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13. Ballew, J. (2019). Find and Use the Windows 10 Firewall. Lifewire.

https://www.lifewire.com/windows-10-firewall-4145353

14. CHRIS, H. (2016). What Is “Group Policy” in Windows?.How-To Geek.

https://www.howtogeek.com/125171/htg-explains-what-group-policy-is-and-how-you-can-use-it/

15. Henry, Paul A. 2005. “Firewall Considerations for the IT Manager.” Information Systems Security 14 (5) (Nov): 29-51.

https://search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/229562617?accountid=10382

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2

Execut

i

veSummary

This report addresses four major concerns that the New York City Council has for its ageing IT infrastructure located at City Hall. After a recent renovation, the cost of project exceeded the planned cost by more than $50 million. This has impacted on their vision of improving the current IT infrastructure. The mayor of New York has approached our firm and has shared some of their concerns they have and have asked us to address the following concerns.

The first concern relates to the New York City council having more than

1

000 personal computers (PCs) operating at City Hall throughout the different departments. There is a need to reduce the total amount of PCs across the department to save on energy costs as well as updating the current operating system (OS) to Windows 10. The second concern relates to the current specifications of the PCs in relation to Windows 10 system requirements and whether they can be salvaged and used for the next three years. About half of the current PCs will have to be removed as they will not be able to last for three years. The third concern relates to the security of the OS system, where a recommendation has been requested for the best server operating system. The final concern relates to the best method of securely backing up documentation that can be accessed by all councillors at any time of the day.

This report contains all the recommendations for a new operating system, hardware requirements, a recommendation for a server operating system and the best method to securely share documents. The recommendations that are contained within this report are what we believe will address all the concerns that have been put forth.

i
Table of Contents
Executive Summary i
Introduction 1

Standard Operating Environment

2

Hardware Requirements

3

Server Operating System Security

4

Cloud-Based Services

5

Conclusion

6
References 7

No table of figures entries found.

Introduction

Technology has changed the very way that we interact with each other and how we conduct business. It is a powerful resource that is ever-changing which requires us to constantly evolve on how we harness the technology (Duncan 2011). The Mayor of New York City (NYC) has approached our firm and has asked for assistance in budgeting for new IT equipment in relation to four major concerns over the current state of the IT infrastructure in City Hall. These concerns are the current energy usage of the 1000 personal computers, whether the current PCs meet minimum specification, security implications and secure documentation backup. This report outlines the most suitable operating system for the councils standard operating environment, new and existing hardware requirements, recommended server operating system for optimal security and the recommended cloud-based services for storage.

Standard Operating Environment

A standard operating environment (SOE) is the standardisation of the operating system and software application that is used throughout an organisation (Rouse). This determines the standard configuration, applications used, and the updates made. An SOE is used to maintain constant performance and reliability of the system throughout the entire organisation and reduce the complexity for Information Technology (IT) teams (Rouse). Due to a recent renovation at City Hall, the overall expenditure exceeded the expected cost of $100 million totalling to an amount of $150 million. This has affected the overall amount that is able to be spent on the IT infrastructure upgrade. The replacement for the current operating system will need to be relatively cheap and a long-term solution. Being a long-term solution, this ensures reliability and performance of the system and means that little to no changes have to be done on the existing equipment thus saving on further cost. Another concern raised was the amount of energy that is being used to run all of the PCs and there is a need to reduce the total amount of PCs. GREEN COMPUTING??

The recommended replacement for the current Windows 8 operating system is Windows 10. This makes the most sense as it is the easiest and a straightforward procedure. It is essentially performing a regular upgrade but will be a bit more of an involved process to ensure success. Windows is currently the most used platform so it makes sense to use it.

1

Hardware Requirements

Windows 10 has the ability to be installed on all of the PCs but the hardware that is installed in them needs to meet the minimum required specification. The specification requirement is in relation to the computer’s CPU, RAM and Hard Disk Drive. The CPU, also known as the Central Processing Unit, is responsible for the processing and executing of instructions issued by the operating system and programs. It is essentially the brain of the computer (Martindale 2020b). The RAM, also known as the Random-Access Memory, is very fast short-term memory that is used to temporarily store current data that can increase performance and speed up computer processes (Martindale 2020c). The Hard Disk Drive is long-term memory that is used as a secondary storage device. The computer permanently stores and retrieves data from this piece of hardware (Lacoma 2020).

Windows 10 has the ability to be installed either as a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system (Microsoft 2020). This means it can accommodate lots of different PC specifications. In simple terms a 64-bit processor is more powerful than a 32-bit processor which means there are more advantages to using a 64-bit operating system (Martindale 2020a). A 32-bit operating system can only be paired with a maximum of 4GB of RAM. This means that it is not recommended to run resource heavy programs (Martindale 2020a). A 64-bit operating is able to use more RAM and is able to guarantee that any future programs created are compatible with the system provided that there is the available resources to manage it (Martindale 2020a). The minimum requirements for a 32-bit operating system are 1 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of HDD. The minimum requirements for a 64-bit operating system are 1 GHz CPU, 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of HDD (Microsoft 2020). In order to ensure continuity throughout City Hall, it is recommended that a 64-bit operating system be installed on all the existing PCs. This presents a problem as not all of the PCs are able to meet the minimum system requirements for this type of operating system.

From the PC information provided, 550 desktop PCs (1GHZ CPU, 1GB RAM, 16GB HDD) will not be able to be reused as they don’t meet the minimum specifications. It is recommended to replace these computers to increase the RAM and HDD size. Without sufficient RAM and HDD, the 64-bit OS cannot run. For the 300 Desktop PC’s (1.4GHZ CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB HDD), meet the minimum requirements to run the OS but will only last for the next 3 years and will definitely need to be replaced after this time. If possible, it is recommended to remove the RAM out of the redundant PCs and installed it into the 300 desktop PCs to increase the RAM Size to aid in getting through the 3-year period. For the 200 Desktop PC’s (2.4GHZ CPU, 8 GB RAM, 128GB HDD), meet the minimum requirements and are able to be re-used. These PCs will surpass the 3-year period and most probably be able to be used for an additional 3-year period.

Server Operating System Security

Cloud-Based Services

Conclusion

References – Min of 10, Made up of 2 or More Academic Journals.

Duncan, Arne. 2011. “Harness the Power of Technology.” Learning & Leading with Technology 38 (8): 10.

Lacoma, Tyler. 2020. “What Is a Hard Drive?”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-a-hard-drive-your-guide-to-computer-storage/

.

Martindale, Jon. 2020a. “32-Bit Vs. 64-Bit: Understanding What These Options Really Mean.”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/32-bit-vs-64-bit-operating-systems/

.

Martindale, Jon. 2020b. “What Is a Cpu?”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-a-cpu/

.

Martindale, Jon. 2020c. “What Is Ram?”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-ram/

.

Microsoft. 2020. “System Requirements for Installing Windows 10.”

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/windows-10-specifications

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https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/standard-operating-environment-SOE

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