Disaster Management System For IT Devices – Features And Benefits

Limitations of current disaster management systems

There are number of systems currently available that are used for treating disasters in information technology. For preventing cyber attacks, system firewalls are available that can restrict the exit or entry of data from a system based on its source and destination. In case of any suspicious entry into the system, the firewall can immediately block the same from entering into the server (Rittinghouse and Ransome 2016). However, cyber attackers have developed very advanced level of techniques that are being utilized to attack secure servers of various national defenses or large scale business organizations. They are able to do so by masking their identities with a verified identity so that the firewalls do not block the entry of these entities. Hence, system firewalls are extremely weak against advanced cyber attacks.

For preventing the entry of malicious files like virus, malware into the system, anti-virus software is available. The main function of this software is to detect and delete any type of malicious file that has entered into the system from various sources. However, this system is also very weak as it fails to detect the malicious files before they enter into the system (Zou 2017). Again, there are some important files that act like malicious files but are useful for running an application properly. The anti-virus software considers these files as threats to the system and deletes them resulting in errors in running the applications.

In addition to these, there are no suitable systems for recovery of the system after a disaster. After a high level disaster like ransomware attack, there are no proper ways to recover the data and information that have been lost in the attack.

As per the proposed features stated in this project, the system to be developed will have a number of features that will incorporated for more efficient disaster management and recovery. Some of the main features of this future system are discussed as follows.

Cloud Computing

Cloud based platform is one of the primary requirements of the system. This is mainly because cloud is one of the best platforms for keeping data backups efficiently without the need for additional equipments or requirements (Rittinghouse and Ransome 2016). Furthermore, if data breach occurs in the cloud, recovery of data is possible whereas in physical storage devices, such recovery options may not be available (Zou 2017). Furthermore, cloud servers are much more efficient in data handling and can be accessed from any device from anywhere whereas the physical storage devices can only be accessed with the computer to which it is attached.

Proposed cloud-based platform with features for efficient disaster management and recovery

Device Support

The target of the project is to deliver a system that will be supported by all types of IT devices such as computers, mobile phones, telecommunication devices (wireless or wired) and others. The system should also be supported by different platforms like Mac, iOS, Android, Windows and others. This is to ensure that all types of users are able to use this device from any area.

Accessibility

Accessibility is also another important requirement of the system. Similar to the device support, the system should be accessible from all platforms and devices. Moreover, the system should come as open source so that anyone can access the same for disaster management. However, open source systems have their own disadvantages that may result in data breach attacks (Rittinghouse and Ransome 2016). Hence, in order to secure the open source system, several protection methods can be utilized like securing the system using password, create unique profile for each user that can be opened using suitable identity verification methods and others.

Social Media Use

Social media can also be used as a tool for the working of the system. As per the proposed plan, the system should be able to gather information from social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and others regarding alerts of possible incidents from the nation’s incident / attack alert system.

Integration with Existing System

In addition to the development of the proposed system, the system will have to be integrated with the existing IT set up used in the company. However, in order to perform the integration, the existing setup must be upgraded in order to avoid compatibility and technical issues during implementation (Rittinghouse and Ransome 2016). Moreover, these technical issues will also result in incurring additional costs that will reduce the cost benefit from the project.

The scope of the project includes the development of a Disaster Management System for various IT devices that are extensively used by various people around the world. The scope also includes the inclusion of several features in the system that are as follows.

• Subscription to cloud services for the main platform support of the system
• Support for all types of devices
• Accessibility from any software platform
• Use of social media tools for data capture
• Integration with current system

However, there are some outcomes that are related to the project but out of scope for this particular project. These are listed as follows.

• Development of business plan for the disaster management system
• Preparation of the implementation of the system on a worldwide scale

The time frame and estimated costs for the project are shown in the following table.

Task Name	Duration	Start	Finish	Cost	Resource Names
Development of Disaster Management Plan	117 days	Tue 6/6/17	Wed 11/15/17	$106,000.00
Initiating	10 days	Tue 6/6/17	Mon 6/19/17	$4,000.00
Develop team for project	2 days	Tue 6/6/17	Wed 6/7/17	$1,600.00	Project Manager
Prepare project charter	3 days	Thu 6/8/17	Mon 6/12/17	$2,400.00	Project Manager
Planning	11 days	Tue 6/20/17	Tue 7/4/17	$12,400.00
Use charter for the development of the project plan	4 days	Tue 6/20/17	Fri 6/23/17	$3,200.00	Project Manager
Risk identification and addressing	5 days	Mon 6/26/17	Fri 6/30/17	$7,600.00	Project Manager, Accountant
Develop work breakdwon structure and budget estimation	2 days	Mon 7/3/17	Tue 7/4/17	$1,600.00	Project Manager
Requirments Analysis	5 days	Wed 7/5/17	Tue 7/11/17	$4,000.00
Define project scope	1 day	Wed 7/5/17	Wed 7/5/17	$800.00	Project Manager
Identify resource requirements	2 days	Thu 7/6/17	Fri 7/7/17	$1,600.00	Project Manager
Identify project requirements	2 days	Mon 7/10/17	Tue 7/11/17	$1,600.00	Project Manager
System Design	6 days	Wed 7/12/17	Wed 7/19/17	$4,800.00
Process modelling of the proposed system	4 days	Wed 7/12/17	Mon 7/17/17	$3,200.00	Project Manager
Review models for further progress in project	2 days	Tue 7/18/17	Wed 7/19/17	$1,600.00	Project Manager
Implementing	65 days	Thu 7/20/17	Wed 10/18/17	$53,200.00
Develop the proposed system with all features	10 wks	Thu 7/20/17	Wed 9/27/17	$34,000.00	Software Expert
Test the entire system	3 wks	Thu 9/28/17	Wed 10/18/17	$19,200.00	Administrative Support Staff , Software Expert
Roll out	5 days	Thu 10/19/17	Wed 10/25/17	$3,400.00
Go live and train system users	1 wk	Thu 10/19/17	Wed 10/25/17	$3,400.00	Software Expert
Support	10 days	Thu 10/26/17	Wed 11/8/17	$13,000.00
Release usage guidelines	5 days	Thu 10/26/17	Wed 11/1/17	$6,600.00	Accountant, Administrative Support Staff
Release video tutorials	5 days	Thu 11/2/17	Wed 11/8/17	$6,400.00	Administrative Support Staff , Software Expert
Closing	5 days	Thu 11/9/17	Wed 11/15/17	$11,200.00
Deliver project and complete documentation	5 days	Thu 11/9/17	Wed 11/15/17	$11,200.00	Accountant, Marketing Guru, Project Manager

The Gantt chart for the project is developed as follows.

 

Figure 1: Gantt Chart of the Project

(Source: Created by Author)

Compatibility with all types of IT devices and platforms, including wired, wireless, and mobile devices

The expected benefits from the project are listed as follows.

Cloud Infrastructure – There are a large number of benefits from the cloud infrastructure. Firstly, the use of cloud platform will significantly reduce the need for a physical storage platform. All the data will be stored and processed in the online interface and also will be much more efficient and faster than the regular physical storage based operations. Secondly, use of cloud platform will significantly reduce the operational costs of the system (Rittinghouse and Ransome 2016). The implementation of the physical storage devices will require high purchase and maintenance costs whereas the cloud platform will only require minimal yearly subscription costs. The third benefit is that using the cloud will not require much technical expertise from the users as most of the operations are done automatically once proper instructions are provided for particular sets of data. On the other hand, handling of physical devices require significant amount of technical expertise as well as manual work. Again, use of cloud will help in faster data recovery after a certain disastrous incident whereas it may not be always possible in physical devices. One cloud platform can be accessed by many devices simultaneously whereas the physical devices can only be accessed from one device only.

Wired, Wireless and Mobile Devices – The benefit of supporting all types of devices is that it will help all types of users irrespective of the devices they use. For wireless and mobile devices, cyber security is necessary as most of these attacks are executed through the wireless medium (Zou 2017). For wired devices like telephones, disaster management systems are necessary for preventing spam telephone calls that aim to trick the users by misguiding calls that result in loss of money and property of the users.

Push Function – One proposed function of the system is to provide push messages to the user in case of a threat or impending attack detected by the system. This will alert the user to protect the system instantly to prevent any kind of attack taking place.

Open Source Software – The proposed software is to be made open source in order to grant accessibility to people around the world (Rittinghouse and Ransome 2016). However, in order to protect the users’ information, security system like personal user profiles with secure password should be used.

User Experience – The entire process will also significantly increase the user experience during using the system. In the existing system, some users may not always understand what steps are to be taken in order to prevent the attack or recover files and data after an attack (Zou 2017). The new system will be provided with sufficient programming so that it is able to perform these activities automatically.

Implementation of Cloud Computing Platform
Benefit ID	A1	Benefit Owner	Software Expert
Overview	Replace the existing physical storage based systems and implement cloud computing platform for better and faster operations in disaster management
Current Business Problems
Physical devices are slow, less efficient and costly for implementation and maintenance, limited features and storage space, lack of sufficient analytical value
Solution
Use cloud based SAP or any other software that will completely address all of these issues and provide a very efficient disaster management system
Benefit Priority level (1 = very low 5 = very high)	5
Change required	Subscribe to cloud server and use SaaS services in order to enable a better notification system during disasters
Time to Implement	2 months
How will this be measured, source of information and frequency	Ø Reduced implementation and maintenance costs Ø Faster services and less errors Ø Accessibility from different devices simultaneously
Baseline measurement	Ø Cost per account in cloud Ø Cost per the devices connected to the cloud
Target performance and realisation	Ø Reduction of maintenance costs by 75% Ø Improved disaster management response
Risk potential to this benefit	Ø Lack of experience among employees regarding the use of cloud Ø Cyber attack directed towards the cloud server Ø Interruption to cloud services due to lack of proper internet services
Risk mitigation	Ø Use security software for securing the cloud Ø Use a standard and stable internet connection Ø Training session for employees

Push Function
Benefit ID	A2	Benefit Owner	Software Expert
Overview	Send push notification to the user whenever there is an attempted attack or entry of malicious files in the system
Current Business Problems
There are no alert systems and hence, the users have no way to know when there is an attempted attack or injection of malicious files
Solution
Implement a push notification function that will forward the user with a push message during impending danger of attack or injection
Benefit Priority level (1 = very low 5 = very high)	5
Change required	Purchase license for support software that can integrate push function in the new system
Time to Implement	15 days
How will this be measured, source of information and frequency	Ø Response to detected threats Ø Time between detection and sending push message
Baseline measurement	Ø Time Ø Response to threat
Target performance and realisation	Ø Send push message to user within 1 second of detection of threat
Risk potential to this benefit	Ø High implementation and subscription costs Ø Users often opt out of notifications in their devices
Risk mitigation	Ø Find a suitable cost efficient implementation solution

User Experience
Benefit ID	A3	Benefit Owner	Software Expert
Overview	Improve the overall user experience regarding the use of the cloud based system instead of regular physical based systems
Current Business Problems
In the existing system, some users may not always understand what steps are to be taken in order to prevent the attack or recover files and data after an attack.
Solution
The cloud based system with an easy but attractive UI will help the users to understand the system functionality and uses.
Benefit Priority level (1 = very low 5 = very high)	3
Change required	Upload beta and demo versions for the users to test and provide feedback, use feedbacks to make changes
Time to Implement	1 month
How will this be measured, source of information and frequency	Ø Acceptability of the system among the users Ø Sales of the system Ø Usage of the system at a certain period of time
Baseline measurement	Ø Number of users using the particular system
Target performance and realisation	Ø Growth in the business of the system Ø Positive feedback ratings from the users
Risk potential to this benefit	Ø Users not having sufficient technical expertise to understand the functions of the system Ø System used for other purposes
Risk mitigation	Ø Release tutorials regarding the use of system Ø Release usage guidelines for the system

References

Rittinghouse, J.W. and Ransome, J.F., 2016. Cloud computing: implementation, management, and security. CRC press.

Zou, Q., 2017, April. Research on cloud computing for disaster monitoring using massive remote sensing data. In Cloud Computing and Big Data Analysis (ICCCBDA), 2017 IEEE 2nd International Conference on (pp. 29-33). IEEE.