Integration Of Cloud-based Solutions With Headspace System

Non-functional requirements of a software system

Question:

Discuss about the Headspace Faces In Cloud Solutions.

Headspace faces a huge challenge of managing its patient’s records, in essence, all the stakeholders of the organization continuously interact with a wide range of information which is generally used to make diagnosis and treatments. Therefore, at any given instance a lot of information is circulating around the institution as pertaining to the users’ requirements i.e. medical practitioners, emergency workers and even the patient’s themselves (Bildosola, Rio-Bevler, Cilleruelo, & Garechana, 2015). Moreover, a large database is needed to handle the young people’s stories as they dictate their treatments. As a solution, the organization aims to link its proposed system with a cloud infrastructure where foundational elements such as storage and processors will be provided. Now, although cloud technology offers a wide range of benefits, its adoption in any organization possess many challenges as it presents a new paradigm of service delivery. This report highlights these issues among other related aspects of cloud solutions and how they can be integrated into the Headspace system.

Quality system performance and improvement are at the helm of the requirements of service delivery. These attributes dictate the overall reliability and maintainability of a software system which continuously engages the end user (Merugu & Akepogu, 2011). Essentially, these factors outline some of the non-functional requirements of a system, which are the elements that constrain the overall functionalities of an entity. Therefore, unlike the functional requirement that defines the operation itself, they highlight the process i.e. the how of operations.

Ideally, a system promotes the user’s awareness to the different functionalities available, this capability defines the quality of the software which eventually facilitates the amicable experience with the end user (Sofia, 2010). Therefore, this system will require the following qualities:

Conceptual integrity – this element will define the coherence and consistency of the system i.e. the overall feel of the design which engages the user promoting enhanced performance.

Availability – with cloud resources, the timeline of access will be increased which will reduce the percentage of system downtime. This outcome will increase usability and reliability.

Maintainability – a reliability factor that determines the ability of the system to undergo changes with ease while facilitating the different functionalities (Microsoft, 2017).

System interface will define the controls and communications that will allow unrelated items to co-exist as well as function. In this project, the Headspace system will have a system interface with the cloud resources (Chung, Nixon, & Yu). Therefore, interface management will determine the success of this collaboration as two distinct paradigms will meet. Therefore, there must be:

• Consistency in the functionalities of both systems in order to limit downtimes on both ends.
• Two, the stability of the interface to promote a reliable and consistent performance.
• Finally, the interface will have to be interoperable with a wide range of digital systems to support the exchange of information.

System and User Interface

Similar to the system interface, the UI will define the boundary between the end users and the software package (Lim & Finkelstein, 2010). Therefore, to deliver its services, the UI must have the following requirements:

Clarity and simplicity – the design of the interface should not be complicated to frustrate the user’s actions. Furthermore, it should enable every functionality based on a self-awareness system.

Responsiveness – the speed of executing functionalities should be at par with the users’ feedbacks.

Supportability – help facilities that solve the problems facing the users e.g. an icon to ask questions about the system (Mitre, 2017).

Due to the different requirements and preferences of the users, the developed system will always have some limitations and compromises in an attempt to satisfy all the stakeholders. To the Headspace project, these limitations include the application of a new technology or operational environment which will restrict the security of the data (Ambler, 2014). Secondly, the non-functional requirements, because they will deter some of the functional activities. Finally, the expenditures of the design as they will have to adhere to a proposed budget.

Information systems provide many benefits to organizations owing to their ability to share and distribute information. In essence, this is the objective held by Headspace as they seek to implement a modern IS. Cloud-based solutions extend these benefits and abilities by providing a new computing model that shares resources over the internet (NZG, 2014). Therefore, with the proposed cloud integration, the institution can acquire the following strengths.

• Cost saving and flexibility – this is perhaps the most significant strength of cloud solutions as they offer extended IT resources at affordable prices. Furthermore, the subscriber can adjust their expenditures based on their immediate demands.
• Virtualization benefits – with cloud solutions the user can have flexible, scalable and mobile resources because they are virtually accessed.
• System reliability – service providers will set up multiple data centres which will guarantee the users availability of their resources(LC, 2017).

• Outages and downtimes – while multiple resources are set up by the service providers, the users also depend on the availability of internet connection which when affected halts the cloud services.
• Vendor lock-in – after a migration, an organization will invest so many resources with a service provider which in the end may hinder their movement.
• Security – although a lot of security measures are implemented, the users inherently give service providers access to sensitive information by subscribing to them. Moreover, their resources are accessed using public channels of the internet(LC, 2017).

According to security experts, subscribers should never store sensitive data in cloud storage facilities as they are easily compromised. Moreover, the same resources do not conform to the legal stipulations of the physical world i.e. the Australian data regulations. Therefore, the users must implement several security features to minimize these limitations. In this case, Headspace can use the following strategies:

• First, the organization should specify a credible service agreement with the provider to stipulate the guidelines of data management i.e. its ownership.
• Secondly, Headspace should authenticate and verify all its users using access control procedures.
• Finally, encryption should be at the helm of all the services where strong and unbreakable algorithms are used e.g. AES (advanced encryption standard)(Ivey, 2013).

The rapid growth and complexity of information systems have led to a multiplicity of ideas that assist organizations in the transactions, connections and development of solutions. In essence, these ideas will hold specific procedures of designing and delivering technological packages to the end users. Now, SDLC (system or software development life cycle) is one such procedure that helps developers to implement software packages (Isaias & Issa, 2015). This procedure will define different stages of system development which will guarantee the user’s requirements. Furthermore, depending on the user’s requirements, SDLC will follow different methods to achieve the final solution.

Limitations and compromises of the developed system

Now, to understand the predictive approach, one must revert back to the inception of software packages, where user requirements and demands were generally minimal thus favoured a predictable procedure of system implementation. In all, the predictive approach will assume all the requirements and phases of development. Moreover, it will also assume a consistent process that will have minimal deviations or adjustments (Radack). Therefore, a logical and sequential model is followed where each phase of the design process is completed before moving on to the next. In addition to this, these phases will not overlap at any given instance as their functionalities will depend on one another (i.e. design dependence).

• This approach follows a clear and concise plan that is very easy to understand, an outcome that simplifies the implementation process.
• The stages of development are easy to predict which helps to determine the timelines.
• It also requires minimal resources because of the conventional approach it uses.
• Finally, the method requires constant documentation of the design activities which promotes accountability(Balaji, 2012).

• Most of the system developed using the predictive approach are usually poorly structured because of the limitations of time. In essence, developers will quickly sign off on phases in an attempt to beat the deadlines.
• Secondly, it is also extremely inflexible which restricts changes during the implementation process.
• Finally, it is time intensive because of the sequential implementation of the development phases.

For this approach, the developers and users must consider a modern outlook into system development. In essence, an agile approach is followed, having the means to adapt to different changes. Therefore, unlike the previous method, the design process can adjust to fit the immediate needs of the users. This outcome improves the customer’s satisfaction as they are free to propose any requirement or preference. Furthermore, the system will follow a user-centred procedure that will analyze the needs of the user using a number of cognitive techniques. Nevertheless, the approach will start by defining the system parameters including the requirements and functionalities (Devi, 2013). These elements will define the implementation phases which are also able to adapt to the different needs of the users. In addition to this, these phases are executed simultaneously and independently which optimizes the development time. Finally, the phases are assembled to give the final solution using a wide range of iterative techniques.

• Flexibility, its most significant advantage because it’s able to adapt to the different changes of the user requirements
• Secondly, the approach guarantees a favourable outcome of the solution because the developers do not use guesswork to implement the phases. Instead, they collaborate their functionalities with those of the end users.
• It is also time efficient because of the concurrent implementation of the development phases.
• Finally, it produces agile systems that satisfy the users’ needs.

• First, its resource intensive owing to the wide range of functionalities needed.
• Secondly, it also requires a lot of expertise as each implementation stage requires a specialized input(Balaji, 2012).

Recalling the attributes and benefits of these methods provides an accurate outline for the best recommendation. First, the predictive method only facilitates the development of small and conventional systems that have minimal requirements. Moreover, its sequential procedure develops poorly structured systems that are unable to live up to users expectations. On the other hand, the adaptive method aligns its procedures with those of the end user, adapting to any given change (Isaias & Issa, 2015). In addition to this, it follows a user-centred approach which guarantees the satisfaction of the end user. Therefore, based on these conditions, the adaptive SDLC method is the best solution for developing the Headspace system.

Conclusion

Cloud-based solutions have been generally accepted in the digital world where their benefits and convinces have propelled their adoption into technological systems. At the same time, users have now become more aware of its limitations particularly those of its security. Therefore, its current implementation depends on the user’s ability to surpass this limitation on an account of the other benefits. Now, Headspace will have to deal with the risks of data security as its immediate demands are in desperate need of a versatile storage facility. Moreover, it can minimize this limitation by implementing proper security procedures.

References

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