IT Strategic Planning (Research Paper Sample)

Information Technology Strategy: A case study of Baffallo Company
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Organizational structure
Baffallo has been a victorious firm for the past fifty years of operation. Initially formed in the year 1950 and generated 20 million tons for a variety of qualities for the soda ash per year. The victory of the initial operation initiated the second refinement factory in the year 1963 that was finished in the year 1970. Baffallo is, situated within South Dakota has a number of employees of approximately 20,000 is similarly the triumphant subvention of Baffallo. Baffallo has employed two hundred personnel, generates a single product that is the rocket canister meant the American Navy. Baffallo is headed by Mrs. Tim, generates a variety of chemicals. The company has almost 250 domestic as well as worldwide clients, 2000 workers, generated various outputs and operates intimately from time to time with the American steel workers. (Heinrich,2005) .Organizational structure refers to the prescribed system for duty reporting association which controls, synchronizes, as well as motivates workers in order to enable them collaborate as well as work jointly towards achieving a the organization's goals and objectives .Organizational structure basically is imperative since it is based on the manner in which the firm shall be operated. Baffallo's structure is very straightforward, staff of 200 personnel against only a single product being produced; similarly, the only have a single client.
Leadership in Baffallo
The company design of management is through situating each and every employee within work team then provided the power towards making business pronouncements on behalf of the firm. They are capable of solving dilemmas as well as seem to have acquired from its personnel an incredibly high degree of accomplishment as of every group member. At Baffallo when creating these small teams, the teams themselves normally possess the capability towards selecting their team leader as well as similarly, settle on how longer they need that particular individual to head that team. The teams similarly possess an exclusive capability to operate within their teams on work program. In any case an individual requires a break, a flexibility of the teams to recommend one another in either an optimistic or pessimistic condition to occur. Social loitering is basically missing owing to the gyratory of team heads as well as duty given to each and every person within the team.
Culture A family like environment at Baffallo unsurprisingly generates a robust team cohesiveness that is incredibly valuable and generates an upbeat working atmosphere. The culture within Baffalo Corporation is that they possess an affiliation with other colleagues just the similar way as Baffallo together with the managers. Within various working environments workers are provided task descriptions as well as the job designations. At Baffallo, Tim's management method is absolutely interactive, having the high degree of conviction in individuals. She is comparatively open and eager to hand out information .Additionally; she is keen towards driving pronouncement making downward the company. Mrs. Tim works excellently with her workers. However, she would currently need to formulate slight positive alterations to improve the company.
Business objectives and goals
To be the leading missile producer both locally as well as internationally in terms of market structure.
To reduce the total production costs and increasing the revenue earn, thus making the missiles affordably the American government.
To improve the customers relationship and open markets in other geographical regions
To be driven by quality in every production lines.
In order to develop an Information Technology strategy aligning to the business goals as well as objectives the company has to look into the following areas;
By being aware of its business operation processes in a documentation form. In this case, the Buffalo Motor Vehicle Assembling Company is purely an automotive assembling company and the documentation will involves the types of vehicles, cost of imported parts, materials for the bodies as well as employees records.
By identifying the business culture, that is, the business structure and its organization. This company is structured in a manner that will allow the adaption of the Information Technology System easy. This is because the organization is sectioned into departments such as; Human Resource Department, Production Department, Sales and Marketing Department, Engineering Department and Environmental Monitoring Department.
By being well conversant with the Information Technology System composition. The IT System which will be used in this company will have to comprise Hardware as well as Software, Data Management, Networking as well as Services.
Having the work program for the entire company system. This is done by translating the IT system into the company’s business and ensuring it functions well throughout. This will be attained after installing the IT infrastructures.
The Information Technology is to be applied in the Human Resource to manage the employees reporting at work as well as their shifts (Basset, 2003). This can be made possible by using Biometric system which senses the finger prints of the workers and then retrieve the initially stored data of the employees.
IT infrastructure
The company has software along with the IT hardware that it uses to carry out the day to day activities. In the side of the software, Baffallo has the workers management software that aids the firm in managing the workers with ease. Through this software, employees are easily monitored throughout their operation. The time the personnel reports and leave the work station is monitored using this software. This has simplified the work for the top management as it correspondingly makes simple the art of management. The firm similarly employs use of ERP software where the details of the workers can easily be watched (Hamil and Gregory, 2007). In various departments of the company, there lacks the conventional paperwork since the firm is furnished with several computers in all departments. Account department together with the several software which helps them in the running of their duties. For instance, accounting department has Sage software that aids the accountant in carrying out various transactions within the department. Though the IT is employed by various firms in their running, many challenges normally arise on the usage of both software and hardware. For instance, workers might be under-pressure in the case where their monitoring is done digitally.
IT challenges
Information systems normally are significant instruments for attaining competitive benefit for any company by appropriately managing as well as analyzing information received within the company. Nevertheless, there are several security alerts which have to be within the company strategy ever since beginning of employing such devices (Cairncross, 2007). Nowadays companies are confronted by a variety of multifaceted information security issues meant for handling spread computer networks. A sizeable sum of e-commerce deals, augmented utilization of internet as well as ever transforming technologies poses fresh threats as well as risks for companies. This is because a greater extent business duties as well as methods are turning paperless. With regard to this reason, right controls normally needed within the corporation towards reducing the risks .This ensures efficient operation of every information systems employed by the company. The systems of Information technology needs specific measures to be put into practice for the smooth as well as effective operation (Boczko, 2007). Information Technology managers may place these measures in position towards ensuring that all the system the firm is using is absolutely secured against intimidations, exposure, as well the risks. (Gertz, 2003).
The following are some of the internal and external challenge of IT in the company:
Increase in the costs for technological solution which can include the cost of developing and implementing technological devices.
Trustworthiness for particular procedures .Information technology systems need meticulous testing prior to being utilized.
Software paraphernalia are never fixed though regularly growing .Information technology paraphernalia need well-timed upgrades towards meeting current standards
Incorporating digital as well as non-digital transactions along with production information meant for e-commerce deals.
Clients sometimes worry about personal information being utilized erroneously by the firms they give such information.
Sometimes clients do have high anticipations concerning effectiveness as well as valid time reactions gained from such systems.
Susceptibility to fraud as well as possible crime acts might be seen.<...