DATA

DQ-1

Shared Practice—Data Resources and Processes That Matter to Your Organization

When you are collaborating with others to make decisions in your professional life, the more you understand the thought processes and paradigms that lie behind your organization's business and IT decisions, the better equipped you will be to propose ways to enhance its information infrastructure to better support its business goals in the future. This week's Discussion will focus on the various types of data resources, processes, and storage systems currently utilized in business IT.

You will begin with your own Internet and/or Walden Library search for 1 or 2 current and credible articles on the various types of data resources, processes, and/or storage systems used in information systems in businesses big and small in various industries. If you are not sure where to start, you may want to ask your peers in this course or your colleagues at your current organization for additional guidance and tips. Because these technologies change and evolve so rapidly, you may also want to explore credible blogs where individuals in IT and business are talking about these same subjects and issues.

Some examples include:

· HBR Blog Network, Harvard Business Review ( http://blogs.hbr.org/ )

· CIO Journal, Wall Street Journal ( http://online.wsj.com/public/page/cio-journal.html )

· CloudTweaks ( http://www.cloudtweaks.com/ )

There are many popular, relevant periodicals to search from as well. Some examples include:

· Information Week

· Wired

· Business 2.0

· Business Week

· Fast Company

· Wall Street Journal

· CIO.com

By Day 2

Post your research findings:

· Identify and briefly describe 3–4 various types of data resources, data processing, and/or storage systems used in today's business environments that you think are most relevant and important. Explain your rationale.

· Describe 2–3 examples of how each of these tools, processes, or systems is used or could be used within your organization.

Identify 2–3 short-term and 2–3 long-term issues that could potentially arise from your examples (e.g., dealing with legacy systems; breach of data; compatibility, privacy, security, or ethical issues, etc.). Then, offer at least one recommendation that might enable your organization to formulate a response to at least one of the issues.

Assignment.

Assignment: Final Project—Business Memo—Selecting and Using Data Resources and Systems

This week you will continue to work on your Final Project, which is due in Week 7. By Day 7, you will submit a business memo, written to your Instructor, that explains how you plan to incorporate your learning from the week into your Final Project. This will not be a "perfect" synopsis at this point, but it should capture the main themes and important ideas from the week. Your memo should include the following:

· Your preliminary summary of how you are planning to incorporate this week’s learning into your Final Project

· Your ideas and recommendations for how your organization can mitigate the short-term and long-term issues that can arise when selecting and using data resources and systems

· Brief descriptions of the types of data resources, data processing, and storage systems chosen

· An explanation of how the organization might manage the potential implications of those selections, while taking advantage of the opportunities they afford to sustain the business or gain a competitive advantage

· Other relevant recommendations or issues that you identified, with a brief analysis of why they are important

Note:  If you are unable to find relevant information, you may want to look for similar information at /for other similar publically traded companies. You may find relevant information that will enable you to make appropriate inferences about your organization and make reasonable assumptions so you can proceed with your project.

If you have questions about how to apply what you are learning or how to find the most relevant information for your organization’s needs, please discuss your choice with your Instructor using the Contact the Instructor link in the classroom.

General Guidance on Assignment Length: Your Week 3 Assignment will typically be 1.5–3 pages (0.75–1 page(s) if single spaced), excluding a title page (not required for this Assignment) and references.

As a best practice for this course, as you engage and complete your weekly activities, you will capture notes on your learning for each week and add them to your Final Project Portfolio, which you will use to formulate your Final Project. By the time you turn in your Final Project in Week 7, your working Final Project Portfolio document will contain your notes on the resources you found relevant in each week, as well as your ideas for how your organization can improve its business information systems management with respect to each week’s main themes. You should also include your analyses of the implications of your recommendations, as well as reasons why your recommendations are important. You will update your Final Project Portfolio each week.

This week you are encouraged to begin setting up your presentation in PowerPoint. You should complete a title slide and 1–2 slides with your preliminary recommendations for your organization as they relate to this week’s learning.

Note:  Neither your Final Project Portfolio nor your preliminary slides will be submitted for grading this week