must be done by Friday 10/13/17 10:pm eastern time

Running Head: Data Center Project Proposal 1

CYBERSECURITY: DATA CENTER PROJECT PROPOSAL 11

Data Center Project Proposal

Introduction

The project team has been tasked with the construction of a data center to support cloud computing and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). The data center must be built from the ground up – there is no existing infrastructure or equipment. The project management team consists of six professionals with various backgrounds that bring breadth of experience to the project. The project consists of four phases: preparation, design, acquisition, and implementation. The preparation and design constitute the planning, while the acquisition and implementation constitute the build.

Statement of Need

Cloud computing is changing the way large companies are doing business. Cloud services are in high demand and according to a forecast by Synergy Research Group such demand will see a steady grow of 23-29% per year in the next five years. This growth rate means that Cloud services will surpass the $200 billion mark by 2020.

The demand in cloud services such as PaaS is increasing the need for more powerful, efficient and reliable Tier 4 data centers. A Tier 4 data center must be capable of guarantee availability of 99.995% per year by having the right infrastructure to maintain integrity in the event of a failure.

In their 2017 data center report, JLL Research highlights three key sectors which rely on efficient datacenters. These sectors are technology and big data companies, online payment and transactions companies and online retailers. These companies expect a high level of security, integrity, efficiency and also expect being able to upgrade their infrastructure on demand.

The JLL Research report mentions that the products that these companies offer include Artificial intelligence, processor technologies and automation. Cloud Security Tier 4 data center will be ready to satisfy the needs of the market and their key players while offering a comprehensive and flexible product consistent with global market and the highest level of security standards.

Project Definition

The project involves the construction of a brand-new data center to become a cloud computing service provider for Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). The target audience is developers seeking a scalable, managed, and elastic environment for their apps and web applications. The scope of work entails:

· Determine a suitable Data Center location.

· Identify the power, space, and cooling requirements.

· Determine the amount of floor space needed.

· Identify the hardware and determine cost and power requirements.

· Determine cooling requirements for the hardware.

· Identify network hardware, including connectivity.

· Establish scalability expectations.

· Determine mounting needs for hardware racks.

· Identify the third-party vendors for networking, power, and HVAC.

· Determine regulations and codes that must be met to green light the building.

· Establish the level of physical security needed for the facility.

· Determine IT policies and procedures., including monitoring and accounting.

· Determine costs for construction and specialization.

· Identify software needs and costs.

High Level Approach

Project Deliverables and Benefits

At the end of the proposed project, we hope to deliver a cloud-based data infrastructure

that meets all the requirements of a tier IV data center. Through this infrastructure, Cloud Security will be able to provide the following features to their customers:

· A cloud-based data storage/backup/recovery infrastructure that meets all the requirements of a tier IV data center.

· Multi-tenancy architecture with PaaS service configuration for future application development.

· A data infrastructure with high level security management.

Project Management Approach

Mr. Ignacio Garza, the project manager, assumes the the overall authority, strategic and managerial responsibilities over this project. The project team consists of five team leaders: Kofi Amet, Christian Cannaday, Yihua Lacy, Christopher Quade, and Trenes Smith. Other members of the project team are personnel from the server development, software development, coding and programming, database development, network engineering, applications development, quality assurance, testing, and business team. The primary sponsor of the project, Cloud Security has delegated a steering committee, which consists of its CEO, CIO, CFO, Director of Marketing, board representatives and employee representatives. The CIO of Cloud Security is nominated to be the Executive Sponsor. He assumes shared responsibility for the outcome of the project (Petty, 2016); facilitates active participation of the Cloud Security Steering Committee; advises project manager on challenging issues and supports the project team for resource and visibility (Petty, 2016). The project manager will manage and execute this project according to the project plan and subsidiary management plans, which will be reviewed and approved by the primary project sponsor. Cloud Security is also responsible for all funding decisions. Any approval of delegated authority to the project manager should be conducted in formal writing and be signed by both the project sponsor and project manager. The project manager and the executive sponsor will work with all available resources to perform project planning. The project team will be a matrix in that team leaders of each group will provide ongoing reports to the project manager throughout the duration of the project. The project manager and the executive sponsor are responsible for communicating with the steering committee of Cloud Security. This project will also involve contractor suppliers for facility design and cabling system management.

Project Requirements

The design and construction of this data center site infrastructure will meet all specifications of the following codes, design and operational standards.

· National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards

· Local Construction Codes

· Uptime Institute: tier IV classification standard

· Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers (ANSI/TIA-942)

· Green Certifications (i.e. Energy Star, LEED) (Shapiro, 2016)

· Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Cloud Governance & Audit Principles

· ISACA IT Investment and IT Risk Mitigation Principles and Standards

· International Organizations for Standardization (ISO) standards for governance and IT service management (Vael, 2010)

Additional requirements include building management system to centrally control HVAC, electrical, fire alarms, and security. For example, data center Infrastructure Management System (DciM). The Functional and nonfunctional requirements established in the project charter, as well as subsequent additional requirements will be used as guidelines for all activities/tasks undertaken throughout the project. These requirements also serve as key indicators for quality control and assurance management of the project.

Project Quality

The quality baseline is established based on the codes and standards that the project will be adhering to. The various parameters and the process of measuring that are highlighted in the quality metrics are used to track and assess the project’s level of conformity to its quality baseline (Centers for Disease Control, 2006).  There are several quality management tools to ensure the success of the project. These tools help to determine the necessary functionality of the product(s); the compatibility of the project in meeting the necessary specifications such as resources, budget, timeline and user expectations.  

Project Milestones

The following table provides a list of major milestones such as the completion of project phases. Smaller milestones that occur during each project phase will be highlighted in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The project manager should be informed immediately, of any schedule delays which may impact a milestone or delivery date. Proactive measures should be taken by the project team to mitigate the possible risk of time overrun. Any changes to the milestones or their scheduled dates will be reviewed and approved by the steering committee and the project manager; and be communicated to the project team in a timely manner.

Milestone	Start Date	End Date	Accountability
· Project Planning, (Feasibility study, User analysis and specifications etc.)	2nd Oct 2017	13th Oct 2017	· Project manager · Project team leads · Executive sponsor
 Project budgeting and planning	15th Oct 2017	19th Oct 2017	· Business team lead · Project Manager · Executive sponsor
 Design and Project Plan Designs	22rd Oct 2017	2th Nov 2017	· Project manager · Team lead of Design and Engineering · IT Team lead · Executive sponsor
· Equipment Procurement	5st Nov 2017	16th Nov 2017 (ongoing)	· Project manager · Business team lead · Executive sponsor
· Installation and Designs	19th Nov 2017	14th Jan 2017	· Project manager · IT team lead · Team lead of Design and Engineering · Executive sponsor
· Testing			· Project manager · IT team lead · Executive sponsor
· Implementation and user Training	28th Jan 17	8th Mar 2017	· Project manager · IT team lead · Executive sponsor
· Maintenance plans	11th Mar 17	29th Mar 17	· Project manager · IT team lead · Executive sponsor

Project Resources

This project requires the procurement of operational equipment including but not limited to cabling components, servers, data storage devices, network systems, operating systems, and software applications. Procurement will be managed by procurement specialists. Skill resources include cabling engineers, network designers and administrators, coding and programing specialists, software developers, and general IT technicians. Additional resource may include Legal advisement, and construction crew for any possible changes to the facility required to meet data center code.

Project Risks

There are different risks associated with the project. These include:

· Inability to fully deliver the project deliverables based on the project timelines,

· Lack specific detail pertaining to end-user needs and technical specifications to effectively address the client’s requirements,

· The project is being collaborated on across a wide geographic area; telecommunications is the primary method of facilitating this collaborative effort, therefore poor communication in the team can lead to a demise in project quality

· Industry standards & regulatory compliance challenges

· Supply chain failure

· Malicious interference, either from within the project team or from an external entity,

· Natural disaster

· Licensing complications

· Theft of equipment or intellectual property

Risks will be identified during the project team meetings, audits or discussion with other stakeholders. Once identified, these risks will be assessed regarding the likelihood of occurrence and impact on the project. Mitigating strategies will be developed to address potential risks with a high likelihood of occurrence. Tools such as a risk tracking list will be incorporated as part of the risk management.  

Project Assumptions

This project begins with the assumption that Cloud Security has already procured a suitable site which provides adequate space to accommodate all necessary equipment.  It is assumed Cloud Security’s current business does not involve the management of protected health information (PHI), service audit information, accounting, investment and other financial information. Future business expansion to the healthcare and finance industries would require Cloud Security to update their information security management infrastructure to meet regulatory standards (i.e.Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Sarbanes Oxley, 2002, SAS 70 Type I or II,  and Gramm-Leach Bliley Act)( Shapiro, 2016).

References

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2006). CDC Unified Process Practice Guide: Project Quality Management. Retrieved from https://www2.cdc.gov/cdcup/library/practices_guides/CDC_UP_Quality_Management_Practices_Guide.pdf

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (n.d.).  Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers Standard ANSI/TIA-942

JLL Research (2017). North American Data Center Trends and Outlook. Retrieved from http://www.us.jll.com/united-states/en-us/research/property/data-centers

Petty, A. (2016). Why Every Project Manager Needs a Supportive Executive Sponsor. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/manager-needs-supportive-executive-sponsor-4046176

Shapiro, S. (2016). Data Center Design: Which Standards to Follow? Retrieved from http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2016/01/06/data-center-design-which-standards-to-follow

Synergy Research Group (2017). Cloud & Hyperscale Growth Forecast Presents both Opportunity and Major Challenges. Retrieved from https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/cloud-hyperscale-growth-forecast-presents-both-opportunity-and-major-challenges

Vael, M. (2010). Cloud Computing: An insight in the governance & security aspects. Retrieved from http://www.isaca.org/

Base on the above project please do. 3-6 pages at least.

GA2 Assignment #2: Interim Report  .

· A proposed outline for the project plan.

· A table that shows team member roles and responsibilities for the project as well as an estimate of how many hours that will be spent on each part of the plan. (you have 6 members I will fill names)

· A schedule of internal deadlines that your team plans to complete the project. Include the individual responsible for meeting each deadline.

· Project task statement [goals & performance objectives including measurable organizational value (MOV)].

· Project organization.

· Work breakdown structure (WBS).