Abstract This paper examines how software configuration management (SCM) is an important discipline in professional software development and maintenance and how the importance of SCM has increased as programs have become more complex, long-lasting, and time critical. It aims to critically evaluate the evolution of SCM, as well as the obstacles and progress achieved by this particular segment of software engineering. The paper uses a column page layout.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Foundation Years of Software Configuration Management
Progress and Obstacles - SCM in the Past Decade
Process Support
Versioning and Release
Change Control
The Tools - Third Party and Open-Source
Transitions
Conclusion
From the Paper "The mid 90's paved the way for much better and more powerful SCM tools. Although much of them were still reliant on old methods, these tools had revved up their ability by nearly two folds in terms of automation from a mere cost effective in-house development. [2, 3] In the late 90's, the evolution of SCM in general was characterised mainly by technological issues, better understanding of the technology and experience acquired by the Software Engineering community towards the complexity of a complete SCM solution. On an Industry level SCM was seen largely as a mature, reliable and ideal technology for software development. "
Abstract This paper discusses the purpose of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems within an organization. The paper specifically discusses the configuration and installation of a SAP R/3 enterprise system. It discusses the challenges that would be faced and the significant contribution of order management and production planning modules in these processes.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Insights Gained From Completing an SAP R/3 Configuration Production Planning Module
Summary
From the Paper "The implications of streamlining manufacturing, procurement, supply chain, and the many customer-facing processes through the use of ERP systems have significant financial implications on the organizations adopting them. The many challenges of installing SAP R/3 into heterogeneous environments as discussed in this paper show that Order Management and Production Planning Modules make significant contributions to the organizations that have constructed their enterprise systems around them. The role of Production Planning specifically to align purchasing, procurement to demand management is one of the main catalysts of improved financial performance possible using an ERP system."
The following paper provides an overview of Tesco's current environment, their competitors, their ICT configuration, how their ICT configuration conforms with their business needs and the potential for Tesco in future markets.?
5,900 words (approx. 23.6 pages), 4 sources, 2001, $ 140.95
Abstract This paper uses key marketing tools such as PEST, SWOT, Ansoff Matrix, Five Forces Model and Product Portfolio Balance throughout its analysis. These tools help show where Tesco is at currently and where they will be in the future. The final section includes recommendations and cautions in making a decision to pursue investment opportunities with Tesco.
From the paper:
"Tesco has a very strong presence in the UK and is quickly expanding internationally. In fact, they recently received the distinction of being named as one of the top ten grocery retailers. With this distinction, the board decided it was worth investigating Tesco as an investment opportunity. The investigation must take a good look at Tesco's ICT configuration. Their configuration and potentially future configuration is important due to the role technology plays in keeping a company organized and serving its customers."
Abstract This paper analyzes a situation for a hypothetical company in relation to switching from a single-operating system configuration to a multi-operating system configuration.
Abstract The paper provides an analysis of the configuration, scalability and performance aspects of IPv4 versus IPv6-based SSL, in relation to IPv4-based IPSec protocol over networks and VPNs. The paper examines how these functional differences are defining the use of these two respective protocols. The paper includes many tables to illustrate the differences and shows how the configuration and security options available in IPv6-based SSL VPNs are quickly gaining ground.
Outline:
Introduction
Defining Virtual Private Networks and their role in security
Comparative Analysis of IPSEC vs. SSL-based VPN
Market Comparative Analysis of IPv4-based IPSec vs. IPv6-based SSL VPNs
Summary
From the Paper "The many benefits of upgrading an organizations' network, specifically its Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) from IPv4 to IPv6 make the costs associated with the transition recoverable from increased network stability, auto-configuration, security, mobility, increase and quality-of-service and multicast capability (Cisco 2007). First, in terms of scalability, address range for IPv6-based networks is 128-bits, giving the organization much greater security as well (Fink, 1999). Second, the security concerns regarding using DHCP to assign IP addresses using IPv4 today can be alleviated with the stateless reconfiguration capability of IPv6 (Lehtovirta, J 2006)."
Abstract The following essay attempts to prove that networking hardware are incompatible and work at different speeds. The writer contends that these factors can also slow down the overall speed of the LAN. Random Access Memory hardware systems and Central Processing Unit hardware systems are made reference to.
From the paper:
?On certain LAN configurations, such as the Bus and the Ring, an increase in the number of nodes, slows down the LAN. This is because Bus and Ring are designed in such a way that a data packet meant for a particular workstation, gets exclusive rights to the entire LAN cable. In other words, while a packet moves from its source to destination, no other packet is allowed on the network cable.?
Abstract This paper states that information security in the healthcare environment is critical to its ability to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information and ensure the reliability of that data. The paper points out that configuration management, which ensures that the system is continually assessed to determine the impact of changes, is an integral component of security management. The paper discusses that healthcare IT is increasingly moving to more interactive, Web-based services to better meet the needs of patients.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Problem Statement and Goal
Relevance and Significance
Barriers and Issues
Approach
From the Paper "The accuracy, security and privacy of all medical records are some of the most important objectives, as the healthcare environment moves forward in utilizing the electronic patient record. Rules of behavior policies are created and users agree to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to a user being given access to the system. The rules are based on the needs of the various users of the system. The security provided by the rules is only as stringent as is necessary to provide adequate security for information in the system. Such rules are clearly designed to demarcate responsibilities and expected behaviour of all individuals with access to the system."
Abstract This paper analyzes five of the most dominant applications that Ingram Micro uses as one of the global leaders in the distribution of enterprise and personal computing software, hardware, and services. The paper discusses their materials requirements planning (MRP) system, their order management and online ordering system platform which includes the product configuration, pricing management and compliance system, their service lifecycle management (SLM) system and their supply chain management system.
Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Evaluating Ingram Micro's Five Most Mission Critical Applications
Five Mission Critical Systems Analyzed According to Criteria
Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) Systems
Order Management and Online Ordering Including Product Customization System Platform
Pricing Management and Compliance System
Service Lifecycle Management System
Supply Chain Management System
From the Paper "Service Lifecycle Management systems have become prevalent in manufacturers and distributors alike to capitalize on the sales opportunities in customer bases. The primary impetus for these systems is to attain the goal of capturing greater revenue throughout a given customer base. In the HP dealer, channel partner and reseller the issue is one of keeping substitute products from competitors including IBM, Pilot, and others from their channel. HP wants to retain the channel margin that is being generated with their dealer base."
Abstract This paper analyzes five of the most dominant applications that Ingram Micro uses as one of the global leaders in the distribution of enterprise and personal computing software, hardware, and services. It discusses their materials requirements planning (MRP) system, their order management and online ordering system platform which includes the product configuration, pricing management and compliance system, their service life cycle management (SLM) system and their supply chain management system.
Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Evaluating Ingram Micro's Five Most Mission Critical Applications
Five Mission Critical Systems Analyzed According to Criteria
Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) Systems
Order Management and Online Ordering Including Product Customization System Platform
Pricing Management and Compliance System
Service Life cycle Management System
Supply Chain Management System
From the Paper "Service Lifecycle Management systems have become prevalent in manufacturers and distributors alike to capitalize on the sales opportunities in customer bases. The primary impetus for these systems is to attain the goal of capturing greater revenue throughout a given customer base. In the HP dealer, channel partner and reseller the issue is one of keeping substitute products from competitors including IBM, Pilot, and others from their channel. HP wants to retain the channel margin that is being generated with their dealer base."
An evaluation of the research presented in the article "A Description Logic-Based Configurator on the Web", by D. McGuiness, C. Isbel, M. Parker, P. Patel-Schneider, L. Resnick and C. Welty.
Abstract The paper commends the authors' foresightful analysis but points out that several key points are missing. The paper maintains that a progression of where their research could be applied is seriously lacking. The paper concludes that this article adds to the knowledge of readers interested in the progression of constraint-based configurators but discusses how the authors could have brought in other relevant aspects.
Outline:
Executive Summary
Critique of the Article
Future Research
Enhancements to Readers' Knowledge
From the Paper "The authors deserve credit for their foresightful analysis of the migration from rules-based to constraint-based web-based configuration and the need for included large nested object structures corresponding to highly structured and complex, interconnected configurations. Today this is called nested configuration logic, and is critical for the development of constraint-based logic in configuration engines now increasingly being used across the Internet. The authors also accurately call out of the need for more extensive reasoning components, support for explanation generation, and the critical need for knowledge management tools."
Abstract This paper examines the case of Richard Speck, a convicted murderer of eight women in the United State. At Speck's trial his attorney claimed that a new theory of behavioral causality with an identifiable chromosomal abnormality represented by the XYY configuration corresponded to specific behavioral traits that predisposed individuals to violent and antisocial behavior. The author of the paper examines evidence for and against this theory in the light of Speck's childhood, research and an autopsy performed on Speck's body after he died in 1991.
Outline:
Background and History
XYY Supermale Analysis
Social Biology Analysis
References
From the Paper "Critics of the XYY theory of criminal conduct suggest that even if XYY corresponds to higher statistical likelihood of certain types of antisocial behavior, it is not substantially different from other components of naturally evolved human behaviors. In other primate species, including those most closely related to homo sapiens, male dominance is expressed through patterns of behavior that would be considered, in human terms, criminal. According to that view, even XYY-based behavioral patterns still lie within the spectrum of normal human tendencies and that it is not particularly surprising that prisons house individuals who share behavioral traits consistent with criminal behavior (The Hastings Center 1980)."
Abstract The paper considers the ability to manage shared voice and data, one-to-many and many-to-many configurations, availability of service, speed and cost of telecommunications and distributed technology systems. The paper shows how for global teams, ATM and frame relay are the most efficient and capable of supporting the levels of response times and collaboration necessary, while for local networks, the use of T1, ISDN and DSL are more cost-effective and capable of delivering the levels of performance necessary to ensure collaboration.
Outline:
Introduction
Ranking the Efficiency of Telecommunications and Distributed Connectivity Systems
Summary
From the Paper "The origin of telecommunications and distributed connectivity systems that eventually grew to encompass LANs and WANs began with the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) that enabled bidirectional communication, yet did little to nurture and serve as the catalyst for collaboration across teams either locally or globally. The growth of POTS-based systems to include basic telephone systems services to include Office Premises Extensions (OPX), Wide Area Telecommunications Services (WATS), and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) made it possible for teams to have one-to-many and many-to-many conference calls and discussions. Datasets and information that corresponded to the voice calls often traveled through manually-based approaches, from sending diskettes around to the first e-mail applications. Often conference calls were impeded by the lack of similar fluidity of data. The need for integrated voice and data became evident as WANs became the new standard for sharing data and voice communications throughout an organization."
Abstract In this essay, the writer discusses that the growth of online configurators and their role in streamlining the process by which consumers shop, configure, and order products online is one of the revolutionary aspects of e-commerce. The writer points out that the integration of the technologies behind online configurators and their success with customers is to a large extent defined by how these online applications are introduced to customers, how the added value due to the new technology is proven to customers, and the role of support plans for customers outlined and used by online customers. The role of partnerships in enhancing customer experiences is also integral to the total technology impact of online configurators, and is examined as part of this paper.
From the Paper "What's significant about this area in terms of developments in the last three years is that the guided selling applications are now becoming increasingly connected to product configurators, or complex software applications that work with factory systems and actually get the process started of building the product a consumer wants. This is a significant accomplishment for many companies, as beforehand the products of interest consumers would specify through the guided selling applications would have to be hand-typed into the production systems to make them producible. Columbus (2003) highlights the progression of this capability in his research on the maturing of guided selling applications' use in consumer and high tech companies in his landmark report, Configuration is the Heart of Customer Fulfillment for Complex Manufacturers. In this report Columbus defines the specific attributes of what separates guided selling from product configuration technologies. Dell's pervasive use of online product configurators is now seen as revolutionary, yet the introduction of these web-based applications was first seen as complex and difficult to use. Dell's extensive efforts to make these applications trustworthy began with the more thorough integration of their supply chain planning systems."
Abstract In the world of portable computing there are truly a broad range of brands, options, configurations and choices to make. The PC world is filled with competing companies who all offer the same basic thing - a compact computer in a portable format. What people want from their computers and what they get are often not the same thing; this is particularly true in relation to pre-configured systems with limited customization options. But, for those companies that offer fully customized catalogues, the differences from portable to portable become harder to discern. Two of the largest manufacturers of portable computers are Dell and Compaq. Each offers a large line of systems that are slightly different from one to the next in terms of processor, hard drive, memory, ports, optical drives and physical configurations. As both companies make Windows portable PC's, the actual functional differences between the two in terms of capability are negligible. What decisions come down to when deciding between the two companies are based upon service, quality of manufacturing and product, price and longevity of product. There are other features to the computing experience as well, but they are universal to all forms of computers and not just laptops. It is the purpose of this paper to present a comparison between the portable computer offerings of Dell and of Compaq.
This paper investigates the benefits and problems of various configurations of an IT division of a Fortune 500 company that currently has some of its IT personnel and infrastructure at the main plant.
Abstract The following paper makes several assumptions about the company's technology that are clearly consistent with current computer uses in major companies. In addition a virtual centralised system for the organization of the IT division is discussed in detail. Lastly this paper explores how the needs of the IT division of a large and geographically spread-out company can take advantage of this particular form of network.
From the Paper "Before beginning to explore the particular needs of our hypothetical company, it may be useful to examine in general what defines an Ethernet system as well as a Local Area Network. The Ethernet originated as a laboratory project at Xerox Corporation in 1974. It was developed as an inexpensive way of sending information quickly between office machines connected together in a single room or building - thus serving in essentially the same way that a local area network functions - but it rapidly became a standard computer interconnection method in large measure because of the speed at which it is capable of transmitting data, which is 10 megabits per second."
