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Page 1 - Calculate the Weighted Assessment Score
Page 4 - Design Case Study of a Broadcast Delivery Company: F
Page 9 - Case Study for Problem Management - the problem tickets,
change tickets and service requests
Page 12 - Corporate or IT Directions May Change From Year to Year -
why many infrastructures fail at implementing an effective capacity
planning program
Page 15 - Which among the three Storage systems named as A, B and
C given below is more Reliable, MTBF
Page 17 - exposure factor (EF) and Annual Rate of Occurrence (ARO)
Page 19 - Calculating Facility Efficiency and Corporate Average Data
Centre Efficiency (CADE)
Page 21 - Five Policy Statements to Implement NET ZERO Policy to
reduce carbon level in your org
Page 23 - Seven primary reasons why many infrastructures fail at
implementing an effective capacity planning program.
Q 1 - "You are the Network Manager in Cybertron Softwares Ltd.,
Kolkata. You have assessed the Network Management Process and
produced the assessment worksheet given below.
As per the worksheet, Non-weighted Assessment Score provided is
58%. Calculate the Weighted Assessment Score for the same
worksheet by assuming all the categories are having weight as 3.
[5 Marks]
Process Owner Category Questions for Network Management No ne Sm all Me diu m Lar ge Executive Support To what degree does the executive sponsor show support for the network management process with actions such as budgeting for reasonable network tools and training and taking time to get educated on complex networking topics? 1 Process Owner To what degree does the process owner exhibit desirable traits and ensure that on-call and supplier lists are current and that cross- training is in effect? 3 Customer Involvement To what degree are key customers involved in the design and the use of the process, especially 24/7 operations personnel? 2 Supplier Involvement To what degree are key suppliers, such as carriers and network trainers, involved in the design of the network? 2 Service Metrics To what degree are service metrics analyzed for trends such as network availability, network response times, and elapsed time to logon? 2 Process Metrics To what degree are process metrics analyzed for trends such as outages caused by network design, maintenance, carriers testing, nonstandard devices, lack of training, or negligence? 3 Process Integration To what degree does the network management process integrate with other processes and tools such as availability and security? 1 Streamlinin g/Automati on To what degree is the network management process streamlined by automating actions such as the notification of network analysts when nodes go offline or when other network triggers are activated? 2 Training of Staff To what degree is the staff cross-trained on the network management process, and how well is the effectiveness of the training verified? 4 Process Documentat ion To what degree is the quality and value of network management documentation measured and maintained? 3 Totals 2 8 9 4
Points and Subpoints Detailed Explanation:
1. Understanding the Process Owner Categories: - Executive Support: - Importance of executive backing for budgeting and training. - Example: Ensuring that executives are knowledgeable about networking topics. - Process Owner: - Exhibiting desirable traits and ensuring up-to-date on-call and supplier lists. - Example: Regularly updating the cross-training programs. - Customer Involvement: - Involving key customers in the design and use of processes. - Example: Including 24/7 operation personnel in planning meetings. - Supplier Involvement: - Engaging key suppliers in the network design. - Example: Collaborating with network trainers for design inputs. - Service Metrics: - Analyzing metrics for network performance. - Example: Monitoring network availability and response times. - Process Metrics: - Analyzing metrics for process trends and outages. - Example: Identifying root causes of outages from network design or carrier testing. - Process Integration: - Integrating network management with other tools. - Example: Ensuring tools for availability and security are synchronized. - Streamlining/Automation: - Automating network management processes. - Example: Setting up notifications for network analysts when nodes go offline. - Training of Staff:
- Ensuring staff are cross-trained and verifying training effectiveness.
- Example: Conducting regular training assessments.
- Process Documentation:
- Maintaining high-quality network management documentation.
- Example: Regularly updating and reviewing documentation. 2. Importance of Weighted Assessment Score:
- Provides a more accurate reflection of the importance of each category.
- Helps prioritize areas needing improvement based on their weight. 3. Calculation Process:
- Weight assignment ensures critical categories have a higher impact.
- Summing weighted scores gives a clear picture of overall performance. 4. Interpretation and Actions:
- Interpreting Results:
- Weighted score highlights areas of strong performance and those needing attention.
- Actionable Steps:
- Focus on improving areas with lower scores, especially those weighted heavily.
- Example: If Process Metrics is low, consider revising outage management protocols. Conclusion: Using a weighted assessment score provides a more nuanced view of the Network Management Process, allowing for targeted improvements and more strategic planning. This method ensures that critical areas are given the attention they deserve, leading to a more robust and efficient network management strategy.
Q 2 - Design the case study for the Company F from the table given
below. You may include points like company’s description,
strength, weaknesses and lesson learnt etc. [5 Marks]
- Applications Deployed/Month: 5
- Production Services Department: Yes
- Quality Assurance Department: Yes 2. Strengths a. Robust IT Infrastructure:
- Employees Within IT: With 300 IT employees, Company F has a strong IT workforce capable of managing and maintaining its technical infrastructure.
- Servers and Desktops: The company has a significant number of servers (20) and desktops (1,500), supporting its operations effectively. b. High Deployment Rate:
- Applications Deployed/Month: Deploying 5 applications per month indicates a dynamic and responsive IT department that can handle rapid changes and improvements. c. Comprehensive QA and Production Services:
- Quality Assurance Department: The presence of a QA department ensures that products and services meet high standards before deployment.
- Production Services Department: This department ensures that the production environment is stable and well-managed. 3. Weaknesses a. Change Management Formality:
- Low Change Management Formality: This indicates potential issues in managing changes systematically, which could lead to instability or errors during updates. b. Documentation Practices:
- Product Acceptance Formality: None. Lack of formal documentation processes for product acceptance could lead to inconsistencies and quality issues in product deployment. 4. Lessons Learned a. Importance of Structured Change Management:
- Formalizing Change Management Processes: Implementing a medium or high level of formality in change management can improve stability and reduce errors during updates and changes. b. Enhancing Documentation Standards:
- Improving Documentation Practices: Establishing formal documentation processes for product acceptance can ensure consistency, accountability, and high quality in deployments. c. Leveraging QA and Production Services:
- Maximizing Use of QA and Production Services: Leveraging these departments to their full potential can further enhance the quality and stability of the IT infrastructure.
Detailed Analysis and Comparison with Other Companies
1. Industry: - Comparison: Company F operates in the broadcast delivery industry, similar to Company B and Company C which are in related industries (broadcast content and motion pictures). - Improvement: Company F can collaborate with these companies to share best practices and enhance its service delivery. 2. Number of Employees: - Comparison: Company F has 4,000 employees, which is less than Company A (80,000) and Company D (30,000) but more than Company B (1,500) and Company E (75). - Improvement: Maintain a balanced workforce size to manage operational efficiency without overstaffing. 3. Age of Company: - Comparison: Company F is 10 years old, younger than most companies in the comparison. - Improvement: Leverage its relatively young age to adopt innovative practices and technologies more rapidly. 4. Employees Within IT:
- Comparison: Similar to Company D and Company F, Company F has a dedicated production services department.
- Improvement: Optimize the processes and collaboration between production services and other departments. 11. Quality Assurance Department:
- Comparison: Company F has a QA department, similar to Company C, D, and G.
- Improvement: Continuously improve QA processes to ensure high standards are maintained. 12. Change Management Formality:
- Comparison: Company F has a low formality in change management, similar to Company B and F.
- Improvement: Increase the formality level to medium or high to enhance stability and manage changes effectively. 13. Product Acceptance Formality:
- Comparison: Company F has no formal product acceptance process, similar to Company B, E, F, and G.
- Improvement: Implement a formal product acceptance process to ensure consistency and quality in product releases.
Conclusion
Company F, with its strong IT infrastructure and high deployment rate, is well- positioned in the broadcast delivery industry. By focusing on improving change management formality and documentation practices, and by learning from the practices of other companies, Company F can further enhance its operational efficiency and maintain its competitive edge in the market.
Q3 - Design the suitable scenario/case study for the problem
management in detail. You may include in this scenario, the issues
for which you need to raise the problem tickets, change tickets and
service requests. [5 Marks]
Case Study for Problem Management
Scenario: Problem Management in a Broadcast Delivery Company (Company F)
Company Overview: Company F is a Broadcast Delivery company with 4000 employees and dedicated support QA teams. The company has a significant IT infrastructure comprising 300 employees within IT, 50 servers, and 1500 desktops. The company deploys 5 applications per month and follows a low formality change management process.
Issues and Corresponding Tickets
Issue Ticket Type Description Steps for Resolution Improvement Measures Network Outage Problem Ticket Sudden loss of network connectivity affecting multiple services.
- Incident Identification: Detect network outage through monitoring tools.
- Logging: Create a problem ticket with detailed outage information.
- Diagnosis: Network team investigates the root cause.
- Resolution: Fix network issues, e.g., faulty router replacement.
- Closure: Document resolution steps and close the ticket.
- Implement redundant network paths.
- Regular maintenance checks.
- Upgrade network infrastructure. Software Bug Problem Ticket Critical bug in the broadcast software causing crashes during peak hours.
- Incident Detection: User reports and automated alerts.
- Logging: Create a problem ticket with error logs.
- Analysis: Software development team analyzes the bug.
- Fix Deployment: Apply patches or software updates.
- Verification: Test the fix in a controlled environment.
- Closure: Update documentation and close the ticket.
- Conduct thorough testing before deployment.
- Implement continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
- Regularly update software. Server Downtime Change Ticket Scheduled maintenance causing planned server downtime.
- Change Request: Submit a change ticket specifying maintenance details.
- Approval: Get approval from change advisory board (CAB).
- Notification: Inform stakeholders of planned downtime.
- Execution: Perform maintenance as per schedule.
- Verification: Ensure systems are operational post-maintenance.
- Closure: Close change ticket after successful maintenance.
- Schedule maintenance during off-peak hours.
- Maintain clear communication with stakeholders.
- Create detailed maintenance plans. Hardware Upgrade Service Request Upgrading old servers to
- Service Request: Submit a request for hardware upgrade.
- Regularly review and upgrade hardware.
Issue Ticket Type Description Steps for Resolution Improvement Measures
- Testing: Verify software functionality.
- Closure: Document installation and close the request.
- Train staff on new software. Network Expansion Change Ticket Expansion of network infrastructure to new office.
- Change Request: Submit a change ticket with expansion details.
- Planning: Create a detailed network expansion plan.
- Approval: Get approval from CAB.
- Implementation: Install network infrastructure in the new office.
- Testing: Ensure network stability and performance.
- Closure: Document the expansion and close the ticket.
- Plan network expansions ahead.
- Ensure adequate resources.
- Conduct post- implementation reviews. Email Service Outage Problem Ticket Email services are down, affecting communication.
- Incident Detection: Alerts from monitoring tools.
- Logging: Create a problem ticket with outage details.
- Diagnosis: Investigate the cause of the outage.
- Resolution: Restore email services, e.g., restart mail server.
- Verification: Test email functionality.
- Closure: Document the resolution and close the ticket.
- Implement email service monitoring.
- Regular backups of email data.
- Ensure high availability setup for email servers.
Q4 - There are seven primary reasons why many infrastructures
fail at implementing an effective capacity planning program. One
of the reason is ‘Corporate or IT Directions May Change From Year
to Year’. Discuss this reason with suitable example and suggest
corrective actions. [5 Marks]
Corporate or IT Directions May Change From Year to Year
Reason: In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of technology, corporate or IT directions often change from year to year. This variability can stem from shifts in market demands, technological advancements, new regulatory requirements, changes in leadership, or strategic reorientation. Such frequent changes can disrupt the continuity and effectiveness of capacity planning programs. Example: Consider a company that initially prioritizes the development of a robust data analytics platform. Investments are made in servers, storage, and skilled personnel to support this initiative. However, in the following year, a new CEO decides to shift the focus towards expanding mobile applications to capture a growing market segment. Resources are reallocated, and the initial investments in the data analytics platform may become underutilized or obsolete. Challenges:
- Resource Misallocation: Frequent changes in corporate direction can lead to resource misallocation, where previously allocated resources (such as hardware, software, and human resources) may no longer align with the new strategic objectives.
- Disrupted Planning Cycles: Regular shifts can disrupt the planning cycles, making it difficult to maintain a long-term view of capacity needs.
- Technological Obsolescence: Investments made based on prior directions may become obsolete, leading to wasted resources and additional costs for new investments.
- Employee Morale and Productivity: Constant changes can affect employee morale and productivity, as teams may feel uncertain about their roles and the company's future direction.
- Lack of Consistent Leadership :
- Frequent changes in leadership can result in inconsistent strategic priorities, making it difficult to maintain a stable capacity planning process.
- Insufficient Communication :
- Changes in direction often come with poor communication, leaving teams unsure about new priorities and how to adjust their planning.
- Budget Constraints :
- Shifting priorities can lead to sudden budget reallocation, disrupting ongoing projects and planning efforts.
Challenges, Corrective Actions, and Benefits
- Establish robust change management processes to handle shifts in corporate direction smoothly. This includes clear communication, training, and support for employees to adapt to new priorities.
- Cross-functional Collaboration:
- Foster collaboration between different departments to ensure that capacity planning takes into account various perspectives and needs. This can help in anticipating changes and preparing for them in advance.
- Scenario Planning:
- Engage in scenario planning to explore potential future changes and their impact on capacity needs. This proactive approach can help in developing contingency plans that can be quickly implemented when changes occur.
- Strategic Reserve Capacity:
- Maintain a strategic reserve of capacity (both in terms of infrastructure and skilled personnel) that can be quickly deployed to meet new demands without disrupting existing operations.
- Continuous Monitoring and Forecasting:
- Implement continuous monitoring and forecasting tools to track resource usage and predict future capacity needs based on current trends and potential changes in direction. By implementing these corrective actions, organizations can mitigate the challenges posed by changing corporate or IT directions and maintain an effective capacity planning program.
Q5 - Which among the three Storage systems named as A, B and C
given below is more Reliable? Why it is more reliable? [5 Marks]
History of Failures – Compared in 3 Storage System Over 1 Year Period
System A System B System C Period Feb 2019
April 2019 May 2019 July 2019 May 2019 July 2019 Oct 2019 Dec 2019 Dec 2019 let's calculate the Time Between Failures (TBF) and also consider Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) for each system.
Calculations
System A
- Failures: February 2019, April 2019, July 2019, October 2019, December 2019
- TBF:
- Between February and April: 2 months
- Between April and July: 3 months
- Between July and October: 3 months
- Between October and December: 2 months
- MTBF: (2 + 3 + 3 + 2) / 4 = 2.5 months System B
- Failures: May 2019, December 2019
- TBF:
- Between May and December: 7 months
- MTBF: 7 months (only one interval) System C
- Failures: May 2019, July 2019
- TBF:
- Between May and July: 2 months
- MTBF: 2 months (only one interval)
Updated Analysis of Reliability
Criteria System A System B System C Total Failures (^) 5 2 2
damage to the building. The asset value of the building is worth Rs.
25,00,000. The single loss expectancy (SLE) is the monetary loss
that is expected each time the risk materializes. Calculate the
single loss expectancy (SLE) due to a flood.
The Annual Rate of Occurrence (ARO) (from the likelihood
analysis) is the number of times you expect a disaster to occur
each year. The flood experts predict that a flood will occur once
every 40 years. The annualized loss expectancy (ALE) is the
monetary loss that the business expects to occur as a result of the
risk harming the asset over the course of a year. Calculate the
annualized loss expectancy (ALE) of the same building. [5 Marks]
🗒️ Answer
Calculation of Single Loss Expectancy (SLE)
Formula:
SLE=Asset Value×Exposure Factor (EF)SLE=Asset Value×Exposure Factor
(EF)
Given:
- Asset Value (AV) = Rs. 25,00,
- Exposure Factor (EF) = 40% or 0. Calculation:
SLE=25,00,000×0.40=10,00,000SLE= 25 , 00 , 000 ×0.40= 10 , 00 , 000
Thus, the Single Loss Expectancy (SLE) due to a flood is Rs. 10,00,000.
Calculation of Annualized Loss Expectancy (ALE)
Formula:
ALE=SLE×Annual Rate of Occurrence (ARO)ALE=SLE×Annual Rate of O
ccurrence (ARO)
Given:
- Annual Rate of Occurrence (ARO) = 1/40 = 0.
Calculation: ALE=10,00,000×0.025=25,000ALE= 10 , 00 , 000 ×0.025= 25 , 000
Thus, the Annualized Loss Expectancy (ALE) of the building due to a flood is Rs. 25,000. Summary Calculation Formula Value SLE Asset Value×EFAsset Value×EF Rs. 10,00, ALE SLE×AROSLE×ARO Rs. 25, By applying the given values to the formulas for Single Loss Expectancy and Annualized Loss Expectancy, we determined that the SLE due to a flood is Rs. 10,00,000 and the ALE is Rs. 25,000.
Q 7 - The High Volume Application Services section of Azure Data
Centre of Shital Microservices Pvt Ltd. reported that it draws
24000 KW of Total Power and out of which 18000 KW has been
consumed by ecommerce Application Servers. The Data center’s
overall Capacity is 36000 KW. Calculate Facility Efficiency?
The CPU utilization for all the servers in the Data center averages
@ 75 Percent. Corporate Average Data Centre Efficiency (CADE) is
a performance metric used to evaluate and rate the overall energy
efficiency of an organization’s set of data centres. CADE makes it
possible to calculate and measure a data centre's energy
consumption-based performance and compare it to the
performance of other data centres. Find out the Corporate Average
Data Centre Efficiency (CADE) for Azure Data Center of Shital
Microservices Pvt Ltd. [5 Marks]
🗒️ Answer
Calculating Facility Efficiency
To determine the Facility Efficiency of the Azure Data Center of Shital Microservices Pvt Ltd., we use the provided data and the following steps:
