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IT 210: Business Systems Analysis

IT-210 Milestone 1 Jill Spaulding Southern New Hampshire University

IT 210: Business Systems Analysis

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Contents Introduction

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Problem Statement

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Two Technologies

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Business Requirements

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Objectives

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Project Description

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Key Technology Requirements

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Competitors and Technology

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Technology One: Cloud Computing

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Technology Two: Intelligent Systems

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Technology Solutions

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Technology One

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Technology Two

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Recommendations

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Technology Solution

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Overall Benefit

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Security Considerations

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Security Features

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Third-Party Vendors

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IT 210: Business Systems Analysis Internal Safeguards

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References

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[Footnotes]

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[Tables]

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[Figures title:]

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IT 210: Business Systems Analysis

4 Introduction

The case scenario for this project describes a small-brick-and-mortar business that specializes in designer clothing, shoes, and handbags. At the present time this small business only has a simplistic website that lists only a few familiar products for its customers and the customers can only buy the retail items by shopping in person at the store. Since this business does not have the technical capacity to sell their products online like its competitors, the business will not be able to grow, diversify, and attract a new customer base. The owner’s goal is to grow her business’s online presence and have transactions take on a customer-oriented approach. The owner is aware that consumer privacy and security issues may arise when she roles out the new online services. With the changes the owner plans on implementing, she wants to safeguard the company’s data so it is protected internally. The protection of her company’s data is important to the business’s growth, so she wants to also make sure that her suppliers and technology vendors view the importance of security in the same way. The business’s owner is also seeking a viable technology solution that will meet her business’s vital technology specifications which include: integrating online shopping, managing inventory and shipping, providing order status and online payment processing, facilitating collaboration internally and externally (with staff and customers), managing customer contacts, providing reporting, and being able to use the new technology to manage the current brick-andmortar processes. These processes include sales, payments, inventory, and customer contact information. At the present time the business’s storefront is having issues managing customer information and does not have a reporting tool to assist management to make informed decisions.

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Two Technologies: The technology tools that this business owner should employ to grow her online business and improve the brick-and-mortar storefront’s ability to manage her customer information effectively are cloud computing and intelligent systems. By implementing cloud computing, this will allow a business to store and access data and programs over the internet versus storing this information on a computer’s hard drive (Griffith, 2020). The business from this scenario would benefit from this extra storage space in the cloud so it will be able to store and access data with greater ease and timeliness. Along with cloud computing, intelligent systems will help bolster this business’s online sales. Intelligent systems help retailers to understand their customers better, connect with them, and generate a high-caliber customer experience (Tagliabue & Leon, 2017). As this business works to grow its on-sight services and moves forward into the world of online sales, their premise to success is to improve their overall customer experience where it is more personalized and meets each person’s needs whether it be in the store or online. Adding technology to this small business will help the store revolutionize the way it does business and ultimately bring in more revenue by expanding its customer base. Since this business only has a storefront to serve its customers, the owner is losing out on an untapped market by not of the offering online shopping as an option at the present time. If cloud computing and intelligent systems are implemented properly, the business will be able to attract a new customer base while improving the overall customer experience for their current consumers and grow their business in the process.

IT 210: Business Systems Analysis

6 Business Requirements

Objectives: Through the integration of cloud computing and intelligent systems within the business in this scenario, the technology being presented will demonstrate how it can aid the business owner in improving the store’s ability to house and access customer information. Along with technology improving data storage, integrating new technology will help the business develop an online presence that can provide a personalized service resulting in increased customer satisfaction during their shopping experience. Since the current business model only allows instore shipping, this limits the business’s ability to reach a larger customer base that could potentially grow to be worldwide. Through the implementation of cloud computing and intelligent systems, the owner of this business will create an opportunity to compete with other companies such as HauteLook and Kohl’s who already have an established and successful e-business model. Project Description: For this business in the case scenario for this project to satisfy their objectives, the owner needs to first implement cloud computing. By utilizing cloud computing, this technology will allow the owner to have the space needed to store the new data she will be gaining as she moves her business into the world of online sales. Having the cloud-based storage allows the business to scale-up immediately whenever more storage space is needed due to business growth (Lesonsky, 2020). The cloud computing will also address the safety of the company’s and customer’s data. By using the cloud to store the business data there will be a decrease risk of loss and theft versus maintaining the data on a hard drive at the business or the owner’s home where the information could be easily hacked and stolen.

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Adding intelligent systems as one of the business’s technology solutions will help the owner bring new opportunities by way of an online forum and allow her to operate her business more efficiently and effectively. With the use of intelligent systems, this technology will help to open up a new world of shopping for the business’s new online and in-store customers. Through the use of intelligent systems retail stores are able to make more intelligent and precise forecasting along with accurate and real-time stock monitoring (Tagliabue & Leon, 2017). The use of intelligent systems is important for this business because the use of this technology provides a benefit to everyone involved. From the business itself to each customer, intelligent systems provide the relevant and timely information the business requires to effectively serve its clientele. Intelligent systems also offer the customers the high-quality service they demand by either shopping in the store or online. Both cloud computing and intelligent systems were chosen to solve the business’s current problems and to help set up online shopping as a part of the owner’s new business model. Cloud computing and intelligent systems are capable of meeting the following business’s technological requirements: integrate online shopping, manage inventory and shipping, provide order status, checking and online payment processing, facilitate collaboration internally and externally, manage customer contacts, provide reporting, and manage the current brick-and-mortar processes. If all of these needs can be met by implementing cloud computing and intelligent systems, this business will be able to flourish and keep their growth on track. Technology Requirements: The technological requirements that need to be satisfied in starting an online ordering system and payment capabilities can be done through the implementation of cloud computing and intelligent systems, both will aide in this business’s growth and future success. By adding both

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cloud computing and intelligent system to help with business growth, these technologies will allow the business to expand into a new marketplace. The technologies the business owner decides to use to help promote her business must have the ability to effectively and efficiently manage inventory, shipping and have the flexibility to grow the online business while still supporting the needs of the brick-and-mortar storefront. With the addition of technology to the owner’s business model, the business and its staff will have a greater ability to track online and in-store customer data while gaining a better understanding of their needs and behavior. If business owners choose the correct technology to meet their technological requirements, it will aid business owners in being more informed and proactive about customer wants and needs. In the end, technology will help improve customer satisfaction, which in turn equals increased sales and customer loyalty for the business (Segal, 2020). Competitors and Technology HauteLook and Kohl’s are two competitors that have used either cloud computing or intelligent systems to attract and develop a strong customer following. HauteLook is a member only retail corporation whose focus is serving online customers and providing high end brands at a discounted price for a short period of time. Kohl’s also has an established online sales line along with brick-and-mortar stores across the United States. Through Kohl’s e-commerce presence, it has allowed them to reach shoppers that are more comfortable performing transactions online. Technology One: Cloud Computing One of the businesses that the owner of this up and company company will be competing with is HauteLook. HauteLook is a member only online retail store that connects shoppers to limited time sales (Bloomberg, n.d.). HauteLook features men’s, women’s and kid’s fashion, along with

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jewelry, beauty products and decorating items for the home. HauteLook was established in 2007 and purchased by Nordstrom’s in 2011. HauteLook has over 4 million members since it first started in 2007 (Rao, 2011). With this type of growth, HauteLook needed a way to manage the growth of data and have the ability to retrieve this data in a timely and accurate manner. HauteLook looked to Sirius to provide them a cloud-based solution to implement a practical and accessible way to replicate and recover data if a disaster situation were to occur (Milne, 2019). Technology Two: Intelligent Systems Another competitor that the owner of this business will be going up against is Kohl’s. The business from this scenario and Kohl’s have similarities where they both have a current customer base at their brick-and-mortar stores. Kohl’s has also been able to build and maintain a strong ecommerce customer base through their online sales. Kohl’s is one of the larges discount department store chains in the United States, with more than 230 stores in the Midwest and MidAtlantic regions (Company-Histories, 2019). As the business from this scenario evolves and grows their customer base in the realm of online shopping, the business owner should follow how Kohl’s has found success in online sales through the use of intelligent systems. As the retail market has changed and grown, Kohl’s realized the importance in staying engaged with their customers. Kohl’s has promoted this engagement through the use of intelligent systems. In the past few years, Kohl’s has spent approximately $2 billion dollars in customer-facing options, improving customer engagement, and making the customer experience simpler (Forte, 2017). Kohl’s has prioritized their customer’s experience both in the store and online through the use of technology and intelligent systems. Kohl’s has been able to make their customer’s shopping experience a unique and seamless process by choosing intelligent systems as one of their

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technological solutions Kohl’s has been able to find creative ways to keep their current customers coming back while still attracting new ones. Technology Benefit: Kohl’s has been able to transform itself with the addition of intelligent system technology. With the implementation of this type of technology, intelligent systems have aided in Kohl’s growth and the ability of their marketing team to predict customer demands, recognize market opportunities, and provide the ability to roll out new product lines and promotions online and in the store (PAT Research, 2020). If the business owner from this scenario were to adopt the use of intelligent systems to assist with online and instore sales, the owner will be able to gain insight to what interests her customers, what their shopping habits are, and help the business build a loyal customer base through offering a tailored shopping experience for each person. The business will also benefit from the use of intelligent systems by way of accurate forecasting of customer behavior and fashion trends. This type of knowledge will improve a business’s ability to make informed decisions about their supply chain management and in the end improve their bottom line (Tagliabue & Leon, 2017). Conclusion As the world becomes more automated and people’s expectations of instant service grows, using technological solutions such as cloud computing and intelligent systems will help retail businesses meet their client’s needs. Technology can also help to provide better products, improve customer service, improve efficiency of sales and help a business save money. The use of technology will help the shopper’s buying experience be more personal, even if they are not shopping in person. In the end, the addition of technology to a retail business will allow the

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customer to have the best shopping journey possible and give the business the boost they need to be successful in the long run.

Technology Solutions [In the section below, you will discuss how each of the two technologies meets the technology requirements that you identified in section II. Use your decision matrix to guide your responses.] Technology One [Explain how well this technology meets the technology requirements of your business. Be sure to address which technology requirements the technology meets, and where there are gaps.] Technology Two [Explain how well this technology meets the technology requirements of your business. Be sure to address which technology requirements the technology meets, and where there are gaps.] Recommendations [In the section below, you will recommend the technology solution that you believe is most appropriate for your business based on how well each technology meets your business’s technology requirements.]

Technology Solution [Recommend a technology solution for your business, and defend why that solution is appropriate. You may recommend only one technology or any combination of the two that you investigated.]

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Overall Benefit [Explain the overall benefit of your recommended technology solution to your business. Consider the following:]

I. II.

How will it will it enhance efficiency? How will it position your business for future growth as you move online?

Basic Security Considerations [In the section below, you will briefly explain what the owner of your business must consider in regard to security and privacy if they choose to adopt your recommendations.] Security Features [Explain the security features your recommended technology solution should have.] Third-Party Vendors [Briefly explain what your business should consider in regard to security and privacy as you seek out third-party vendors for the proposed technology.] Internal Safeguards [Briefly describe the internal safeguards that should be put in place in your business to guard against loss or misuse of company data. Provide examples.] [Like all sections of your paper, references start on their own page. The references page that follows is created using the Citations & Bibliography feature, available on the References tab. This feature includes a style option that formats your references for APA 6th Edition. You can also use this feature to add in-text citations that are linked to your source, such as those

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shown at the end of this paragraph and the preceding paragraph. To customize a citation, rightclick it and then click Edit Citation.] (Last Name, Year)

IT 210: Business Systems Analysis

14 References

Bloomberg (n.d.). HauteLook, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/ company/36577237.us Company Histories (2019). Kohl’s Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.company-histories.com/Kohls-Corporation-Company-History.html Forte, D. (2017, March 27). How Kohl’s is Connecting the Online and In-Store Experience. Retrieved from https://www.multichannelmerchant.com/must-reads/kohls-connecting-onlinestore-experience/ Griffith, E. (2020, June 29). What is Cloud Computing? Retrieved from https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-cloud-computing Lesonsky, R. (2020). How Cloud Technology Can Help Your Business Grow. Retrieved from https://www.allbusiness.com/countdown-to-2016-cloud-technology-help-business-grow102407-1.html/ Milne, J. (2019, January 3). Success Story: Sirius Helps HauteLook Achieve IT Resiliency in The Cloud. Retrieved from https://www.sirius.co 2019/01/it-resiliency-in-the-cloud-simplescalable-data-protection-and-recovery-solutions/ PAT Research (2020). Kohl’s Optimize Item and Store Performance with Oracle Retail. Retrieved from https://www.predictiveanalyticstoday.com/kohls-optimize-item-storeperformance-oracle-retail/ Rao, L. (2011, February 17). Nordstrom Acquires Flash Sales Site HauteLook for $270 Million. Retrieved from https://www.techcrunch.com/2011/02/17/nordstrom-acquires-flash-sales-sitehautelook-for-270-million/

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Segal, C. (2020). Small Changes Yield Big Results-How New Technology Can Fuel Your Business Growth. Retrieved from https://www.coxblue.com/how-new-technology-can-fuelyour-business-growth/ Tagliabue, D. & Leon, G. (2017, November 28). The Importance of Artificial Intelligence in Retail. Retrieved from https://www.gestoos.com/2017/11/28/importance-artificialintelligence-retail/

IT 210: Business Systems Analysis

16 Footnotes

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[Add footnotes, if any, on their own page following references. For APA formatting

requirements, it’s easy to just type your own footnote references and notes. To format a footnote reference, select the number and then, on the Home tab, in the Styles gallery, click Footnote Reference. The body of a footnote, such as this example, uses the Normal text style. (Note: If you delete this sample footnote, don’t forget to delete its in-text reference as well. That’s at the end of the sample Heading 2 paragraph on the first page of body content in this template.)]