Systems Analysis and Design 8th Edition

Chapter 12 Managing Systems Support and Security

Introduction
Managing systems support and security involves three main concerns: user expectations, system performance, and security requirements Successful, robust systems often need the most support In most organizations, more than half of all IT department effort goes into supporting existing systems
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Overview
The systems operation, support, and security phase begins when a system becomes operational and continues until the system reaches the end of its useful life After delivering the system, the IT team focuses on support and maintenance tasks

User Support
User Training
Additionally, new employees must be trained on the companys information systems User training package Training users about system changes is similar to initial training Objective is to show users how the system can help them perform their jobs
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User Support

Help Desks
Enhance productivity and improve utilization of a companys information resources The help desk is a central contact point for all IT maintenance activities Might have to perform the following tasks:
Show a user how to create a data query or report that displays specific business information Resolve network access or password problems Demonstrate an advanced feature of a system or a commercial package Help a user recover damaged data
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Maintenance Tasks

Maintenance Tasks
Corrective Maintenance
Diagnoses and corrects errors in an operational system Respond to errors in various ways, depending on nature Worst-case situation is a system failure When the system is operational again, the maintenance team determines the cause, analyzes the problem, and designs a permanent solution
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Maintenance Tasks
Adaptive Maintenance
Adds enhancements to an operational system and makes the system easier to use The procedure for minor adaptive maintenance is similar to routine corrective maintenance Can be more difficult than new systems development because the enhancements must work within the constraints of an existing system

Maintenance Tasks
Perfective Maintenance
Involves changing an operational system to make it more efficient, reliable and maintainable Cost-effective during the middle of the systems operational life The more a program changes, the more likely it is to become inefficient and difficult to maintain

Maintenance Tasks
Preventive Maintenance
Requires analysis of areas where trouble is likely to occur IT department normally initiates preventive maintenance Often results in increased user satisfaction, decreased downtime, and reduced TCO Does not receive the high priority that it deserves

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Maintenance Management
The Maintenance Team
System administrator Systems analysts Programmers

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Maintenance Management
Organizational issues
IT managers often divide systems analysts and programmers into two groups: one group performs new system development, and the other group handles all maintenance Many analysts feel that maintenance work is less attractive than developing new systems One disadvantage of rotation is that it increases overhead costs

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Maintenance Management
Maintenance Requests
Involve a series of steps All work must be covered by a specific request Initial determination(need immediate action or under cost limit) by system admin The systems review committee-(nonemergency request that exceed cost limit)-evaluate either approves with priority or rejects it. Task completion-assign maintenance task User notification

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Maintenance Management
Establishing Priorities
In many companies, systems review committee separates maintenance requests from new systems development requests Object is to have a procedure that balances new development and necessary maintenance work to provide the best support for business requirements and priorities.

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Maintenance Management
Configuration Management
Process for controlling changes in system requirement during software development As enterprise-wide information systems grow more complex, configuration management becomes critical Also helps to organize and handle documentation Keep track of all documentation and ensure that updates are distributed properly
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Maintenance Management
Maintenance Releases
A numbering pattern distinguishes the different releases ex:1.4 1.5 minor enhancement; 1.02.0 significant upgrade. Reduces the documentation burden Service packs/program version

Version Control
Process of tracking system releases/versions. Archived (prior release) Essential part of system documentation
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Maintenance Management
Baselines
Systems analysts use baselines as yardsticks to document features and performance during the systems development process Functional baseline configuration of system documented at the beginning of the project. Ex: system requirement and constraint Allocated baseline-document the system at the end of design phase and changes since functional baseline . Ex: testing Product baseline-describe system at the beginning 18 of system operation.

System Performance Management

Fault Management
The more complex the system, the more difficult it can be to analyze symptoms and isolate a cause The best strategy is to prevent problems by monitoring system performance and workload

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System Performance Management

Performance and Workload Measurement
Benchmark testing-standard test to evaluate system performance and capacity Metrics ex : response time , bandwidth, throughput and turnaround time. Response time-overall time between a request and delivery of response Bandwidth (amount of data) and throughput(measures actual system performance)
Kbps (kilobits per second) Mbps (megabits per second) Gbps (gigabits per second)

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System Performance Management

Performance and Workload Measurement
Turnaround time-batch processing
Measure time between submitting a request for information and the fulfillment of the request

The IT department often measures response time, bandwidth, throughput, and turnaround time to evaluate system performance both before and after changes to the system or business information requirements Management uses current performance and workload data as input for the capacity planning process
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System Performance Management

Capacity Planning
Process that monitor current activity and performance levels , anticipates future activity and forecast the resources need. What-if analysis-allow to vary one or more elements in a model in order to measure the effect on other elements. Need detailed information Need an accurate forecast of future business activities Should develop contingency plans based on input from users and management
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System Performance Management

System Maintenance Tools
Many CASE tools include system evaluation and maintenance features In addition to CASE tools, you also can use spreadsheet and presentation software to calculate trends, perform what-if analyses, and create attractive charts and graphs to display the results

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Strategic Planning for IT Professionals

An IT professional should think of himself or herself as a business corporation that has certain assets, potential liabilities, and specific goals Working backwards from your long-term goals, you can develop intermediate mile stones and begin to manage your career just as you would manage an IT project Planning a career is not unlike planting a tree that takes several years to reach a certain height

Test Yourself
1. True/False: IT departments usually assist with Help Desks.

Test Yourself
2. Fill in the empty boxes with the correct term: maintenance expenses or operational costs:

Test Yourself
2. Fill in the empty boxes with the correct term: maintenance expenses or operational costs:

Test Yourself
3. List the four types of maintenance:

Test Yourself
3. List the four types of maintenance: 1. 2. 3. 4. Corrective maintenance Adaptive maintenance Perfective maintenance Preventative maintenance

Test Yourself
4. True/False: A maintenance team consists of only systems analysts.

Test Yourself
4. True/False: A maintenance team consists of only systems analysts. False

Test Yourself
5. A ______ __________ makes an initial determination of a submitted maintenance request.

Test Yourself
5. A Systems Administrator makes an initial determination of a submitted maintenance request.

Test Yourself
6. True/False: Version control normally involves a maintenance release.

Test Yourself
6. True/False: Version control normally involves a maintenance release. False

Test Yourself
7. A functional baseline/allocated baseline documents the system at the end of the design phase and identifies changes from the functional baseline/allocated baseline.

Test Yourself
7. A allocated baseline documents the system at the end of the design phase and identifies changes from the functional baseline.

Test Yourself
8. _______ is the overall time between a request for system activity and the delivery of the response.

Test Yourself
8. Response time is the overall time between a request for system activity and the delivery of the response.