Management Information systems

Answer 1

The proposed LAN configuration for Feingold investments is a star topology . The topology is a hub and spoke model where the Hub will connect each of the 8 departments at Feingold through its 8 ports . For now the three departments -Syndication , Corporate Finance and Institutional Sales , will have a printer and a fax server each . All of the 55 PCs will be connected through a network interface card . The router will connect the network computers to the internet while the network server is essential to manage network resources- router , printer

br and fax servers etc

Answer 2

The most important advantages of using a LAN over the outsourced services of ADR inc . are that ADR does not have all the financial and client information from the varied data sources maintained by each Feingold department . Therefore it is tedious and time-consuming to compile reports from ADR and from all the reports that other departments have prepared . Whereas a Local Area Network is a single source of information with connection to the internet being an added advantage in terms of more in-depth reports and analyses . Another advantage is that since ADR has been unable to cope with the large amount of information being produced and maintained at Feingold , a LAN will be able to solve this problem

The disadvantages of using a LAN over ADR 's services are : First , the organization will have to shift its focus from being a financial services provider to managing and maintaining Information systems in which it has no expertise . Second , critical company information stored on the network server could face security breeches . Third , the LAN 's relatively less availability vis-a-vis that of the ADR system could hamper performance in the form of a network failure . Fourth , the costs involved in implementation of the LAN , alongside those of shifting three Feingold departments and the ADR expenses , could be more than the cash flows of the company allow for . Finally the existing infrastructure might not be able to support the LAN which could raise costs substantially

There is no question about the ease of information sharing through the LAN , but the question is regarding the utility for a LAN at Feingold

Answer 3

Some of Feingold 's competitors are using IT to a great extent . Among these is Charles Schwab , JP Morgan Chase and Co

Schwab treats technology and customer service as two sides of the same coin . Schwab started internet trading in 1996 whereas Feingold had only started outsourcing its IT needs by 1998 to ADR . Due to its proactive attitude towards IT , it is a leading online brokerage firm with more than 4 .3 million online accounts

JP Morgan Chase , another competitor offers its customers online access to treasury management and information services along with providing accounts services including transaction alerts . It was voted the best internet bank for information security initiative in Asia and North America in 2007

Answer 4

Pete Hardsell is the only manager in agreement with the pitch . While he is...