Cooja Specialty Tours Report

Executive Summary

The is paper will highlight the use of technology in the business in a proper way, considering the wrongful use as is the case Cooja Specialty Tours would lead to catastrophic situations that could bring the business down. After the introduction, the first part will discuss the hardware, software, network and cyber security issues affecting the company branch in Christchurch, and then followed by some of the recommendations for handling the problems. The solutions to these issues are specific and may only apply based on the issues as identified from the case study.

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Introduction

In the current days, many businesses rely on technology to run smoothly and effectively (Bruneel, Spithoven & Clarysse, 2017). This is no different from Cooja Specialty Tours and its various branches where from the case it is clear that the implementation of technology did not work well for one of its offices. The Lake Lyndon Explorer Tours was under threat mainly because of hacking and the fact that its location was destroyed by floods. The branch manager, the accountant and the head of marketing of the branch were interviewed, and it was clear that there were many issues internally that were related to hardware, software, networking and security that needed to be handled within the shortest time. In that case, this paper will highlight some of these issues while also outlining some of the most appropriate solutions that can be put in place with the aim of mitigating the problems.

Findings and Discussion

Hardware

From the branch manager of Lake Lyndon Explorer Tours in Christchurch, it is clear that there are various hardware issues which need to be sorted out very fast. From the interview, most of the physical components in the office were destroyed from the floods, implying that there is a need for a total overhaul of office equipment. From the Branch Marketing Materials Developer, there is a need for changing the computers from ones with inferior specifications of 1 gigabyte of memory and limited storage of 250 gigabytes. These computers would not be of great use to the company especially if the management wants to run complex and better programs and applications for running the business. Getting advanced ones that use improved technology would go a long way into improving the management of business processes. Another option would be replacing the specific hardware components with better ones, like the hard disks and the memories. Something could also be done to the printers used especially in the marketing content development department.

Software

In the current days, most business operations can be easily managed using developed software which integrates all functionalities into one. Enterprise Resource Planning software is mainly meant to make managing a company simpler. In Cooja Specialty Tours, there is a very serious issue with regards to software, as most of what is in use are outdated. From interviewing the Branch Accountant, most of the financial management solutions were being carried out using Microsoft Excel 2003, an application program that its implementation became unpopular more than a decade ago. While the software allows for the calculation of income, expenditure, and payrolls, the truth of the matter is that using it is tedious as it does not have automated functionalities that can generate cheques and financial reports like the income tax and balance sheets at the end of a given period. When using Microsoft Excel 2003, a lot of manual work is also applied, hence, the chances of the accountant delivering reports late are very high, and that is why the company has struggled at times. The second issue that is related to software is from the interview of the Branch Marketing Materials Developer where they stated that they were using Microsoft Word 2003 to develop content that would be used for marketing the company. Despite the fact that the application software can be used to develop graphical and publishing content, the truth is that using the same would require a person who is highly skilled and specialized. This is considering that it is tedious and does not offer functions that make it easier to format both images and words separately.

Network

A network is one of the most essential components of a business, considering that it makes it easier to connect the various business processes together. From the interview, one of the major problems identified is with regards to the fact that the Christchurch Branch mainly depended on the head office network to carry out some business tasks, including keeping back-ups of information on a daily basis. Besides that, the Branch manager mentioned that the communications relying on the network were very slow, which is indicative of a network that was not developed in the best manner possible. Connecting the network of Lake Lyndon Explorer Tours with the other branches is not a problem, as the main issue is with the internal network which is easier to hack. The most probable cause here is that the network does not have a firewall; hence any content can easily get out or in the network.

Security

One of the major issues that the network had was with regards to the security as mentioned by the Branch Manager. When there is no guaranteed security then crucial business information becomes vulnerable and easily accessible by persons that are not authorized. That is why Lake Lyndon Explorer Tours had their network hacked twice, yet the management could have learned from the first experience and use the same to prevent the happening of the second one. Probably, the network does not have an intrusion detection system that would make it easier to detect security threats when they get through to the network (Trappe & Straub, 2018). The only plus on the issue of security was that they managed to have back-up copies kept in the Head Office at Wellington.

Mind Map

The Lake Lyndon Explorer Tours branch is one that has no form of integration among its various business processes. From the programs that are being implemented in the two departments that include the accounts and marketing, it is clear that they do not have any connection. Business processes in the branch are loosely held, and that is why the internal network is vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Recommendations

The first step that the management of the Lake Lyndon Explorer Tours branch needs to take is to replace most of the computer hardware with new ones. It is clear from the Branch Marketing materials developer that he uses computers that have inferior specifications, thereby making it hard to have an upgrade in the software that he uses as they may not be supported by the available components (Sethumadhavan, 2016). In any case, Mac Computers can be purchased as it is easier to install superior software in them.

Secondly, after upgrading the computers and any related hardware components, newer software that would make managing the daily operations easier needs to be installed. For instance, instead of using Microsoft Excel, the accountant can use Pastel or Sage, as these are financial management software solutions that make the work easier, especially with the generation of reports and other documents like cheques and payrolls (Handayati & Djuliardi, 2018). The head of marketing content development can also use content-specific software, like Adobe Photoshop when dealing with the manipulation of images, and Adobe Premium when dealing with video and animated content.

Thirdly, the management can have an upgrade of the network where it can be made robust in various ways. First, it should have a firewall to control and filter network traffic flow. Secondly, it needs to have an intrusion detection system that would make it easier to detect malicious people who try to access it illegally (Baraldi, Gregori & Perna, 2017). Thirdly, the network can be developed in such a way that only employees can use it and when they are within the workplace premises. This will make it easier to monitor the network and at the same time limit access to the same by unauthorized persons (Shinde, 2016).

Finally, all employees of the branch need to undergo training with regards to using the network and more so ensuring that they also play their roles with regards to maintaining cybersecurity. Most businesses that are successful also have robust training programs. It is indicative of having workers who are always ready to handle security issues when they happen.

Conclusion

The problems that are facing the Christchurch branch of Cooja Specialty Tours are more or less self-inflicted considering that they are mainly related to hardware, software, security, and networking. These issues are easy to sort out for as long as the management is willing to spend a lot of money for upgrading purposes. It is from the upgrades that the management will get the best solutions, especially when installing newer application software for the business.

References

Baraldi, E., Gregori, G., & Perna, A. (2017). Network evolution and the embedding of complex technical solutions: The case of the Leaf House network. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(6), 838-852. doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2011.06.009

Bruneel, J., Spithoven, A., & Clarysse, B. (2017). Interorganizational Trust and Technology Complexity: Evidence for New Technology-Based Firms. Journal Of Small Business Management, 55, 256-274. doi: 10.1111/jsbm.12369

Handayati, P., & Djuliardi, D. (2018). Developing Software for Village Financial Management. Kne Social Sciences, 3(10). doi: 10.18502/kss.v3i10.3379

Sethumadhavan, S. (2016). Hardware-Enforced Privacy and Upgradeability. Computer, 49(10), 10-10. doi: 10.1109/mc.2016.318

Shinde, S. (2016). Review on Intrusion Detection and Prevention System. International Journal Of Engineering And Computer Science, 22(3). doi: 10.18535/ijecs/v5i11.61

Trappe, W., & Straub, J. (2018). Cybersecurity: A New Open Access Journal. Cybersecurity, 1(1), 1. doi: 10.3390/cybersecurity1010001