ASSESSMENT BRIEF 

• L7 Network and Cloud Management Key Details and Requirements
• Submission deadline: Tuesday 24 September 2024, no later than 16:30pm (UK local time)

Learning outcomes:

• Critical understanding of scope of cloud computing and their security challenges.
• Ability to critically evaluate and manage cloud environments including use of modern methods for application storage, processing and deployment.
• Ability to recommend improvements and manage implementation of cloud environments.
• Ability to effectively assess and recommend actions to secure business continuity of cloud applications. 

Assessment details: Individual Portfolio (Tasks and activities accumulated over the semester), 100%

Referencing: Students are expected to use Harvard Referencing throughout their assignments where required. Please follow the Harvard Referencing Handbook for all your assignments at the ULBS.

Submission Method: Turnitin - Your work will be put through Turnitin. All submissions will be electronically checked for plagiarism and the use of AI software.

You have the option to upload your work ahead of the deadline, more than once. ULBS will be reviewing your last submission only. You can only upload one file. For example if your work contains a word document and power point slides/Excel spreadsheet you will need to copy your slides/spreadsheet into the word document.

Note: Keep in mind that self-plagiarism (when you reuse your own specific wording and ideas from work that you have previously submitted without referencing yourself) is also a form of plagiarism and is not allowed.

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

This assignment aims to assess your understanding of the material taught in class. It has a case study that has some activities that you will need to analyse as follows.

Task 1 (LO 1, 2)

Yummy Delight Corporation, a leading global organisation that specialises in confectionery and household products in the UK has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom and about seven other locations across the country with over 25 million active customers annually. The following describes YummyDeligh

Corporation’s current on-premises assets and provisions in each of the eight (8) locations:

• Centralised servers for core applications and databases. - Four 4 per location - 4 * 8 = 32 servers.
• Twenty (20) workstations per location * 8 = 160 computers.
• Operating System: Windows 10 (160 computers) and Windows Server Operation System (32 servers).
• Wi-Fi infrastructure for employee and customer use (8).
• Mobile devices for inventory management, order processing, and customer service.
• High-speed, redundant, and secure MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) network connecting all locations.
• One (1) Modem per location * 8 = 8 Modems.
• Two 2 switches (24 ports) /location * 8 = 16 switches.
• Storage: regular backups on the backup server, storage area network, centralised data storage, robust disaster recovery plan with off-site backups.
• Firewall and intrusion detection and prevention systems are needed to ensure network security.
• Load balancing for distributing network traffic.
• Each location has its own server for local applications and data storage.
• Servers are connected to the central data centre through the MPLS network.
• POS terminals at each checkout point.
• Integration with central servers for transaction processing, inventory updates, and sales analytics.
• CRM system for tracking customer preferences and managing loyalty programmes.
• Integration with POS systems for personalised promotions.
• HR and payroll systems.
• Finance and accounting applications.
• DBMS for data management: MySQL and Oracle.
• Company website hosted on dedicated web servers, Apache web server applications.
• Antivirus, anti-malware, and intrusion detection and prevention are deployed on all servers and workstations.
• Two (2) network administrators: 1 at the Headquarters and another at the regional office.
• Eight (8) System administrators., 1 per location
• Eight (8) Cybersecurity analyst, 1 per location.
• Eight (8) Help Desk / IT support staff, 1 per location.
• Other services like data protection compliance, security policy enforcement, and monitoring tools ERP for inventory and sales.

YummyDelight Corporation has a reputation for keeping sensitive company and client information safe and secure within its physical walls. Thus, they are seeking to modernise their IT infrastructure and enhance its overall agility since its on-premises data centre is becoming too expensive and inefficient to support its business operations in the country. However, the leadership team at YummyDelight Corporation is now grappling with the decision of whether or not to embrace cloud technology, as they are concerned about data security. The Head of IT has asked you, as an IT consultant to allay their concerns by giving a succinct report on why YummyDelight should adopt cloud technology.

a) What cloud services and deployment models are currently available on the market? Provide a brief critical evaluation, with respect to why cloud migration may be necessary for YummyDelight.

b) What opportunities would cloud computing provide over a traditional, on- premises computing model highlighted in the case of YummyDelight

Task 2 (LO 2, 3)

Having convinced YummyDelight to adopt cloud technology, the company has decided to leverage Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its cloud provider and is considering implementing the AWS Cloud Foundation solution. As a consultant, you have been tasked with assessing and recommending the most suitable AWS Cloud Foundation setup for YummyDelight, particularly for migrating most enterprise applications and operations to the cloud.

c)What key factors should YummyDelight Corporation consider when assessing its current on-premises infrastructure before migrating to the cloud?

d)Propose and develop a migration strategy for YummyDelight Corporation`s transition to the AWS Cloud Foundation, considering minimal disruption to existing operations. 

Task 3 (LO 2, 3, 4)

In addition, YummyDelight Corporation is considering migrating its existing web servers to the AWS Cloud Foundation to leverage the benefits of scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency, you have been tasked to provide a comprehensive and strategic approach to the web server migration, considering technical, operational, and business aspects.

e)Which cloud AWS services that align with Yummie Delight Corporation requirements would you recommend for them, and explain why?

f)What role can AWS Migration Hub and AWS Server Migration Service play in streamlining the migration process for Yummy Delight Corporation?

Task 4 (LO 3, 4)

Finally, as the IT consultant, you have been tasked with ensuring a seamless and hitch- free migration process for YummyDelight Corporation.

g)Outline the security best practices that should be incorporated into YummyDelight Corporation`s AWS Cloud Foundation setup to ensure data protection and compliance with industry regulations.

h)How can YummyDelight Corporation leverage AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to implement a secure and least privilege access model within its AWS Cloud Foundation? 

i)Outline a comprehensive plan for training and upskilling the IT team at YummyDelight to proficiently manage and operate the AWS Cloud foundation environment, ensuring optimal business continuity and effective support for DevOps practices. 

Summary Report

Once you have completed individual tasks, you should write a summary report to show your general understanding. In this report, you will combine all your tasks to summarise your overall take on the network and cloud management of the organisation mentioned in the scenario, including your recommendations. As before, these need to be grounded in academic and non-academic sources, as evidenced through in-text citations and the inclusion of these sources in a list of references, according to the Harvard Style of Referencing. The word count for the Summary Report should be approx. 1,500 words.

Portfolio instructions:

• Any write-up in the portfolio should be written in font size 11, with single spacing.
• Proper citations are essential. All tasks require citing academic and other sources in a Harvard referencing style.
• Present a reference list at the end of the portfolio.
• Any other extra resources, such as images or tables, can be included in the appendix.

Please refer to the marking criteria (below) for a breakdown of how the tasks will be marked.