The purpose of this assignment is to select and discuss relevant online resources that exemplify the application of the topic(s) nominated each week (1 - 10). This assignment can (and should!) be completed progressively (i.e. each week). There are ten (10) tasks, one for each week: these are detailed below and in the template.
The assignment is marked out of 30 and forms 30% of your total course marks.
Note that late penalties apply (5% of the total available marks per calendar day late or part thereof). Assignments received 14 days or more after the due date will not be marked and will receive zero. Students may apply for extensions but must provide documentary evidence to support their request (for example, a medical certificate). Short extensions of one to two days will be considered as long as students include their nearly completed assignment (i.e. one or two tasks to yet be completed) in their extension request.
It will be necessary for students to use literature/online resources to complete this assignment, so please ensure you cite and reference any such materials using the Harvard format. Marks will be deducted for incorrect referencing, so please ensure you follow the referencing guide. Plagiarism detection will be used in this assessment.
It is VERY important that you do not copy content directly from either the text or Internet resources: this assignment is to be in your own words. You will lose marks if you do not use your own words! Actual plagiarism will result in the instigation of the student misconduct process.
What do I need to do?
Download the template. There are ten (10) tasks, one for each week: the tasks are detailed below (and also in the template file).
Each task requires you to collect and summarise two (2) online resources. Each resource summary should be around a maximum of 150 words. You should collect interesting and relevant resources that address the task. The resources must be specific to the topic (i.e. just focus on a technology or topic). These can include online blog posts, trade and academic articles. The resources should be substantial and contain information directly pertinent to the task. Each resource must contain different information (i.e. do not collect two resources that provided the same information). The course textbook (and textbooks in general), sites such as Wikipedia and HowStuffWorks are not suitable resources.
For each task, there is a table to complete in the template. Please fill in the information required and submit the document via this page by the due date.
Week Task
1 One aspect of week one was data compression. An everyday use of data compression is in the transmission of video. Collect and summarise two resources that explain the specific technologies/standards that underpin video compression. The resources must not be about the same technology/standard.
2 When we think about operating systems, we tend to focus on modern software like Windows, Linux and OS X. But what of the past: what were the forerunners of these systems? Collect and summarise two resources that describe specific operating systems that were prevalent in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. The resources must not be about the same operating system.
3 Week three covered material that mentioned specific network hardware such as modems, switches and routers. Collect and summarise two resources that describe the major commercial manufacturers of network hardware. The resources must not be about the same company.
4 The text chapter for week four mentions Application layer protocols such as HTTP/HTTPS. Collect and summarise two resources that discuss other Application layer protocols. The resources must not be about the same protocol.
5 New and novel forms of malware are released daily. Collect and summarise two resources that discuss specific examples of highly effective malware attacks. The resources must not be about the same malware. Hint: most of the most effective attacks are known by the name given to the worm/virus etc. or the vulnerability.
6 Latency and Jitter are key QoS metrics. Collect and summarise two resources that discuss how negative aspects of these metrics affect communication and/or how they can be minimised. One resource should focus on Latency and the other on Jitter.
7 Internet-based collaboration products (software/environments) are critical to productivity in most modern organisations. Collect and summarise two resources that discuss examples of these products. The resources must not be about the same product.
8 “Big Data” is regarded by some as the challenge of the decade. Collect and summarise two resources that discuss technologies that can be used to store, manage or analyse Big Data sets. The resources must not be about the same product or technology.
9 Outsourcing of “off-shoring” and organisation’s IT function, particularly the development and operation of its major Information Systems, is a contentious decision. Collect and summarise two resources that discuss the pros and cons (benefits and risks) of outsourcing. One resource must be about the “positives” and one must be about the “negatives”.
10 The text discusses three dimensions of project risk: project size, project structure and experience with technology. Collect and summarise two resources that exemplify the result of not managing these risks successfully (i.e. resources that discuss projects that have failed because of one of these risks). The resources must not be about the same risk.
Hints
Hint 1: Do a bit every week
This assignment is not onerous, especially if you complete each weekly section as you complete each week of the course – that means writing less than 300 words per week. However, it will be much harder if you try to complete all ten sections in week eleven!
Hint 2: Choose interesting and relevant resources
You will be assessed on the relevance of resources. Choose specialised, specific resources that helped you gain a deeper understanding of the topic area. Do not use generic web pages from sites like Wikipedia and “How-Stuff-Works”. Make sure each resource provides different information.
Hint 3: Look at this example
An example of a completed task is below. Note the first response (Resource 1) is good – so aim for something like this. The second response (Resource 2) is not acceptable, so if you submit anything like it, you won’t pass the assignment! The reasons? Poor resource selection (Wikipedia), no Harvard reference and a block cut and paste (highlighted) from the site (no citation, no original content).
Example
Task Find two resources that explain aspects of IT Service Management.
Resource 1
(Good Response) Title and Reference:
COBIT versus ITIL

IBARAKI, S. 2014. COBIT versus ITIL [Online]. Available: http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdnitmanagers/archive/2014/04/06/cobit-versus-itil.aspx [Accessed 29/01/2015 2014].

Summary:
This resource is a blog entry discussing the differences between CoBIT and ITIL. I chose this resource as there is a lot of confusion about the way in which ITSM is applied and the distinction between the CoBIT and ITIL implementations is frequently unclear. Ibaraki explains that CoBIT provides the governance and metric structures while ITIL delivers on the actual mechanics and “how-to” processes. The author makes an interesting observation that it is wrong to simplify COBIT as providing the ‘why’ and ITIL providing the ‘how’ because both ITSM mechanisms have considerable overlap and both need to be used at the same time. I found this article very useful in explaining the differences and similarities between these two aspects of ITSM.
Resource 2
(Bad Response)
Title and Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IT_service_management

Summary:
This pages talks about ITSM. It says that IT service management (ITSM) refers to the entirety of activities – directed by policies, organized and structured in processes and supporting procedures – that are performed by an organization or part of an organization to plan, deliver, operate and control IT services offered to customers. It is thus concerned with the implementation of quality IT services that meet the needs of customers, and is performed by the IT service provider through an appropriate mix of people, process and information technology.
Hint 4: Ask!
If something in this assignment description is unclear, or you are just not 100% sure about something, please ask for help. Your teaching team really do not mind if you ask us to clarify something. We do mind when we have to fail you because you haven't submitted what was asked or met the assignment requirements
What do I need to submit?
You are required to submit a single document in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). Use the template as the basis for your submission. Apart from providing your response to the weekly tasks, do not modify the document - especially do not delete the marking sheet.
Marking Criteria
A detailed tabular marking criteria is provided as part of your submission template - please ensure you read it before attempting the assignment. You will be assessed on the relevance of the resources you select as well as the clarity and detail of your discussions.