Task 1: You are hired as an IT professional/consultant to assess current state and prepare a report on how IT systems and infrastructure can support continued growth and future e-commerce activities. Analyze

Task 1: You are hired as an IT professional/consultant to assess current state and prepare a report on how IT systems and infrastructure can support continued growth and future e-commerce activities. Analyze TechHouse IT needs aUnit 1: Information Technology Systems (Axborot Texnologiyalari Tizimlari)

• Learning aim (for NQF): Explore how IT infrastructure can meet the needs of organizations and their stakeholders.
• Assignment title: IT infrastructure and systems assessment report for TechHouse.
• Context: TechHouse is a growing retail company selling consumer electronics (fridges, washing machines, TVs, air conditioners, small kitchen appliances). Demand is rising; company currently operates five physical stores and plans to launch a fully integrated e-commerce platform.
• Owner: Michael Turner. As business expands, managing sales, inventory, staff, suppliers, and customers becomes more complex. Many processes are semi-manual and not fully integrated, causing inefficiency, data duplication, and delays in decision-making.
• IT goals for TechHouse: improve overall business efficiency, centralize operations across five stores, implement online sales and digital services, improve in-store and online services, provide instant and convenient access to business data.
• Task 1: You are hired as an IT professional/consultant to assess current state and prepare a report on how IT systems and infrastructure can support continued growth and future e-commerce activities.
• Analyze TechHouse IT needs and explain how suitable IT systems can be used to support stores and the e-commerce platform, employees, and customers.
• IT requirements (TechHouse):
  • IT systems enabling all staff to perform duties efficiently.
  • Centralized data storage for employees, suppliers, products, customers, and sales operations.
  • E-commerce system enabling: product viewing/selection, real-time stock checks, ordering and secure payments, delivery or in-store pickup options.
  • POS systems across all stores with automatic stock updates.
  • Inventory management tools: monitor stock on hand, supplier management, low-stock alerts.
  • Communication systems enabling effective information sharing between stores, head office, warehouses, and customer service.
  • Online system for leadership to view reports, sales data, and stock securely.
  • Reliable internet connectivity for all stores, secure networks for staff, and optional free customer Wi-Fi.
  • Security measures for business and customer data: access control, data encryption, regular backups.
• Evidence checklist: Written IT report, identified solutions with examples, at least one real solution per requirement (diagrams, tables, screenshots/mockups, e-commerce screenshots).
• Criteria references: A.D1, A.M1, A.P1, A.P2, A.P3 (various analyses on infrastructure, software, hardware, networks).
• Recommended sources: Turban et al., Laudon & Laudon, O’Brien & Marakas, etc.

2. Suggested report structure (with content prompts)

• Title page
  • TechHouse IT Infrastructure & Systems Assessment
  • Date, author, course/unit details
• Executive summary
  • Key findings: current state, gaps, recommended IT architecture, quick wins.
• Business context and stakeholder needs
  • Summarize TechHouse business objectives and stakeholder groups (owners, store managers, staff, customers, suppliers, IT team).
• Current state assessment
  • Processes: sales, inventory, supplier management, customer data handling (brief diagram).
  • Technology: current tools (if any), manual processes, data silos, security posture.
  • Gaps: lack of central data store, no integrated e-commerce, inconsistent stock data, limited reporting.
• Target architecture (high-level)
  • Proposed IT stack overview: core ERP/ERP-lite, CRM, e-commerce platform, POS, inventory management, integration layer, data warehouse/mart, reporting.
  • Data model overview: key entities (Employees, Suppliers, Products, Customers, Orders, Shipments, Inventory).
  • Security and compliance considerations.
• IT solution options (each requirement mapped to a solution)
  • Centralized data store: cloud-based database/ERP or data lake.
  • E-commerce system: features list; example platforms ( Shopify Plus, Magento, etc. ) with rationale.
  • Real-time stock checks: real-time inventory sync across POS, e-commerce, and warehouses.
  • Ordering and payments: PCI-DSS compliant gateway, fraud prevention.
  • Delivery vs in-store pickup: order orchestration, logistics integration.
  • POS systems and stock auto-update: integrated POS with inventory module.
  • Inventory management: cycle counting, supplier performance, low-stock alerts.
  • Communication tools: unified messaging/CRM, inter-store communication.
  • Management reporting: secure online dashboards, role-based access.
  • Networking: stores with reliable broadband, secure Wi‑Fi for staff, optional guest Wi‑Fi for customers.
  • Security: access controls, encryption at rest/in transit, backups, disaster recovery.
• Detailed IT requirements mapping (A.M1, A.P1–P3)
  • For each requirement, discuss how software, hardware, and networks meet stakeholder needs.
• Proposed architecture diagrams
  • Diagram 1: High-level system diagram (core systems, data flows).
  • Diagram 2: Data model/entities diagram.
  • Diagram 3: Network topology (store sites, head office, data center/cloud).
• Hardware and network considerations (P2)
  • Store hardware (POS devices, barcode scanners, printers), servers/cloud backend, networking gear, redundancy.
• Communication and network types (P3)
  • WAN, VPN, MPLS considerations (if applicable), secure remote access for HQ and field staff.
• Implementation plan (phased)
  • Phase 1: foundation (centralized data store, basic POS integration, e-commerce skeleton).
  • Phase 2: inventory, supplier and order management, reporting.
  • Phase 3: full e-commerce + omnichannel features, security hardening, backups.
  • Change management and training.
• Risk assessment and mitigations
  • Data migration risks, downtime planning, vendor risk, security threats.
• Evidence appendix
  • Include diagrams, tables, mock-ups or screenshots, e-commerce screens, sample reports.
• References
  • List of books provided.

3. Example diagrams to include (you can create these in your assignment)

• Diagram: High-level IT architecture
  • Boxes: POS, E-commerce, ERP/Inventory, CRM, Data Warehouse, Reporting, Networking, Security.
  • Arrows showing data flows: orders, inventory updates, customer data, payments.
• Diagram: Data model
  • Entities: Employee, Supplier, Product, Customer, Order, Inventory, Shipment.
  • Key attributes and relationships.
• Diagram: Store network topology
  • Branch stores connected to HQ via secure VPN; cloud services as backbone; guest Wi-Fi for customers; POS devices at stores.

4. Example table snippet (simple starter)

• Table: IT Requirements vs Proposed Solutions
  • Row: Centralized data storage
    • Proposed: Cloud-based ERP/Data Platform (e.g., NetSuite, SAP Business One, or an open-source alternative) depending on budget.
  • Row: E-commerce capabilities
    • Proposed: Integrated storefront with product catalog, real-time stock, secure payments; platform choice with rationale.
  • Row: POS integration
    • Proposed: Modern POS with real-time stock sync and offline mode.
  • Row: Inventory management
    • Proposed: Inventory module with supplier management and low-stock alerts.

5. Real-world examples you could include as references

• If you want to illustrate real solutions, you can mention vendors generally and not commit to a single product unless you’ve chosen one. For example:
  • Cloud ERP/Inventory: NetSuite, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
  • E-commerce: Shopify Plus, Magento Commerce, WooCommerce (with enterprise features).
  • POS: Lightspeed, Square for Retail, Vend.
  • CRM/Analytics: Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Power BI for dashboards.
  • Security/backups: Azure/AWS backup services, encryption at rest (AES-256), MFA, IAM.

6. How I can help next

• I can generate:
  • A complete draft report tailored to TechHouse, with structured sections, sample diagrams (text-based descriptions you can convert to visuals), and example content aligned to the criteria A.D1, A.M1, A.P1–P3.
  • Mock-up screenshots or UI sketches for the e-commerce flow and admin dashboards.
  • A scoring rubric mapping each criterion to the report section so you can ensure all requirements are covered.
  • A checklist for evidence submission referencing the required components.

If you’d like, tell me:

• Target language for translation (to ensure the final deliverable matches your needs). If you want, I can translate this brief into another language or produce an English-language version suitable for submission.
• Which section you want me to draft first (e.g., executive summary, architecture diagram descriptions, or the implementation plan).
• Any preferred e-commerce platform or technology stack you want me to base examples on.