IT Infrastructure Architecture of Telstra Corporation Ltd

Discuss about the IT Infrastructure Architectures and Network Layers for World Economic Forum.

Information technology or IT can be defined as the proper utilization of utilization of systems or computers for the purpose of storing, retrieving, manipulation and finally transmission of information or data within the context of any business or company (Dahlstrom, Walker & Dziuban, 2013). This information technology is eventually considered as the subset of ICT or information and communications technology. The other physical devices, processes and infrastructures together comprise of information technology and thus all forms of data or information is stored, secured and exchanged simultaneously. Information technology is responsible for the commercial utilization of any data with the help of telephony as well as computer technology (Dahlstrom & Bichsel, 2014). The software and hardware of information technology is encompassed within fewer layers of the physical equipments, management and virtualization of automation tools for the purpose of performing several required functions.

The following report outlines a brief discussion regarding the information technology infrastructure architecture of the most popular significant organization of Australia, known as Telstra Corporation Ltd. The main aim or objective of this report is to access the network services of Telstra. This particular organization provides services of information systems to the customers and staffs like the database, webpage and electronic mails. The various functions of the layers of Internet model, types of data structure as well as usage of information technology infrastructure for the achievement of business processes. The application architecture of HR department and the kinds of networks of Telstra will also be provided here.

Telstra Corporation Ltd. is responsible for providing various information technology and information system services to their staffs and employees (Eason, 2014). Each and every department uses information technology for the successful execution of business processes. The various uses of information technology in every department of Telstra are given below:

1. i) Communication: The first and the foremost use of information technology in Telstra is communication. Each and every department can easily communicate with the other departments with the help of information technology (Bilbao-Osorio, Dutta & Lanvin, 2013). The most basic way of communicating with the other departments is through emails and live chat systems.
2. ii) Inventory Management: The second use of IT in the organizational department is inventory management. The management of inventory is much easier and for maintaining enough stock to meet the demands of the organization (Marchewka, 2014). These systems of the inventory management can easily track down the quantity of every item; Telstra is maintaining and hence triggering the order of extra stock, where the quantities are falling down.

Data Management: Management of data is also done with the help of IT in Telstra organization. This particular organization has the ability in storing as well as maintaining the highest amount of data for the benefit of employees from immediate access.

1. iv) Management Information Systems: The fourth utilization of the information technology is management information system or MIS (Kellermann & Jones, 2013). The storing of data is the most significant and important factor of any organization.
2. v) Customer Relationship Management: CRM is again one of the most important and significant factor in retaining customers for any organization. This type of management helps in keeping a healthy relationship within company and its customers.

There are four types of data structures required for the IT infrastructure to achieve the several organizational business processes (Webster, 2014). They are as follows:

1. i) Product Ontology Structures
2. ii) Product Profile Structures

            iii) Business Partner Profiles

1. iv) User Profiles.

Networking hardware or networking equipments are various physical devices that are needed for the interaction or communication within devices over the computer network (Holtshouse, 2013). These networking devices help in mediating data within the computer network and the units are the last receivers for generating data. These are termed as data terminal equipments or hosts. The various network devices are given below:

1. i) Gateway: It is an interface that provides the compatibility within networks by the simple conversion of transmission of speeds, codes, security measures and protocols.
2. ii) Router: It is the networking device, which forwards data packets within various computer networks (Bloom et al., 2013). These routers help to perform the functions of traffic direction over the Internet.

Data Management

Switch: Switch is the device, which connects various devices together over the computer network with the utilization of packet switching for receiving, processing and forwarding of data to the respective destination device.

1. iv) Bridge: Bridge is the device, which connects multiple network segments and it works on the OSI layers 1 and 2 (Lloyd, 2017).
2. v) Repeater: Repeater can be defined as the electronic device, which receives the signal as well as retransmits it at the higher level and higher power.
3. vi) Proxy Server: It is the computer network service that eventually allows the clients for making indirect network connectivity to all other network services.

Telstra Corporation Ltd has taken the decision to use network attached storage for their data access and storage (Schwalbe, 2015). This NAS or network attached storage is the file level computer data storage server that is eventually connected to the computer network for providing data access to the heterogeneous groups of clients. NAS is specialized to serve files either by the software, hardware or by simple configuration. There are some of the major types of network attached storages or NAS present (Galegher, Kraut & Egido, 2014). They are as follows:

1. i) Consumer Level NAS: For all the enterprises that require sharing documents for built in backup as well as file syncing features, this particular network attached storage is required (Noble, 2017). The storage of data, music or image storing, media server features are easily available within this type of NAS appliances.
2. ii) Small Medium Business Level NAS: For the enterprises, which are involved with the large file sharing, a proper plan is to be utilized for accessing storage simultaneously. This NAS offers faster processors and higher end RAM capabilities for attaining better performances.

OS or operating system can be defined as the system software, which helps to manage the computer hardware or software resources for providing common services to all the computer programs (Alwahaishi & Snásel, 2013). The time sharing operating systems are responsible for scheduling the tasks to efficiently utilize the system and even including the accounting software for the purpose of cost allocation. Application software or end user programs majorly include database programs, spread sheets, web browsers and word processors. Communication is one of the most important and significant benefit of application software and it helps in the proper communication of clients and organization (Wagner, Beimborn & Weitzel, 2014).

Both operating system and application software are required for proper communication. The main feature is data abstraction and data communication between the clients and Telstra organization. The data communication is eventually done with the help of various Internet protocols like IP, UDP and TCP (Sun & Jeyaraj, 2013). All of these Internet protocols help to connect the organizational database with the client database and thus connection is made easily and promptly. The security is extremely high for any operating system and application software for the purpose of data communication and hence clients are happy with the services.

The Internet Model is completely based on the networking system TCP/IP where the computers can hook up o networks for exchanging information in packets (Marchewka, 2014). The four layers of the Internet Model with their functions are given below:

1. i) Link Layer: The first layer is link layer. The main task of this layer is to carry the data from one link at a time.
2. ii) Network Layer: The second layer of the Internet Model is the network layer. This helps in delivering the packers end to end across the Internet connection right from source to destination.

            iii) Transport Layer: The most common transport layer protocol is transmission control protocol or TCP (Holtshouse, 2013). This protocol helps in sending the data by the application at one end of the Internet. TCP can be retransmitting the databases much easier.

1. iv) Application Layer: The final layer of the Internet Model is application layer. this particular layers helps in reusing the transport later with the help of well defined API from application layer to the UDP or TCP service beneath. The applications are bidirectional in nature.

Networking Hardware

The messages are moved from one place to another within the data link layer in the Internet model (Bloom et al., 2014). This link layer is the lowest layer in the Internet Protocol Suite, the networking architecture of the Internet. 

The above image describes the procedure how data is sent from source to destination in link layer of Internet model when an employee sends an email. 

The internet model is the conceptual model as well as the communication protocols that are utilized over the Internet and any other computer networks. This is commonly known as the TCP/IP since the foundational protocols within the suite are Internet Protocol or IP and Transmission Control Protocol or TCP (Galegher, Kraut & Egido, 2014). The Internet model layered systems helps to increase the resiliencies and efficiencies of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This is mainly done by analyzing the various computer networks that are based on the TCP/IP protocol suite and allowing exact feature to realize the protocols and their impact over the increasing efficiencies as well as resiliencies.

 The various types of networks utilized in the Telstra are given below:

1. i) Local Area Network: A LAN or local area network helps to connect the network devices over only a shorter distance (Dahlstrom, Walker & Dziuban, 2013). Since, it is an organization, the staffs and the members utilize local area network for their communication.
2. ii) Wide Area Network: A WAN or wide area network covers a larger area of distance, sometimes an entire continent. Since, Telstra is the largest telecommunications organization in Australia, they have utilized WAN for their business to connect with the rest of the branches.

The type of application architecture that would be extremely beneficial for the human resources department of Telstra Corporation Ltd is Operational HRIS. This particular application architecture would be helpful in providing needed data for supporting the routine and repetitive human resource decisions (Eason, 2014). This architecture will also support interviews and video conferences. Moreover, employee information system and position control system will also be present here. The third important feature is performance management information system. Hence, this is the best recommendation for Telstra Corporation Ltd.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the above discussion, conclusion can be drawn that IT or information technology is the specific business sector, which solely deals with computing that includes software, hardware and finally telecommunications for getting involved within the transmission of information or data or the computers or system.  These types of services help to facilitate communication. Information technology are involved with several things like responsibilities that are ranging from keeping the systems as well as the data absolutely safe and secured from keeping the networks going up and down. The people, who help in inputting data and managing the databases or even doing programming, are considered as the major persons of information technology. These people could be CIOs or chief information officers, decision makers and many others, who decide the procedure of operation of IT department and what are the components to be purchased. This information technology involves the data management, within the form of voice, audio, text and images. This also involves various things that are related to the Internet. Telstra Corporation Ltd. is the largest telecommunications organization of Australia that operates as well as builds the telecommunications network or market voice, mobile, access to Internet and even products or services. The above report has outlined a detailed discussion on the IT infrastructure architecture of Telstra organization. Various details are provided regarding the IT infrastructure. The network attached storage for the data access and storage with operating systems or application software are also provided here. 

References

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