Discuss about the Case Study of Procter and Gamle.

Technology is something that is being used by the business organizations and users from all across the globe. There are many technological tools and components that are used by the business units to execute the business operations and tasks. The technical tools have provided the business units with a lot many advantages for the ease of execution of operations and the streamlining of the activities as well. 

The report covers the case study of Procter and Gamble (P&G) by explaining the importance of information governance in the organization. There is also an analysis of the use of Information Technology and Information System in the other organization along with the use of cloud computing, cloud-based applications, social media integration, and possible areas of improvements and importance of security in the organization.

Information Governance (IG) is defined as a set of discipline including a number of different processes and methods so that information security is maintained and the business objectives are achieved.

The business organizations in the present time are making use of technology for the management if their information sets and for the execution of the business tasks and operations. There are several assets that the organizations must manage so that the streamlining of the business activities is achieved. One such significant asset for the organization is the information and data sets. Procter & Gamble (P&G) is a multi-national corporation that is based out of America and has its headquarters in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company is a manufacturer of family, household and personal care products. The company has done numerous modifications and enhancements to make sure that information management is carried out in an adequate manner.

Information Governance is one of the major pillars to make sure that the information and data sets are correctly managed and organized. There are a lot many activities that are involved in the management and organization of information. It is, therefore necessary that the resources are selected for the information governance. Senior resources and leadership engaged with the organization has a lot of responsibility for required information governance (Ico, 2014).

P&G is a multi-national company that was set-up in the year 1859 and now operates in more than 180 countries all across the globe. Due to widespread operations, customer base and office units, there are huge clusters of data sets that P&G manages on a per day basis. The senior leadership and management of the organization took several steps for adequate and efficient information governance and management.

Information Governance in Business Organizations

The senior leadership started with the setting up of Global Business Units (GBUs) for the company. These GBUs were formed on the basis of the various product categories that are offered by the organization, such as personal care, health care etc.  The next step of action was to set up Market Development Organizations (MDOs) to make sure that the company had a competitive advantage over the local firms and units. Global Business Services (GBSs) along with several corporate functions were executed. This practice led to the classification and allocation of more than 129,000 employees to four different verticals. This initiative was taken so that the management of the employees could be done with ease (Wolverhampton, 2017).

Passerini was provided with the charge of GBS in the year 2003. IT capabilities and efficiencies of the organization were transformed as an outcome. Information and Decision Solutions (IDS) were the units that were set up and brought in action so that information sets could be handled in a better manner and the information organization could be done correctly. This also proved to be of a great aid in the analytics and decision making activities for the business executives. Bob McDonald was termed as the company’s CEO and President in the year 2009. Bob further transformed the IT practices and laid a great emphasis on the IT capabilities.

Technology is changing at a rapid pace and it is necessary that the organizations adapt to such changing face of technology. The senior leadership at P&G adopted the idea of changing technology and data analytics including other technologies under the domain of Business Intelligence were adapted for better information management and analysis. The senior leaders and middle level managers worked together to enhance the technological capabilities.

The company experienced increased profits and revenues as an outcome. The senior leadership that is engaged with an organization thus has a huge role to play in information organization, management and governance. The senior leadership carries out the tasks around activity monitoring along with control and evaluation. A number of verification and validation activities are carried out by the senior leaders in the form of reviews, inspections and walkthroughs. Such practices bring out the areas of improvements and the necessary changes that shall be made.

The senior leadership in an organization is always aware about the organizational strategies, vision, mission, purpose and goals. There are several resources in an organization structure with resources deployed at different levels. The senior leadership is at the higher level in the structure and has the utmost clarity on the goals and business objectives. Also, in order to execute the changes that are highlighted, it is necessary to have the necessary authority and ownership for the same. The senior leadership has an authority to bring the steps in action and can also manage the resources in an efficient manner (Arma, 2011).

P&G could witness and experience the business gains due to the efficiency and capability of its senior leadership and management. The skill set of the senior leaders and their decision making abilities led to the enhancement of the organizational profits and also led to the higher customer engagement and satisfaction levels.

XYZ is a business organization that works in the domain of finance and provides financial solutions to its customers. The company has its headquarters in Sydney, Australia and is spread over five different locations in the country. The company currently has more than 260 employees in different departments and units.

The company has made sure that the information sets are adequately managed and the latest technology is always adopted by the organization. There are numerous cloud services, social media platforms and likewise that are used and implemented in the organization.

Cloud computing is defined as a form of computing that utilizes the computing resources over the network for the execution of business operations and activities. There are various cloud services and platforms that have been developed for the execution of business tasks.

XYZ Company has included a lot many cloud services and activities in its structure, such as cloud based database, digital market, cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, cloud-based finance management and account management systems along with communication protocols (Iyoob, 2015).

The company makes use of the cloud delivery model as cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). This model is used in the business applications and development of the financial solutions for the clients making use of cloud resources and elements. This is the cloud model that provides the framework for the development as well as the customization of the business tasks and activities (Intel, 2013). The company carries out a number of business tasks and operations in terms of development, testing and many others. The use of the PaaS model in the organization leads to the simplification of the tasks and is also a cost-effective approach. The cloud vendors that the company works with include Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. These cloud vendors manage the operating system framework along with information storage and virtualization activities.

The company also makes use of an enterprise PaaS solution so that a self-service portal is formed for the management and organization of the entire computing infrastructure. The model also works well with the private cloud deployment model that is used by the organization (Nasr and Ouf, 2012).

Importance of Senior Leadership in Information Governance

The PaaS model provides a number of advantages to the company in terms of automatic updates along with the decrease in the costs. The model also provides the business organization with the necessary compatibility with the rest of the technical solutions and components that are used.

The deployment model that is used in the company is the private cloud model. This model makes sure that the cloud services are securely used by the clients in the virtual environment. There is an enhanced control and privacy that is reflected in the business organization with the use of this model.  

This model also provides a number of benefits to the organization which are as listed below.

• The primary advantage that the cloud model provides to the company is the security of information and data sets. The model also offers the benefits in terms of dedicated resources along with firewalls and on-site resources.
• Enhanced control is another benefit that is offered by the cloud model to the organization as well as its resources. The tracking of the progress and the applications also becomes easy (Ibm, 2009).
• There are several resources that are engaged in the organization. Resource allocation is improved because of the cloud model and the availability of the resources does not appear as a challenge for the senior management and leadership (Gorelik, 2013).
• Application reliability is always maintained with the aid of virtual partitioning.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is software that is used by the business organizations for better customer engagement and management of the customer data and information sets. There are several cloud-based CRM systems that are available in the market and the one that is used by the XYZ Company is the Salesforce CRM. This software is designed by Salesforce and it has provided XYZ Company with the capability to easily manage the customer data and information. There are several other benefits and features that are included in this software as automated analysis of the data sets, social media integration, improved workflows and improved customer engagement along with many others.

The company has managed to gain benefits out of this CRM system due to the correct implementation of the software in the company.

• One of the essential activities that were carried out as the first step of implementation was the planning of the cloud-based implementation of Salesforce CRM. The step included the definition of the objectives along with the definition of the schedule and budget.
• The next step included the allocation of the roles and duties to the members of the project team. Stakeholder management was also carried out efficiently so that the stakeholders remained satisfied of the outcomes of the system.
• Salesforce CRM is a system that had to be customized as per the requirements of the organization. This was done with ease owing to the planned implementation of the software using the phased approach for the same.
• Setting up of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) was the next step and the Salesforce report builder was also used to keep a track of the progress.
• Maintenance and support activities were carried out as the final step of the implementation process.

The use and implementation of cloud-based CRM has made sure that there are several advantages offered to the organization. The customers can easily contact the business organization in case they get stuck during the execution of a specific operation or activity. There are also other benefits that are offered in terms of improved customer relations and engagement.

Social media has come up as an integral part of the business organizations in the present era. It has become mandatory to ensure that social media presence is made and is reflected to the stakeholders and the customers. There are also dedicated social media management teams that are being set up in the organizations for the management of social media platforms and networks (Modeus, 2013).

XYZ Company also made sure that it included the social media platforms and networks in its business tasks and activities. There are numerous social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and likewise that have been set up by the company and are managed for a variety of different purposes, such as information sharing and handling, management of customer relationships along with marketing and advertising tasks.

Cloud Computing in XYZ Company

The social media networks that have been set up by the organization are managed by the social media management team that comprises of social media managers, social media advertisers, social media analysts and associates. These social media accounts are used by the company to make sure that the information is handled in a better way and there are maximum benefits that are gained out of the same (Cvijikj, 2011). The customer interaction has also improved as a result of the social media integration that is carried out by the organization along with speedy resolution of customer queries and complaints.

The company is making use of numerous information systems and technology in their architecture. There have been positive impacts of the same on the organization along with the emergence of a few points of concern.

The implementation of these systems has led to the improvement of sharing of information along with the enhancement of the communication capabilities internally as well as with the external stakeholders. The enhanced communication and sharing has also allowed better employee integration and connection. The employees have gained the ability to immediately connect with their supervisors for guidance and resolution of the queries. The automated system has led to the enhancement of the decision making abilities along with the decision support activities. There are Decision Support Systems (DSS) and Management Information Systems (MIS) that have been implemented so that the senior management and leadership can take decisions quickly using the information and data sets that have been provided to them (Esmt, 2016).

Big Data tools are also being used in the organization for advanced management and analysis of the data sets. There are huge clusters of data that are used by the organization on a daily basis. Big Data tools have provided the capability to make sure that these data sets are correctly organized and managed. These tools are integrated with other technical tools and applications as well.

There have been a few negative implications of the information systems and technologies in the organization in terms of the security attacks and risks. The data sets that are associated with XYZ Company comprise of the financial and accounting details of the customers and employees along with the personal information of these entities. There are also details of the projects undertaken by the company along with the shareholder and stakeholder that is involved. The exposure of such information to the entities that are not authorized to view or modify them may lead to adverse impacts. There can also be legal obligations due to the occurrence of such cases. The company makes use of cloud-based services and applications, such as private cloud model, customer relationship management system and many more. There are also social media platforms and networks that are used. The attacks on such applications and the data sets that are associated with these applications can be dangerous for the organization.  In case of XYZ Company, security is one of the aspects that needs to be enhanced for the organization.

Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) Model

Technology is something that is witnessing a constant change. There are new tools and technologies that are being developed on a daily basis and XYZ Company is also required to maintain pace with the same. There are changes and improvements that are required to be done in the infrastructure and the architecture along with the procedures and methodologies that are used for maintenance, management and deployment of the technology.

The organization is spread over five locations and each of these locations has its own set up and resources. The employees that are engaged with these locations need to communicate and collaborate with the internal staff members along with the external stakeholders. It has been observed that there are cases of inefficient and ineffective communication that come up that lead to further issues. There are also issues in the networking infrastructure of the organization which can be improved.

It is also necessary to make sure that the network integration is improved so that the resource sharing capabilities are improved. The company currently follows only the private cloud for the deployment of cloud services and applications. There are other cloud models that can be used, such as community and hybrid cloud models. These models provide a combination of public and private cloud models which provide the best of the both models. There are scenarios wherein it is necessary to use public cloud only. Hybrid cloud will provide the organization with the capability to use both. There are also numerous NoSQL databases that are available. Such databases shall be used by the organization in place of the SQL databases and MySQL databases. These databases will be easy to integrate with the Big Data tools along with the Business Intelligence tools. (He, 2014).

The organization works on the finance solutions and services for the customers. The information category that is usually associated with such solutions and services is generally extremely critical in nature. The organization shall, therefore make sure that the security of the applications is maintained. There are new and improved security tools and controls that must be used and implemented in the organization (Utica, 2014). The security attacks can have extremely severe consequences on the information properties along with the customer trust in the organization. The occurrence of security events, such as denial of service attacks, attacks on information integrity, confidentiality, and availability may lead to legal obligations as well (Msb, 2015). There are many security controls that shall be used and implemented in the organization to avoid the security attacks and risks. There are numerous network-based security attacks that take place which shall be prevented and avoided by using the techniques as intrusion detection and prevention systems along with other tools like network monitors and scanners. This will provide the organization with the complete network activity being carried out. There are also other security tools that have been developed in the form of anti-malware and anti-denial tools. These tools shall be installed and implemented across the organization and all of the associated systems. Malware attacks and denial of service attacks will be avoided as a result. The use and application of such security controls will provide the organizations with the ability to avoid, control, detect and prevent the security risks and attacks. The further security attacks will also be avoided as a result.

Benefits of PaaS Model for Business Organizations

The Business Intelligence tools that are used in the organization shall also be further enhanced. There must be use of data analysis and data warehouse tools that must be used. This will allow the organization to understand the customer preferences and choices along with the estimation of the customer needs and demands. The level of customer satisfaction and the customer engagement will also rise with the use of such tools and technologies.

There are several properties of information that need to be managed and maintained. Some of these properties include security of information, reliability of information, information privacy etc. One of the most significant aspects of information is the security of information sets. There are different data sets that are used in the organization, such as public data sets, private data sets, confidential and critical data sets, sensitive data and many more. The organization works on the finance solutions and services for the customers. The information category that is usually associated with such solutions and services is generally extremely critical in nature.

There are various forms of security attacks that may take place in the organization, such as denial of service and distributed denial of service attacks, media and message alteration attacks, information breaches and loss, information leakage, physical security attacks and likewise. These attacks can have a negative implication on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information along with a poor implication on the information security and privacy (Kissel, 2013). Also, the frequent occurrence of security risks and attacks leads to the deteriorated customer trust and satisfaction. The level of customer engagement may also come down as an outcome along with the legal obligation.

The data sets that are associated with XYZ Company comprise of the financial and accounting details of the customers and employees along with the personal information of these entities. There are also details of the projects undertaken by the company along with the shareholder and stakeholder that is involved. The exposure of such information to the entities that are not authorized to view or modify them may lead to adverse impacts. There can also be legal obligations due to the occurrence of such cases. The company makes use of cloud-based services and applications, such as private cloud model, customer relationship management system and many more. There are also social media platforms and networks that are used. The attacks on such applications and the data sets that are associated with these applications can be dangerous for the organization.  

Private Cloud Deployment Model

The employees that are engaged with the organizations are provided with access to the internal data and information sets and there is a great level of authority that is usually provided to the employees. There are insider threats and attacks that may take place that are given shape by the employees and such attacks have a great impact on the information security along with the reputation of the organization. This is because of the reason that employees may pass on the sensitive details to the competitors of the business organization which may be misused to gain a competitive edge in the market (Geant, 2010).

There are many security controls that shall be used and implemented in the organization to avoid the security attacks and risks. There are numerous network-based security attacks that take place which shall be prevented and avoided by using the techniques as intrusion detection and prevention systems along with other tools like network monitors and scanners. This will provide the organization with the complete network activity being carried out. There are also other security tools that have been developed in the form of anti-malware and anti-denial tools. These tools shall be installed and implemented across the organization and all of the associated systems. Malware attacks and denial of service attacks will be avoided as a result.

The use and application of such security controls will provide the organizations with the ability to avoid, control, detect and prevent the security risks and attacks. The further security attacks will also be avoided as a result.

In order to make sure that the security of information is maintained, it is necessary to carry out risk management process as well. Such a process will make sure that all of the security risks and attacks that may be possible in the organization are identified in advance.

There is a specific risk management process that shall be designed and identified. The risk management process must include risk identification, risk assessment, risk evaluation, risk treatment, risk control and closure. In such a process, all of the possible security risks from the areas of network security, information security, malware attacks etc. will be identified and assessed. The specific treatment strategies will also be mapped with the security risks that will be identified.

However, in spite of all of the efforts and initiatives, there may be cases of security occurrence and attacks. In such cases, it would be essential to have a disaster recovery plan and policy in place. This policy and plan will comprise of the measures that shall be followed in case of a security attack to control the damage and minimize the downtime. The plan will comprise of the back-up tasks and processes that the organization must follow. In this manner, even if a malicious entity succeeds in capturing the data sets, the organization will have a copy of its information sets ready in advance.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in XYZ Company

Similarly, the plan will cover the encryption and cryptography processes that shall be used and implemented in the organization for the control of the disasters and associated activities.

Conclusion

P&G is a multi-national company that was set-up in the year 1859 and now operates in more than 180 countries all across the globe. Due to widespread operations, customer base and office units, there are huge clusters of data sets that P&G manages on a per day basis. The senior leadership and management of the organization took several steps for adequate and efficient information governance and management. The senior leadership that is engaged with an organization has a huge role to play in information organization, management and governance. The senior leadership carries out the tasks around activity monitoring along with control and evaluation. A number of verification and validation activities are carried out by the senior leaders in the form of reviews, inspections and walkthroughs. Such practices bring out the areas of improvements and the necessary changes that shall be made.

Cloud computing is defined as a form of computing that utilizes the computing resources over the network for the execution of business operations and activities. There are various cloud services and platforms that have been developed for the execution of business tasks. XYZ Company, a finance corporation, has included a lot many cloud services and activities in its structure, such as cloud based database, digital market, cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, cloud-based finance management and account management systems along with communication protocols. The company carries out a number of business tasks and operations in terms of development, testing and many others. The use of the PaaS model in the organization leads to the simplification of the tasks and is also a cost-effective approach. The deployment model that is used in the company is the private cloud model. This model makes sure that the cloud services are securely used by the clients in the virtual environment. There is an enhanced control and privacy that is reflected in the business organization with the use of this model. Social media has come up as an integral part of the business organizations in the present era. It has become mandatory to ensure that social media presence is made and is reflected to the stakeholders and the customers. There are also dedicated social media management teams that are being set up in the organizations for the management of social media platforms and networks. There are various forms of security attacks that may take place in the organization, such as denial of service and distributed denial of service attacks, media and message alteration attacks, information breaches and loss, information leakage, physical security attacks and likewise. These attacks can have a negative implication on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information along with a poor implication on the information security and privacy. The organization must make use of the security controls and risk management strategies for avoiding the same.

References

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