Project Scenario

A new software company, Crostini, Inc., is in the early stages of formation and is seeking your help. You have been hired as an information technology (IT) consultant and are charged with designing and proposing a complete IT solution that includes hardware, software, networking, and security components.

Crostini’s leadership team has provided the following that defines their vision requiring an IT solution. Crostini is designing an online software service called Mince, which is a secret acronym for “Making Italian Novel Culinary Experiences.” The word is never written in all capital letters. Mince is envisioned to be an online platform for all things related to Italian cooking.

Initial Functionality:

• Blogs that Crostini staff will write, and users can read, follow, and comment on.

• Recipes from Crostini staff with the ability to subscribe to specific chefs, print recipes, and

watch videos of the chef creating the dish.

• Robust eCommerce component to sell Crostini products and third-party products.

• Social media component called Mince-Meet. Standard social media functionality to include:

o Discussion forums

o Instant messaging

o Secure emails

o VOIP calling between connected (friends) users

• User accounts and profiles.

• Content, people, and product search.

• Calendar component with reminders.

• Administrative and reporting tools.

Based on market research, Crostini expects Mince to house unlimited recipes, videos, and other

content. The eCommerce component will have several thousand products.

Crostini’s Expectations of the IT Solution

• Easy to use (user perspective)

• Easy to manage and configure (administrator perspective)

• Available 24/7

• High performance even during peak usage times

• Support thousands of simultaneous users across the globe

• Security and safety are of paramount importance

• Collect, store, and backup user data with tools to mine data for analytic

In a 3-5-page MS Word document, address the following:

• • What unstated requirements are there, and what method(s) would you use to collect a more comprehensive set of requirements?
  • Describe all of the requirements (stated and unstated) and explain how they could be met using hardware, software, networking, and security. In other words, summarize the elements of the solution that are necessary to address the requirements. Support your proposal.

Your paper should be in APA format and include a title page and references page, neither of which count towards the page length requirement.