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BIS 636 - Systems Analysis and Design Project 1 Simplifying Information Systems at Delta

The document outlines recommendations for Delta Airlines to prevent future IT outages following a 5-hour outage in August 2016 that cancelled thousands of flights and cost the company millions. It recommends: 1) Having a strategy and recovery plan in place beforehand; 2) Storing backup data externally; 3) Using collaboration tools; 4) Diagnosing issues quickly; 5) Regularly practicing the recovery plan; 6) Documenting all outage activities; 7) Prioritizing tasks to restore systems; 8) Eliminating variables after collecting data; and 9) Identifying the severity to assign appropriate resources to the fix. The visual map shows the specific steps to complete Delta's digital transformation and mitigate business challenges.

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sneha sree
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97 views

BIS 636 - Systems Analysis and Design Project 1 Simplifying Information Systems at Delta

The document outlines recommendations for Delta Airlines to prevent future IT outages following a 5-hour outage in August 2016 that cancelled thousands of flights and cost the company millions. It recommends: 1) Having a strategy and recovery plan in place beforehand; 2) Storing backup data externally; 3) Using collaboration tools; 4) Diagnosing issues quickly; 5) Regularly practicing the recovery plan; 6) Documenting all outage activities; 7) Prioritizing tasks to restore systems; 8) Eliminating variables after collecting data; and 9) Identifying the severity to assign appropriate resources to the fix. The visual map shows the specific steps to complete Delta's digital transformation and mitigate business challenges.

Uploaded by

sneha sree
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BIS 636 - Systems Analysis and Design

Project 1

Simplifying Information Systems at Delta

INTRODUCTION:

Delta Airlines lost millions of dollars of revenue on August 8, 2016, as it was forced to
cancel thousands of flights on August 8, and this happened because the computer outage
lasted for around 5 hours. It broke the trust of many of our customers in us. These not
only resulted in monetary loss but also affected the reputation of our company in the
market. It is the most trusted and reliable airline company in the world before this
happening of this event. However, they invested millions of dollars in technology and IT
infrastructure to update the systems so that it is not required to compromise with
customers experience. But due to a specific problem in System, delta airlines had lost
millions within few days, which created a negative perception about their brand in the
market. So now, they need to make sure any event like this will never happen in the
future.

The overall goal of this project is to share a few assumptions & recommendations for
maintaining delta airline information systems to prevent future outages. The project will
outline the steps to overcome business challenges which in turn will provide the
company’s expected benefits.

With Delta Airlines business goals in mind, A power failure in one location can take out
a global airline with 13 hub airports spanning the globe. It may well be that the global
supercarriers need to improve their IT resilience and multi-location fallback systems to
prevent this sort of thing in the future. They are seeking to grow, by change strategies, by
emphasizing product features.

ASSUMPTIONS:

The outage had nothing to do with the age of Delta Airlines equipment. They had some
poor wiring in place as per airlines and thought they would take that idea and broaden its
appeal to their customers, employees, and the media to get their stories out to a broad
constituency.

IN-SCOPE FUNCTIONALITY:

To communicate with employees and to confirm that the employees have the information
they need to do their job in a great manner every day. As Delta Airlines is a consumer-
facing organization, employees must be equipped with lots of customer questions.

Take steps to monitor the systems and network to ensure they are performing at peak
capacity. Early detection of a performance problem can eliminate a system crash.

Anil Kumar @2018


Data Analytics systems for better forecasting technology/methods so that managers can
be better prepared for changes in the network or any other issue from year to year and
season to season.

A typical system implementation requires resources from a variety of special areas,


including programming and interfacing, networking, hardware deployment or technical
support, the end-user(s), and education or training. These specialties may reside inside or
outside of the information services department.

OUT-OF-SCOPE FUNCTIONALITY:

Identifying software, upgrading hardware, and adding tools that are capable of supporting
machine learning/AI. These things would ultimately be needed but should not be the
focus of this project. 

With product and technology improvements, data backup and disaster recovery are
converging, but that does not necessarily mean your organization should drop one of the
disciplines.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES:

The project plan discusses the specific steps on how to complete the recommended digital
transformation of Delta Airlines. These steps are designed to mitigate Delta Airlines
business challenges and are documented as a visual map below.

1.Strategy on the spot before the outage

If a company goes into a system outage with a plan in place, it will feel much more
prepared when things go wrong. During the outage, the company and its team can
reference the protocol and go through the essential steps to ensure that they are doing
everything possible to get back up to speed. Outages are usually out of control, but
having a plan going into it is a great way to help lessen the pain.

2.Store backup data on an external server

A company should always have data backed up on an external server to minimize damage
and recover quickly from a system outage. Therefore, if a system crashes, the data will
still be accessible. Safety does not have to be expensive; there are many good,
inexpensive options for cloud storage to choose from.

3.Use collaboration tools for effective communication

It will help if a company stays prepared for a potential outage before it happens by having
the correct collaboration software and information available readily. They need to know
how to get in touch with stakeholders and responders quickly for the best results. If they

Anil Kumar @2018


run around for this information after the outage strikes, this will cause chaos, stress, and
potentially lost revenue.

4.Diagnose the issue quickly

More likely than not, the company and its team will be able to diagnose the issue
immediately or in a short period. It’s still essential to make this No. 1 priority when they
experience an outage to solve it right away. Make sure about the solid knowledge base
and diagnostic manual on hand to assess the issue.

5.Regularly practice the recovery plan

The key to recovering quickly from outages has a plan in place that is tested regularly.
Do not plan and then put it on a shelf, it will be outmoded. Have a disaster recovery plan
and try it at least twice a year to ensure that the plan works. Solutions for losses like
electricity, phones/internet, physical building, key people, and access to computers
should be planned.

6.Make a record

When a system outage occurs, the company must document everything. Documenting
everything will allow to quickly identify the problem and give warning signs that will
help prevent the issue in the future. Document every performed activity before, during,
and after the incident onto a piece of paper or a computer file to have a record of
everything.

7.Prioritize restored tasks

During a system outage, it’ll get hectic, stressful, and complicated. Stakeholders will be
phoning in, questioning why the system is down, even while still troubleshooting. A
company needs to prioritize its tasks to lead the system back up. Instead of spreading thin
trying to put out all the fires, ask what the most important things to do are, then focus the
time and energy on those.

8.Start eliminating variables after gathering data

One best method to troubleshoot and recover from system outages as quickly as possible
is to collect data and eliminate all possible variables or troubleshoot the outage. While
this is working, be sure to talk to the team or customers if the outage has prompted
obstructions or damage. The sooner the response is, the better people will feel about the
resolution.

9.Identify the severity

Identify the level of severity to know how many staffers are assigned to fix the outage.
Then, focus on data recovery as quickly as possible, so as little of it is lost. Ensure the
Anil Kumar @2018
trusted team gets to the root of the problem (and not just fix it) by putting measures in
place not to happen again.

VISUAL MAP:

REFERENCES:

1.Handling a system Outage. Retrieved from-


https://thenextweb.com/news/handling-a-system-outage-14-things-to-remember-
during-recovery
2. Delta’s massive computer outage, Retrieved from-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/08/what-you-
need-to-know-about-the-massive-delta-computer-outage/

Anil Kumar @2018


Anil Kumar @2018
Anil Kumar @2018

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